JOURNEY Hires DEF LEPPARD's Manager

According to Billboard, legendary rockers JOURNEY have hired a new manager.

The band, which was previously managed by guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain, has officially recruited Mike Kobayashi, who also oversees fellow iconic rockers DEF LEPPARD.

JOURNEY's management change comes less than two months after Schon filed a lawsuit against Cain in California state court, alleging that Cain set up an American Express card without telling Schon and that "millions of JOURNEY funds have flowed through it."

Schon's attorneys claim in the suit, which was filed in Contra Costa in the Bay Area of California, that Cain hasn't turned over financial records that allow Schon to know how much the band owes him.

According to the lawsuit, Cain and Schon set up a company after a previous legal dispute with former bass player Ross Valory that operates the band, Nomota, of which they own 50 percent each. Cain, for his part, accused Schon of misusing the card, citing his "excessive spending and extravagant lifestyle."

In a November 25 social media post, Schon responded to Cain's statement that the lawsuit was "ill-conceived," writing: "All I want to see is our Records. Cain is lying as I DO NOT HAVE FULL ACCESS as he states. I'm now a 50% owner. I'm the founder President and Secretary / manager of Nomota LLC that we started in 1998 and have every right to see what's gone on in there. AMEX ON A RECORDED LINE on both side told me JON WILL NOT give me access to the account of ALL CREDIT CARDS THAT HAVE BEEN USED. They told me I Only have Limited access.

"Really don't understand why he would think I can't see what's gone on going all the way back to 1998," he continued. "Hand over the records. It's my legal right to see what our corporate BAND CARD FOR NOMOTA has been used for for the last over 2 decades. There's been MANY EX Employees that had used this card. TRANSPARENCY is All I'm asking for. Is that to much to be asking of a 50/50 partner. There's no skating around this."

Back in 2017, Schon and Cain feuded publicly on social media after Cain, singer Arnel Pineda and Valory were photographed at the White House with then-U.S. president Donald Trump. Cain is a devout born-again Christian whose minister wife Paula White-Cain delivered the invocation at Trump's inauguration.

This is just the latest in a string of lawsuits between current and former JOURNEY members in recent years. This past September, former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry sued Schon and Cain over the trademarks to 20 of the group's biggest songs.

Three and a half years ago, Schon and Cain were embroiled in a legal dispute with former JOURNEY drummer Steve Smith and Valory. In April of 2021, Schon and Cain "reached an amicable settlement agreement" with Smith and Valory.

JOURNEY now consists of Schon and Cain, longtime singer Arnel Pineda, drummer Deen Castronovo, keyboardist/backing singer Jason Derlatka and bassist Todd Jensen.