Drummer Steve Smith Breaks Down His Incredible Drumming on the 1983 Journey Song ‘Separate Ways’

Steve Smith, the incredibly talented percussionist for Journey and other bands, broke down his incredibly distinctive drumming on the 1983 song “Separate Ways” for Drumeo. Smith explained that he arranged his part of the song for particularly large audiences and took viewers step-by-step through the song.

‘Separate Ways’ was a song we put together knowing we were going to be playing in large arenas and stadiums, so we wanted a song that had a powerful hook, a big sound, and had the effect to really rock the house.

Steve Smith Drummer Separate Ways Journey

Smith also performed during the 2020 Drumeo Festival with his current band, Vital Information.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.