Rolling Stone caught up with Journey guitarist Neal Schon to discuss his new solo instrumental album, The Universe, parting ways with drummer Steve Smith and bassist Ross Valory, Journey's forthcoming album, and more. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Q: What’s the status of the new Journey record?

Schon: "We’re deep in it. It’s coming along, man. It’s really shaping up. Narada and I have been working nonstop. Jonathan (Cain) is also working from his houses in Florida and Nashville. Arnel is working from Manila. Randy Jackson is working mostly from L.A. And it’s one of those Zoom sessions and it sounds phenomenal. It sounds like we’re all playing in the room at the same time. I actually can’t wait until we do get together and start putting the show together. The new single should be coming out mid-February."

Q: You and Jonathan Cain are clearly in a much better place than you were a few years ago. How did you patch things up?

Schon: "We found out that there was a lot of miscommunication that I felt was coming from management. The divide-and-conquer situation was going on. They were saying I said things that I didn’t say. I heard it had happened with other bands from guitar techs that I had been with. It was happening in the Van Halen camp between Eddie and Sammy. I was just like, 'I’m seeing the same scenario.' Once we got past all the crap and we talked everything out, we found out that a lot of it was just b.s. and we were actually good. Him and I are still very tight as songwriters. There’s still magic there. He’s still creating amazing music, even without me, but us together, we create something that really sounds like Journey."

Q: I’ve heard rumblings about a biopic about Arnel (Pineda / vocals). Do you think that’s going to happen?

Schon: "I think it’s something that will come down. The story of me finding him on YouTube is sort of unbelievable. I remember when I first told people I had found him. They were like, 'Come on, man. Did you just make this up?' It was like a Cinderella story that was too good to believe. We made the documentary (Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey) off the fact we found him in Manila, not New York or L.A., and I heard his voice and went, 'This is the guy. I know it’s the guy.' Apparently Warner Bros. thinks is a great story too. I think they are going to make it. I don’t know when. I don’t believe they’ve even started. I think they are still writing the script."

Read the complete interview here.

Schon's new solo LP, Universe, includes covers of songs by The Beatles ("Hey Jude"), Jimi Hendrix ("Voodoo Child"), Stevie Wonder ("I Believe"), and Prince ("Purple Rain").

Tracklisting:

"Something In The Heart"
"The Eye Of God"
"The Universe"
"Caruso"
"Voodoo Child"
"Third Stone From The Sun"
"Purple Rain"
"She's For Real"
"What Has Become"
"Lights"
"Silent Voyage"
"Chrome Shuffle"
"Be Happy"
"I Believe"
"Hey Jude"