_Playing Friday 7:30 p.m. at the Missouri Theatre_

It’s the song that plays at all high school dances and can cause any crowd to break into chorus: Journey’s worldwide hit, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

However, fans have created a new Journey favorite out of the voice behind the lyrics, Arnel Pineda.

Thanks to producer Capella Fahoome Brogden’s new documentary, “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey,” rock ‘n’ roll fans can learn about the rags to riches story of Journey’s lead singer Arnel Pineda.

Let’s back up a second. How exactly did Pineda, a Philippines native covering old Journey songs on YouTube, become the band’s leading man? According to the Huffington Post, renowned vocalist Steve Perry [had left the Journey boys in 1996](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/journey-steve-perry-arnel-pineda_n_1450308.html), and according to Journey’s website, Steve Augeri [quickly filled the void](http://www.journeymusic.com/pages/bio) for the next 10 years. When Augeri bowed out in 2006, Journey was left, yet again, without a front man. Enter Arnel Pineda by the grace of the [YouTube gods](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ragdoUO6s5w).

The most remarkable aspects of the film come from Pineda himself. The way Fahoome characterizes Pineda makes it hard not to have a soft spot for this funny, soft-spoken (but definitely not soft-sung) man. You’ll be astounded that such big vocals could come out of a guy of such little stature. He sounds like he’s been singing for Journey his whole life. Certain footage that Fahoome includes really proves that Pineda’s heart is even bigger than his voice. Throughout his rise to fame, Pineda is always shown to be humble, even geeking out when the lead singer of Chicago came to meet the band backstage.

The nearly two-hour film is filled with dynamic concert shots and backstage footage as well as a moving narrative you won’t find anywhere else. Whether you’ve been with Journey since the beginning or Glee’s numerous covers made you a fan, reliving the glory days of rock ‘n’ roll with Pineda’s story is a must. “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey” gets a hearty three encores out of five.

_Q&A with producer Capella Fahoome Brogden_

**[MOVE]:** How did you come across this story?

**[Capella Fahoome Brogden]:** Ramona (the director of “Don’t Stop”) actually discovered the story. She found it through an email going through the Filipino community that was written by one of the immigration agents that gave Arnel his visa. … She kind of thought it was something that should be made. … We met at a Starbucks, and she showed me this 10-minute trailer that she’d cut from this day that she’d spent with Arnel and the band. It was so awesome. It was really, really, really moving, and I said we have to make it. She said, “We don’t have any money.” I said, “We have to go.”

**[M]:** What was the timeframe like from when Arnel joined the band to when filming began?

**[FB]:** It all happened in 2008. He joined, and then two weeks later, they did a big concert. Right after that, they hit this big U.S. tour. It all happened very, very fast.

**[M]:** What was it like being on tour with Journey?

**[FB]:** Tour is the most grueling thing ever imagined. I mean it is hard. It’s really hard. Say, soundcheck was at five. We would go to the venue with them, sound check. They would maybe get done around 6, have dinner, go backstage and hang out with their family and chill. They would go on at 9, get off at 11, shower at the venue and then they’d get on the buses and ride … Then they’d get there at 6 in the morning, and you wake up and do it all over again. It’s nuts. There are like five of us with all our luggage… for the summer, all our gear, in a minivan, trying to follow these buses. Ideally, I was supposed to stay in the minivan and sleep while they were shooting the concerts, and then I would drive through the night. But it didn’t really happen that way because I would always go in and get them set up. I would always have to sit by the gear or dump the footage because we didn’t have any extra hands.

**[M]:** Why was it important to tell stories like Arnel’s?

**[FB]:** We would literally get on each phone call, and no one would have updates on money, someone would go, “Okay guys don’t stop believin’.” And everyone I meet, everyone has a story. Everyone has a story about that song. Everyone. … I think Arnel’s story is pretty cool, and he’s very likable. It could have been a ten-minute story… He was down in his rut, and now he’s an American rock star … but I think that he loves the camera and the camera loves him. He is so sincere and it just comes across.

**[M]:** What should viewers know before going to see the film?

**[FB]:** At the end, a lot of people have shirts that say “plokkers.” What are plokkers? They are Arnel’s followers. On his website, when you’re on chat, every time you send a message it makes that noise “polka.” When he comes on it goes… “Plok, plok, plok, plok.”