Styx – Lawrence Gowan
By: Lori Smerilson Carson
It’s Summertime in Florida which means sun, sand, sea, and Styx!
This world renown multi-platinum, legendary rock band will be hitting the road with fellow legendary multi-platinum artists Chicago for this year’s amphitheater shows, The Windy Cities Tour. Styx, comprised of Founder/Guitarist/Vocalist James “JY” Young, original Bassist Chuck Panozzo, Guitarist/Vocalist Tommy Shaw, Keyboardist/Vocalist Lawrence Gowan, Drummer Todd Sucherman, Guitarist/Vocalist Will Evankovich, and Bassist Terry Gowan will be featuring songs from their 18th studio album CIRCLING FROM ABOVE (released last July), as well as other fans favorites that they have racked up for more than five decades. Florida fans can experience this phenomenon July 13th in West Palm Beach at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, and July 15th in Tampa at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre.
Catching up with Lawrence Gowan while Styx was on their winter tour, he revealed some details about the new show, a bit about other band projects, what he likes about coming to Florida, and what fans can look forward to.
SFL Music Magazine: This summer Styx has the Windy Cities Tour that kicks off July 13th in West Palm Beach and then the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union. How did this tour come together with Chicago this time?
Lawrence Gowan: We’ve toured with so many other classic rock bands over the last twenty-eight years that I’ve been in the band, and I think basically it just made sense. Also quite honestly Lori, I think that in the past, it may have been that well, a band like Chicago, a horn band whose roots aren’t necessarily in progressive rock, I think there would have been more of a division amongst the listeners out there. But now, it seems to me that people’s taste for classic rock has broadened to where you could probably get like Yes with Bad Company or something like that. Something that might not have made sense in the past. Now, I think the variety of that actually entices the people that want to go to concerts. So, I think it’s that coupled with the obvious that these are two of the biggest bands that ever came out of the city of Chicago. So, I think there’s another little more hidden tacit tie in there that I think they just couldn’t resist. I love it because I used to go to and see Chicago often. I think I saw them three times with the Terry Kath line up, and I think twice beyond that.
SFL Music Magazine: Do you think coming from Chicago plays into the band? What do you think attributes to the way Styx and Chicago sound?
Gowan: Well, I guess there’s a Midwest sensibility to the approach to music. I can only kind of call it that. That’s a very loose way of describing it, but there is something about, I think particularly in the lyrics to Chicago songs and the lyrics to Styx songs that are very relatable and transcends the particular decade that they’re from. They’re not necessarily stream of conscious, hardly any actually, but far more relatable to people throughout the decade. So, I think there’s something in that. I think that there’s a solid type of sensibility about it and I think that’s part of why songs have withstood the ultimate test being time.
SFL Music Magazine: Is there anything you can think of from those days that you would recommend to bands for today?
Gowan: That is so difficult, honestly Lori because it’s a completely different set up for musicians now than it was at the time when Styx and Chicago emerged. There was a clearly defined kind of line to not necessarily from the top, but aligns to success, and those bands, my era, followed that. I went along with that paradigm. It’s so different now that it would be better if the younger bands give us advice as to how to navigate the current landscape (he laughed) than the other way around. I often just say this; if you fall in love with music, it will never let you down. If you fall in love with the music business, it will only let you down (he laughed). That’s been my observation over the years. I think just basically staying true to making the best music you possibly can, but with the best players you can possibly get yourself hooked up with is your most likely path to success if you want to try to make a living at it. It’s also a guaranteed path of success if you really want to make good music.
SFL Music Magazine: That is great advice for young musicians!
Gowan: I do feel a lot of young acts are very focused on their chops and on their Instagram likes and who they attract. My son (Dylan Gowan) falls straight into that category. He plays the drums in a very successful metal band called Seven Spires from the U.S. and by default, they have to focus on that social media attention and connection which to me on the one hand is fantastic because you’re publicity is really defined as to which path you have to go, but to actually spread your music to a wide audience that can engage with it for more than fifteen seconds, that’s the real challenge that they’re faced with.
SFL Music Magazine: The last tour, The Grand Illusion tour, Styx had those big screens with videos. What can fans look forward to with the new Styx show?
Gowan: It will be the epic adventure that it always is but yes, we will be adding that. The visual content has become really locked into the presentation. The monster light show. I don’t know if we’re going to bring lasers on this one or not, but the screen content really enhances the entire experience for the audience right to the back of the house. That and they usually have live cameras as well. So, people get a great view even if they’re sitting up on the lawn of these amphitheaters, they’re still going to feel connected to the stage in a very strong way. I mean, that is the part of the music world that has expanded and has improved in my mind to a great degree, is how things are presented live and how people in the thousands can feel connected to what’s going on onstage, and vice-versa honestly, how we can feel connected to them right to the last row.
SFL Music Magazine: Will this show be album oriented like the last one with THE GRAND ILLUSION?
Gowan: I don’t believe so. We just did the entire Pieces of Eight in Las Vegas for our residency there at the Venetian, and that was very successful. It’s likely that one or two of those songs that aren’t normally in the set and this summer hits, the setlist, one or two of those are going to make it in beyond “Renegade” and “Blue Collar Man” that are in every show of course. But we could wind up playing something else from Pieces of Eight that isn’t normally in the summer set, so I look forward to that.
SFL Music Magazine: Styx has Rock to the Rescue and the last time we spoke, we discussed how the Shriners were usually at every summer show. Are they going to be at these shows for people to look forward to doing some fundraising?
Gowan: I don’t know, but I’d be very surprised if they weren’t there quite honestly because they’ve become such a part of our summer effort year in and year out. Rock to the Rescue used to be such a worthy little kind of acknowledgment for the band to do to all these cities and towns, communities that have supported us for over half a century. So, I would imagine that they will be involved. Our latest album CIRCLING FROM ABOVE will be what they’ll be offering along with the memorabilia stuff that we do as well. We’re always signing guitars, and vinyl albums and CDs, and things like that. So, I certainly hope that the Shriners will be involved again.
SFL Music Magazine: There are some wonderful items to auction off for people to look forward to. Speaking of CIRCLING FROM ABOVE, I did see the “Build and Destroy” video. Will there be any new videos coming out?
Gowan: Yeah. There’s a song called “Forgive” and there’s a video for that. A charcoal art drawing. Check that one out. It’s called Styx – “Forgive”.
SFL Music Magazine: You all are playing in Florida this week, correct?
Gowan: We are playing there. We are actually going to start there tomorrow in Pompano. We go through Estero and a good number of towns. Places that we won’t be able to hit on the summer tour. We try to do those early in the year, if possible, every other year to get to those communities that just never make it onto the summer amphitheater tour. Those theaters that we wind up playing, those are some of my favorites of the year.
SFL Music Magazine: Is there anything else that you look forward to when you come to Florida?
Gowan: I know we’re going to St. Augustine. It’s one of my favorite towns for sure. Beautiful historical place and quite honestly, it’s nice for me being from Toronto to get away from shoveling my driveway for a couple of weeks.
SFL Music Magazine: The last time we spoke you said you try to get to Cape Canaveral when you come here.
Gowan: Yes. I don’t know that we’ll be able to do that this time. If we have a day off, I guess we will. That’s always an entire day’s experience. I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that this year. We did it, I believe last year. Oh God, it’s so great! We went into the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) and saw the whole Artemis program that is still coming together. That to me is such a great day spent seeing the very edge of what humanity is trying to achieve. I’m in awe of it every single time.
SFL Music Magazine: Something else for Floridians to go see. I think people sometimes forget all that is in the state.
Gowan: Oh, I know, believe me. Living in Toronto, I rarely get to the CN Tower and yet everyone who comes to town goes, “can we go to the CN Tower?” It’s right there, so off we go.
SFL Music Magazine: Is there anything else fans should know about the summer tour shows?
Gowan: We’re so looking forward to touring with Chicago, one of the greatest bands of all time. I think it’s such a great double bill. People are going to be thoroughly entertained with about four hours of classic rock from those two bands. So, we’re just excited about that. Excited about continuing to unveil song by song the latest Styx album CIRCLING FROM ABOVE, and basically just pushing into it. We’re into the fifty-fifth year of the band’s existence, so it’s quite an occasion to come out and feel that we’re still putting on a show that’s worthy of how the band plays.
