Styx – Lawrence Gowan By Lori Smerilson Carson July 17, 2024 Styx – Lawrence Gowan By: Lori Smerilson Carson | Photo: Jason Powell (left to right: Todd Sucherman, Lawrence Gowan, Chuck Panozzo, James “JY” Young, Tommy Shaw, Terry Gowan, Will Evankovich) Exceptional talent brings exceptional results, and the new album RENEGADES & JUKE BOX HEROES truly showcases decades of Styx and FOREIGNER’s world renown hits. The album also features one of John Waite’s big hits, which only adds to this amazing collection that is a limited edition for fans to buy. All three bands are comprising the Renegades & Juke Box Heroes tour, and Florida fans will have the opportunity to experience this sure to be phenomenal show in West Palm Beach at the iThink Financial Amphitheatre on July 19th and in Tampa at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre on July 20th. Multi-Platinum artists Styx have been committed to performing over one hundred shows a year, and Keyboardist/Lead Vocalist Lawrence Gowan took the time to divulge a bit about the tour that he and fellow bandmates Lead Vocalists/Guitarists James “JY” Young and Tommy Shaw, Bassist Chuck Panozzo, Bassist/Guitarist Terry Gowan, Drummer Todd Sucherman and Mandolinist/Guitarist Will Evankovich are in the midst of, as well as a bit about the new album, and what fans can look forward to. SFL Music Magazine: How did the new album RENEGADES & JUKE BOX HEROES come to be? Lawrence Gowan: Well, it’s a celebration album of the tour, basically. The fact that these three acts are together. We’ve played shows with John Waite, and with FOREIGNER, we’ve done full tours. So, we’ve become friends over the years, and these combined tours, it almost becomes like one big band because you’re playing four hours of classic rock over the course of an evening, watching thousands of people flip out to it. It’s basically a way of kind of marking that. Almost like a scrapbook version of the tour, but with the songs being at the center of the focus, and that’s what it is anyway, but I know that they’ve sold incredibly well. They disappear every day from shows. I think they’ve already gone into a reprinting of it at this point. SFL Music Magazine: I see it’s a limited edition with the picture disc. So, they are re-ordering for the new shows coming up? Gowan: Yep. SFL Music Magazine: What can fans look forward to with the new shows in West Palm Beach on July 19th and Tampa on July 20th? Gowan: Well, first of all, you’re going to know every single song from 7pm until 11pm. So, there’s four hours there where if you are there right from the beginning, you’ll hear the soundtrack of your life unfold. Most of the audience every night, are under forty. I’d say the majority of them are actually under thirty of that contingency, and they seem to be the most vocal about it. It’s a beautiful thing to see that classic rock has proven itself to be the great musical statement of the last half of the twentieth century, and people have embraced it. New generations have come to it and love it as if its concurrent with their own lives, and they see themselves in the songs. These melodies have stood the ultimate test, that being of time. It’s a joyous evening, basically from the stage perspective. I have commented that they’re not doing very much wear and tear on the seats because I hardly see people sit down for the entire show. Yeah, it’s amazing! SFL Music Magazine: With over fifty years under your belts, what would you say inspires Styx music in general? Gowan: I would say the main thing is just day to day life brings up various notions and various subject matter that you can delve into, and eventually that becomes a musical expression that reflects that, and we continue to pursue that as a band. You’re going to forge a united sound that no one person could elicit on their own. At the same time, it’s also been such a great legacy that we want to stay somehow connected and in tandem with what the band sounded like in the past. So, it’s a clever little balancing act that has to be struck where the classic rock elements that the band are so known for, somehow make their way into the new material that we work on. SFL Music Magazine: Is that what you would say attributes to the success and longevity of Styx? Gowan: I think the first and foremost thing is that, from when the band made the biggest albums in their career in the late seventies, the songs have melodies and lyrics that once the melodies get into your head, they stay there. Lyrically speaking, I think this is a really important fact with Styx is, I think people can see themselves in these songs. They can follow the lyric along and somehow the narrative of their own life is incorporated in a lot of the emotions that are expressed in these songs. Once those emotions are attached to a melody, they just won’t leave you. It’s galvanized in there for good. The greatest way to express your connection to it is by coming and seeing a live show because there’s nothing like a live concert to really drive that home. SFL Music Magazine: Rock to the Rescue which is headed by Hannah, Tommy Shaw’s daughter to build strong communities for animal welfare as well as disaster relief, health and well-being, music education. What is it that you will be doing in Florida? Has that been decided yet, which foundations? Gowan: I don’t know. Our merchandise people have taken that over now. Actually, the son of the guy who is in charge of our merch, Kevin Compton. I think he’s the one that figures out what group or what affiliation we should have with what group in that town on that day. Sometimes it can be animal shelter as you said, or it can be the homeless soup kitchen type of thing. Whatever we deem to be most worthy on the day and is going to have the most positive effect on that community as immediate as possible. That’s what we wind up doing. Lori, I’m not really part of that decision. I always accept it. Whatever they thought was worthy, was worthy. SFL Music Magazine: So that will be something for people to look forward to and participate? Gowan: Yeah. SFL Music Magazine: Is there anything in particular you look forward to while in Tampa and West Palm Beach? Gowan: Well, I happen to love the ocean (he laughed). Every given summer, I want to get my feet in the Atlantic and the Pacific and the Gulf. I want to do all three. That’s my little goal and that’s what I love. SFL Music Magazine: Was there anything else new coming out that fans can look forward to besides the new album? Gowan: Yeah. I think the biggest thing, what we’re entirely focused on right now is this tour and making sure that every night we’re at the top of our game. That’s the biggest thing. Of course, there’s that album, the RENEGADES & JUKE BOX HEROES. We are working on new music. There will be something probably new in the next twelve months. If not, maybe a little bit longer than that, but there is this insatiable demand to see the band now around the world, and we’re really trying to meet that demand as much as we possibly can. So, Tampa and West Palm are just in our sights. Just shortly up the road from right now. We so look forward to seeing everyone. SFL Music Magazine: Was there anything else you want to add? Gowan: Just that they’re gonna have the time of their life if they come. If the audiences that have seen it so far, the first twenty or so shows that we’ve done, if they are any indication, people are just going to have an ecstatic time. Share It!
