Styx – Lawrence Gowan

Styx – Lawrence Gowan

By: Lori Smerilson Carson

Growing up with a passion for music and an honest ability to entertain, it was only natural that Keyboardist/Singer/Songwriter Lawrence Gowan would become an integral member of world renown rock band Styx.  Originally making their mark in the music world in 1972 with their self-titled album, Styx went on to achieve four consecutive multi-platinum records starting with THE GRAND ILLUSION released in 1977 through PARADISE THEATRE released in 1981. These extraordinarily talented musicians continued to create hit songs and now, on July 18^th Styx is releasing their 18^th studio album CIRCLING FROM ABOVE. This LP will be available for fans to buy on their Brotherhood of Rock tour (with The Kevin Cronin Band and Don Felder) which Floridians had the chance to see at the end of May/beginning of June in Hollywood, Tampa and Jacksonville.

Catching up with Gowan the day of the Jacksonville show, he revealed some details about the album and show that he and bandmates Lead Vocalists/Guitarists James “JY” Young (founder) and Tommy Shaw, Guitarist/Vocalist/Producer Will Evankovich, Bassist Terry Gowan, original Bassist Chuck Panozzo and Drummer Todd Sucherman have created and performed, as well as some past experiences, and what fans can look forward to.

SFL Music Magazine: The new album CIRCLING FROM ABOVE your eighteenth studio album. What inspired this album? Is there a theme?

Lawrence Gowan: It’s best when people kind of in their own little theater of the mind when you’re listening to an album, if you get to concoct your own theme. It’s funny, yesterday was June 1^st. That was the day in 1967 when Sgt Pepper (Sgt.PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND) came out. I remember even as a ten-year-old kid at the time, well first of all, this was the beginning of albums as full conceptual where you play forty minutes of music together that all flows. Oh, I entirely concocted a whole concept to it, and I suppose there is in some ways. So, in CIRCLING FROM ABOVE, I think it’s a very observational album. I’ll just say that, in observing of, not just the human condition, but the human challenges that everyone faces and has to kind of resolve in some way. Some of which we face as an ensemble, as a group, as a race, as a species (he laughed). So, that involves a great myriad of quite an emotional arc there that you can run through from the personal to the collective. So, I guess it would be something of that vague, very vague nature.

SFL Music Magazine: The title track “Circling From Above”, what inspired that? Did it come from that whole idea?

Gowan: Will Evankovich who is our producer and co-writer, he had that whole chord progression that he and Tommy then put lyrics to. That’s one of the songs I was not part of the writing, but I loved the fact that he wanted to use big thick synths to kind of introduce this very, what to my mind is a very electronically infused overview. Let’s call it that. I mean, “Circling From Above” after all it is, but I felt this great kind of gliding feeling of it. Funny enough, it was my brother Terry that suggested that should be the opening of the album. Then when I came up with “Build and Destroy” or at least the initial part of “Build and Destroy”, then we finished it off with Will and Tommy. I just thought those two pieces; one flows into the other so well. That “Circling From Above” flows really well into “Build and Destroy”, and since “Build and Destroy” was going to be the first song we release for the record, we should put that right up front.

SFL Music Magazine: I saw the video for “Build and Destroy” with the signature Styx sound, and like you had stated, the melody felt like it had a Star Trek or Twilight Zone thing?

Gowan: Yeah. I had that feeling about it. Someone pointed out it reminded them of Doctor Who (he laughed).

SFL Music Magazine: I didn’t think about that.

Gowan: Neither did I. I immediately went and listened to the Doctor Who theme and yeah, it’s nothing like that, but it evokes the same sense of mystery and intrigue. So, I had that melody and that chord progression, and that’s what I brought to the band. I’m so glad that we filled it out. Then a friend of mine in Toronto, Jay Ziebarth who had done a lyric video for
“Crash of the Crown”, he had just started working on these AI programs that he was kind of inputting his division into and that’s how the video came about.

SFL Music Magazine: It’s a great video with the symbolisms of the birds and bees.

Gowan: Well, this is it. I said, ok. “Build and Destroy”, we need to have some kind of representative of the builders, and so those wound up being the bees. Then the destroyers in this case happen to be the birds, the starlings. That really came about because Tommy had suggested that although there’s a lot of technological references in the record, that it’s really nature as a whole that really will ultimately determine where all of this lands, so to speak. So, the birds and the fact that Tommy’s got a lot of starlings in his backyard, is very central to the overall thematically way of looking at it. The idea circling from above, that it’s not just technology that’s watching us, but the birds have been there for I hear, decades now (he laughed).

SFL Music Magazine: At least.

Gowan: Since back in the prehistoric times and have been circling from above and observing us and probably having a lot to chat about between them.

SFL Music Magazine: I’m sure they are wondering about us humans.

Gowan: They think they can fly now!

SFL Music Magazine: Yeah, I love the ending of the video where the band flies off the cliff!

Gowan: It’s funny. I’m just getting to, like the entire planet is grappling with what the hell AI is going to do to us, with us or for us. There’s a lot of positive as well. Like any new invention. You see, that’s the thing is, any new invention there’s the good and the bad that comes along with it. There’s certainly plenty of bad that comes along with AI, but it’s not been like space exploration. It’s extremely expensive and it’s costly in many ways environmentally even, and yet it brings great things to humankind in the way of curing diseases and all kinds of things that we’re able to apply it to. Anyway, us turning into birds at the very end and flying off. Let’s get back to the serious stuff. That was tough to actually get it to do that. I kept going back and forth with Jay saying, it’s not quite there yet, it’s not quite there. You have to convey that somehow we’re going to take flight despite all of this building and destroying. Eventually it got through to the thick-headed AI program and it all worked out.

SFL Music Magazine: It does look very cool. Fans need to see it! What about the song “We Lost the Wheel Again”?

Gowan: That’s Will’s song and so he would be better able to explain it. I just sing on the bridge of that song and do the keys, but I love the imagery of it. We keep kind of careening off the edge of the cliff and trying to figure out what we’re doing wrong. He unabashedly said, “I wanted to write something that felt like it could be on Who’s next or QUADROPHENIA.” So, it really was a bit of an homage to that. I remember when John Lennon talked about that he was listening to a lot of Bob Dylan and wanted to write a song that sounded like it could be a Bob Dylan song, which he did. So, that’s often how we get inspired to write various things is from the influences that we’ve had primarily from the classic rock era.

SFL Music Magazine: Would you say your influences are in your music when you write?

Gowan: Well, it will find its way despite any efforts to kind of keep it out (he laughed). As a classically trained piano player, there are classical elements that find their way into anything that I’m writing whether I want them to or not. They’re going to manifest themselves in some way. Now that we’ve had fifty plus years of classic rock, let’s call it. Well, it’s actually closer to seventy years if you want to go all the way back, but I mean, primarily classic rock from the ‘70s, ‘80s. There was obviously just a reworking or a reinvention of what exploded in the ‘60s. It continues to inform just about every decision that we make when we’re recording because we want the records to sound like they’re from that era. It’s of prime importance quite honestly since we started making THE MISSION. THE MISSION, CRASH OF THE CROWN and now CIRCLING FROM ABOVE is, how do we evoke that emotion of the classic rock era? So, there’s several steps to that. The first of course being the writing, and yet the trickiest part there is really in the lyrics. It’s not to make the lyrics sound like they’re antiquated in some way or falling back on cliches etc. They have to resonate with the world as it is at the moment and for the foreseeable future. Whereas the music and the audio quality of the music has to be able to live alongside that classic rock sound. That sound of vinyl records. So, to accomplish that, we began on THE MISSION, actually with the focused attention to using as much analogue gear as we possibly can. This is how we achieve that sound. Also, getting more than one person in the room at the same time so that you’ve got human interaction next to it. That’s of prime importance to this. Then eventually being able to put what we’ve recorded, up against a classic album of the ‘70s. It doesn’t all have to be a Styx record. I was just talking to a guy prior to our discussion Lori about the fact that he thought THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY (Genesis) flowed really well into “Build and Destroy”.  I said, well, I’m glad you feel that way. That is kind of the intention is that we’re able to have these new records feel like they’re congruent with the records of the classic rock era.

SFL Music Magazine: You all did a residency in Las Vegas.

Gowan: Yes.

SFL Music Magazine: What would you say you took away from that experience?

Gowan: I took away more than the guys who decided to gamble. Not that I discourage any gambling in Las Vegas. Come out, enjoy the show and blow your dough!

SFL Music Magazine: That’s a great slogan!

Gowan: It is actually! I’ve got to write it down! I kind of like that. I’ll use that next time we’re playing there. We played in Las Vegas. We did THE GRAND ILLUSION in its entirety. That was this year’s. Every year we have some little thematic thing we decide to do in our Vegas residency. Last year, oh my God it was so great! I got to use Liberace’s piano and one of his outfits and his candelabra. This year we decided we’ll play the full GRAND ILLUSION and the reaction to that, and then the shows, whatever it was seven or eight shows, they sold out immediately. People seem to love to know what they’re going to be hearing, or at least to have some insight as to what’s going to be in the concert. So, the full GRAND ILLUSION, I don’t see how you can lose with that. When we saw that reaction from that audience, we just realized, let’s make this the summer tour! And with Kevin Cronin and all the REO Speedwagon guys, we then said, what about hi INfiDELITY they said, “oh, we’d love to do that! We’ve done that in the past.” So, you’ve got hi INfiDELITY which is one of the biggest rock records of the classic rock era. THE GRAND ILLUSION which is probably still the most central Styx album of all time. That’s a great tandem right there to promote a tour. Then that little cherry on top is Don Felder playing all the hits of the Eagles. So, some tour!

SFL Music Magazine: Yes, it’s an amazing show! I like that when you play “Build and Destroy” the video plays behind the band. There was a rocket theme and different videos behind the songs. During “Come Sail Away” there are rockets in that also. Was that something you guys subliminally thought about?

Gowan: More than subliminally. I happen to be a very big nut fan of NASA. I visit there quite often. I’ve gone there for my holidays (he laughed). Not that I take many holidays, but even if it’s a two, three-day break, I’ll be on Cocoa Beach. Then I’ve gone down to Cape Canaveral because we have friends that work at NASA and have given us really amazing entre to some things that I never thought I’d get a chance to see. I mean, I got up right up close, right over top of the Space Shuttle. I absolutely love that. I said this recently, what I love about NASA is, whenever I visit there, it’s not just the space exploration. I know that’s the ultimate mission, but it’s the fact that when I’m around the people that work there, I’m the dumbest guy in the room. I’m amongst people with such a high level of intelligence, and they’re of all ages, of all races, whatever you want to say, religions backgrounds, and unless they are putting on some kind of show for my benefit, they all seem to be getting along so well because they have this focused intention, this focused mission in front of them, and they’re fascinated with just how far the human mind can reach. I always leave there thinking, I wish the whole world was like this. It’s not. So, that’s my biggest attraction to going to NASA. That’s my biggest takeaway. The whizbang of the rockets and all of that. The little kid in me is enamored with that, and then the idea of the astronauts. Seeing John Glenn’s suit up close and all that stuff or even looking at the one display board there, I think it’s in Cape Canaveral where they have this whole thing about I Dream of Jeannie (he laughed). It’s a show I used to watch back in the ‘60s if people don’t know.

SFL Music Magazine: It kind of ties in with how you guys make an album. You have that goal too?

Gowan: Well, this is it.  It’s part of the fact that our cultural references of entertainment have been shaped in a great way by the endeavors of NASA and vice versa. It’s funny how many people I even speak to there that say, well what inspired you to get into this? I’m thinking they’ll say, “I just love the idea of rocket science” or whatever, but no it’s usually they’ll say something like, “oh I used to watch Star Trek” or “it was Darth Vader that got me into this (he laughed).” It’s amazing that you’ll get an answer like that from someone who’s obviously of a high intelligence.

SFL Music Magazine: When we previously spoke, the last time about CRASH OF THE CROWN, you explained how you grew up in Canada but originally from Glasgow, Scotland. I noticed at the show your animation which is awesome, and I noticed your brother had some similar animated expressions as well. I wondered if your parents were animated too? Your house must have been a fun place to grow up!

Gowan: Our parents were very intelligent. They didn’t discourage anything in that regard at all. I mean, a few times my dad would say to me, “that’s enough showing off for today” (he laughed).

SFL Music Magazine: I remember you telling me that they were very encouraging.

Gowan: Oh, a hundred percent! There was that period in my teenage years anyway. Terry, I don’t think suffered this the same way I did because I’m the oldest, but there was that period most parents go through where, my dad particularly was not in favor of me pursuing a musical life. He saw music as a great life enhancement but not a career. But then that went away when he came and saw us play live. He said to me “Ah, I think you got it kid!”

SFL Music Magazine: Will there be any new videos coming out?

Gowan: We’re working on another one now. There is going to be a lyric video of “Build and Destroy” that actually, as soon as we conclude here Lori, I’m going to find out when that will be released. It could even be this week, but I don’t know. It might be closer to the actual album release date. So, in the meantime, the album is available at our shows. The video and videos are on the gigantic screen that’s behind us. I’m really glad with my spinning keyboard, I can in the songs that Tommy sings the main parts to or JY, I can turn and observe what’s going on behind us and man, it’s quite a show (he laughed)!

SFL Music Magazine: It is, and the spinning keyboard is amazing!

Gowan: One of these days it will be in theme parks, I guess.

SFL Music Magazine: That would be fun. Also, the fact that you play with your hands behind your back.

Gowan: I can play some bits with my hands behind my back. I can’t do the whole show that way.

SFL Music Magazine: I did participate in the Shriner’s Fundraiser. They do incredible work. How did it all come together with them for the fundraiser?

Gowan: Styx has this charity called Rock To The Rescue where we auction off stuff and it goes to a local charity at every show. I think the Shriners got involved, there was some connection there, and they’ve been part of our summer tours now, I’m going to say ten years because I look forward to seeing those guys and girls every summer. They’re always there. It’s the albums that we sell at the shows, the CD’s and stuff that a portion of that goes to the Shriners charities, and that’s great!

SFL Music Magazine: I did not win the guitar, but it was all about the donation.

Gowan: Oh, that must have been fixed.

SFL Music Magazine: We’ve talked about the success of Styx in the past, but having done residencies and all of these tours, would you say you have any different advice for a new band?

Gowan: It’s such a great question to ask. The longer this goes, the more I observe that the music industry, the music business. It’s a business now. It used to be an industry (he laughed). It has changed so dramatically from when I grew up that any sort of advice I would give to a young band is, it’s fossilized (he laughed). It’s irrelevant. The only thing I can definitely say is that if you fall in love with music for its own sake, it’s been my observation in life that it does not have the capacity to ever let you down. However, if you want to pursue it as your career, and this was advice I was given way back when, it’s going to rise and fall in so many ways. The business side of it will let you down, and sometimes it will absolutely champion you. So, it’s very tricky and I have no specific advice for that. The best thing I can say overall is that if you come up with a melody and a lyric that people can relate to, a great song is almost unstoppable. Eventually it will find its way through because as I’ve witnessed, once a melody gets into people’s heads, it’s there for good. It doesn’t ever leave them. So, good things could likely happen if you can come up with those two things and believe me, it’s a much taller order than you may imagine.

SFL Music Magazine: Was there anything else new coming out for people to know about?

Gowan: Just CIRCLING FROM ABOVE is the most important thing of all, and that Styx are alive and well and thriving in 2025. By the grace of the Gods of rock, it’ll continue on for another fifty years. So, thanks for coming to the show. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m going to have a word with the raffle people about the guitar.