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Today’s the day Paradise Theater made history when it was released 37 years ago on January 19, 1981. 

by Mike Mettler

Is it any wonder that Paradise Theater made such a lasting impression when it was released 37 years ago today on January 19, 1981? Paradise Theater (or Theatre, depending on which part of the album sleeve you’re viewing) was Styx’s first album to reach #1, which it did for three non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. It ultimately sold over 3 million copies, making it Styx’s fourth multiplatinum album in a row — the first time any rock band in history had ever achieved that sales feat.

Paradise Theater was recorded, engineered, and mixed in 1980 at Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn, Illinois with the late, great Gary Loizzo at the helm. (Loizzo passed away after a long battle with cancer on January, 16, 2016.)

The album’s tone was set by the wistful bookends “A.D. 1928” and “A.D. 1958” — and, of course, the album’s final 27 seconds, the Vaudevillian piano outro “State Street Sadie” — all serving to frame a concept album that chronicled the glorious opening and eventual glum closing of a fictional Chicago theater. “I know exactly physically what building I was in when I wrote that riff for ‘Rockin’ the Paradise,’” says co-founding guitarist/vocalist James “JY” Young. “I still drive by it sometimes in the south suburbs of Chicago, where we were rehearsing at the time. Tommy [Shaw] came up with the verse and Dennis [DeYoung] came up with the lyrics, and there it was.”

Adds original bassist Chuck Panozzo, “Paradise Theater really captured us at our best, when everyone was working towards achieving a common goal. And now I like that we’re able to recreate that feeling of rocking the paradise onstage every night with the people we have in the band.”

Two huge singles emerged from the record. “The Best of Times” made it all the way to #3, and “Too Much Time on My Hands” reached #9. “Too Much Time” remains a crowd favorite and appears in every night’s live set. “It was kind of like the song was playing in my head,” recalls vocalist/guitarist Tommy Shaw of writing “Time” on the literal last day of recording. “I heard that riff in my head, but I didn’t have anything to record it on as I was driving to the studio. When I got to the parking lot, I turned the car off, ran inside, got everybody together, and said, ‘Chuck, play this riff, and then this.’ It was like it came together in a package and all the pieces were assembled right then and there.”

Other Paradise classic cuts continue to be performed live today, including the aforementioned “Rockin’ the Paradise” — a song that also has the fine distinction of being the tenth video ever shown on MTV when the music channel debuted on August 1, 1981 — and “Snowblind,” which returned to the live set for the first time in a few years in early 2016 and was also a setlist favorite during the band's five-show run alongside Don Felder, Renegades in the Fast Lane, at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas between January 6-14, 2017. (Who knows — we may very well see and hear “Snowblind” again during the Renegades in the Fast Lane 2 residency, which starts up at the Venetian next week on January 26.)

Adding to the Paradise coolness factor was the laser-etching of the band’s name along with some theater flourishes on the labeless Side 2 of the album’s initial vinyl release. (They can also be found on subsequent vinyl reissues.) “That was done to thwart bootleggers, which was a big problem back then,” reveals Shaw.

If you’d like to learn more about the origins of Paradise Theater and what all six members of Styx think of it now, you can read about it in the exciting multi-part series in our weekly Styxology column that ran for 12 consecutive installments between January and April 2016. Styxology is available to all Styx Lounge Fan Club members. Find out how you can join here — and keep alive the memories of Paradise.

Marrone also tells us his Styx-related secret for beating the Pittsburgh Steelers not once, but twice this season.

by Mike Mettler

When Doug Marrone, the head coach of the red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars, came backstage at Daily’s Place Ampitheatre in Jacksonville to visit with Styx right before their United We Rock set back on July 20, 2017, he already had the winning formula for how he was going to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2017 NFL campaign. And the Jags did it not once, but twice this season, including a thrilling 45-42 victory in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on January 14, 2018.

In a word: It was “Renegade” who had it made.

“I know that’s their fire-up-the-defense song,” Marrone told us around 9:15 p.m that evening, about 15 minutes or so before Styx went onstage. “So I’ve been having it played over the P.A. during our summer practice sessions to get our guys immune to it.”

Longtime Styx and Steelers fans know that “Renegade” is often pumped in over the P.A. at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh during the fourth quarter to inspire the Steel Curtain defense during crunch time. Eagle-eared viewers will have observed hearing the song being playing in the background right before a fourth-quarter kickoff during yesterday’s CBS broadcast of the aforementioned Jaguars-Steelers AFC Divisional Playoff game. Alas, it was all for naught, as the Steelers’ suffered their second loss to the Jaguars on home field this season. (They also lost to the Jags 30-9 back in Week 5 of the regular season, on October 8, 2017.)

Marrone, who grew up in The Bronx in New York in the late-’70s and early-’80s, has been a Styx fan pretty much all his life. “One of my first 45s growing up was ‘Come Sail Away,’ so for me, that got me locked into it,” he told us before heading out to his seats. “Everything from ‘Fooling Yourself’ to the autobiography that’s out now [i.e., Chuck Panozzo’s The Grand Illusion], that’s all been part of it for me.

“People don’t realize how many hits this band has,” Marrone continued. “People who don’t know them hear a song on the radio and will go, ‘Oh my God, I know that song!’ Styx are an awesome band, and I’m really fired up about them.”

On next Sunday, January 21, the Jaguars will be facing the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts for a chance to go to Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on February 4, and we have a feeling the spirit of Styx will be right there with them all. Oh, Mama. . .

Coming to you from the studio, check out this message from Styx’s Tommy Shaw and a live performance of “Radio Silence” from the United We Rock Tour: http://livemu.sc/2BEq3Fa

Don’t miss a chance to hear it live! Get tickets: http://livemu.sc/2jcJpbT

ALREADY RACKING UP SHOWS FOR 2018:

HEADLINING TREK STARTS JANUARY 18

LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY AT THE VENETIAN JANUARY 26/27/31 AND FEBRUARY 2/3

CO-HEADLINING TREK WITH REO SPEEDWAGON AND SPECIAL GUEST DON FELDER

STARTS MARCH 13

December 4, 2017 -- Legendary and multi-Platinum rockers STYX--Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitars), James “JY” Young (vocals, guitars), Lawrence Gowan (vocals, keyboards), Todd Sucherman (drums) and Ricky Phillips (bass), along with the occasional surprise appearance by original bassist Chuck Panozzo—are getting ready to wrap up another busy year of touring in the U.S., having performed over 100 shows. They’re not showing any signs of taking a break from touring in 2018. 

Earlier this summer, STYX announced another special five-night limited engagement with DON FELDER -at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Las Vegas. Presented by SiriusXM, “Styx & Don Felder: Renegades In The Fast Lane,” will take place at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Las Vegas on January 26, 27, 31 and February 2, 3, 2018. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com, Venetian.com, any box office at The Venetian or The Palazzo, or by calling 702 414 9000 or 866 641 7469.

In addition to the residency in Las Vegas, the rest of STYX’s 2018 tour schedule is already starting to take shape. They’ll join forces once again with fellow legends REO SPEEDWAGON, and very special guest star DON FELDER—formerly of the Eagles—for month-long trek starting in Duluth, MN on March 13 at the Amsoil Arena. Tickets for various cities go on sale starting December 1. 

STYX is on the road in support of their highly anticipated and critically acclaimed 16th studio album, THE MISSION, which skyrocketed onto various Billboard charts—including #6 on the “Top Rock Albums” and #11 “Vinyl Albums” charts--upon its release thanks to a solid album that connected with their longtime fans as well as new fans who are discovering them for the first time. 

THE MISSION--which was recorded over a two-year period at Blackbird Studios, The Shop, and 6 Studio Amontillado in Nashville--displays the best aspects of the ongoing in-harmony musical intersection of the six-man STYX team: the guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, co-founding guitarist/vocalist James “JY” Young, keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan, original bassist Chuck Panozzo, drummer/percussionist Todd Sucherman, and bassist Ricky Phillips. 

Check out STYX at any of the following stops (with more to be announced on STYXWorld.com in the coming weeks):

DATE               CITY                            VENUE

Headlining:

Thu 1/18          Tupelo, MS                  Bancrop South Arena

Fri 1/19            Lake Charles, LA         Golden Nugget Lake Charles

Tue 1/23          Salt Lake City, UT        Delta Hall at Eccles Theatre

Fri 1/26            Las Vegas, NV             Venetian Theatre/The Venetian

Sat 1/27           Las Vegas, NV             Venetian Theatre/The Venetian

Sun 1/28          Beverly Hills, CA           Saban Theatre

Wed 1/31         Las Vegas, NV             Venetian Theatre/The Venetian

Fri 2/2              Las Vegas, NV             Venetian Theatre/The Venetian

Sat 2/3             Las Vegas, NV             Venetian Theatre/The Venetian

Wed 2/21         Pasadena, CA             The Rose

Thu 2/22          Phoenix, AZ                 Celebrity Theatre

Sat 2/24           Pala, CA                      Pala Casino & Resort

Fri 3/2              French Lick, IN             French Lick Resort and Casino

Sat 3/3             New Buffalo, MI           Silver Creek Event Center

Mon 3/5           Jamaica                       ‘70s Rock & Romance Cruise

With REO Speedwagon and Don Felder:

Tue 3/13          Duluth, MN                   Amsoil Arena

Wed 3/14         Bismarck, ND                Bismarck Event Center

Fri 3/16            Brookings, SD              Swiftel Center

Sat 3/17           Moline, IL                     TaxSlayer Center

Mon 3/19         Grand Rapids, MI         Van Andel Arena

Tue 3/20          Saginaw, MI                 Dow Event Center Arena

Fri 3/23            Cape Girardeau, MO    Show Me Center - SMSU

Sat 3/24           Springfield, MO            JQH Arena (No Don Felder)

Sun 3/25          Park City, KS                Hartman Arena

Wed 4/4           Charlottesville, VA        John Paul Jones Arena

Fri 4/6              Huntington, WV            Big Sandy Superstore Arena

Sat 4/7             Greenville, SC              Bon Secours Arena

Sun 4/8            Tuscaloosa, AL             Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre

Tue 4/10          N. Little Rock, AR         Verizon Arena

Wed 4/11         Lafayette, LA               Cajun Dome

Sat 4/14           Orange Beach, AL       The Wharf Amphitheatre

Sun 4/15          Charleston, SC             North Charleston Coliseum

Join us in our celebration of Equinox, which was released 42 years ago today on December 1, 1975. 

by Mike Mettler

Sweet, sweet sounds fill the air: Please join us in our celebration of Equinox, which was released 42 years ago today on December 1, 1975. Equinox was Styx’s first album on A&M Records, after releasing its first four LPs on Wooden Nickel/RCA. Right out of the gate, Equinox's lead track, “Light Up,” fused the band’s best instincts for how to blend harmonies, keyboard hooks, and power chords together to memorable effect, resulting in a song that continues to grace many of Styx’s live set lists today. Two other hard-driving singalong Equinox songs, “Lorelei” and “Suite Madame Blue,” are also in regular live rotation.

“Equinox really was the start of some great records for A&M,” says Styx co-founding guitarist/vocalist James “JY” Young. “We had an evolved sense of who we were, and what we could accomplish. And our goals were then set that much higher. In the context of Styx, I think it all came together on that record.”

Adds guitarist/lead vocalist Tommy Shaw, who joined Styx only a few weeks after Equinox was released, “The first time I ever heard anything from Equinox was at my audition for the band, in Chicago,” he recalls. “And the first thing I heard was JY singing ‘Midnight Ride,’ which just blew me away.”

Equinox ultimately reached #58 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in 1976, and has since been certified at Gold status, or 500,000 copies sold. (We here in Styxworld are quite sure Equinox has long since gone platinum, so we demand on official recount, o hallowed members of the RIAA!) The album’s only single, “Lorelei,” reached #36 in the U.S. and #6 in Canada in 1976.

JY adds that, after having done 1974’s Man of Miracles at Golden Voice Studios in South Pekin, Illinois on a budget, recording Equinox at Paragon Studios in Chicago with producer Barry Mraz at the controls was clear evidence that things had very much changed for Styx. “We went in there with tremendous confidence of our own validity, and I think the album sounds like it,” JY reports. “For one thing, it was the first time I played a Marshall amplifier, ever, in the studio. I always wanted to sound like The Who, and that’s the album to me that really sounds like The Who. ‘Lorelei’ — you can totally hear The Who there. ‘Light Up’ — Dennis DeYoung gets the credit [JY hums the song’s signature keyboard-and-guitar intro], but adding the power chords between the phrases is something Townshend trademarked. Thank you, Pete! We happily lifted that.”

Coming on the heels of the aforementioned Man of Miracles, Equinox really set the template for where Styx was going next. “Man of Miracles is raw Styx,” observes Tommy. “I’d listened to that stuff and I knew it was raw, and rocking, and melodic. But Equinox was refined. Styx had just evolved. From writing to performing to making records — everything just really fell into place on that record. ‘Lonely Child’ and ‘Mother Dear,’ ‘Prelude 12’ and ‘Suite Madame Blue’ — it was all just very daring, and you didn’t know what was coming next, from ‘Midnight Ride’ to ‘Suite Madame Blue.’ There weren’t that many songs on the record [eight, in total], but they were all big songs.” 

The album’s cover art was also very important in making a statement about Styx’s ongoing evolution. “On the cover, you see the cube in the fire, and I really, really liked it because it was transitional,” notes original Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo. “And equinox can also mean the change between seasons, which I like too. Equinox left me with a good feeling about where we were going as a band. We, as musicians, were becoming extremely professional about what we were doing. It was one of those life-changing events. You could feel it, even if you didn’t know exactly what was coming.” 

Canada actually embraced Equinox earlier than the U.S. did, a phenomenon that was not lost on keyboardist/vocalist and longtime Canadian resident Lawrence Gowan. “Well, ‘Lorelei’ was on Canadian radio, and that’s where I first became aware of the band,” confirms Gowan, who joined Styx in 1999. “In Ontario, we didn’t have ‘Suite Madame Blue’ — we had ‘Lorelei.’  And when I heard it, I remember going, ‘Oh, what band is this?’ — because I thought they were British. I was into anything that had synthesizer on it from that era and I had just started learning the name of synthesizers then. So about ‘Lorelei,’ I’d go, ‘That sounds like an ARP 2500 that was on The Who’s ‘Baba O’Riley.’

“When ‘Lorelei’ came on the radio, I really liked it right off the bat. I thought, ‘Hmmm!’ And when I found out they were American, I thought, ‘That’s the first progressive rock band not from the U.K. to suddenly be noticed.’ And,” Gowan adds with his signature chuckle, “I had a feeling that I better learn these songs, because you never know.”

You never know indeed. And now, during many an exciting Styx gig, you can hear Mr. Gowan take full charge of “Suite Madame Blue” as he moves from behind his keyboard to the top of the elevated stage perch positioned up behind drummer Todd Sucherman. So light up, everybody, and bask in the eternal ice-fire glow that Equinox provides upon every listen.

by Mike Mettler

One With Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, was released by NewDoor/UMe 11 years ago today on November 14, 2006. It also shares a birthday with the Godfather of Styx, co-founding guitarist/vocalist James “JY” Young, who was born on November 14, 1949. Happy birthday, JY! 

One With Everything emerged from the magical show Styx played with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, on May 25, 2006. From the opening rush of “Blue Collar Man” to the majesty of the JY-led cover of Willie Dixon’s “It Don't Make Sense (You Can’t Make Peace)” to keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan’s ever-haunting “A Criminal Mind” to the uplifting all-in “Renegade” finale, One With Everything has, well, just about everything a Styx fan could want. In addition to semi-regular airings on PBS affiliates and AXS TV, this concert event is also available on Blu-ray and DVD.

Orchestral highlights include violinist extraordinaire Lavinia Pavlish joyously trading licks with JY on “It Don’t Make Sense” — “Give Lavinia some love!” guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw exclaimed at the song’s conclusion — as well as cello co-principals David Ellis and Eric Tannenbaum dueling quite furiously together during the intro to “Fooling Yourself.” 

Back in May 2016, Lavinia recalled for me how it felt playing “It Don’t Make Sense” onstage with Styx. “That song is so amazing. Some of their songs are so beautiful,” she noted with a smile. “Oh man — that was the highlight of my 17-year-old self! The solo was a written part, but JY is such an awesome musical communicator. He made me look good. It was all him!” the ever-humble Lavinia added with a chuckle.

This amazing event came about due to the sheer will of CYO conductor Liza Grossman, who has since become Styx’s official go-to conductor any time the band performs with an orchestra. Liza was at the podium when Styx did a pair of shows at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville in February 2015 and at the beautiful outdoor Ascend Ampitheatre on May 21, 2016 with the Nashville Symphony. Liza also helmed Tommy Shaw’s solo turn with the CYO at the Waetjen Auditorium at Cleveland State University on May 27, 2016, and she most recently conducted Styx and the world-class Colorado Symphony at the historic Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Morrison, Colorado on August 29, 2016, an evening both Liza and Styx feel were career highlights. (Your Styxologist was there, and I very much concur with that assessment.)

“She just shined,” Tommy recalls about rehearsing and playing with Liza and the CYO in 2006. “She was a rock star from the way she took the stage and presented herself, and the respect she got from her kids. It was just a treat working with her. It was clear from the beginning that she was an engaging and enthusiastic person, and that the Contemporary Youth Orchestra was her creation, her idea, and her dream. She put it all together. We just love her, and we’ve continued to support the Contemporary Youth Orchestra because it’s such an awesome thing.”

Liza herself looks back on One With Everything with much personal and professional joy. “I still get, to this day, emails from fans who love that DVD and love that show, and they ask me about specific players in that orchestra: ‘Where are they now? What is she doing? What is he doing?’” she recounts. “I’ve been showing One With Everything to the musicians who are in CYO now. The youngest members of the orchestra were babies between the ages of 3 and 8 when we first did this, so they haven’t seen it. I think it’s important that they understand it and see there’s a history to it. It gives them a chance to see how relationships can develop with musicians who are already at a certain level in their careers. I think it’s going to be really effective for them. Since then, the orchestra has evolved immensely, and hopefully, I have as an educator and a conductor as well. I certainly know the band has evolved as musicians.”

Hey, Renegades! For what is now Styx Featured Fan Story, Chapter 15, we promised you a video answer from Ricky, so here goes... and a big thanks and congrats goes to Bob Larson for asking this question:

"On a couple of songs on The Mission album (Locomotive and Red Storm) you play some really cool bass parts up high on the neck. How did you go about coming up with those? And do you use any effects when you play or do you go with just the bass?"

Many space exploration aficionados who are also Styx fans are already aware that a small moon orbiting the (controversial) dwarf planet Pluto was discovered by the Hubble Telescope in 2012 and was named Styx in 2013.

However, another unique item officially bearing the Styx moniker has been around for decades, albeit in a more down-to-earth (and-sometimes-airborne) existence.

The P-15 cruise missile was a mainstay of the Soviet Union’s military for many years. Nicknamed the “Termit” (Russian for “termite”), the missile was developed in the 1950s, during the height of the Cold War.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allied nations opposed the Soviet Union and its subservient countries, and NATO applied its own code names to Soviet bloc aircraft, missiles, and other weaponry.

And the assigned NATO code name for the P-15 missile was “Styx.”

In its original configuration, the Styx was 20 feet long, and had a range of approximately 25 miles. Over the decades, it would be upgraded and refined. Its range and capabilities noticeably increased, and numerous countries acquired the missile and/or made their own clones of the Styx. Newer, fancier and more-powerful versions of P-15 received code names such as “Silkworm” and “Seersucker.”

Cutting-edge/state-of-the-art examples of the P-15 are still deployed by many nations around the world.

This example of an original-style P-15 “Styx” missile is on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center, located in Chantilly, Virginia near Dulles Airport. The museum also houses historical vehicles such as the “Discovery” space shuttle, the “Enola Gay” B-29 bomber, and the prototype Boeing 707 commercial airliner.

The Udvar-Hazy Center is an ancillary facility of the Smithsonian Institution’s Air & Space Museum.

And many fans of the musical aggregation named Styx would surmise that the P-15 packs quite a wallop, just as the band does in concert.

Photo by Willie G. Moseley

by Mike Mettler

Cornerstone, Styx’s ninth studio album, was released 38 years ago today on October 19, 1979. It was the band’s third triple-platinum-selling album in a row (cementing them as the first band ever to have achieved that vaunted sales feat, with another one to follow), and it spawned their first #1 single, “Babe.” The intimate, Dennis DeYoung-penned ballad reached the pinnacle of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for 2 weeks in December 1979 (specifically, on the charts dated December 8 and December 15). The album itself peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.

Cornerstone contains a number of key tracks in the Styx oeuvre. For example, guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw’s mandolin-driven “Boat on the River” is, in fact, the band’s biggest hit internationally, having topped the charts in Switzerland and reaching the Top 5 in countries like Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. It’s also the band’s most-covered song, with many of those covers having been done in languages other than English. “It still amazes me how much impact that song has had on people over the years, and how far and wide it has reached all over the globe,” Tommy admits. 

For “Boat on the River,” original bassist Chuck Panozzo did something new by playing a bowed, stand-up double bass. “It was something I hadn’t done before in the studio,” Chuck recounts. “Some people were skeptical about it, but that wasn’t going to stop me from trying it. I thought it was the right thing to do for the song, and I think it worked out perfectly.”

The album’s vibrant lead track, Tommy’s ever-uplifting “Lights,” has become a staple in the back half of the band’s current live set, and it was a standing favorite for Gary Loizzo, the band’s late, longtime live engineer and studio co-producer who passed away in January 2016. Live, “Lights” features an original intro written and performed by drummer Todd Sucherman, Shaw on acoustic guitar throughout the entire song, and co-founding guitarist/vocalist James “JY” Young replicating the Ed Tossing-arranged middle horn section from the studio version on his electric guitar. 

Cornerstone was recorded at Loizzo’s own Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn, Illinois. “For me, Cornerstone was one of those albums that went together very well,” Loizzo told me in 2015. “I was very hard on Johnny [John Panozzo, Styx’s original drummer, who passed away in 1996] because I made him play nothing but foot, snare, and kick on a couple of tracks, and then he’d have to go and overdub toms and other stuff. Sometimes, the sound itself isn’t the most important thing — you’ve also gotta get the feel.”

The album was named by JY, as they often are (he also named Man of Miracles and Equinox). Cornerstone’s stunning artwork, which features a barn-door opening down the middle of the back cover that opens up to printed lyrics on both interior half-sides and a shiny, futuristic silver LP sleeve, was designed by Mick Haggerty. (Unfortunately, some of the latter-day LP reissues don’t include the barn door.)

While most of the attention given to Cornerstone continues to shine on Side 1, lyrics from key Side 2 tracks like Tommy’s album-closer, “Love in the Midnight,” have occasionally been sung by its author before he launches into other songs acoustically onstage. The hard-charging “Borrowed Time” (the album’s second single, which reached #64) has been discussed only in passing as a song that might be revisited live someday, and when I recently suggested to JY that I’d love to hear “Eddie” played live, he replied, “You might have to wait on that. But I’d keep it in the original key.” (I’ll be waiting, JY. . .) 

Cornerstone remains a strong pillar in Styx’s recorded legacy, and it’s an album worth revisiting via its recently, finely remastered vinyl form. And all roads lead to tranquility base. . .

Hey, Renegades! It's that day once again... now Chapter 14 of the Styx Featured Fan Story series and the 3rd iteration of "Something you always wanted to ask Styx." This time, we have 3 video answers, brought to you by Todd in his studio.

The first question was submitted by Pam Fleishman, so congratulations, Pam, and thanks for the great question! Don't miss the other two questions submitted by Jan Mathews and Deborah Hesser McLaren!

Hey, Renegades! It's that day once again... now Chapter 14 of the Styx Featured Fan Story series and the 3rd iteration of "Something you always wanted to ask Styx." This time, we have 3 video answers, brought to you by Todd in his studio.

The second question was submitted by Jan Mathews, so congratulations, Jan, and thanks for the great question! Don't miss the other two questions submitted by Pam Fleishman and Deborah Hesser McLaren!

Hey, Renegades! It's that day once again... now Chapter 14 of the Styx Featured Fan Story series and the 3rd iteration of "Something you always wanted to ask Styx." This time, we have 3 video answers, brought to you by Todd in his studio.

The third question was submitted by Deborah Hesser McLaren, so congratulations, Deborah, and thanks for the great question! Don't miss the other two questions submitted by Pam Fleishman and Jan Mathews!

Congratulations, Rosemarie Leipply, for submitting one of two of this week's Styx Featured Fan Story (Chapter 13) in the new video series, "Something you always wanted to ask Styx!" Don't miss the other winning question as well, submitted by April Carlson...

Congratulations, April Carlson, for submitting one of two of this week's Styx Featured Fan Story (Chapter 13) in the new video series, "Something you always wanted to ask Styx!" Don't miss the other winning question as well, submitted by Rosemarie Leipply...

Congratulations, Ashley Bazer, for submitting one of two of this week's Styx Featured Fan Story (Chapter 12) in the new video series, "Something you always wanted to ask Styx!" Don't miss the other winning question as well, submitted by Scott Owen Snarr…

Congratulations, Scott Owen Snarr, for submitting one of two of this week's Styx Featured Fan Story (Chapter 12) in the new video series, "Something you always wanted to ask Styx!" Don't miss the other winning question as well, submitted by Ashley Bazer...

Hey, Renegades! Last Wednesday was chapter 10 of the weekly Styx Featured Fan Story series, with the topic being to share your favorite non-Styx project, noting whether there was a song or performance in particular that inspired you. We weren't necessarily looking for a winner per se, however, when we read Kristen Denmead's very inspiring story, we wanted to feature her response as an acknowledgment to her journey and inspiration to achieve a dream. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Rock on and keep the dream going, Kristen!

"This is an amazing story about the Damn Yankees. I was 25 years old and just was going through a lot of changes.. I was laid off of my job of 9 years, moved into a wheelchair accessible apartment and started college. All these things people didn't think I could achieve it. I found out Tommy Shaw joined Damn Yankees and I purchased the first album and it made a major impact on my life. He and the guys taught me how to be a strong, brave, sensitive, creative, independent woman. I learned to try many things like, basic musicianship, drawing and most importantly singing. My real accomplishment was to win 4 gold medals,2 silver medals, and a bronze medal in The NJ Special Olympics. My favorite songs will always be Damn Yankee, Mystified and Rock City. I won a really hard race to Mystified and beat the time by almost 30 seconds. I had amazing memories and learning lessons listening to Tommy, Jack, Ted and Michael. Thanks for also giving me courage to do wheelies listening to your songs finally without falling out of my wheelchair. Sorry for my story being so long, hope you enjoy reading it!"

by Mike Mettler

Crystal Ball, Styx’s sixth studio album and the first to feature Tommy Shaw on guitar and vocals, was released 41 years ago today on October 1, 1976. Recorded at Paragon Studios in Chicago and produced by Styx with assistance from Barry Mraz, Crystal Ball reached #66 on the Pop Albums chart, and “Mademoiselle” (with lead vocals from Shaw) reached #36 on the Pop Singles chart. Crystal Ball has been certified as Gold by the RIAA (with sales of over 500,000), but considering how long ago that certification was done (i.e., in the pre-CD era!), it’s very likely to be well over the million-selling mark at this point.

“We knew right away Tommy was a superstar,” says original Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo. “His songwriting, playing, and singing on Crystal Ball immediately elevated the band. And,” Chuck adds with a laugh, “he’s a pretty decent-looking guy too.”

Shaw had been recruited to replace original Styx guitarist/vocalist John “J.C.” Curulewski once the tour to support Equinox got underway in December 1975. As recording commenced for the new album in 1976, Shaw reached back to his days in MS Funk to emerge with key elements for songs like the quite apropos album opener “Put Me On” and the title track, which, as he notes, “was a song I was playing in the bowling alley back in Montgomery, Alabama.” During his spoken-word intro to the song on some of the band’s more recent live shows, including many of this past summer’s United We Rock tour dates, Tommy has shared a more detailed account of writing the song after visiting his mom at home while she was preparing “Southern leftovers.”

As such, “Crystal Ball” remains a fixture of the band’s live set to this day, and Tommy even resurrected some of the lyrics that were edited out of the recorded version of the song during last year’s solo performance with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra (CYO) in Cleveland back on May 27, 2016. (The filmed version of that show has since aired on AXS TV a few times here in 2017 already, and a Blu-ray/DVD release is expected to follow at some point, most likely early next year.)

One lifelong fan of “Crystal Ball” is Loverboy lead singer Mike Reno. “It’s one of my favorite songs,” Reno confirms. “That song is a total inspiration to me. When I was living in Calgary and playing in a bar band, I was hoping I could be like Styx someday and write songs that good myself. And now I’m proud to call Tommy my friend.”

Dennis DeYoung masterfully performed French composer Claude Debussy’s impressionistic 1890 instrumental “Clair de Lune” (which translates to “moonlight,” and was inspired by French poet Paul Verlaine’s 1869 poem of the same name) on piano as the intro to the album’s final heartfelt track on Side 2, “Ballerina,” which immediately followed the poignant tribute to DeYoung’s father, “This Old Man.”

At the beginning of Side 2 came “Shooz,” featuring some Southern-flare slide guitar courtesy of the band’s Alabama native, counterbalanced by co-founding guitarist/vocalist James “JY” Young’s patented Hendrixian fire. “I think they were only going to let me have one of those moments on the album,” chuckles Tommy. Adds JY, “I do love The Allman Brothers and I’m not sure if we did them justice, but that was our attempt to go there. Our style had already been established, but Tommy was known for doing that kind of stuff in the clubs. I actually hoped we could have moved the band more in that direction."

BTW, if you happen to like hearing that kind of Allman Brothers-inspired vibe, keep your ears peeled for whenever Tommy and JY play certain riffs in tandem on “Man in the Wilderness” and “Pieces of Eight” during Styx’s extended live sets.

A Special Message to My Friends, Family and Followers:

I am a gay man and a survivor of HIV.

I have lived with the struggle of being gay with HIV for quite some time. I was ashamed and stigmatized by my secrets.

It’s difficult enough to be different and even more challenging to live with big secrets. I have finally learned to enjoy my differences. Through the years, I struggled with my feelings about my diagnosis and found that the stigma of being HIV positive was actually worse than having the disease itself. I’ve wanted to release myself of this feeling for so long.  It became crippling.

I recently learned something while visiting the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center in Wilton Manors, Florida. With this, came a confrontation. I confronted my fear and found a tremendous freedom in doing so. Along with this came a learning experience and I became more aware of who I am and what I can do to change my feelings. I was so moved by the Museum’s mission that I have been able to experience a much greater personal power. I want to share my experience with you, so please watch the video which is part of this communication.

WAM’s mission is to increase awareness and decrease the stigma of HIV/AIDS by Documenting, Remembering, Educating, Enlightening and Empowering

I walked through this beautiful museum which tells the story of HIV and AIDS throughout the world and addresses the stigma that makes it so difficult for people to confront this disease. I realized that my story is shared by so many others. With 80 million infected people in the world, I wondered how could there be only one AIDS museum? The only answer is stigma. Every time I tell my story, I become a little freer, and a little more comfortable in my own skin. I want everyone who is confronted, either infected or affected by HIV, to have that opportunity to grow from the challenge.

The isolation of stigma is life-threatening. The light of education is life-saving. The fellowship of friends and family is health-giving. “What the band has taught me psychologically is that I need to go out and be with my band as they continue their legacy in the rock n’ roll world. How could that not help me in my growth process? I have a band that is willing to make sure that I stay healthy.”

I want you to know that this is something I don’t normally do. The World AIDS Museum and Educational Center helps to enlighten survivors and eliminate the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. Because this is such a life-changing place, I need to reach out to you and ask that you do two things.

1.  Please “Like” the Museum’s Facebook Page and invite your friends to do the same. You can visit this informative page here.  You can also visit their website here.

2.  If you’ve been touched by my story or know anyone who is going through the same thing, please donate $10.00,

$20.00 or any amount you choose to the Museum today. I cannot stress enough how important this organization is to the world.

Please click HERE to make your donation of $10.00, $20.00, or any amount you choose.

Thank you for allowing me to share my personal story and taking the time to learn about the importance of The World AIDS Museum and Educational Center. I promise that your donation will make a difference in many lives.

In your final hours, congrats to @NASA’s @CassiniSaturn on amazing science to the end #CassiniInspires.

by Mike Mettler

photo by Jason Powell

Since 1999, Styx has averaged well over 100 shows a year uninterrupted, and there’s no signs of them slowing down anytime soon.

“To see a band that can do it live like Styx does — that really sets the standard for your expectations,” observes Styx keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan, who has played every single one of those aforementioned shows for the past 19 years (and counting). “And when younger people who have no nostalgic connection to the ’70s come see Styx, it validates their curiosity when they see it done on that level: ‘Oh wow — I’m seeing that music the way it was originally done. No wonder people were so turned on by it.’”

Palm Springs Life (that is, your Styxologist!) recently sat down with Gowan backstage before the final date of Styx’s successful United We Rock summer package tour with Don Felder and REO Speedwagon to discuss how the band’s setlist changes and expands for their longer headlining shows, why The Mission had such immediate impact with their fans, and how they continue to connect with a younger audience.

You can red the rest of the interview Lawrence and I did together on the Palm Springs Life web page.

by Mike Mettler

Styx’s mega-triple-platinum smash success Pieces of Eight was released 39 years ago today by A&M Records on September 1, 1978. Featuring a stunning cover design by Hipgnosis — the British company known for creating album-package artwork for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, UFO, 10cc, and scores of other bands — Pieces of Eight became the second of four consecutive Styx albums to go multiplatinum, the first time any band in rock history had ever done so.

Pieces of Eight features many key tracks in the Styx canon that remain staples in the band’s current, rotating, and ever-expanding live set: the always hard-charging “Blue Collar Man” (recently moved to being played near the beginning of the show from its previous, bring-it-on-home slot nearer to the end), “Pieces of Eight” (which sometimes has keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan’s furiously engaging original piano instrumental from The Mission, “Khedive,” as its intro), and “Sing for the Day” (an acoustic-driven vocalist/guitarist Tommy Shaw treasure that also served as the title for his May 27, 2016 solo show with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra in Cleveland, which continues to air every now and then on AXS TV, and is expected to see an official release sometime in 2018).

And, of course, there’s “Renegade,” the set-ending barnburner that has gained additional life not only as a fourth-quarter rallying cry for the Pittsburgh Steelers but recently served as the theme of the ad campaign for Season 2 of the quite intense Netflix drama Narcos. “Renegade” was also covered in late 2016 with great aplomb by Shallow Side, four young ’n’ hungry rockers from Cullman, Alabama. (Their version has over 680,000 views on YouTube as of this writing.)

The man who wrote “Renegade” himself, Tommy Shaw, loves what he’s seen and heard from Shallow Side. “I’m impressed by those guys. Good arrangement, good performance, good video,” Tommy says. “By far, this is my favorite cover of ‘Renegade.’ Everyone in the band really liked it too. We love the song, love the video, and think the band has a great vibe. They seem like the real deal. They’ve got soul.”

Of the writing of “Renegade” itself, possibly the man’s most well-known and most enduring song, Shaw also told me, “I wrote that song in my living room on my piano back when I lived in Michigan. Nobody else was around, and for it to become something that Steelers players and fans love, and is now a part of a show I enjoy watching, is so surreal to me! I’m so grateful for how much it means to our own fans, and how it endures to this day.” (Oh, Mama!)

Me, I’m also partial to the Gowan-sung version of “Queen of Spades,” which appears in 2011’s two-disc Regeneration collection. (His unbridled cackle before the line, “You lose!” is priceless.) Styx performed Pieces (the first Styx album your humble Styxologist ever bought) in full alongside 1977’s epic The Grand Illusion on tour for a few select dates in 2010, which can be found on the live CD, DVD, and/or Blu-ray set, The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight Live (Eagle).

In recent months, Styx has often cited Pieces of Eight (alongside The Grand Illusion) as a key inspiration for the sound and the vibe of The Mission, the band’s first album of all-new material in 14 years that was released this past June.

“It was simply the fact that we were listening to vinyl upstairs in Tommy’s house,” recounts The Mission’s producer, Will Evankovich. “And he made one comment: ‘I really love the way The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight sound. If we make a new Styx record, I want it to be just like that. I want the warm analog feel I get from those albums. I want to put the headphones on, turn it up, and really be proud of it.’ And I said, “Yeah, that’s a really great place to start.’” (Mission accompli!)

Notes Gowan, “I really like performing the title track of Pieces of Eight whenever we add it into our longer sets. I think the songs from that album are the ones most seamlessly connected to The Mission. They’re most in the paradigm of what The Mission is.”

Pieces of Eight is a timeless, enduring classic, and we salute it to the hilt today. Here’s to the next 39 years of stopping to see how beautiful this life can be!

Hey, Renegades! This week's Styx Featured Fan Story asked for something you couldn't create so easily: a Styx doppelganger. There were some pretty interesting attempts to get that Tommy hairdo (you guys are nuts!) and a few of you could pass to be related from distant relatives. There was one guy in particular that looked pretty close to one of us, despite having blue/gray eyes (the comparative eye color is brown).

So, this week, we congratulate Adam Burnham, Chuck Panozzo's Renegadial doppelganger! Adam mentioned "Zoom in on my face and tell me I don't look like Chuck from the Pieces of Eight album!" Indeed, Adam, and considering today is the 39th birthday of Pieces of Eight, it seems ironically fitting. 

Thanks, once again, to all of you who made your best attempts to win. Have a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Hey, Renegades! In this week's Styx Featured Fan Story, we asked you to post your best Styx-related artwork. WOW, are there some incredibly talented artists out there in Styxworld! We don't want to leave anyone out because the competition was TOUGH, so let's just say you all did an incredible job this week with your submissions and we really appreciate your passionate participation!

 You know this is all about finding that amazing share that's also the most unique of the bunch. One in particular unequivocally got that vote: Illia St. Onge's "'SuperStyx League' - a 'Superhero' version of you guys - drawn individually on paper, then composited and lined/coloured in my phone in about 12 hours total." Several fans commented about wanting a tee shirt or poster, so you might have a new Styx-related side business, Illia!

 With that said, CONGRATULATIONS to the very talented Illia St. Onge and her "SuperStyx League" drawing! We're proud to be your superheroes and **please know** that, even though you are our featured hero this week, all of you and the love you continually give us are OUR heroes. Have a great weekend!!