DDY Article - 02/10/2006

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A good friend found this article.

http://www.presstelegram.com/music/ci_3491386


On the far bank of the Styx
Dennis DeYoung's solo career takes his music to new levels
Paul Andersen, Correspondent
U-Entertainment


DENNIS DEYOUNG
What: The music of Styx, plus Sound FX, Los Alamitos High School advanced mixed show choir
Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Dr., Cerritos

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Tickets: $30-$65

Information: (800) 300-4345 www.cerritoscenter.com

IT IS Super Bowl Sunday in Chicago, and there is a swirl of activity in the background as Dennis DeYoung answers the phone at a restaurant where he and his wife are having lunch. However, none of it is related to the big game.
"My wife and I are on our way to see a performance of 'Little Women,' but don't worry, it will be over by game time, so after getting in touch with my feminine side, I'll get to jump up and down like all the other guys," he said.

"We're at this restaurant next to the theater, and I tried to catch this glass of water that the waiter knocked over. It ended up spilling all over me, and it also left me with a cut, bleeding finger that I had to get wrapped up. I'd much rather just pay the bill without all this excitement."

Then again, being the center of attention is nothing new for DeYoung, one of the founding members of Styx, the Chicago-based progressive rock band that has sold more than 35 million albums since forming in 1970 (the group actually had its genesis six years earlier, when, as a 17-year-old accordionist, DeYoung first began jamming in his basement with his next door neighbors, twin brothers Chuck and John Ponazzo).

Besides being the lead vocalist and keyboardist, DeYoung penned many of Styx's best-known hits, including "Babe," "Lady," "Come Sail Away" and "Mr. Roboto," songs that have become constant staples on classic rock radio while being reborn numerous times through their placement in movies, television and commercials.

But when DeYoung takes the stage Saturday night at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, it will be as a solo artist (though it certainly won't be a solo show). When he appears in concert, he is not only backed by his five-piece rock band, but also by an orchestra. And when circumstances allow, the musical arrangements also include room for a choral group, so Saturday night the Los Alamitos High School advanced mixed show choir Sound FX will add its 42 voices to the heady mix.

"The call came out of the blue, totally unsolicited," said Dr. Randi Carp, the choral director at Los Alamitos High for the past 14 years. "When I realized who it was, my first thought was 'Oh my god,' because I have always been this huge Styx fan. But it wasn't unfamiliar music for the kids, because we've done a lot of their songs in various programs. They are perfect for choral singing. They work especially well with our show choir, which is our smallest group.

"It's a whole new arena for us, and it will give the kids a chance to see how a professional production works from the inside. It'll also give me a chance to say, 'See, I told you so,' when it comes to things like taking direction and being quiet."

Like so many groups whose history spans decades, Styx has had its share of internal strife, leading to numerous break-ups and reformations, and in 1999 DeYoung and Styx parted ways for good when the group decided to hire a new lead vocalist for a tour late that year after DeYoung was unable to go out on the road for health reasons. It eventually led to a lawsuit that was settled out of court in 2001.

"Zero," he said quietly when asked if he has had any contact with the other members of Styx since then. "It was their choosing; the court issues were really over control of the name."

Now DeYoung, who had established his own solo career away from Styx in the mid-'80s during the band's first lengthy hiatus, has decided to celebrate the songs he has written through the years by casting them in a new light.

"My whole theory is to enjoy and rejoice in this music, which people still appear to like, but this was certainly not my idea," he said.

When Tim Orchard, a theater promoter in Chicago and longtime Styx fan, first approached DeYoung with the concept of performing in front of a 50-piece orchestra, his initial reaction was one of bemusement. "I thought he had lost his mind," DeYound said. "Here we were, with so much corporate downsizing taking place, and I'm upsizing my music. Then again, this music was so pretentious in the first place, and it is natural to aspire to be bigger, so why not shrink-wrap the classical influences and try it?"

It proved to be a perfect fit, and Orchard is now part of the team handling the singer's career. DeYoung's orchestral debut in February of 2000 before a sellout hometown crowd was not only a commercial success but also a hit with the critics, something that had eluded Styx throughout its history.

Since then, DeYoung, who also has theatrical experience (he played Pontius Pilate on Broadway in the 25th anniversary production of "Jesus Christ Superstar," and he has written a musical based on Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"), has juggled an avalanche of requests for using his catalog of hits in a variety of projects and making concert appearances.

He describes his show as being "currently 85 percent Styx material, with the rest coming from the musical and my solo stuff, along with a few surprises."

"Progressive rock works splendidly in this larger format, and now we even invite Mozart to the show; that large thump you hear is probably him rolling over in his grave," he said with a laugh. "And the orchestra seems to enjoy playing this music. It isn't just the string players holding notes behind a guy singing 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix.' "

Though the stage may get crowded, DeYoung said he feels a special bond when he is able to add the choral element to the show.

"Though now I'm that rare creature, a middle-aged white guy who gets paid to sing, before we signed our first recording contract, I worked as a music teacher, so it's wonderful to get the kids out there with us. I still feel that connection. And besides, their parents love it, too."

As for Dr. Carp, she admitted that she would be packing something extra along with the sheet music for the concert. "I've got my 'Grand Illusion' album out, ready to be autographed."

— Paul Andersen is a La Canada freelance writer