Styx welcomes third generation of fans
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 2:22 amhttp://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grpr ... xml&coll=6
Styx welcomes third generation of fans
Friday, July 07, 2006
By Lorilee Craker
The Grand Rapids Press
IONIA -- Everything old is new again, in fashion and rock 'n' roll.
Take, for instance, jumpsuits, those snug, poly-blend one-piece take-offs on the gas jockey's garb that ruled the stages of 1970s and early '80s rock shows. Jumpsuits, according to recent style watchers, are coming to a mall near you.
Speaking of which, there's a photo in the lobby of the Hard Rock Cafe Hotel in Chicago featuring James "JY" Young playing the dickens out of his guitar and wearing a you-know-what. Back when Styx spit out charting tunes faster then you can flip through a glossy magazine (predicting the rise of jumpsuits), rockers wore those types of things.
Accelerate almost three decades, and Styx has proved itself to be far more durable then a fashion fad.
In fact, the band has had a hit in every decade for the last four, spanning from "Lady" in 1974, their first smash, to their quirky cover of the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus," which charted at No. 2 on classic radio in 2004. In between, especially from the '70s to the '80s, Styx reigned with five platinum (or double or triple) albums.
"We were on top of Mount Everest once, and now we're on our slow ascent back up the mountain," Young said in a phone interview from his Chicago home. "But even if we never get to the top, I am enjoying the view."
That view includes spying tons of fresh-faced fans turning up for Styx shows. It's a vista that leaves Young in awe.
"Especially at the (music) festivals, we see a sea of young people singing back our lyrics to us," he said. "We even had a mosh pit recently, which is a truly wacky thing."
In 1970, when the guitarist from Chicago's South Side hitched his wagon to Chuck and John Panozzo, Dennis De Young and John Curulewski to form Styx, he never dreamed he'd still be jumping off risers and getting standing O's as a routine perk of his workplace.
"It's amazing after 34 years to see a third generation of Styx fans," he said.
One sparkplug revving up the Styx machine had to be "American Idol's" Chris Daughtry, who belted out a rendition of 1979's "Renegade" a few months ago on Season 5 of the TV phenomenon. It thrilled millions of voters and even pleased stingy judge Simon Cowell.
"(Daughtry) did a pretty darn good job," Young said. Naturally, downloads of "Renegade," like just about every other song plucked from the catalogs of yore by "Idol" contestants, spiked like crazy.
The night Daughtry sang their song, though, the members of Styx were busy preparing for a May 25 concert with the Cleveland Youth Orchestra that will air as a TV special on PBS as well as be released as a DVD and on HDnet.
Playing a rock/classical hybrid show with 13-19 year-old musicians was incredible, says the 56-year-old rocker, especially since they got to present two new tunes for a crowd buzzing with enthusiasm.
Now touring like maniacs, Styx is as proud of its novel music as it is of its smash standards. Unlike many bands of its vintage, Styx creates original music regularly (the band's last completely new album was 2003's "Cyclorama.")
"We don't want to be the band that plays the same 30 songs over and over," Young said. "With all the writing prowess in the band, we are making strides each day. We don't want to limit ourselves. We're once again a progressive rock band, not a gimmicky pop band. We want to make music that is powerful and sincere."
Styx welcomes third generation of fans
Friday, July 07, 2006
By Lorilee Craker
The Grand Rapids Press
IONIA -- Everything old is new again, in fashion and rock 'n' roll.
Take, for instance, jumpsuits, those snug, poly-blend one-piece take-offs on the gas jockey's garb that ruled the stages of 1970s and early '80s rock shows. Jumpsuits, according to recent style watchers, are coming to a mall near you.
Speaking of which, there's a photo in the lobby of the Hard Rock Cafe Hotel in Chicago featuring James "JY" Young playing the dickens out of his guitar and wearing a you-know-what. Back when Styx spit out charting tunes faster then you can flip through a glossy magazine (predicting the rise of jumpsuits), rockers wore those types of things.
Accelerate almost three decades, and Styx has proved itself to be far more durable then a fashion fad.
In fact, the band has had a hit in every decade for the last four, spanning from "Lady" in 1974, their first smash, to their quirky cover of the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus," which charted at No. 2 on classic radio in 2004. In between, especially from the '70s to the '80s, Styx reigned with five platinum (or double or triple) albums.
"We were on top of Mount Everest once, and now we're on our slow ascent back up the mountain," Young said in a phone interview from his Chicago home. "But even if we never get to the top, I am enjoying the view."
That view includes spying tons of fresh-faced fans turning up for Styx shows. It's a vista that leaves Young in awe.
"Especially at the (music) festivals, we see a sea of young people singing back our lyrics to us," he said. "We even had a mosh pit recently, which is a truly wacky thing."
In 1970, when the guitarist from Chicago's South Side hitched his wagon to Chuck and John Panozzo, Dennis De Young and John Curulewski to form Styx, he never dreamed he'd still be jumping off risers and getting standing O's as a routine perk of his workplace.
"It's amazing after 34 years to see a third generation of Styx fans," he said.
One sparkplug revving up the Styx machine had to be "American Idol's" Chris Daughtry, who belted out a rendition of 1979's "Renegade" a few months ago on Season 5 of the TV phenomenon. It thrilled millions of voters and even pleased stingy judge Simon Cowell.
"(Daughtry) did a pretty darn good job," Young said. Naturally, downloads of "Renegade," like just about every other song plucked from the catalogs of yore by "Idol" contestants, spiked like crazy.
The night Daughtry sang their song, though, the members of Styx were busy preparing for a May 25 concert with the Cleveland Youth Orchestra that will air as a TV special on PBS as well as be released as a DVD and on HDnet.
Playing a rock/classical hybrid show with 13-19 year-old musicians was incredible, says the 56-year-old rocker, especially since they got to present two new tunes for a crowd buzzing with enthusiasm.
Now touring like maniacs, Styx is as proud of its novel music as it is of its smash standards. Unlike many bands of its vintage, Styx creates original music regularly (the band's last completely new album was 2003's "Cyclorama.")
"We don't want to be the band that plays the same 30 songs over and over," Young said. "With all the writing prowess in the band, we are making strides each day. We don't want to limit ourselves. We're once again a progressive rock band, not a gimmicky pop band. We want to make music that is powerful and sincere."
