Todd- short interview

[sadie65]

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 904240314/

4 years in drum chair with Styx can't be beat

By Chris Varias • Enquirer contributor • April 24, 2009

Parting ways with original lead singer Dennis DeYoung in 1999 hasn't slowed down Styx, who've maintained a steady 100-shows-a-year pace for the last decade.


Todd Sucherman joined the Chicago classic-rock band before DeYoung left, replacing original drummer John Panozzo in 1996.

At the time, Sucherman was an in-demand freelancer who came from a recording-session background, so playing the same songs with the same band nine months a year was a new experience.

The 39-year-old drummer talked about the things he does - inside of Styx and out - to keep his career interesting. He also discussed the thought process that takes place when arena rockers from the '70s and '80s such as Styx and Journey must replace the face of the band.

Question: Were you a Styx fan as a kid?

Answer: I was a fan of the band. Growing up in Chicago, you couldn't avoid them. They're hometown favorites, and they were on the radio all of the time. I was in a band with my older brothers, and amongst the myriad of songs that was in the repertoire, there were definitely a number of Styx songs in there. I had several of the records and saw them on the "Paradise Theatre" tour when I was 11 years old and twice on the "Kilroy was Here" tour in 1983.

Q: Does Styx's music allow for a lot of technical displays from the drummer, or do you mainly keep to a straight-ahead rock beat?

A: As a drummer, I'm very fortunate to be in a band that plays and sings as well as they do, and the drum chair is a very active drum chair. It's not a boom-whack-boom-whack sort of gig. It's pretty much 100 percent full throttle. I would almost liken the drum activity to that of the Who, where there's always activity, and very rarely do I get any sort of breaks within a song at all.

Q: Is that the type of music you prefer to play, or would you prefer jazz? What's your ultimate gig?

A: I'm fortunate that I have freedom within the framework of the songs. I'm not going to approach them 100 percent improvisationally like a jazz musician would. But being that I have that training and background, I can do little things to keep it interesting without changing the face of the compositions that were famous long before I came along. For me, that's one reason I like to get involved in other projects. I like surf and turf, but I don't want to eat it every night. In doing other projects and playing other music keeps me fresh as an artist.

Q: Should a classic-rock band like Styx hire a replacement lead singer that sounds like the original guy as a concession to longtime fans, or does that not matter?

A: When Dennis DeYoung was replaced in 1999, I think it was a conscious choice to go with someone who can bring their own thing to the table. We certainly did not get a clone sound-alike in Lawrence Gowan, who brings his massive technical keyboard skills and a little more of a Rod-Stewart-on-steroids edge, for lack of a better phrase, to the table. I think if you get somebody who sounds exactly like his predecessor, it makes it all the more obvious. "Oh, we don't have the original guy, but we have this guy. He sounds just like him."

Q: Not naming names of other bands, of course.

A: That being said, no disrespect to Journey, because they're one of my favorite bands. But the singer they have now has a resemblance to Steve Perry, but yet still brings his own thing to the table.

[froy]

[quote="sadie65"]http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090424/ENT03/904240314/



Q: Should a classic-rock band like Styx hire a replacement lead singer that sounds like the original guy as a concession to longtime fans, or does that not matter?

A: When Dennis DeYoung was replaced in 1999,

The band was all but finished


I think it was a conscious choice to go with someone who can bring their own thing to the table.

Gowan has brought nothing to the table other than crumbs


We certainly did not get a clone sound-alike in Lawrence Gowan,

Yea thats for sure he sounds like a guy with bad hemoroids




who brings his massive technical keyboard skills and a little more of a Rod-Stewart-on-steroids edge,

Great we have a guy who sounds nothing like a Styx member great idea guys

I think if you get somebody who sounds exactly like his predecessor, it makes it all the more obvious.

Maybe you should just have kept his predecessor





"Oh, we don't have the original guy, but we have this guy. He sounds just like him."

I think its best to stick with the original guy

[foolintherain]

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090424/ENT03/904240314/



Q: Should a classic-rock band like Styx hire a replacement lead singer that sounds like the original guy as a concession to longtime fans, or does that not matter?

A: When Dennis DeYoung was replaced in 1999,

The band was all but finished


I think it was a conscious choice to go with someone who can bring their own thing to the table.

Gowan has brought nothing to the table other than crumbs


We certainly did not get a clone sound-alike in Lawrence Gowan,

Yea thats for sure he sounds like a guy with bad hemoroids




who brings his massive technical keyboard skills and a little more of a Rod-Stewart-on-steroids edge,

Great we have a guy who sounds nothing like a Styx member great idea guys

I think if you get somebody who sounds exactly like his predecessor, it makes it all the more obvious.

Maybe you should just have kept his predecessor





"Oh, we don't have the original guy, but we have this guy. He sounds just like him."

I think its best to stick with the original guy

Do you have any life, or do you just post retarded comments on here all day?

[pinkfloyd1973]

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090424/ENT03/904240314/



Q: Should a classic-rock band like Styx hire a replacement lead singer that sounds like the original guy as a concession to longtime fans, or does that not matter?

A: When Dennis DeYoung was replaced in 1999,

The band was all but finished


I think it was a conscious choice to go with someone who can bring their own thing to the table.

Gowan has brought nothing to the table other than crumbs


We certainly did not get a clone sound-alike in Lawrence Gowan,

Yea thats for sure he sounds like a guy with bad hemoroids




who brings his massive technical keyboard skills and a little more of a Rod-Stewart-on-steroids edge,

Great we have a guy who sounds nothing like a Styx member great idea guys

I think if you get somebody who sounds exactly like his predecessor, it makes it all the more obvious.

Maybe you should just have kept his predecessor





"Oh, we don't have the original guy, but we have this guy. He sounds just like him."

I think its best to stick with the original guy

Do you have any life, or do you just post retarded comments on here all day?

Pot, meet kettle