Gowan Interview
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:08 amhttp://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2009/07/15/10 ... ertainment
Gowan adds Cdn. twist to band Styx
By Sue Bailey, THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA - Even over the phone, Canadian singer Lawrence Gowan - the Strange Animal known for wild-man vaults from his piano in the 1980s - sounds like a guy who's having the time of his life.
The classically trained musician joined Styx more than 10 years ago after the Chicago-born rockers bitterly parted with their theatrical frontman Dennis DeYoung, and Gowan says the decade has flown by.
"It's not difficult in this situation," said Gowan, with the light-hearted, at times self-deprecating, delivery of a man who is thoroughly enjoying himself.
"I've been in (Styx) now 10 years. It is shocking to believe. I only believe it when I see old pictures of us.
"The first couple of years I was with the band I had this kind of goatee beard. And I'm like, I don't even remember having that thing stuck to my face."
The reconstituted band has travelled the world blasting audiences with its blend of power pop sweetened with "Come Sail Away" keyboard melodies. Styx heads north to Ottawa's Bluesfest for a Thursday night concert, joining a roster that's as eclectic as it is blues-based.
Gowan spends part of each year at his Toronto home and couldn't be happier to be back on Canadian soil.
He grew up in nearby Scarborough and formed a teenaged band out of school before launching a solo career highlighted by some enduring tunes, like "(You're a) Strange Animal" and "All the Lovers in the World."
His fans in Ottawa may get to hear him perform a Styx-ified rendition of his hit "A Criminal Mind."
"I'll throw in just a couple of blues notes to make it legit," Gowan, now 52, said with a laugh that punctuates much of his easy banter.
"It may be in the show. I can never promise this," he added, citing the band's "embarrassment of riches" when it comes to crowd favourites.
"I enjoy 'Renegade' very much but I don't sing that one - that's a Tommy song," he said of Styx guitarist and lead showman Tommy Shaw.
"The harmonies are very challenging on it. I always loved it, the first time I heard it. I enjoy singing all the songs of theirs that I do: 'Grand Illusion,' 'Lady,' 'Come Sail Away' and 'Suite Madame Blue.' Those are tremendous songs to sing.
"It's a very powerful band live. And that's what I get caught up in. That becomes part of the whole experience."
Don't hold your breath for "Babe" or "Mr. Roboto," though. The band hasn't exactly showcased all of DeYoung's signature hits since he tried to sue his former mates for carrying on under the Styx banner.
Styx is just wrapping up its "Can't Stop Rockin"' tour around the U.S. - a run of often sold-out shows that featured recession-priced tickets and an economic recovery theme.
Gowan tours with the band about eight out of 12 months a year. No performance is quite like the last, he said.
"You have to kind of be in the experience itself to really appreciate that every single night, every single audience you get in front of, you are trying to convey something personal in that moment. And that supercedes whether you're playing the same notes that you happened to play last night or the night before because you have another chance to get them right."
It's more about creating the perfect atmosphere than hitting the right keys, he added.
"I played 'Strange Animal' every single night for 14 years straight. And I can honestly say I never got bored with it because every night there was some nuance that arrives in that moment that makes for a great live performance."
Musicians who grow to resent playing the same beloved songs over and over tend to spoil it for themselves and the fans, Gowan said.
"I've witnessed them kind of destroy it themselves," he said.
"And that's something I'm going to endeavour not to do."
Gowan adds Cdn. twist to band Styx
By Sue Bailey, THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA - Even over the phone, Canadian singer Lawrence Gowan - the Strange Animal known for wild-man vaults from his piano in the 1980s - sounds like a guy who's having the time of his life.
The classically trained musician joined Styx more than 10 years ago after the Chicago-born rockers bitterly parted with their theatrical frontman Dennis DeYoung, and Gowan says the decade has flown by.
"It's not difficult in this situation," said Gowan, with the light-hearted, at times self-deprecating, delivery of a man who is thoroughly enjoying himself.
"I've been in (Styx) now 10 years. It is shocking to believe. I only believe it when I see old pictures of us.
"The first couple of years I was with the band I had this kind of goatee beard. And I'm like, I don't even remember having that thing stuck to my face."
The reconstituted band has travelled the world blasting audiences with its blend of power pop sweetened with "Come Sail Away" keyboard melodies. Styx heads north to Ottawa's Bluesfest for a Thursday night concert, joining a roster that's as eclectic as it is blues-based.
Gowan spends part of each year at his Toronto home and couldn't be happier to be back on Canadian soil.
He grew up in nearby Scarborough and formed a teenaged band out of school before launching a solo career highlighted by some enduring tunes, like "(You're a) Strange Animal" and "All the Lovers in the World."
His fans in Ottawa may get to hear him perform a Styx-ified rendition of his hit "A Criminal Mind."
"I'll throw in just a couple of blues notes to make it legit," Gowan, now 52, said with a laugh that punctuates much of his easy banter.
"It may be in the show. I can never promise this," he added, citing the band's "embarrassment of riches" when it comes to crowd favourites.
"I enjoy 'Renegade' very much but I don't sing that one - that's a Tommy song," he said of Styx guitarist and lead showman Tommy Shaw.
"The harmonies are very challenging on it. I always loved it, the first time I heard it. I enjoy singing all the songs of theirs that I do: 'Grand Illusion,' 'Lady,' 'Come Sail Away' and 'Suite Madame Blue.' Those are tremendous songs to sing.
"It's a very powerful band live. And that's what I get caught up in. That becomes part of the whole experience."
Don't hold your breath for "Babe" or "Mr. Roboto," though. The band hasn't exactly showcased all of DeYoung's signature hits since he tried to sue his former mates for carrying on under the Styx banner.
Styx is just wrapping up its "Can't Stop Rockin"' tour around the U.S. - a run of often sold-out shows that featured recession-priced tickets and an economic recovery theme.
Gowan tours with the band about eight out of 12 months a year. No performance is quite like the last, he said.
"You have to kind of be in the experience itself to really appreciate that every single night, every single audience you get in front of, you are trying to convey something personal in that moment. And that supercedes whether you're playing the same notes that you happened to play last night or the night before because you have another chance to get them right."
It's more about creating the perfect atmosphere than hitting the right keys, he added.
"I played 'Strange Animal' every single night for 14 years straight. And I can honestly say I never got bored with it because every night there was some nuance that arrives in that moment that makes for a great live performance."
Musicians who grow to resent playing the same beloved songs over and over tend to spoil it for themselves and the fans, Gowan said.
"I've witnessed them kind of destroy it themselves," he said.
"And that's something I'm going to endeavour not to do."
he is a really cool guy. 
