JY Interview - 1993

[SuiteMadameBlue]

I enjoy reading these old articles............



from Showcase Chicago, Vol. 1 Issue 7
Mid-Aug./ Mid-Sept. 1993

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James Young - Out On A Day Pass -
and taking advantage of it
by Deborah Brosseau

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"I love the feeling I get when I'm playing with this band. It's all me, for better or for worse and it's time for me to do that in my life." James Young, the "rocker dude from Styx" as he's called on the streets, is going it alone. With the upcoming release of OUT ON A DAY PASS (actually his second solo LP), JY is establishing himself as a well-rounded, hard-rockin' force, aiming to make his own musical statements.
While the idea of another solo effort had been rearing its head on and off for a couple of years, the current extended Styx hiatus allowed for some concrete planning and goal setting. "In talking to Dennis [DeYoung], we recognize that there will be a demand for Styx - probably until the day we die. But unless it's the right thing at the right time, I don't know that there's gonna be a rigid schedule or great demand on my time. Dennis is the producer and creative leader of whatever Styx things happen in the future," explained JY. And Dennis is in his successful Christ-crucifying road show (Pontius Pilate in "Jesus Christ Superstar"), so last November became the right time and OUT ON A DAY PASS was the right thing to do.
"This is a full-out, intense effort, and I've made the commitment to my other band members. The James Young Group, whatever this thing turns into, is going to be a part of my life," JY asserts.
What it's turning into is a fine example of lessons learned from the first solo LP, CITY SLICKER, which was a collaboration with brilliant instrumentalist and producer Jan Hammer. In addition to gaining the confidence of experience to produce DAY PASS by himself, JY also delved into his own personal uniqueness, as Hammer helped him realize other strengths and talents. JY thus plays all guitars, most of the keyboards, nearly all the vocals, and wrote/co-wrote every song on this release.
As opposed to the rhythm-heavy ballads of Styx, JY says his material simply "rocks out." "I develop music in a unique way, working from the power of the bass, drums and guitar, then adding keyboards and vocals. It results in a powerful thing."
"Top Of The World," DAY PASS's opening cut, is a veritable pep rally lyrically, pretty well summing up JY's attitude toward life as a solo artist. There's also a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor prevalent in the lyrics and themes throughout "Toys For American Boys" ("No, this is not the marching song of the American Nazi Party") and "Dark Side: The Contrary Nature Of Man ("the plight of the idealist in an unethical yet temptation-filled world"). The title cut describes JY's "creative day pass" and asks his musical question, "Is there anything really wrong with a little light hearted insanity?" There's also a reworked version of "Young Man," an "overlooked Styx song on an overlooked Styx album." By incorporating the blazing rock violin of Jerry Goodman, the song is transformed into a piece that is now hard to ignore.
Putting himself into the position of front man/ lead vocalist extends JY's responsibilities aside from playing potent guitar and writing accessible tunes. "I never aspired to be a lead singer. "Miss America" got great reviews, but... I'm not your traditional balladeer or David Coverdale, but I have a unique, powerful voice that isn't as pleasant to some but in the context of what I do, which is crank it up and rock out, it works."
The players on DAY PASS run the gamut of musical ingenue. Willie Wilcox (Utopia) and John Panozzo (Styx) share drumming duties, and bass is handled by Colin Hodgkinson (Whitesnake, Jan Hammer, Mick Jagger). These players "continue my solo album tradition of working with people who are among the best in the world at what they do," compliments JY.
OUT ON A DAY PASS is issued by JY's own label, Absolute Records. While he feels that major labels are "wonderful" things when they're paying attention to you," he is staying clear of leaving destiny in the unsteady hands of a major. "The Lonesome City Kings, a wonderful band, is a sad thing - came and went so quickly. That's not the way to build a career." In the mindset of remaining "unencumbered by an A&R staff's concept" of what he should be doing, JY admires the Bad Examples' business plan. "They remind me of Styx in the '70s, with the sheer force of will to play and make records until the break that breaks nationally." (Styx released four albums independently early on.) Hence, with this kinship of self-promotion, OUT ON A DAY PASS is being distributed by the Bad Examples' distributor, Waterdog Records . Focusing on the local and regional markets, taking one step at a time has proved to be Waterdog's secret to success.
A new record usually means a series of live shows, and the live performance is something JY is really enjoying, though it's quite a change from his prior experience. "As for me, who was the least of the three front guys in Styx, my personality was kind of submerged. But I like to rock, I love to play live, so it doesn't bother me to go back down and start at square one again. It's a challenge and it's a challenge that I relish."
The James Young Group is different from the album session guys, but have a cohesiveness that brings a homey feeling to the arena-worthy performance. Drummer Ken Harck was a member of the infamous Off Broadway. Guitarist/vocalist Michael Baran played with the Glen Burtnick [sic] Band and the Galleyboyz. Bassist/vocalist Hank Horton is a recent transplant to Chicago, working various gigs in the city. Newcomer Lou DePasqua handles keyboards, guitars. and vocals.
The group is breaking into the clubs relatively low-key, a show every other week or so, in both city and suburban clubs (and Milwaukee, St. Louis), to see how people are responding to it. Comparatively speaking, it's slow go. Says JY, "It's been a little disappointing in that I haven't had 5000 people jamming the outside of a club...but on the other hand, the comments are superlative on how great the band is, how hard it rocks. It's all been very positive, but it's a matter of getting the awareness out."
"The sad reality is that I'm a new act. If Styx were to play today, we could fill the World Music Theater. But none of the guys as individuals have gone out and shown the same kind of drawing power or same sort of interest as the group has as a whole."
Thus, obviously, the 30-year Styx relevance cannot be ignored. Starting off in the early '70s with indie releases, by 1975 the group has inked the A&M deal that jet-propelled JY, DeYoung, Tommy Shaw and Chuck and John Panozzo into gold-record, world tour heaven. Although it seemed the record-buying public could not get enough of "Lady, "Babe," "Renegade" and "Come Sail Away," the band took a six-year vacation from each other in 1983. During that time, Tommy Shaw left for Damn Yankees and was replaced with Glen Burtnick, and solo projects came and went. In 1991, Styx came back with "Show Me The Way" to remind us of the continual viability of a great song, and put a hit album (EDGE OF THE CENTURY) in the group's third decade of service.
JY has a very grounded view of this awesome entry in rock history annals. "To look at my own achievements and say that I'm in awe of that, well...I can look at Styx as a group and sort of feel that way and say that this is five young men that took the most energetic and assertive times of their lives and channeled all that energy into trying to create this thing as positively as they could. 20 years later, that we had a profound impact with something that germinated from our own brains, made with our own hands and mouths - it's a beautiful thing to look back on that."
In looking forward, as he spends more time doing, how does JY relate Styx to his own goals? "What I want to do has similar characteristics to that, but I want to set off and highlight my own ideas and thoughts." And what does JY think it'll take to make it work? "Patience, persistence, talent, and luck - all four in some strong combination. Styx had it over a long period of time, which was also a testament to our ability to co-exist," he adds.
Even though JY's intent is to establish an individual identity, there's no mistaking the particular sound he honed with Styx. Being a lifetime South Sider (OK, except for a 3-year L.A. experience), JY's influences were "the guys that took the blues and played it in an electrified sort of way." Clapton, Blackmore, Winter and Beck were all motivational to JY, but "Hendrix had the most profound influence on my musical tastes."
And it's Hendrix that led to JY's great guitar distortion box - the box that helped create his trademark sound - the "Yoshinerator." Developed by an old college pal, Dave Yoshinari, the device sustained feedback out of the tiniest of amps, and with the change of a transistor, out came the same feedback as at the beginning of "Foxy Lady." JY still uses it after all this time - "It's well-hidden in the giant rack of stuff I refer to as 'the Space Station,' and I pull it out for solos."
Very few guitarists will have the ability to be the founder of "a sound," and JY is one of them, having grabbed an axe when originality was appreciated. As a model to other players, he feels "really good that my playing had a strong influence on people and I've inspired people. That's a wonderful thing."
JY is a focused, energetic, intelligent individual, and while he claims to be the personality type that focuses on the negative, it translates into determination and creativity in reaching well-calculated goals. So while 1994 may have us looking forward to a new Styx release, this year belongs to the James Young Band. A personal guarantee from the man himself - "There was a rumor at one point that I am the drummer in Styx. By the end of this year, no one will be able to think that."
Don't miss these performances of the James Young Group:
August 29 - Cubby Bear, Chicago
September 4 - Riverfront Fest, Rockford
September 18 - Interaction, Stone Park

[Boomchild]

I enjoy reading these old articles............



from Showcase Chicago, Vol. 1 Issue 7
Mid-Aug./ Mid-Sept. 1993

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James Young - Out On A Day Pass -
and taking advantage of it
by Deborah Brosseau

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dennis is the producer and creative leader of whatever Styx things happen in the future," explained JY.

Don't you just hate it when your words come back to haunt you?

[Ash]

With the upcoming release of OUT ON A DAY PASS (actually his second solo LP), JY is establishing himself as a well-rounded, hard-rockin' force, aiming to make his own musical statements.

Oh the thoughts I have.... Making his own musical statement .... let's see...

1. I can't write a good song by myself to save my own ass.
2. Well rounded? With the versatility in his voice, you can just tell he's headed for solo stardom.
3. Hard Rockin'? If you have to tell people how hard you rock... then you don't.


SIIIIIITTING ON TOOOOOOOP OFF THE WOOOOOOOOOOOORLD

[Ash]

Wow. I can't help but sit here and read this article and literally laugh my ass off at all of his prophecy regarding his career.

[gr8dane]

Wow. I can't help but sit here and read this article and literally laugh my ass off at all of his prophecy regarding his career.

Seing you happy makes me happy.
This really is where we should thank the lads in Styx,JY Tommy and Chuck for firing Dennis.
This way you can come in here and laugh and laugh,over the little hardships they may have, and then I laugh and laugh.
See,if Dennis was still in Styx it would just be us talking about the next conceptualized,written and produced multi million seller by Dennis,
with 'the other guys' doing what Dennis would want them to do.All we would be doing here, was guessing which tune would be the next number one,
and so forth.Kinda boring don't you think?

[Boomchild]

Wow. I can't help but sit here and read this article and literally laugh my ass off at all of his prophecy regarding his career.

Seing you happy makes me happy.
This really is where we should thank the lads in Styx,JY Tommy and Chuck for firing Dennis.
This way you can come in here and laugh and laugh,over the little hardships they may have, and then I laugh and laugh.
See,if Dennis was still in Styx it would just be us talking about the next conceptualized,written and produced multi million seller by Dennis,
with 'the other guys' doing what Dennis would want them to do.All we would be doing here, was guessing which tune would be the next number one,
and so forth.Kinda boring don't you think?

Yeah, just think what they would have done if JY was at the helm in the past. The solo stuff he produced for the most part was crap. If he was in charge there would be no interest to discuss the band.