A great number of music fans have misconceptions about Styx, but the band that has been together in one form or another for over 50 years sees the phenomenon as an opportunity, not a determent.
“The misconceptions out there just keep multiplying because of the internet,” notes Lawrence Gowan, singer and keyboardist with the group since 1999. “I’m not disparaging of it. We wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for it. But I think misconceptions are one of the vital things that drive a band forward these days.”
He surmises there are two types of people who come to see Styx, like those turning up to see the band’s current gigs co-headlining with Chicago, dubbed The Windy Cities Tour: diehards who “know more than we do” about the band, and “the great other portion that know less than we do, which makes us feel a little bit smart” in comparison, he jokes.
“The majority of people, and this is just my guess, they just love classic rock and the notion that they can go and see a band that they’ve probably heard of all their life, like Styx or obviously Chicago or Foreigner, all these various bands, Def Leppard. They’re not into the minutia of what it is to kind of get that band to the stage and what all the elements are. They just want to hear those songs and they want a great rock show.
“My little philosophy is there’s no better entertainment than I’ve ever encountered than a great rock show and Styx, and now I’ve seen Chicago, they’re able to do that and make people happy. I can see people in the front row that aren’t even close to 30 years of age who are singing all the words to the songs and weren’t even born in that era.”
He notes that “Crash of the Crown,” the group’s 2021 album, reached the top of the Billboard Rock Albums chart, but a lot of people don’t know that. “We actually have to mention it in the show because there’s a misconception: They haven’t made any records [recently]. Well, here’s the number one from Billboard just in the last few years.
“And it’s OK. It’s not like we’re giving an exam before you come in. But I think the show helps to dispel a lot of those, as you put it, misconceptions, because people then retroactively go back and start to really kind of dig into it, because that’s what happens after I’ve seen a great show, I start digging into this band that I would have seen and I get to know a lot more about them.”
Styx released its 18th album “Circling From Above” just about a year ago, its first record to feature Will Evankovich and Terry Gowan, Lawerence’s brother, as members. It is a concept album in the progressive rock tradition and features writing from all seven members.
“The great thing about Styx is they had a wide musical palette all along,” says Gowan. “First of all, they were the first progressive band that I ever noticed that were not from the UK and were being successful. But you’ve got this progressive side, you’ve got this heavy rock side, and then you’ve got this pop sensibility to where they can mash all that together into a very catchy song with lyrics that you can easily relate to at any time. And that to me, that’s a great band, long before I came into it.
“The writing team is now primarily myself, Tommy Shaw, Will Evankovich, and Will and Tommy write some songs together without my involvement, but about half the album. We each have our little tug of war. I want the progressive side of it as much as possible. Tommy definitely has the commercial aspects of it and what’s going to really communicate directly with people, which is a great gift that he has. And Will is kind of right in the middle with amazing ideas and tremendous production opportunities that present themselves depending on where the song is getting pulled. So that seems to be working when all three of us end up with a smile on our face and then when the other guys come in and go, ‘I really like this song,’ and then they add their significant contributions. That’s kind of where the band is today.
“And honestly, I look at my favorite Styx album from the past, which is ‘Pieces of Eight,’ and there’s a record that really strikes that balance to me incredibly well. It’s progressive. It’s musically adventurous, really relatable. And I look for that in the last three albums I’ve done, I think we’ve kind of found that balance in this new millennium with the records that sound like they’re from the classic rock era.”
Gowan has been playing with his younger brother since 1985. The elder Gowan’s second album went to the top of the charts in their native Canada, and within a few weeks he was asked to open for The Kinks at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The players on the album included bassist Tony Levin, drummer Jerry Marotta and guitarist David Rhodes, all from Peter Gabriel’s band, but they were working on a new Gabriel record and unavailable for the show.
“So suddenly Terry comes home, he’s got a Chapman stick, and he learned to play the whole thing. And I’m like, holy shit, I guess I guess it’s going to be you. He was only 19 at the time.”
In 2010, when the elder brother rebooted the project he simply calls Gowan, Terry and Styx drummer Todd Sucherman formed the rhythm section and developed a tight bond. So when Styx was looking for a bass player after Ricky Phillips left the group in 2024, “Todd immediately suggested Terry. And then I heard from Will, because Will said, ‘Yeah, he might be a really good choice. I hear really great things about him.’ And I stood back. I just kind of went, yeah, well, just hear him play the stuff and see if you want him.
“And then basically he nailed that. First time we played together perfectly, we never even repeated one song. It was like the quickest run-through of a show we’ve ever done, and he was note-perfect and kind of has been ever since. Actually, he might have made a mistake about 100 shows ago, which I have yet to point out. I’m keeping that one in the bank. As an older brother, you always have to keep that card and play it when you really need it.”
Chuck Panozzo, the band’s original bassist, is still a member of the band but only performs sporadically due to health issues after having been diagnosed with HIV in 1991. His twin brother John, the group’s original drummer, died 30 years ago.
“Chuck comes out for usually two, three songs right now, and on this tour, he’s coming out toward the end of the show so we can play that card at the very end. The band started in his house with him and his brother John and Dennis DeYoung. It really comes down to when he’s got the energy, because he loves doing these shows. I have to honestly say as well, he and Terry really bonded over the bass parts on these songs. Chuck was really pleased with Terry’s approach, and that’s continued on, and the two of them kind of go back and forth with various notions and whatever bass players talk about, and that’s been really great to see. His enthusiasm hasn’t dampened one bit. He’ll always be part of the band.”
Styx and Chicago have shows this week in Texas and Oklahoma and will wind toward the west coast for four dates in California, including at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Sept. 6.
Earlier this month, Styx announced it will return to Miramar Beach, Fla., for the second annual Rockin’ In Paradise With Styx & Friends Beach Weekend, Oct. 8-10 2026. The weekend will feature two Styx performances as well as sets by Tesla, The Marshall Tucker Band, 38 Special, The Outlaws, Jefferson Starship, Edwin McCain and Yacht Rock Revue.
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