Lawrence Gowan is a Scottish-born Canadian musician, and keyboardist and lead vocalist for the legendary American rock band, Styx. As a member of Styx for nearly twenty years, Gowan has recorded four studio albums and toured the world over, playing more than 1,600 shows with the band. In June of this year, Styx released their “sonically sweet” 16th studio album, The Mission, which chronicles the trials, tribulations, and ultimate triumphs of the first manned mission to Mars in the year 2033. From the hopeful drive of the lead single “Gone Gone Gone” to the pivotal harmonic convergence of “Radio Silence” to the elegiac optimism of the closing track “Mission to Mars,” The Mission succeeds in delivering the greater good from a band that continues to fire on all cylinders, 45 years after signing its first recording contract.
In This Episode:
07:30 The “beautiful thing” about when Lawrence joined Styx
08:45 Lawrence reflects on the cover “I am the Walrus”
11:47 On whether the new Styx album “The Mission” exemplifies the band’s core identity
14:05 On the risk (and reward) of making a “concept album” in this day and age
18:05 On the profound abilities of music
22:28 Lawrence’s favorite song on the new album
26:28 The story of the fateful night that got Lawrence into the band
35:00 How the band’s dynamic has evolved since Lawrence joined
36:50 What Lawrence appreciates about his bandmates
40:00 What role the fans play
