Year 1999

September 21, 1999

Bon Jour Mez Ami!

Yesterday we returned home from the summer portion of The Brave New World Tour. I must say that this has been the most fun filled, high energy and adventurous summer we have had since STYX first began doing extended tours in the mid-70's.

Since we started back as a touring band in 1996, we have done a "reunion tour" (Return To Paradise), an "anniversary tour" (Grand Illusion 20 Year Anniversary Tour) and are now in the midst of The Brave New World Tour which is becoming the first "open-ended" tour we have ever mounted.

As you know, Chuck and Dennis are no longer touring with us. STYX alumni Glen Burtnik (who continued to contribute creatively even after I returned) has rejoined us on bass guitar and your native son, Lawrence Gowan has joined us on keyboards and vocals.

Since July 9 we have played 44 shows and have watched the attitude of curiosity and even skepticism turn to smiles, cheers and downright hair-raising enthusiasm. We are very proud of the way this band has remained true to the inimitable spirit of STYX while taking advantage of the fresh energy of Gowan and Glen. Their love and respect for the classic music of this band, coupled with their undeniable talents have made The Brave New STYX a tour de force that is now prepared to take STYX music to fans all around the world.

We have revisited old friends across America who have not seen us in many years, and this time we have performed for the children of those fans who until now had only heard their parents albums and heard their stories of STYX concerts they had attended when we last performed near their homes. In 1996 and 1997 we played a limited amount of shows and stuck to the major cities. This time we have gone back to our grass roots and taken it to fans who do not necessarily wish to drive for hours to see the show in the big city nearest them, only to end up in a dark parking lot in a strange place facing the same long ride home. It has been a Love Fest as we have reconnected. The response to Glen and Gowan has been amazing. After all, who can deny their appeal as artists and performers. But the truth is, they have really stepped in to a seemingly impossible position and made it not only look easy, but have in fact raised the bar as far as the overall evening goes.

STYX has always been about the positive experience. We cannot help it. It is just who we are, and now we are carrying on with a rock solid band that still believes a rock show should be a love affair felt between the band and its audience and more importantly an escape from the often-too-serious-world-beyond-the-doors of the concert hall.

Someone told us on the last show of the summer leg, "You guys really seem to connect with the audience..." and they said it as if it was perhaps a coincidence. It was music to my ears. That is what it is all about for us-- making contact, sharing the experience and tapping into the positive feelings, the smiles and laughter of the thousands who have bought the ticket, the T-shirt, gotten the baby-sitter, and made their way to the show. This is who we want to spend our lives with! And I think I speak for the other members of STYX when I tell you we intend to bring this show to you as soon as possible. I know we have not come to Canada yet, except for the Shediac show and the upcoming one in Kitchenner next October 16, but you are on our minds and a constant topic of discussion. When the time is right and circumstances prevail, we will be there to let you see just how amazing your son Lawrence Gowan is as a vital player in The Brave New STYX!

On October 6 we resume The Brave New World Tour which at this time has no end in sight. Come see us!

Tommy

July 23, 1999

Hello friends!

I haven't written in a while, so let me catch you up to speed. Since we first set foot in rehearsal in Chicago, we knew we were onto something good. The addition of Gowan and Glen Burtnik has been very successful. Gowan's unbridled energy and love for the stage has found a perfect home in STYX. Glen's creative and unpredictable spirit have added another dimension altogether. And in the past few weeks we now have developed a new and totally fresh STYX show that while including the two new players, remains 100 per cent true to the STYX everyone has come to trust over the years. I believe it is a mixture of the great respect we all feel for the music and fans, and the single mindedness of this renewed band. Chuck and Dennis can be very proud of the way we have carried the banner they helped raise over the past couple a two or three decades. STYX is on the road and on a mission to bring this music to as many fans, old and new, as is humanly possible over the next few months, so when you hear we are coming your way, don't be surprised, and more than anything, DON'T BE SHY! Come see us!

May 18, 1999

Hello friends!

As the clock ticks toward the final mix date, last minute details are screaming to be dealt with. Any small item that had gone overlooked now looms large insisting upon being examined. After all, once we have taken every element recorded on every format (24 track Analog, ADAT, Pro Tools, etc.) and checked to make sure everything we intended to add to each song is there, the final mix will join them all in sacred matrimony, till death does them part. It is unlikely we will ever visit these elements in their separate existences again. As you might imagine, with a total of 14 tracks, there are so many details carefully crafted to make them speak the vision of the writers that keeping track of them all is quite a task. One phenomenon that seems to always occur is that we get SO focused on details, that when it is all said and done, we realize that instead of normal vision, we have somehow developed microscopes for eyes (actually ears, but follow my analogy...;-)), looking deeper and deeper into the recording so as to detect infinitesimal imperfections. This nearsightedness becomes all too obvious in the final days as you realize that it is time to pull back and check the landscape from a wide angle and ensure that you have also not neglected the big picture.

That is us today. So we are working like ants to tie up every loose end, to gather all pieces of information and deliver them to the studio Thursday morning. And even as we begin mixing, it is likely a second team of us (to be determined) will be splitting off to another studio to create whatever parts might be missing or are not in keeping with the final mutation of the song/songs. It is a dizzying and wonderful time for anyone fortunate enough to be recording their music for posterity.

As I have said before, every record is different. No matter what the process was like before, it has almost no influence upon the next record. Life and the songs themselves dictate where, when and how this magical trip proceeds to its final destination.

We are daze away from the finish line...

May 16, 1999

Hello friends!

As we get closer and closer to finishing the new STYX album, I continue to be surprised. Just when I thought I knew this record inside and out, we made it a little better, just 4 days before the final mixes begin. CJ Vanston (who is a tremendous writer, arranger, and keyboard player) and I wrote and arranged the horn parts for one of the new songs, entitled "Just Fell In." It is a song that I thought was pretty much finished. But as is sometimes the case in songwriting and arranging, the muse decided to give us a bonus today and we got on a roll, creating an unbelievable horn chart that lifted the song up higher than I ever thought possible. And the beauty of it all was that I was quite happy with it the way it was. Now I am dying to let the rest of the guys in the band hear this cool new addition to the song.

Next week we will decide the order in which the songs appear on the album. This is a very important decision, especially for STYX albums because of our diversity. But it is also a pleasant process because we finally get to assemble all these parts that have heretofore been independent and separate pieces of music that were being assembled on their own. We now will get to see how to make one flow into the next and then the next one after that until we have told the story from beginning to end. Picture your favorite album and then imagine if you had heard the songs in some other order. See the difference sequencing makes?

As the end of this record nears, I cannot say I don't look forward to having it finished. It has been a long process. But as I hear it coming together as a whole, all the difficulty in making it is quickly fading into the abyss, sort of like what I am told childbirth is like for a mother. I will never know that feeling, but if it is anything like this, I can see why some women have many, many children!

Tommy

May 15, 1999

Hello friends!

We are very excited to welcome Gowan to STYX for our summer tour. When he performed with us in 1997, opening all by himself to thunderous applause, he stuck in our minds. Little did we know that he would one day be onstage with us performing OUR music!
He was such a natural when he came to meet with us in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. He made such a great impression it was difficult to imagine anyone else touring with us. His personal interpretation of our classic songs is really fresh and gives a new spin to familiar words and melodies.

I want to thank Kim Ouellette for reminding me about Gowan when I first mentioned to her that Dennis would not be joining us this summer. Go Kim! We are a couple of weeks away from completing our new album. It is the first studio album we have made together since Kilroy Was Here in 1983. Brave New World, due for release near the end of June is a real STYX album. I mean it is diverse, dramatic, sometimes light-hearted, but 100% pure STYX. We look forward to bringing our music to Canada later this year. It has been a long time since we took our music door to door north of the border and we can hardly contain our excitement ant the thought of being re-introduced to the Canadian audience.

Here's to STYX in Canada!

Cheers...

Tommy

May 3rd, 1999

Hello friends!

I am writing to you from my home her in Los Angeles. This week we might possibly finish the recording phase of our new STYX album. This is the first album I have recorded with them since Kilroy Was Here in 1983.It has been a completely different process from any STYX album that came before. One of the most significant changes has been the home studio. Dennis has one in the suburbs of Chicago and I have mine here in Southern California. In the old days we did everything from beginning to end in one studio and that was that. Since those days we have come to appreciate the value of having access to the recording tools which in turn leaves more room for creativity. There are sounds and parts on this album that might never have been created in the more business-like environment of a studio that charges hourly rates. You tend to really stick to schedules and record more like an assembly line in that environment. At home, you can chase a concept or idea for an innovative sounding part and not feel the pressure of seeing your budget slip away. Sometimes these ideas end up not panning out and that can really be a bummer if it just ate up valuable studio time. Therefore, the STYX album will benefit from these laboratories of sonic experimentation.Getting all the parts on tape has at times been a technical challenge. Because of the distance between Dennis' and my studio, there have been lots of master tapes traveling by Federal Express or hand carried between here and there. In some cases, I would sing all the background parts and when Dennis received the tape, he would simply replace the part with his own performance.

There were weeks where it was just Keith and me in my home studio, carving away at the guitars and vocals on my songs. When JY and Gary Loizzo (STYX recording engineer since 1979) showed up here a couple of weeks ago it was a welcome sight to have others involved besides just the two of us! My studio is like a big toy room, with lots of guitars on stands around the room as well as plenty of other pieces of gear that I use for getting my favorite sounds. A Leslie (the spinning sound you hear on organs, guitars and vocals) sits in the middle of the room with all my amplifier heads which lead to speaker cabinets in the closet. Pedals strewn on the floor next to the rack of compressors, limiters, preamps and other rack-mounted gadgets with lots of lights adorning their narrow faces. This is the place where I do my best work.

JY, Gary, Keith and I met Ron Nevison (my friend since the first Damn Yankees album in 1990) at Rhumbo Recorders out in the valley a week ago today and we took all our multi-track 2 inch tapes to make rough mixes to get an idea what remained to be added to each song. Ron will be remixing JY's and my songs once we complete the recording process. So it was a summit meeting of the aural ministry. We made a careful list of the remaining parts and walked away with the first rough draft of the album, so to speak. This week the gang returns and we will fish off each item on the list until we feel the album is finally recorded. This is a great time in the making of an album.

Only two things will remain. A horn session for one song and a string session for 2 other songs. This should do it! After that, we wait until Ron is available on the 20th of this month and we do the final mixes. By the first week of June, the album should be complete.

It has been a complex challenge, but we have emerged with a piece of music which we are very proud of and look forward to putting into your hands this summer.

Thank you for your patience as we undertook the final STYX record of this century. We believe you will find it well worth the wait...

Tommy

Tommy received an e-mail from Glen Burtnik and asked me to share it with you. It is a humorous text so keep smiling!

April 25, 1999

It's my story and I'm sticking to it!

It all started one night in the summer of 1991 in Milwaukee or St Louis or Newark or somewhere. Styx was onstage nearing the end of their Edge Of The Century tour, and I, Glen Burtnik (two "n"s total & no "c") was in the middle of singing the evening's encore, "Renegade" to the sellout crowd at this particular outdoor venue.

While feverishly trying to remember the lyrics to that well known Stygian classic (apparently well known by everyone but me), mine eyes began to scan across the faces of the audience, desperately in search of someone lip-syncing the words so I could read them to help remind me which words to sing next.

And then I saw him.

He was blonde. A tall man, about my height. Wide eyed. Maniacally grinning. The jig was up. It was the song's AUTHOR. It's originator. The guy whom I was hired to replace.

It was Tommy Shaw; my arch nemesis. He had actually come to see Styx. For the first time.

I thought, at least HE knew all the words.

I then looked to the faces around me, hoping to find guidance. I needed help answering my burning question: where do we go from here?

I first caught the eye of the gentleman of the band, Chuck Panozzo, who appeared more interested in pounding out the song's bass line than getting involved in any such band personnel psycho-drama. I looked over to Dennis DeYoung at his keyboard, but he simultaneously shook his head while shrugging his shoulders, a motion I still cannot comprehend the exact meaning of (maybe he just had an itch?). I turned around to the band's drummer, John Panozzo, who crossed his eyes & stuck his tongue out at me as if channeling the spirit of Harpo Marx. At this point I figured I'd better turn back to face the audience, as it had been suggested to me that Tommy Shaw's gluteous maximus is aesthetically superior to my own.

Finally I looked to my good friend & confidant James Young, who telepathically sent me this message: "Follow your feelings, Luke..." (he must've forgotten my name) "...Trust in the Force." (To which I later responded "May the Schwartz be with you too").

I interrupted my singing to run to the edge of the stage. Reaching down into the audience to grab Mr. Shaw by the collar. I screamed "Meet you outside after school, at the flagpole." He knew exactly what I meant.

Girls wanna dance. Boys wanna fight.

Within minutes the show was over. I walked into the backstage area. Passing the accolades, flowers & nearly naked super models, I made my way towards my private Vince Neil Jacuzzi Limo. But blocking the way was Tommy's 'Malibu Barbie' Pink learjet. I watched him descend from the cockpit, as if in slow motion. I snapped my fingers to my assistant, Mike Baran, "Get my holdster" I commanded. (It was 1991 remember, the gunbelt had conches, bandanas & fringe attached - my big hair kept getting tangled...)

The inevitable was about to finally happen.

My weapon sparkled in the moonlight, it's pearl whammy bar gleaming...

"Go ahead & draw first" I said to Shaw, anticipating a fight to the finish. I attempted my best chewing tobacco spit (but just messed myself instead). "Perhaps we can settle this a less cowardly way..." he replied, unbuckling his archery gear and handing it to Keith Marks. "...let's say we wrastle, mano y mano...hand to hand combat...if youre MAN enough"

That's when I leapt at him. We became intertwined in a blurred, snarling tornado of flying fists, ninja kicks and awful grammar. "I'm the little guitarist in Styx! No, I am!!" we both screamed at each other.

The battle was horrendous. From my perspective it is impossible to remember all the details, but according to the eyewitnesses the tornado continued at least 3 days and nights.

Sometime during the melee, back in New Jersey, my wife was giving birth to my daughter Sally.

The gun fired. Kablammo. It was deafening. Everything stopped. It had gone off accidentally. I checked myself for a bullet hole. So did Tommy. Neither one of us were wounded. The bullet must have shot up into the air like they always do in movies. (Where do they all eventually come down?)

But the fight was at last over. When we emerged we were bloodied, tattered & too exhausted to go on, but not dead (yet). Neither Tommy nor I had lost, therefore we each walked away victorious.

As you know, Tommy rejoined the band within 5 years of that moment. You might not know he ended up writing a number of amazing songs about our legendary fight & had groups like Aerosmith record them.

Me? Well, I had mentioned Sally was born during my battle with Tommy. She went on to become a reknown accordionist, appearing on the cover of my 1997 album about war & peace & having been a contender, "Palookaville", which also included songs about the infamous fight (most notably "Spirit Of A Boy, Wisdom Of A Man" which Randy Travis later recorded). I have aged mightily since many of you last laid eyes on me (or refused to). Due to the sheer ferosity of my battle with Tommy, my hair is now entirely grey and nowhere near as big as it was.

And though we had originally been been physical enemies, I recently had a dream about Tommy.

In the dream I recieved a phone call from Chuck, who asked if I was busy this summer as he had planned a holiday in Venice. Within 30 seconds of hanging up Tommy called asking if I wouldn't mind playing on a tour with JY & Todd Sucherman & himself & the mysterious "Racer X" in Styx version 5.1 - a bold new Styx no babe could ever have previously imagined.

My knee jerk reaction was "What? And miss giving Styx fans one more reason to resent me? COUNT ME IN!"

-Glen Burtnik, New Brunswick, NJ 1999

March 22, 1999

Hi Friends,

Just got back from St. Louis where I attended a great banquet for teens in recovery and while I was there I saw a replay of JY's appearance on local Public television where he was part of their pledge drive, when they played STYX's Return To Paradise live video. It was cool seeing him and us on St. Louis television.

Tomorrow Jack Blades arrives here to go with me to some Damn Yankees meetings with our new label boss, John Kolodner. We are almost finished writing the songs and it won't be long before we begin recording. Very exciting and I look forward to you all getting to hear the new music. Let me just say--it rocks.

My next matter of business is to finish the recording of the STYX album which should happen in the next six weeks or so. Time to wrap it up, get all the last details recorded and then mix it. My pal Eddie Ashworth has agreed to mix some of my songs, which I look forward to.

Too early to announce a tour or even a release date, but it looks to be a big year for STYX.

Stay tuned, more to come!

February 25, 1999

Hello Friends,

There has been information released lately regarding the new STYX album currently in production. While we are eager to finish it and put it into your hands, it is really not time to post a release date nor is it appropriate to tell you the title when we have not gotten to where we are sure of the title ourselves.

Please know that we are moving along at a great pace and are very excited by what is on tape so far. Believe me, when it is finished and ready, you will be the among the first people to be told!

Now, back to work on the new record...

Tommy Shaw

January 30, 1999

Hello Friends,

Here are some news:

Over 80 local PBS stations will begin broadcasting Return To Paradise in March as part of their March pledge drive.

Jack Blades and I recently wrote some new songs with singer Kelle Bryan from the British female vocal group Eternal for her upcoming debut solo album. Jack and I just finished singing on an album entitled "British Rock Symphony" which features us as well as singers Ann Wilson, Alice Cooper, Eric Burden, Thelma Houston, Paul Rogers and others singing songs from The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and The Who, with the accompaniment of a full orchestra and choir. Pretty amazing...

Jack and I sang and I played guitars on a "Sweet Emotion" for and all star Aerosmith tribute album produced our friend Bob Kulic.

Jack and I have been writing new songs for a Damn Yankees to be released later this year and there is quite a buzz around the industry after insiders heard the recent demos.

STYX is well into the recording of its new album.

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