<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What is new in the world of Styx?\u00a0 We haven\u2019t touched base with them since <\/span>FTV:\u00a0 Styx in Three Acts<\/span><\/i> back in March of 2021.\u00a0 After seeing an interview the current leader of the band Tommy Shaw did recounting how he came to join them in December of 1975, it seemed an opportune time to see what else has transpired over the last half a decade.\u00a0 Before we get into the here and now, let\u2019s take a brief look at how a blond haired Georgia boy ended up in one of Chicago\u2019s biggest musical exports, Styx.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The brief formation story of the original band goes back to 1962 when Dennis DeYoung passed by the house of the Panozzo brothers (John and Chuck).\u00a0 He heard them playing and stuck\u00a0 his head in the window to check them out.\u00a0 A budding accordionist, the 15-year-old DeYoung offered his services to the 13-year-old twin\u2019s polka band which later became a popular cover band known as The Tradewinds.\u00a0 After a name change to TW4 (There Were 4), they continued to play while attending Chicago State College.\u00a0 Guitarist John Curulewski joined the band when guitarist Tom Nardini departed.\u00a0 Another hard rock guitarist, John \u2018JY\u2019 Young came on board in 1970.\u00a0 When the band signed with Wooden Nickel Records, they began looking for a new name. Everyone tossed out ideas and finally decided on Styx because, in DeYoung\u2019s telling, \u201cIt was the only one none of us hated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Styx began writing their own songs and beginning with the eponymous album <\/span>Styx<\/span><\/i> in 1972, they released an album almost yearly throughout the 1970s.\u00a0 Four albums released on Wooden Nickel were a mixture of straight-ahead rockers and songs with definite progressive rock leanings.\u00a0 The sleeper power ballad hit <\/span>Lady <\/span><\/i>(from <\/span>Styx II <\/span><\/i>(1973)) first saw the light of day on legendary Chicago station WLS.\u00a0 When it broke through nationally, it climbed to No. 6 on the singles charts (which helped pull the LP to No. 20 on the album charts).\u00a0 With one of the earliest examples of a power ballad to his credit, Dennis DeYoung became the defacto \u2018father of the power ballad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The success of <\/span>Lady<\/span><\/i> got the band signed by A&M Records.\u00a0 Their first outing for the label (<\/span>Equinox <\/span><\/i>(1975)) began getting significant airplay on the newly emerging Album Oriented Rock (AOR) FM format.\u00a0 As the band was preparing to tour behind <\/span>Equinox<\/span><\/i>, Curulewski announced he was leaving the band to spend more time with his family.\u00a0 This is the point of the story, the band was on the upswing toward their greatest commercial success when a door opened and Tommy Shaw walked into the band.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In January of 2026, Shaw sat down with Doug Fox for an interview that was posted on their website, <\/span>The Stygian Chronicles<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 The interview was instigated when Shaw received news that longtime Styx mentor and advisor Jim Vosecek (known to all as \u2018Vose\u2019) had passed away peacefully at the age of 75.\u00a0 Prior to his association with Styx, Vose had worked as a roadie and sound engineer for another Chicago area band, The Ides of March (1970-72).\u00a0 His official tenure with Styx ran from 1974 to 1980, encompassing the release of six albums, five of which sold in\u00a0 platinum or gold record status numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Before Curulewski decided to leave the band, Shaw was playing in MS Funk.\u00a0 They did a lot of gigs along the mile-long strip of clubs on Chicago\u2019s upscale Rush Street in the Near North Side area of Chicago.\u00a0 \u201cI was just another guy playing on Rush Street,\u201d Tommy told Fox.\u00a0 \u201cOur band was killer, but it didn\u2019t seem to matter how good our band was.\u00a0 Eventually, there was just no audience for it, coast to coast.\u00a0 We played until there were no more gigs, and then we all just went home,\u00a0 That was it,\u00a0 That was the end of MS Funk.\u201d\u00a0 He went back to Montgomery and joined a local band called Harvest.\u00a0 Steady work playing covers at places like Kegler\u2019s Cove (a local bowling alley lounge) provided a steady $200 weekly paycheck and more financial stability than he had seen chasing gigs with MS Funk.\u00a0 Then he got \u2018the call\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jim Vosecek had seen MS Funk play and had even booked some shows for the eight-piece group that included a horn section.\u00a0 He remembered the stage presence and skill of the band\u2019s young blond guitar player.\u00a0 With the immediate crisis created by Curulewski\u2019s departure, Vose knew dates were booked, tickets had been sold, and swift action was in order.\u00a0 He told Styx he had the ideal replacement\u2026if he could track him down.\u00a0 Some detective work on his part finally found Shaw in Montgomery.\u00a0 He called and said, \u201cCan you come over tomorrow?\u00a0 I\u2019ll have a plane ticket waiting for you at the counter.\u00a0 If you just go to the Montgomery airport tomorrow, get on the plane and come here, we\u2019ll go out and see the guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Shaw now chuckles at his response to Vose:\u00a0 \u201cI told him I was making $200 a week and that he would have to beat that.\u00a0 And he kind of laughed and said, \u2018Don\u2019t worry, you\u2019re not going to have any money problems.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Tommy made his flight and met the band but it was not much of an audition.\u00a0 It was more like a test drive to see if everything would be a good fit.\u00a0 He brought a guitar but it never saw the light of day.\u00a0 The big test came when they gathered around the piano to see if he could hit the high notes on <\/span>Lady.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 He told Fox, \u201cThey gave me the highest note – it was the highest note plus another step up to the real highest note.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t used to singing those kinds of clear, tight notes.\u00a0 I was more of a blues singer.\u00a0 But once I did that, they didn\u2019t really linger on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When they dropped the needle on the <\/span>Equinox <\/span><\/i>track written by JY Young (<\/span>Midnight Ride<\/span><\/i>),<\/span><\/p>\n Shaw lost any preconceptions he had about the band.\u00a0 JY\u2019s riff in <\/span>Midnight Ride<\/span><\/i> \u2018exceeded all of his expectations\u2019:\u00a0 \u201cI fell in love with James Young at that moment.\u00a0 I was like, \u2018Okay, this is going to be good!\u2019\u201d\u00a0 They already knew I could play.\u00a0 I think when they heard I could sing that high note, I had the job when they heard that.\u201d\u00a0 His audition trip wasn\u2019t without a little drama, however.\u00a0 Vose hosted a party that first night at his Berwyn home which saw Shaw end up on the floor with JY kneeling over him:\u00a0 \u201cI stood up at one point and the next thing I know, I\u2019m on the floor.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know anybody and there were just a lot of new things happening and apparently I had an anxiety attack and passed out. \u00a0 I\u2019ve never passed out like that.\u00a0 I\u2019m hard-headed, so it didn\u2019t hurt, but I have no idea why I blanked out.\u00a0 So that was my first night there!.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The last person he met before they headed to the airport was John Curulewski.\u00a0 The first thought was, \u201cHe is having second thoughts about leaving the band,\u201d but Tommy said he actually was jovial and, \u201cseemed really relieved to be out on his own and just not, you know, wrestling the bear, so to speak.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw went home with\u00a0 a dozen songs to learn for the tour.\u00a0 Between packing his road kit and rehearsing (\u201cjust me and my record player back in Montgomery\u201d), he prepared for life on the road with Styx.\u00a0 Vose wore many hats during Tommy\u2019s first tour with the band:\u00a0 \u201cVose was a great guy.\u00a0 We had a small crew originally.\u00a0 Jim could mix the sound, he could help set up, he could drive the rental truck.\u00a0 He was just an all-around good guy.\u00a0 He was funny and had a big laugh, and a great sense of humor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Vose wasn\u2019t a saint and Shaw gives him full credit for some classic hijinks that occurred on the road.\u00a0 He said, \u201cYou know, day after day, it\u2019s the same old stuff, and things like that really help the time go by.\u00a0 When you\u2019re on road trips like that, you\u2019ve got do something to keep yourself amused – and oh yeah, Jim was big into that, too.\u201d\u00a0 Whether it was hiding a Coke machine in their room at a Holiday Inn or setting up a table and drinks in an elevator, Jim was right there in the midst.\u00a0 When they were told, \u201cYou guys have to get your stuff and get out,\u201d Vose simply took the hint and went off to the next adventure.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Vose joined Tour De Force Productions in 1980, a company specializing in graphic design and staging for major rock acts.\u00a0 He was fondly remembered in the Styx fan base and often posted insights and inside stories about Styx.\u00a0 Unfortunately, he and the band had a falling out over a contractual issue and lost contact.\u00a0 \u201cWe were friends for a long time,\u201d Shaw said.\u00a0 \u201cYou kind of take for granted that people are going to be around for a while.\u00a0 And then one day you get a phone call that says, well, they\u2019re not around anymore.\u00a0 And you realize that you missed your opportunity to go say goodbye.\u00a0 You know, if not for Jim, I might still just be living in Montgomery playing in bars.\u00a0 That phone call changed my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Where does this leave Styx in 2026?\u00a0 On the road, of course.\u00a0 After releasing a new album in 2025, (<\/span>Circling From Above<\/span><\/i>), the band announced it would be touring with another well known band from Chicago – namely Chicago.\u00a0 While the tour press points out that both bands have had \u2018a significant amount of membership turnover\u2019, this first time collaboration will no doubt be a hit packed affair.\u00a0 With longtime Chicago members Robert Lamm (keyboards, vocals) and James Pankow (trombone) quietly retiring due to health problems, 2026 finds trumpeter Lee Loughnane as the sole original member in the band.\u00a0 Chicago\u2019s revolving door of musicians since bassist Peter Cetera left for a solo career in 1985 hasn\u2019t stopped them from being a top notch live band.\u00a0 Their record sales may not be what they were in their prime, but they maintain a strong legacy following to the present.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Styx went through its own share of lineups after an acrimonious break up with original keyboardist \/ vocalist Dennis DeYoung.\u00a0 At the time the <\/span>Mr. Roboto <\/span><\/i>single (from the album <\/span>Kilroy Was Here<\/span><\/i>) reached the top three of the charts in 1983, friction built in the band as DeYoung\u2019s shows began getting more and more theatrical.\u00a0 Shaw rebelled, saying, \u201cI am a guitar player and I am on stage for twenty minutes and never play a note,\u201d before announcing he was leaving the band at the end of that tour.\u00a0 After a six year hiatus, they came back strong with 1990\u2019s <\/span>Edge of the Century<\/span><\/i> before they moved on without founding member DeYoung.\u00a0 Dennis asked for a break to heal some nagging health problems and the rest of the band voted him out in 1999.\u00a0 Canadian keyboardist \/ vocalist Lawrence Gowan was brought in to replace DeYoung after Shaw and Young had seen him performing an extensive catalog of Beatles tunes as a solo artist..\u00a0 Both sides have their own version of how this all transpired, so you can decide who was right and\/or wrong.\u00a0 DeYoung would go on to tour the music of Styx with his own band while the Shaw \/ Young version kept recording and touring.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Drummer Todd Sucherman joined the band in 1995 after original drummer John Panozzo died (from complications as a result of acute alcoholism) and he is still with the band.\u00a0 Bassist Chuck Panozzo\u2019s own health problems sideline him and he now appears as a special guest at selected shows.\u00a0 Glenn Burtnik replaced Chuck for a short while before former Baby\u2019s bass player Ricky Phillips held the spot from 2003 to 2024,\u00a0 Phillips has now bowed out to pursue his own musical projects.\u00a0 The current bassist is Lawrence Gowan\u2019s younger brother Terry Gowan.\u00a0 Producer and studio musician Will Evankovich has produced three recent albums by Styx (<\/span>The Mission <\/span><\/i>(2017), <\/span>Crash of the Crown <\/span><\/i>(2021), and <\/span>Circling From Above<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0 He adds guitar, backing vocals, mandolin, and keyboards to the mix as well as song writing credentials alongside Lawrence Gowan and Tommy Shaw.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So to make a long story a bit shorter, suffice to say this isn\u2019t the Styx those of us learned to love in the last quarter of the last century.\u00a0 None-the-less, they have done multi-band tours with the likes of Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon, Loverboy, Joan Jett, Foreigner, and as previously mentioned, this summer\u2019s outing with Chicago.\u00a0 Look for the full schedule on the <\/span>Styxworld.com<\/span><\/a> web site – we noticed they will be playing a couple of shows in Eau Clair, Wisconsin and at Milwaukee\u2019s Summer Fest in June.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Top Piece Video:\u00a0 Styx is still rocking in the mid-2020s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What is new in the world of Styx?\u00a0 We haven\u2019t touched base with them since FTV:\u00a0 Styx in Three Acts back in March of 2021.\u00a0 After seeing an interview the current leader of the band Tommy Shaw did recounting how he came to join them in December of 1975, it seemed an opportune time 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