The real charm of ‘Blue Collar Man’ is that it’s such a relatable lyric, everyone can relate to that, the nobility of work is something that everyone has in there somewhere.” He liked the rhythm of that and he kept that in mind. “Tommy Shaw said he got the idea for that rhythm when he was on a motorboat and the motor kept cutting out. “‘Blue Collar Man’ starts off with a classic Hammond B3 Organ, very heavily distorted,” Gowan said. Their next album “Pieces of Eight” (1978) featured “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights),” which grabs listeners immediately with its unique organ instrument and holds them to the end with the lyric, “Give me a job, give me security, give me a chance to survive, I’m just a poor soul in the unemployment line, my God, I’m hardly alive.” “It’s got that progressive rock shape to it, which again starts as a piano ballad but opens up and turns into a rock song, then goes through a whole instrumental section that carries the listener into another realm … suddenly we realize that it may not be a sea-going vessel but actually something carrying us through the galaxy and beyond. “It’s an invitation to a great adventure and people just want to jump aboard,” Gowan said. Their seventh album “The Grand Illusion” (1977) featured “Fooling Yourself” and “Come Sail Away,” an epic story that transcends its nautical setup: “I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise, we climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies.” Soon, Tommy Shaw replaced Curulewski for the band’s hottest period. It’s one of the only rock songs I know that uses a bolero style beat as the song reaches its climax, so it’s tons of fun, great harmonies throughout.” “It’s got that classic Styx trajectory to a song, which starts kind of ballad-like then suddenly transforms into a rock beast. “It’s got a piano intro that is beautiful, so I get to kick off the song in that way, but I love the way that it segues from a piano ballad into a real rock piece of music,” Gowan said. Their sophomore album “Styx II” (1973) broke through with their first radio hit, the power ballad “Lady.” They got tons of gigs, mostly playing covers, but when James Young joined in 1971, suddenly they started playing more original material.” “Chuck Panozzo and his twin brother John were the rhythm section of drums and bass and Dennis DeYoung formed with guitarist John Curulewski. “Styx was the first band doing progressive-rock influences that was not British, they were American, so that’s what set them apart,” Gowan said. When the original Styx lineup formed in Chicago for its self-titled debut album in 1972, Gowan was just a 16-year-old growing up in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario, listening to the band as a fan like the rest of us. It’s a great way to initiate those who are maybe on the fringes or have never had the opportunity to see the band before to finally see what a Styx show entails.” A lot of people who are aficionados of the other bands on the bill, this may be their first time seeing Styx and it’s a pretty epic adventure.
“It’s a fun atmosphere both backstage and definitely in the audience. “These are always fun,” Styx keyboardist and vocalist Lawrence Gowan told WTOP. Legendary classic-rock band Styx headlines Saturday’s lineup with Extreme, Winger, Slaughter, Lita Ford and Quiet Riot, while local band Kix headlines Sunday’s bill with Warrant, Great White, Firehouse and L.A. The annual M3 Rock Festival returns to the Merriweather Post Pavilion this weekend in Columbia, Maryland. WTOP's Jason Fraley previews Styx at the M3 Rock Festival (Part 1)
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