Styx’s Lawrence Gowan on Creativity, Survival, and The Beatle Who Saved His Career

Styx’s Lawrence Gowan on Creativity, Survival, and The Beatle Who Saved His Career.

Inside the band’s bold new concept record, the timeless pull of classic rock, and the pivotal moment a Beatle saved Gowan’s career.

(FULL INTERVIEW WILL Lawrence Gowan will debut Friday December 5th at 5pm Eastern / 2pm Pacific on PressPlayRadio.com)

Few legacy rock bands continue evolving with the vitality of Styx, and with their latest release, Circling From Above, vocalist and keyboard innovator Lawrence Gowan proves the band is entering one of the most creatively potent eras of its 53-year run. In a conversation on Press Play Radio, Gowan sits down with hosts Don, Tina, and SiriusXM’s Dean Baldwin to unpack the artistic engine behind the new album, the nature-versus-technology themes coursing through it, and the personal stories that shaped one of rock’s most enduring careers.

The New Record: A Battle Between Nature and Technology

Gowan describes Circling From Above as a conceptual journey built around the tension between humanity’s technological ambition and the inevitable triumph of nature. The album’s striking cover—an abandoned satellite dish overshadowed by thousands of starlings forming a single massive bird—captures that duality with a wink.
“We know who ultimately wins,” Gowan says. “Ask any dinosaur.”

The record’s sequencing plays a critical role in telling that story. The cinematic intro dovetails directly into “Build and Destroy,” echoing celebrated pairings like Elton John’s “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” and Queen’s “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions.” Gowan notes that those early moments were crafted to immediately signal the album’s central clash between humanity’s inventions and the natural forces poised to outlast them.

The Creative Triangle: Gowan, Shaw, Evankovich

One of the great engines of modern Styx is the three-way chemistry between Gowan, Tommy Shaw, and producer/guitarist Will Evankovich.
“When the three of us are writing,” Gowan explains, “there’s this triangle of looks—waiting to see if anyone makes a disagreeable face. When none of us do, we know we’ve found something worth chasing.”

That collaborative instinct is on full display in tracks like “Forgive,” where Gowan and Shaw trade vocals with emotional precision. For Gowan, the song reflects the complexity of forgiveness, something he calls an “ongoing process,” often directed as much at oneself as at anyone else.

A Multi-Generational Audience and the Return of Rock

Despite the dominance of streaming culture and short-form attention spans, Gowan sees a surprising influx of younger fans at Styx shows—many discovering the band decades after its initial wave of success.
“They’re the ones buying the new tour shirts,” he laughs. “They want something that fits their timeline with the band.”

Much of that renewed interest stems from Styx’s commitment to the album as a complete experience. “A 40-minute record can take you someplace nothing else can,” he says. “Once people discover that, they’re hooked.”

Creative Friction: The Secret Weapon

For Gowan, disagreement in the studio isn’t a setback—it’s fuel.
“Unless there’s some friction, there’s no fire,” he says.
Coming from three distinct musical backgrounds—classical, rock/blues, and jazz—the writing trio often collides in ways that produce the album’s boldest ideas.

The Industry Today: Harder Than Ever

Asked whether young artists have a harder time today, Gowan is candid:
“It’s much harder now. The ladder we climbed—the one with clubs, A&R scouts, artist development—it barely exists.”
He compares today’s environment to the 1930s and ’40s, when musicians often held other jobs just to sustain their art.

“If you fall in love with the music business, it will let you down,” he warns. “If you fall in love with music itself, it never will.”

A Career-Saving Moment With a Beatle

One of the interview’s most compelling stories comes when Gowan recalls nearly giving up. With his band dissolved and over $42,000 in debt—an enormous sum at the time—his early solo career seemed doomed. Then came an unexpected opportunity to record at Ringo Starr’s home studio, the same house where John Lennon cut Imagine.

When Starr listened to the sessions and told him, “Your record sounds really good,” everything changed.
“It was a lightning bolt of confidence,” Gowan says. Soon after, “A Criminal Mind” became a breakout hit, Gowan paid off every cent he owed, and his career ignited.

Why Styx Still Matters

Between analog-driven production, thematic ambition, and a live show that continues to evolve rather than merely revisit the past, Styx remains one of rock’s most resilient and relevant bands.

For fans who want to dive even deeper into the creative mind behind Circling From Above, the full interview with Gowan, Don, Dean, and Tina is available now on the Press Play Radio website, offering an even more expansive look at the stories, humor, and musical philosophy shaping Styx’s modern era.

As Gowan puts it, the secret is simple:
“Perseverance. Nothing beats it. Do what you’re good at—and be lucky.”

~ Written and Created By: Tina Houser