Todd Sucherman of STYX "We're out there singing and playing our butts off every night"

Still singing, still shredding, still alive and well, the blue collar men themselves will return this fall and winter for a road blazing, barn burning tour across the U.S. and Canada. The jig is up, the news is out, Styx is back...

Not like they ever really went anywhere. If you have been paying attention to the classic rock circuit for the past few years, you too would agree that there are few if any bands who have rocked as hard or worked more diligently to stay on top than Styx over the past decade. "The band has never sounded better." remarks drummer Todd Sucherman. "Some bands that go out and do this are a shell of their former selves. We're out there singing and playing our butts off every night. We never really have a bad show as musicians, and it's really great to be part of such a well-oiled machine."

And a well-oiled machine they are. Styx has performed more shows since 1999 than in the entire rest of their career combined. They have shared the stage with the likes of Def Leppard, Foreigner, Journey, Boston, and REO Speedwagon for some of the most successful classic rock tours of the last decade, rolling across the world, rocking, and changing perceptions of what a classic rock band is. "I enjoy the schedule," says Sucherman. "It's like instant gratification every night with screaming fans right in front of you, and makes you want to rock that much harder."

Fans have been going absolutely crazy on this tour specifically, because Styx brought out a couple of classic albums from their back catalog to play in their entirety. First, the quintessential "Grand Illusion"�, the album that broke Styx out of the Chicago neighborhoods and into the national spotlight. And secondly, their prog-rock masterpiece "Pieces of Eight"�, which restated Styx's original hypothesis formed years earlier while still finding new direction in a changing industry. Both of these albums will be played from start to finish every night of the tour.

"We are really excited about the idea,"� says Sucherman. "We will be bringing back old songs, deep cuts, some that haven't been played in over twenty years. It's an exciting event both for the fans and the band." And the fans response around the country has been staggering. Playing these two albums that spawned the singles "Come Sail Away", "Renegade", and "Blue Collar Man", along with all the other hits from their catalog, is giving Styx an opportunity to tell their story the best way they know how… the music.
In the spirit of using their history to tell a story of resilience through the tragedy and member changes of the past while showing their growth and lessons learned, Styx is also selling a seven song EP at the shows on this tour entitled "Regeneration: Vol. 1". This EP contains re-recordings of six Styx classics, utilizing their newly re-sparked spirit and personnel, including 2009 Best Rock Drummer in the World as voted by Modern Drummer Magazine, Todd Sucherman...plus a brand new, never released track called "Difference in the World".
Some people may think of this as resurgence, but I see it as a continuation. Styx has been out for the past decade rocking crowds, and working harder to improve and stay on top of their game than anyone who comes to mind, and it shows. "If you want to be a great musician," remarks Sucherman, "you're going to have to hit the road. Put everything into it, 100% of your entire being. The notion of anything else is not an option. You have to immerse yourself in it, and don't lose it- become it. Make music your escape. If there was more of that in the world, I think it'd be a lot better place." And I as a fellow musician, I applaud you Todd and Styx. Maybe if there were more musicians thinking like that in the world, it would be a much better place for us and the fans alike.
Go out and see Styx this fall and winter, coming to a town near you. They are not so old dogs who are constantly surprising us with new tricks. The one, the only, GO SEE STYX!!!

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Tags:  Styx, Todd Sucherman   

Nick St. Onge    October 04, 2010