Up-And-Coming Acts, Veteran Bands Alike Made 2021 Another Great Year For Rock

Courtesy: InsideOut Music

The rock community turned out a whole bunch of great new content in 2021.  From established acts to the up-and-comers, to the veterans, acts from across the rock community gave audiences plenty of reason to be happy this year.  Now with only 21 days left in the year, that flow of new releases has slowed, though there is already lots of rock to look forward to in 2022, beginning early in the year.  Until then though, Phil’s Picks has its annual list of this year’s top new rock albums to share. 

As was the case with all of the other lists, this one was not easy to craft, either.  Pop Evil returned this year with its powerful new album, Versatile.  Liquid Tension Experiment (which is essentially the side project of three of Dream Theater’s members) returned for the first time in some years with its third record, too.  Up-and-coming neo-classic rock band Greta Van Fleet worked hard this year with its new album to show that it wants to be known as its own act, not just a Led Zeppelin knockoff.  Between this record, the others noted here and so many others, this year’s list of top new rock albums is diverse.

As with every other list presented by Phil’s Picks, it consists of the year’s top 10 new albums and five honorable mentions for a total of 15.  Without any further ado, here for your consideration is Phil’s Picks’ 2021 Top 10 New Rock Albums.

PHIL’S PICKS 2021 TOP 10 NEW ROCK ALBUMS

1. Liquid Tension Experiment – 3

2. John 5 – Sinner

3. Billy F. Gibbons – Hardware

4. The Dead Daisies – Holy Ground

5. Mason Hill – Against The Wall

6. Candlebox – Wolves

7. Marc Ribler – The Whole World Awaits You

8. Myles Kennedy – The Ides of March

9. Pop Evil – Versatile

10. Dropkick Murphys – Turn Up That Dial

11. L.A. Guns – Checkered Past

12. Foo Fighters – Medicine at Midnight

13. Grand Royale – Carry On

14. Styx – Crash of the Crown

15. Greta Van Fleet – The Battle at Garden’s Gate

That’s it for this list, but wait, there’s more!  Yes, there are still two more music lists to go before the attention turns to the best of the year’s new movie and TV categories.  Stay tuned!

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.  

Styx’s Record Store Day EP Now Available Through All Digital Outlets

Courtesy: UMe

Styx is revisiting its latest EP.

The band has released its recent Record Store Day release, The Same Stardust to all digital outlets. The band released the EP June 12 as part of Record Store Day’s celebration. The EP featured two new songs from the band — ‘The Same Stardust’ and ‘Age of Entropia’ — and five live performances previously recorded during the band’s “Styx Fix” livestreams on a 180-gram 12-inch vinyl pressing.

The EP was released ahead of the band’s latest album, Crash of the Crown.

In related news, Styx is in the midst of a tour in support of Crash of the Crown. The band’s tour schedule is noted below.

DATE               CITY                             VENUE

Fri 9/17             Murphys, CA                 Ironstone Amphitheatre (with REO Speedwagon)

Sat 9/18            Rancho Mirage, CA       Agua Caliente Casino

Tue 9/21           Wenatchee, WA            Town Toyota Center

Wed 9/22          Puyallup, WA                Washington State Fair (with REO Speedwagon)

Fri 9/24             Las Vegas, NV              The Venetian Theatre

Sat 9/25            Las Vegas, NV              The Venetian Theatre

Sun 9/26           Las Vegas, NV              The Venetian Theatre

Fri 10/1             Atlantic City, NJ             Tropicana Atlantic City

Sat 10/2            Waterloo, NY                The Vine at Del Lago

Sun 10/3           West Springfield, MA     The Big E Arena

Fri 10/15           Lake Charles, LA           Golden Nugget

Sat 10/16          Arlington, TX                 The Levitt Pavilion Arlington

Sun 10/17         Lubbock, TX                 Buddy Holly Hall

Thu 10/21         Amarillo, TX                  Amarillo Civic Center

Fri 10/22           Wichita Falls, TX           Memorial Auditorium

Sat 10/23          Austin, TX                     Nutty Brown Amphitheatre

Sun 10/24         Helotes, TX                   John T. Moore’s County Store

Fri 11/5             New Buffalo, MI            Four Winds Casino

Thu 11/11         Tulsa, OK                     River Spirit Casino

Fri 11/12           Durant, OK                    Choctaw Grand Theatre

Sat 11/13          Newkirk, OK                  First Council Casino inside Council Bluffs Event Center

Wed 11/17        Sioux Falls, SD             Washington Pavilion

Thu 11/18         Ralston, NE                  Ralston Arena

Fri 11/19           Salina, KS                     Stiefel Theatre

More information on the digital release of The Same Stardust is available along with all of the band’s latest news and ticket information at:

Website: https://styxworld.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/styxtheband

Twitter: https://twitter.com/STYXtheband

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.  

Styx Launches New Beer Line

Courtesy: Voodoo Brewing Company/ABC PR

Styx is getting into the alcohol business.

The band announced Monday through a news release, it has partnered with Voodoo Brewing Company to launch a new lager brand called “Oh Mama.” The traditional golden American lager is available as a four-pack of 16-oz. cans and as 50-liter kegs.

Front man Tommy Shaw said of the lager’s availability, “Hello Friends! We are excited to announce that STYX, in partnership with Voodoo Brewing Co., is bringing our Oh Mama beer to a frosty mug near you.  We think you’re gonna love it as much as we do. Cheers!!!”

The new lager is available through Voodoo Brewing Company’s corporate pubs and franchised locations. It is also available online for home delivery exclusively in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. Consumers in other states and in the greater Erie, PA and Pittsburgh, PA regions can use the Tavour app to order the new alcohol line.

The announcement of Styx’s new lager line comes months after the band released its latest album, Crash of the Crown.

More information on the album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:

Website: https://styxworld.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/styxtheband

Twitter: https://twitter.com/STYXtheband

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.  

The Appeal For Styx’s New Album Will Not Collapse At Any Point

Courtesy: UMe

A wait of more than four years for new music from Styx officially came to an end last month when the band released its latest album, Crash of the Crown.  The 15-song album is the band’s 17^th.  Now audiences can hear some of the music from the album live as the band has launched a tour in support of the record.  The tour features a stop Aug. 11 in Durham, North Carolina at the famed Durham Performing Arts Center.  The facility is one of so many shut down for the past year-plus as a result of the impact of the COVID-19, so this early entry in the center’s series is a big deal for fans in North Carolina.  To the same extent, Styx’s new album is its own big deal.  It is a record that continues to show why the band remains such a respected name in the rock (and music) community.  That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly.  The lyrical themes featured alongside the record’s musical arrangements add their own appeal to the album.  They will be discussed a little later.  The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements and will also be discussed later.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album.  All things considered, they make the album a work that will appeal not just to the band’s fans, but to rock fans in general.  Those fans in North Carolina will enjoy hearing much of the album next month, too when Styx comes to town at the Durham Performing Arts Center.

Styx’s new album, Crash of the Crown is a strong new entry from the veteran rock band.  The record’s success is due in part to its featured musical arrangements.  The arrangements are important to note because of the approach that the band took to them.  The band’s familiar classic rock leanings are audible throughout the course of the record’s 43-minute run time.  At the same time, audiences also get quite a bit of prog-influence throughout the album alongside that classic rock sound.  The balance of the two genres is solid throughout the record, making for plenty of appeal in its own right.  Speaking specifically, the use of the keyboards, vocals, and guitars, makes the record’s arrangements comparable to works from the likes of Transatlantic, Spock’s Beard, and the Neal Morse Band.  Even with that in mind, it should be pointed out that while the comparisons are inescapable, the songs still boast their own identity from one to the next.  That ability of the band to create arrangements whose sounds and stylistic approaches are so familiar but still their own is just part of what makes the album work.  Its lyrical themes add their own appeal to its presentation.

The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical arrangements are important to note because they are just as accessible as the album’s musical content.  From one song to the next, the themes are essentially commentaries on various topics.  They are also delivered in fashions that make it easy to understand them.  Case in point is the lyrical theme featured in ‘Common Ground.’  Simply put, this song is a call to unity.  It starts out sounding like an all too familiar piece about relationships as it states, “It was just a fleeting moment, on a long lost night/We both were so determined that our way was right/Now the days of our confusion have no end in sight/Can we ever find our way back/From that long lost night?/ Once, we all believed/When we were young/That our dreams could rise/Were those all lies?/But it’s just so hard to see/Through each other’s eyes/ It was just a fleeting moment/Did our dreams take flight?/Can we ever find our way back/From the long lost night?”  However, the chorus counters that interpretation as it comes right out and states, “When we get together on common ground/Then no one will ever come and take us down.”  Here is a clear statement of unity, telling people they need to…well…come together.  It is a theme that is anything but new in this case, but is just as welcome as in any other act’s songs.  It is a theme that will always be relevant.

On another note, ‘Save Us From Ourselves’ is another example of the importance of the album’s lyrical themes.  In the case of this song, the theme comes across as a commentary about the state of the world.  This is clearly inferred in the song’s lead verse, which states, “It was the same day in another time/I felt your pain and you felt mine/And all that we tried and all of our tricks/Still couldn’t help what couldn’t be fixed/Who’s gonna save us from ourselves this time?”  The song’s chorus continues that message, stating, “One nation, indivisible/Heads in the sand/’Ccause we weren’t invisible/Say your prayers/We could all use a miracle now/To save us from ourselves.”  The song’s second verse continues in similar fashion, making mention of the “Demonstrations/appropriations/More frustrations/Tugging at your sleeve/Peace and love still has the power/Don’t wait until your final hour to believe/I said/With all that we’ve tried/And all of our tricks/Still could not help/What couldn’t be fixed/Can anyone save us from ourselves this time?”  Once more, this is a familiar indictment of everything going on and the people causing it all.  It is yet another familiar theme and even being so familiar, is just as welcome here as in any other case.

The whole thing closes out with yet another familiar lyrical theme in ‘Stream.’  This song delivers a message of hope even with all of the negativity swirling around the world.  That is made clear right from the song’s outset with the lines, “Strangers leaving footprints in the snow/The day is coming and everybody knows/Pressure’s building/Something’s gonna blow/The sun is rising/The rooster’s gonna crow.”  That final statement about the sun and rooster hints at the old adage that it’s always darkest before the dawn.  It continues, “Please don’t wake me from this sweet dream/Floating on a stream/Sunshine beaming down on my face/Staring into space.”  This is someone who is lost in positive thought.  It is a reminder to listeners that things can and will get better, even as bad as they have been and are.  It is yet another example of the importance of the album’s lyrical themes.  What’s more, considering its placement in the album, it also plays into the last of the record’s most important elements, its sequencing.

As noted in the songs addressed here, there is a lot of familiar commentary on some very hot button topics.  They are addressed throughout the course of the album before audiences are finally reminded at the record’s end that there is a light and that things will get better.  This shows a deliberate approach to the songs’ sequencing in regards to their lyrical content.  The sequencing also takes the songs’ musical arrangements into full account.  As noted already, this album is composed of 15 songs that span interestingly only 43 minutes.  Considering the number of songs, that number would normally account for a much longer run time for most records.  So to have such a relatively manageable run time across that many songs is interesting.  When audiences listen to the songs, the shortest being approximately 38-seconds and the longest clocking in at exactly four minutes, that run time becomes more understandable.  What’s more, the energy in each arrangement ensures listeners’ maintained engagement and entertainment.  That stability in the songs’ energies and the standard run times among the songs is really what accounts for the relatively short, but not too brief run time.  It makes the album that much more appealing being that it shows such thought that went into the sequencing in this case, too.  All things considered, the sequencing shows in its own way, it is just as important to the success of Crash of the Crown as the album’s musical and lyrical content.  When all three elements are considered together, they make this album another positive offering from Styx the continues to show why this band remains one of rock’s elite acts.

Styx’s recently released album, Crash of the Crown, is a presentation that will appeal widely among the band’s established audiences and to more casual listeners.  That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements.  The arrangements expertly balance the band’s familiar classic rock leanings with a distinct prog influence to make them unique and appealing in their own right.  The album’s lyrical themes are also important to its presentation because of their familiarity and accessibility.  The sequencing of that content puts the final touch to the album’s presentation.  That is because it takes everything into account with the album’s content.  It ensures that content is placed properly to ensure the album flows solidly from one song to the next.  Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the album.  All things considered, they make the album a positive new offering from one of rock’s elite acts.  Crash of the Crown is available now.  More information on the album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:

Website: https://styxworld.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/styxtheband

Twitter: https://twitter.com/STYXtheband

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.  

Styx Fans Will “Sing” The Praises Of Shaw’s New Live Recording, Despite Its Audio Issues

Courtesy: Eagle Rock Entertainment

Almost 50 years ago, the British hard rock band Deep Purple broke new ground for the rock industry when it partnered with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the band’s now landmark Concerto for Group and Orchestra recording.  In the near half-century that has passed since that groundbreaking performance and recording, rock bands performing with professional orchestral groups has become an increasingly commonplace occurrence.  Other great names such as Eric Clapton, Yes, Metallica, KISS and others have since gone on to perform with such groups in a live setting.  Styx is one of the most recent of those others, having performed live in 2006 with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra for its live recording, One With Everything.  In 2016, Styx vocalist Tommy Shaw returned to Ohio to mark the 10^th anniversary of that performance with a new performance with the same group (made up by then of a new group of young musicians).  That performance with the high school orchestra and chorus was released June 29 of this year through Eagle Rock Entertainment in the form of the new recording Sing for the Day.  Released separately on Blu-ray and CD, the recording is a positive offering despite having one notable problem – its audio.  This problem will be discussed a little later.  That’s because it also boasts its share of positives, beginning with its set list, which will be discussed shortly.  The group’s performance is another of the recording’s most notable positives.  When it is coupled with the set list, the two positives prove the recording to be one that Styx fans will still welcome in their home music libraries.

Styx vocalist Tommy Shaw’s new live recording Sing For The Day is a recording that any Styx fan will welcome in his or her music library.  That is due in part through the recording’s set list.  Composed of 13 songs (and 4 bonus audio tracks), the set list takes audiences through Shaw’s career including his work with Styx, his solo work and even his time as a member of Damn Yankees.  Counting the bonus audio tracks – included only in the recording’s Blu-ray presentation – the set list focuses largely on Shaw’s work with Styx, with eight total Styx songs presented in the set.  Shaw’s solo work is represented with four songs.  That’s including the bonus audio tracks.  The Damn Yankees tracks come in at a count of just two songs while Shaw’s classic tracks with fellow Damn Yankees member Jack Blades sits at the same number.  In all, the set list totals 14 songs and lifts from some of the most notable of Shaw’s works.  In other words, it paints a relatively rich picture of Shaw’s career, which his most devout fans are certain to appreciate.  Something that audiences will really appreciate in taking in the set (at least the audio-visual portion) is that each song is noted specifically on screen with what is known as a “super” to distinctly present each song’s title.  It makes following the show that much easier and more enjoyable.  The performance of those songs is coupled with short interview segments at certain points throughout the concert to add their own interest and insight to the overall experience, thus making the experience that much more enjoyable.  However, they also lead to the discussion of the recording’s one glaring negative – its audio.

As the interview segments and concert segments go back and forth throughout the presentation, the audio level consistently rises and falls between the two elements.  The result is that audiences are forced to constantly adjust the volume on their TVs.  This applies even for audiences watching on home theater systems, but should not be a factor.  It’s a rare instance in which an Eagle Rock recording has suffered from an audio issue.  Even within the concert segments themselves, there are moments in which audiences will find themselves having to make minor, yet constant, adjustments to the volume.  While it doesn’t make the recording in whole unwatchable, it can’t be denied that this issue does detract from the overall viewing experience in this instance.  Again, while it is an undeniable problem for the recording, it is not so bad that it makes the recording unwatchable.  Keeping that in mind, there is at least one more positive to discuss here – the group’s overall performance.

The energy in the group’s performance, which is addressed in one of the concert’s companion interview segments, is evident throughout the concert both from Shaw and his teen counterparts.  That applies both as the kids play and as they add visuals to songs such as ‘Boat on the River’ and ‘Renegade.’  The smiles on the young musicians’ faces, and the power in each song shows that the group in whole truly enjoyed taking part in the performance.  Even with the recording’s audio issues, that enjoyment could be heard just as well as it could be seen.  It translates that well overall on screen from the highest moments, such as at the end of ‘Renegade,’ when Shaw is joined on stage by a young violin soloist for a riveting conclusion to that song and in a more emotional moment such as the whole of ‘Boat on the River.’  Between those notable moments and so many others throughout this concert, the performance put in by the group in whole offers just as much to appreciate as the show’s rich set list.  When those two elements are coupled, they make the recording in whole well worth the watch, even with the constant up and down of the audio between the concert and interview segments.  Keeping this in mind, the recording in whole still proves to be another welcome addition to any Styx fan’s home music library.

Eagle Rock Entertainment’s new Styx/Tommy Shaw live recording Sing for the Day is a live recording that any Styx fan will appreciate.  That is proven in part through a set list that reaches deep into vocalist Tommy Shaw’s rich career, including his time with Styx, Damn Yankees and even his solo work.  Counting the four bonus audio-only tracks, the recording’s total set list equals out to 14 songs from that rich catalog.  Shaw’s performance with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra is one that is full of energy and emotion from start to end.  That energy and emotion is certain to keep audiences just as engaged as the concert’s set list.  The one negative to the whole thing is the constant up and down of the volume between the concert and interview segments.  Audiences should not have to have remote in hand so as to constantly increase and decrease the volume throughout the recording.  It isn’t enough to make the recording unwatchable, but does detract from the recording’s overall presentation.  Even with that in mind, the combination of the group’s performance and the show’s set list is still just enough to make the recording a welcome addition to any Styx fan’s home music library.  It is available now on separate Blu-ray and CD platforms.  More information on Sing for the Day is available online now along with all of the latest Styx and Tommy Shaw news at:

 

 

 

Website: http://www.styxworld.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/styxtheband

Twitter: http://twitter.com/STYXtheband

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Styx Announces ‘The Mission’ Re-Issue, Tommy Shaw Live Release Dates

Styx has a bunch of news for its fans this summer.

The band is currently on the road on a co-headlining tour with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.  The tour includes a stop in North Carolina’s capitol city, Raleigh next week at the Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek.  Fellow veteran rock act Tesla is also on the bill as support.  Tickets for that show are available now here.

Courtesy: UMe

Styx’s latest tour run is in support of its latest album, The Mission, which was released June 16, 2017 via UMe.  This summer, the band will have two more reasons for its tour as it re-issues The Mission and as vocalist Tommy Shaw prepares to release his new album.

The Mission is currently scheduled to be re-issued July 27 via Alpha Dog 2T/UMe.  The new re-issue is expected to include a bonus DVD with bonus videos, “making of’ documentary interviews with Tommy Shaw and producer Will Evankovich, music videos for ‘Gone, Gone, Gone’ and ‘Radio Silence,’ and three hi-res playback modes and more.  Pre-orders are open now.

Courtesy: Eagle Rock Entertainment

On June 29, Shaw will release his new live recording Sing For The Day via Eagle Rock Entertainment.  Shaw was joined by the Contemporary Youth Orchestra for the 13-song performance.  Originally recorded in 2016 at the Waetjen Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohhio, the concert — which will be available on CD, Blu-ray and digital platforms — features unique takes on classic Styx and Tommy Shaw songs such as ‘Blue Collar Man,’ ‘Girls With Guns,’ and ‘Too Much Time on My Hands.’

Along with presenting some familiar songs in a new format, the concert also marks the 10th anniversary of Styx’s original 2006 performance with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra.  That performance was captured in the band’s live recording One With Everything.  Sing For The Day!‘s set list is noted below.  Pre-orders are open now.

SING FOR THE DAY! Track Listing:

1. Overture

2. Girls With Guns

3. Too Much Time On My Hands

4. Fooling Yourself

5. Diamond

6. Crystal Ball

7. Boat On The River

8. Sing For The Day

9. Renegade

10. Man In The Wilderness

11. Come Again

12. High Enough

13. Blue Collar Man

Blu-ray Bonus songs:

Down That Highway

The Great Divide

I’ll Be Coming Home

The Night Goes On

Along with the noted releases, AXS TV will present on June 30, a “Saturday Styx Lineup.”  The broadcast, which starts at 1 p.m. ET, will feature conversations and classic Styx performances.  Shaw and band mates Jame “Jy” Young and Lawrence Gowan will sit down with legendary news man Dan Rather to talk about the band’s history, the writing process an more in “The Big Interview.”

The celebration continues at 2 p.m. as the band joins none other than Sammy Hagar (ex-Van Halen, Chickenfoot, ex-Ronnie Montrose) for a special session backstage at The Venetian in Las Vegas on “Rock and Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar.”

At 2:30, AXS TV will air the band’s 2015 recording Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas.  The 18-song set was originally recorded during a performance by the band at said venue in 2014 during its “Soundtrack of Summer” tour.  The recording was released in stores and online September 2, 2016 via Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Shaw’s previously noted upcoming performance with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra continues the network’s afternoon-long schedule at 3 p.m. ET.  It all starts over at 5 p.m. ET.

More information on Styx’s forthcoming recordings, its AXS TV schedule, its latest news and more is available online now at:

 

Website: http://www.styxworld.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/styxtheband

Twitter: http://twitter.com/styxtheband

 

More information on Shaw’s new live recording and other titles from Eagle Rock Entertainment is available online now at:

 

Website: http://www.eagle-rock.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EagleRockEnt

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EagleRockNews

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Styx Announces New Album Coming Soon; Debuts Album’s Lead Single, Video

Courtesy: Alpha Dog 2T/UMe

Styx has a new “mission” in 2017.

The veteran rock act announced this week that it will release its new album The Mission June 16 on CD, vinyl and digital platforms.  The album, which will be released via Alpha Dog 2T/UMe, will be the band’s first new album in 14 years and its 16^th overall studio recording.  Audiences can pre-order The Mission online via various online outlets here now.

The album’s lead single ‘Gone, Gone, Gone’ was released Friday at radio and online retail outlets.  The song’s video is streaming online now and can be viewed here.  The song’s high-energy, guitar-driven arrangement will appeal to fans of Foghat and other similar acts with its blues-rock-based sound.

Courtesy: Billboard Magazine/Alpha Dog 2T/UMe

The Mission comes forty years after the release of Grand Illusion and is also a concept record.  Recorded over the course of two years, the 43-minute record tells a fictionalized story of the first manned mission to Mars in the year 2033.

According to the story’s premise, the six-person crew of the nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft Khedive, being launched by the Global Space Exploration Program (GSEP) is making its maiden voyage and headed to Mars.

The team consists of the pilot, first officer, engineer and three science experts.  The pilot is described as a “fully-hands-on, seat-of-the-pants born leader,” while the first officer is described as a big brother figure.  The engineer is described as being skeptical of the mission but still does his best.

The band’s lineup on The Mission features Tommy Shaw (vocals/guitar), co-founder James “JY” Young (guitar/vocals), Lawrence Gowan (keyboards/vocals), Chuck Panozzo (bass), Todd Sucherman (drums/percussion) and Ricky Phillips (bass).

The Mission’s track listing is noted below.

Here’s the track listing for THE MISSION:

CD/Digital:

1. Overture
2. Gone Gone Gone
3. Hundred Million Miles from Home
4. Trouble at the Big Show
5. Locomotive
6. Radio Silence
7. The Greater Good
8. Time May Bend
9. Ten Thousand Ways to Be Wrong
10. Red Storm
11. All Systems Stable
12. Khedive
13. The Outpost
14. Mission to Mars

Vinyl:

1. Overture (Side A)
2. Gone Gone Gone (Side A)
3. Hundred Million Miles from Home (Side A)
4. Trouble at the Big Show (Side A)
5. Locomotive (Side A)
6. Radio Silence (Side A)
7. The Greater Good (Side B)
8. Time May Bend (Side B)
9. Ten Thousand Ways to Be Wrong (Side B)
10. Red Storm (Side B)
11. All Systems Stable (Side B)
12. Khedive (Side B)
13. The Outpost (Side B)
14. Mission to Mars (Side B)

More information on The Mission is available online now along with all of the band’s latest news and more at:

 

 

 

Website: http://www.styxworld.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/styxtheband

Twitter: http://twitter.com/styxtheband

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Interview Options, Altered Set List Make Eagle Rock’s New Styx Live Re-Issue Stand Out

Courtesy: Eagle Rock Entertainment

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?  Not so fast.  If everything that happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas then there’s no telling how many live performances held there would ever go unseen by audiences.  Thankfully Eagle Rock Entertainment has made sure throughout the years that many of those performances do get to audiences.  Earlier this month the company released yet another concert recorded in Las Vegas in the form of Styx’s new live recording Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas.  For fans of the veteran rock outfit there is plenty to appreciate about this re-issued recording beginning with its set list.  The band’s stage presence throughout the concert is just as important to note as the set list itself to the recording’s presentation.  The option to watch the concert both with and without interviews rounds out the concert’s most important elements.  Each element is, in itself, an important part of the recording’s presentation.  All things considered this latest live offering from Styx proves to be another recording that all of the band’s fans will appreciate.

Styx: Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas is not the first live Styx recording that Eagle Rock Entertainment has ever released.  The leader in live recordings, Eagle Rock Entertainment also released Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight Live in 2011 on multiple platforms and this concert itself was originally released last summer on July 24^th.  Even with this in mind, it is still a recording that Styx fans will welcome for a number of reasons.  The first of those reasons is the concert’s set list.  Audiences will note in comparing the set list presented in the concert’s new re-issue to that of the concert’s original release, there are some stark differences.  The original concert recording boasted a total of twelve songs, reaching as far back as the band’s 1973 album Styx II and as recent as 1981’s Paradise Theater.  By comparison, the concert’s new re-issue presents a total of nine songs, one of which is not included in the original recording—‘Genki Desu Ka,’ taken from the band’s 2003 album Cyclorama.  It also means that at least three of the songs included in the original recording are missing from this recording.  Why Eagle Rock went this route with the record’s re-issue is anyone guess.  It would have made more sense to present the concert in whole.  Maybe if the concert gets another re-issue, audiences will get the entire concert in one complete presentation.  That aside, the set list presented in this recording is still largely the same as that in the concert’s original recording.  It just has one addition not include in the original presentation.  Keeping that in mind, the set list still proves itself to be at least one of the recording’s positives even with it having a slightly shorter set list.  The concert’s set list is just one of its most notable elements.  The band’s stage presence throughout the performance is just as important to note as the featured set list.

The set list that is featured in Styx’s newly re-issued Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas concert is in itself a key piece of the concert’s presentation to note. That is because of the differences that it presents from the set list featured in the recording’s original set list.  The set list featured in this re-issue is shorter than that of the original recording’s set list by three songs.  At the same time it also features one song not included in the concert’s original set list.  Even with the differences in mind the concert’s set list is not a total loss.  If anything the differences in the set lists give hope that eventually Eagle Rock will release one more presentation of the concert whose set list is complete. After all, the third time, it’s said, is the charm.  Now keeping this in mind the band’s performance of the concert’s set list is just as important to note in this re-issue as the featured set list.  Audiences will be glad to know that they get the same stage presence here as in the concert’s original set list.  That is saying plenty, too.  The band exhibits its years of experience with the utmost confidence from beginning to end here.  Front man Tommy Shaw and guitarist James Young keep the crowd at the Orleans Arena completely entertained in their own right while drummer Todd Sucherman keeps the band moving through it all.  Keyboardist Lawrence Gowan adds his own spice to each song, too along with bassist Chuck Panozzo.  All things considered, the band in whole shows from beginning to end that thanks to its years of experience its stage presence is just as entertaining today as it was in its youth.  Considering all of this, it should be clear why the band’s stage presence is just as important here as the concert’s set list, even with the set list being shorter than that of the concert’s original presentation.  The band’s stage presence and the show’s set list are not the concert’s only key elements in its new re-issue.  That Eagle Rock gives audiences the option to watch the concert with or without the cut-in interview segments rounds out its most important elements.

The set list that is featured in Eagle Rock Entertainment’s re-issued of Styx: Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas and Styx’s performance of said song are both key elements in the overall presentation of the concert.  The band’s performance of the set list makes up for the fact that the set list is shortened in comparison to that of the show’s original presentation.  As important as each element is to the concert’s re-issue, they are not the concert’s only key elements.  Eagle Rock Entertainment has given audiences the option to watch the concert with or without the interview segments in the concert’s new re-issue.  This is key to note because the concert’s primary presentation includes the interviews as part of the concert’s whole.  The concert sans band interviews is included with the recording as a bonus, which is intriguing to say the least.  One would have thought that it would have been the other way around.  Regardless, the fact that Eagle Rock has offered audiences the chance to see the concert with or without the interviews in question makes the concert’s experience all the fuller.  When this is considered along with the concert’s set list and the band’s performance of said set list, all three elements join to make  Styx: Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas another enjoyable experience for any Styx fan that can’t get their hands on the concert’s original release.  Keeping this in mind, one can only hope that eventually Eagle Rock Entertainment will release one last take on the show and give the concert (and the band and its fans) the concert experience that they deserve from this show.  In the meantime this recording will still do for fans who can’t get the recording’s original release.

Eagle Rock Entertainment’s new re-issue of Styx: Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas is a good experience for audiences who haven’t or can’t get their hands on the concert’s original release, which was also released last year via Eagle Rock Entertainment.  That is due in part to the concert’s largely similar set list and the band’s performance thereof.  The ability for audiences to watch the concert with or without the additional interview segments with the band’s members rounds out the re-issue’s most important elements.  One can only hope that eventually Eagle Rock Entertainment will put the whole thing together and release the concert in whole for the band and its fans.  Until or unless that happens, this recording will still entertain audiences in its own right.  It is available now in stores and online.  More information on this recording is available online now along with all of the latest Styx news at:

 

 

 

Website: http://www.styxworld.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/styxtheband

Twitter: http://twitter.com/STYXtheband

 

 

 

More information on this and other titles from Eagle Rock Entertainment is available online now at:

 

 

 

Website: http://www.eagle-rock.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EagleRockEnt

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EagleRockNews

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Styx Teams With Eagle Rock For New Live Live Recording

Styx is returning to home video later this summer.

Courtesy: Eagle Rock Entertainment

The band’s new live recording Styx: Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas will be released in stores and online on Friday, September 2^nd.  It will be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital formats via Eagle Rock Entertainment, the leading name in live recordings.  The concert presented in the recording was originally recorded in July 2014.  It was originally released on CD in June 2015.  The show’s set list features many of the band’s biggest hits including but not limited to: ‘Too Much Time On My Hands,’ ‘Fooling Yourself (The Angry Man),’ ‘Renegade’ and many other songs.  It features the lineup of Tommy Shaw, James “JY” Young, (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Todd Sucherman (drums), Lawrence Gowan (vocals, keyboards), Ricky Phillips (bass, backing vocals) and Chuck Panozzo.  Eagles guitarist Don Felder also makes a special appearance for a performance of ‘Blue Collar Man (Long Nights).’

Along with its main feature the recording also features interviews with the band’s members, crew members, and photo gallery.  The full track listing for Styx: Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas is noted below.

Track Listing:

1.)  Too Much Time On My Hands

2.)  Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)

3.)  Light Up

4.)  Crystal Ball

5.)  Superstars

6.)  Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) – with Don Felder

7.)  Rockin’ The Paradise

8.)  Renegade

 

More information on Styx: Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas is available online now along with all of the latest new from the band at:

 

 

 

Website: http://www.styxworld.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/styxtheband

Twitter: http://twitter.com/STYXtheband

 

 

 

More information on this and other titles from Eagle Rock Entertainment is available online now at:

 

 

 

Website: http://www.eagle-rock.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EagleRockEnt

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EagleRockNews

 

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Eagle Rock Entertainment Kicks Off The 2015 Summer Concert Season With New Styx Live Recording

Courtesy: Eagle Rock Entertainment

Eagle Rock Entertainment announced today that it will release the latest live recording from veteran rock band Styx this spring.

Styx Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas will be released Tuesday, May 26^th, 2015.  It will be released on DVD, CD, Blu-ray and digital formats.  It comes a little more than three years after the band’s last live recording from Eagle Rock, The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight Live.  The concert was originally filmed on July 25^th, 2014 at the Orleans Arena and was filmed entirely in HD.  The show’s set list includes some of the band’s greatest hits including: “Lady,” “Too Much Time On My Hands,” “Rockin’ The Paradise,” “Come Sail Away,” “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” “Renegade,” and “Suite Madame Blue” among a number of other hits.  Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder joined the band much to the pleasant surprise of the audience for a performance of “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights).”  The night’s set list is accompanied by an interview with the band as a bonus addition to the presentation. The recording’s complete set list is noted below:

Track Listing:

1) The Grand Illusion

2) Too Much Time On My Hands

3) Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)

4) Lady

5) Suite Madame Blue

6) Light Up

7) Crystal Ball

8) Superstars

9) Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)

10) Come Sail Away

11) Rockin’ The Paradise

12) Renegade

There is currently no word on the pricing of the recording in any of its formats.  That information will be provided as it is received. Styx will also be on the road this summer in support of its upcoming recording beginning Thursday, June 25^th in West Palm Beach, California. It runs through Sunday, October 4^th in Bismarck, North Dakota and includes a stop in North Carolina on Tuesday, June 30th. That date will see Styx, along with Def Leppard and Tesla perform at the PNC Music Pavilion in downtown Charlotte. The complete list of tour dates is noted below:

2015 Tour Dates (with Def Leppard and Tesla):

Thu 6/25                                 West Palm Beach, FL                  Cruzan Amphitheater

Sat 6/27                                   Birmingham, AL                         Oak Mountain Amphitheatre

Sun 6/28                                 Atlanta, GA                                 Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood

Tue 6/30                                 Charlotte, NC                               PNC Music Pavillion Charlotte

Thu 7/2                                   Bristow, VA                                 Jiffy Lube Live

Fri 7/3                                     Virginia Beach, VA                     Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach

Sun 7/5                                    Uncasville, CT                           Mohegan Sun Arena

Tue 7/7                                     Gilford, NH                               Bank of NH Pavilion at Meadowbrook

Thu 7/9                                    Mansfield, MA                           Xfinity Center

Sat 7/11                                   Bethel, NY                                  Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

Sun 7/12                                  Darien Lake, NY                        Darien Lake Performing Arts Center

Tue 7/14                                  Toronto, ONT.                            Molson Amphitheatre

Fri 7/17                                    Clarkston, MI                             DTE Energy Music Theatre

Sat 7/18                                    Oshkosh, WI                              Rock USA

Thu 7/23                                  Wantagh, NY                              Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

Fri 7/24                                    Saratoga Springs, NY                 SPAC

Sat 7/25                                    Holmdel, NJ                               PNC Bank Arts Center

Fri 8/7                                       Davenport, IA                            Mississippi Valley Fair (STYX ONLY)

Sat 8/8                                       Sioux Falls, SD                         Sioux Falls Arena

Tue 8/11                                    Kansas City, MO                       Starlight Theatre

Fri 8/14                                     Sedalia, MO                               Missouri State Fair

Sat 8/15                                    Des Moines, IA                          Iowa State Fair

Mon 8/17                                  Cincinnati, OH                          Riverbend Music Center

Tue 8/18                                    Nashville, TN                           Bridgestone Arena

Fri 8/21                                     Dallas, TX                                Gexa Energy Pavilion

Sat 8/22                                    Woodlands, TX                         Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Sun 8/23                                    Austin, TX                               Austin360 Amphitheater

Thu 8/27                                    St. Paul, MN                            Minnesota State Fair

Fri 8/28                                      Grand Forks, ND                     Alerus Center

Sun 8/30                                    Noblesville, IN                         Klipsch Music Center

Tue 9/1                                      Allentown, PA                          The Great Allentown Fair

Thu 9/3                                      Louisville, KY                         KFC Yum! Center

Fri 9/4                                        Maryland Heights, MO           Hollywood Casino Amphitheater

Sat 9/5                                       Tinley Park, IL                        First Midwest Bank Amphitheater

Wed 9/16                                   Auburn, WA                            White River Amphitheatre

Thu 9/17                                    Ridgefield, WA                       Amphitheater Northwest

Sat 9/19                                    Mountain View, CA                 Shoreline Amphitheatre

Tue 9/22                                    Chula Vista, CA                      Sleep Train Amphitheatre

Wed 9/23                                  Phoenix, AZ                             Ak-Chin Pavilion

Fri 9/25                                    Albuquerque NM                      Isleta Amphitheater

Sat 9/26                                    Denver, CO                               Pepsi Center

Mon 9/28                                  West Salt Lake City, UT           USANA Amphitheatre

Wed 9/30                                  Spokane, WA                            Spokane Arena

Fri 10/2                                    Bozeman, MT                           Breeden Fieldhouse

Sun 10/4                                  Bismarck, ND                           Bismarck Civic Center

More information on this and other recordings from Eagle Rock Entertainment is available online at:

Website: http://www.eagle-rock.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EagleRockEnt

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EagleRockNews

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.