Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to my eighty show podcast. I'm Jeff Stevens.
Time to chat with the keyboard player, singer extraordinary of
the band Sticks. He's been with them since nineteen ninety nine.
His vocals are amazing, his play is electric. It is
singer keyboard player for Sticks, Lawrence Gowan. Lawrence, how are you, Jeff?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'm doing great? How are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Really well? Thank you very much. It is very nice
to talk to you. And I want to know how's
the summer going? You and you and Foreigner and John
Wade out there, you guys having a good time.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I got t best summer ever. That's always going to
go down on my diary. I've been an astounding tour
quite honestly. We have had capacity audiences every single night
we've played on this tour. And just seeing how you know, zuberant,
you know, and devoted these audiences are every night. He
has been just a joy. Just a little more I
(00:53):
can say it, but the fact that it has been
the plnacle of all of our of our.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Tour in years, wow, now that is really saying something.
And Lawrence, you know, obviously Sticks has had you know,
a couple different lineups kind of you know, throughout the
years and stuff. But I mean you have been with
the band over twenty five year or is this is
your twenty fifth year?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Right? I mean I'm now in your twenty six fine enough, Yeah,
believe it or not. Yeah, it's It's been part of
the fabric of my life for much longer than I
can imagine, because it feels like I just joined the
band just a year ago. It's amazing too. Well, it's funny,
you know, as you get older, time seems to move quicker.
(01:34):
But what a great way to spend is it with
being able to do about one hundred and six shows
a year and seeing just the devotion of these audiences
and how much the band still enjoys and embraces everything
about it that we do.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Man, that is amazing. You're still doing over one hundred
shows a year, still.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Hitting one hundred, yees, still hitting one hundred.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
That is crazy. Well, you guys have a very special
spot in my heart, Lawrence, because this summer of twenty
twenty one we had you here in Ohio, and that
was the summer that everything was just starting to come back.
You guys played the first show that because we hadn't had.
You know, our station gives away tickets to shows all
the time. This was the first show in basically two years,
(02:16):
and it was you a night Ranger and it was
absolutely magical.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
What a year that was twenty twenty one. We came
back June sixteen. That data is like she was seared
in my head because after you know, sixteen months and
was filmed a year and a half, so ten years
actually of not playing the emotion on people's space is
that summer. You know, there were a lot of tiers
(02:42):
of tiers of happiness. I'm going to see what was happiness? Yeah,
it was from people in the audience. You know that
you felt this kind of re embrace of everything that
was kind of you know, I think since then, Jeff,
and it's hard to use this word, but importance of
what happened at a great rock show or when you
(03:04):
you know, when people are engaged in music and the
numbering in their thousands, there's something extremely unifying and extremely
life affirming about that experience. I've said to people for years,
you know, a great rock show is the greatest form
of entertainment that I've ever come across. You know, I
remember seeing Genesis actually twenty twenty one when they came
(03:26):
back into that you know I saw in November. Oh
my god, it was Yeah. I felt that same kind
of lump in the growth thing of like, I'm so
happy to have this back again and have be in
the same room as you guys.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Well, you hit it on the head, my friend, because
we were all out in the crowd feeling what you guys,
because our show was maybe I don't know, just like
a week or two after you guys first came back,
but it was the first show for this area, and
I remember just like all of us all night, just
like every song just had that much more meaning, and
whether it was you know, Roboto or fooling yourself for
(03:59):
too much time or come sail Away and everybody Renegade
and everybody's singing at the top of their lungs. But
we could tell from the audience that you guys were
also having an experience with it too.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
We really were, We really were they You felt like, oh,
you know, I have it must be the feeling that
that people have when they suddenly awakening that oh my god,
I've got my life back again. There seemed to be
that sentenment. Uh, you know, permeating the whole the whole evening,
and and that's honestly, we're still on the I think
(04:31):
we're still on the fumes of that because a lot
of people have had, you know, from some extreme tragedies
to some mild form of you know, uh, the mental
anguish that they had to kind of get rid of
over the course of the years. And it seems to
me that at a concert that seems to be a
place where a lot of that seems to rectify itself.
(04:54):
I'm not a doctor, but that could be run of
the possibilities.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
No, I completely agree with you. Music is such an
important part of my life. And recently chatting with both
Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades of Night Ranger that they
said the same thing, and of course that that particularly
not you're special, but also both bands have just you know,
kept touring and now of course you guys being out
there with Foreigner as they are basically saying farewell at
(05:22):
least for the most part on this Renegades and Jukebox
Heroes tour. What a night of music.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
It's four hours straight class Because you read Foreigner, you
had six special guests opener being John Waite right off
the bat. You know, the groundwork is all laid there.
Audiences are singing for four hours straight from seven pm
to eleven pm, so they're definitely getting there. They're getting
through to encounter so much of the classic rock era
(05:52):
just in one evening, and you can see it, you know,
as I said, it's extremely evident from the way. And
the other thing, actually, Jeff, the age range now it
goes from teenagers to you know, as I'd like to say,
people that wants were teenagers. How broad the age range
is in the audience, and just how much younger people
(06:14):
who aren't even born in the Glassic Brock era, how
much they have embraced this music and made it concurrent
with their own lives.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Yeah, well, and that's exactly right. First of all, I credit,
because I'm the one that used to be a teenager,
credit the parents for giving them good music to listen to,
because you know, obviously you guys, you guys were the
absolute soundtrack of my life. But of course it's bled
into my kids' lives and everything else, so that that
certainly all adds into it. And you're going to be
(06:43):
blessing us with your presence in Cincinnati this Friday night.
And we are very excited to have you back.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Well, we love playing a riverband. That's just a wonderful
venue for us. And since Natti, you know, it's a
destination city every single year that we get to get
a chance to go there, and we're very much looking
forward to it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And you know, also very excited too as a vinyl
collector to see the Foreigner and Sticks compilation album of
Renegades and Jukebox Heroes too. That's that's pretty sweet, and
it's on silver vinyl for some of the limited editions.
That's I definitely have got to get that.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
That is and that seems to be the sentiment it's
running through the entire audience because we cannot keep enough
of them on hand. They sell out every single night.
It's really astounding to see how many times ago that
album has had to be redelivered and read it Actually
it charted on Billboard just from the sales at our
shows alone.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Oh my goodness, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
I know, no one expected that it was simply going
to be a souvenir of the of the using and
I'm a mento for for another great night of classic rock.
But it has actually been like our merchandise guy comes
back every night with his with his moult hanging can
go on, sold them all again. Amazing how people have
(08:01):
just they love taking all that that album and having
in their hands. I hope a good number of the
actually have turntaile they can put them on. But that
doesn't need to matter, right right.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Yeah, there's a collectible side of it, but then there's
also the side where you want to actually listen to it.
So and I and I did. I was going to
ask you if I was assuming it was available at
the show, but obviously it is. But I also see
it's on Amazon too.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, oh okay, well fantastic. Yeah, better to get it
at the show. But go ahead, if you can't get
it at the show, go ahead get it from Amazon
if you must.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
That's right, that's right either way, just make sure you
get your your hands on it. And Lawrence, I just
I could talk to you all day about this. I'm
a huge Sticks fan, love watching you just those vocals, man,
your vocals are incredible, and swinging the keyboard around and
all the energy that you bring to to the Sticks
show man, It's it's been fun fun to watch over
the years.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Well, I thank you so much for saying that there
was a good words well appreciated and yeah, looking forward.
The River Bend, Cincinnati, Friday Night six, Foreigner John Wade
Thanks for listening to my eighty show podcast. I'm Jeff Stevens.
Time to chat with the keyboard player, singer extraordinary of
the band Sticks. He's been with them since nineteen ninety nine.
His vocals are amazing, his play is electric. It is
singer keyboard player for Sticks, Lawrence Gowan. Lawrence, how are you, Jeff?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'm doing great? How are you doing today?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Really well? Thank you very much. It is very nice
to talk to you. And I want to know how's
the summer going? You and you and Foreigner and John
Wade out there, you guys having a good time.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I got t best summer ever. That's always going to
go down on my diary. I've been an astounding tour
quite honestly. We have had capacity audiences every single night
we've played on this tour. And just seeing how you know, zuberant,
you know, and devoted these audiences are every night. He
has been just a joy. Just a little more I
(00:53):
can say it, but the fact that it has been
the plnacle of all of our of our.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Tour in years, wow, now that is really saying something.
And Lawrence, you know, obviously Sticks has had you know,
a couple different lineups kind of you know, throughout the
years and stuff. But I mean you have been with
the band over twenty five year or is this is
your twenty fifth year?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Right? I mean I'm now in your twenty six fine enough, Yeah,
believe it or not. Yeah, it's It's been part of
the fabric of my life for much longer than I
can imagine, because it feels like I just joined the
band just a year ago. It's amazing too. Well, it's funny,
you know, as you get older, time seems to move quicker.
(01:34):
But what a great way to spend is it with
being able to do about one hundred and six shows
a year and seeing just the devotion of these audiences
and how much the band still enjoys and embraces everything
about it that we do.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Man, that is amazing. You're still doing over one hundred
shows a year, still.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Hitting one hundred, yees, still hitting one hundred.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
That is crazy. Well, you guys have a very special
spot in my heart, Lawrence, because this summer of twenty
twenty one we had you here in Ohio, and that
was the summer that everything was just starting to come back.
You guys played the first show that because we hadn't had.
You know, our station gives away tickets to shows all
the time. This was the first show in basically two years,
(02:16):
and it was you a night Ranger and it was
absolutely magical.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
What a year that was twenty twenty one. We came
back June sixteen. That data is like she was seared
in my head because after you know, sixteen months and
was filmed a year and a half, so ten years
actually of not playing the emotion on people's space is
that summer. You know, there were a lot of tiers
(02:42):
of tiers of happiness. I'm going to see what was happiness? Yeah,
it was from people in the audience. You know that
you felt this kind of re embrace of everything that
was kind of you know, I think since then, Jeff,
and it's hard to use this word, but importance of
what happened at a great rock show or when you
(03:04):
you know, when people are engaged in music and the
numbering in their thousands, there's something extremely unifying and extremely
life affirming about that experience. I've said to people for years,
you know, a great rock show is the greatest form
of entertainment that I've ever come across. You know, I
remember seeing Genesis actually twenty twenty one when they came
(03:26):
back into that you know I saw in November. Oh
my god, it was Yeah. I felt that same kind
of lump in the growth thing of like, I'm so
happy to have this back again and have be in
the same room as you guys.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Well, you hit it on the head, my friend, because
we were all out in the crowd feeling what you guys,
because our show was maybe I don't know, just like
a week or two after you guys first came back,
but it was the first show for this area, and
I remember just like all of us all night, just
like every song just had that much more meaning, and
whether it was you know, Roboto or fooling yourself for
(03:59):
too much time or come sail Away and everybody Renegade
and everybody's singing at the top of their lungs. But
we could tell from the audience that you guys were
also having an experience with it too.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
We really were, We really were they You felt like, oh,
you know, I have it must be the feeling that
that people have when they suddenly awakening that oh my god,
I've got my life back again. There seemed to be
that sentenment. Uh, you know, permeating the whole the whole evening,
and and that's honestly, we're still on the I think
(04:31):
we're still on the fumes of that because a lot
of people have had, you know, from some extreme tragedies
to some mild form of you know, uh, the mental
anguish that they had to kind of get rid of
over the course of the years. And it seems to
me that at a concert that seems to be a
place where a lot of that seems to rectify itself.
(04:54):
I'm not a doctor, but that could be run of
the possibilities.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
No, I completely agree with you. Music is such an
important part of my life. And recently chatting with both
Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades of Night Ranger that they
said the same thing, and of course that that particularly
not you're special, but also both bands have just you know,
kept touring and now of course you guys being out
there with Foreigner as they are basically saying farewell at
(05:22):
least for the most part on this Renegades and Jukebox
Heroes tour. What a night of music.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
It's four hours straight class Because you read Foreigner, you
had six special guests opener being John Waite right off
the bat. You know, the groundwork is all laid there.
Audiences are singing for four hours straight from seven pm
to eleven pm, so they're definitely getting there. They're getting
through to encounter so much of the classic rock era
(05:52):
just in one evening, and you can see it, you know,
as I said, it's extremely evident from the way. And
the other thing, actually, Jeff, the age range now it
goes from teenagers to you know, as I'd like to say,
people that wants were teenagers. How broad the age range
is in the audience, and just how much younger people
(06:14):
who aren't even born in the Glassic Brock era, how
much they have embraced this music and made it concurrent
with their own lives.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Yeah, well, and that's exactly right. First of all, I credit,
because I'm the one that used to be a teenager,
credit the parents for giving them good music to listen to,
because you know, obviously you guys, you guys were the
absolute soundtrack of my life. But of course it's bled
into my kids' lives and everything else, so that that
certainly all adds into it. And you're going to be
(06:43):
blessing us with your presence in Cincinnati this Friday night.
And we are very excited to have you back.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Well, we love playing a riverband. That's just a wonderful
venue for us. And since Natti, you know, it's a
destination city every single year that we get to get
a chance to go there, and we're very much looking
forward to it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And you know, also very excited too as a vinyl
collector to see the Foreigner and Sticks compilation album of
Renegades and Jukebox Heroes too. That's that's pretty sweet, and
it's on silver vinyl for some of the limited editions.
That's I definitely have got to get that.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
That is and that seems to be the sentiment it's
running through the entire audience because we cannot keep enough
of them on hand. They sell out every single night.
It's really astounding to see how many times ago that
album has had to be redelivered and read it Actually
it charted on Billboard just from the sales at our
shows alone.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Oh my goodness, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
I know, no one expected that it was simply going
to be a souvenir of the of the using and
I'm a mento for for another great night of classic rock.
But it has actually been like our merchandise guy comes
back every night with his with his moult hanging can
go on, sold them all again. Amazing how people have
(08:01):
just they love taking all that that album and having
in their hands. I hope a good number of the
actually have turntaile they can put them on. But that
doesn't need to matter, right right.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Yeah, there's a collectible side of it, but then there's
also the side where you want to actually listen to it.
So and I and I did. I was going to
ask you if I was assuming it was available at
the show, but obviously it is. But I also see
it's on Amazon too.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, oh okay, well fantastic. Yeah, better to get it
at the show. But go ahead, if you can't get
it at the show, go ahead get it from Amazon
if you must.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
That's right, that's right either way, just make sure you
get your your hands on it. And Lawrence, I just
I could talk to you all day about this. I'm
a huge Sticks fan, love watching you just those vocals, man,
your vocals are incredible, and swinging the keyboard around and
all the energy that you bring to to the Sticks
show man, It's it's been fun fun to watch over
the years.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Well, I thank you so much for saying that there
was a good words well appreciated and yeah, looking forward.
The River Bend, Cincinnati, Friday Night six, Foreigner John Wade
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