Are you confused? Gowan Gowan? Yeah, well it happened like this. .“Hello! Is this Ernest Skinner?” .“Yes,” I responded. “Is this Gowan Gowan?” .With a chuckle, Lawrence Gowan copied. “Yes !, this is Gowan Gowan.”.As you may know, the Styx lead singer had a very prosperous Canadian solo career back in the 80’s as one of his albums in particular – ‘Strange Animal’ – went triple platinum and during his tenure as a solo artist he was known simply as Gowan, and because I’m simple, I still think of him as Gowan. .Now that we are over that, let’s get into some light Christmas action. The message Gowan has for us is in the form of a new Christmas/holiday song he has just released: ‘Can You Make It Feel Like Christmas’. . image-3 .Joining Gowan in the recording are three-piece alt-rocker Stuck On Planet Earth from Vaughn, Ontario, who themselves have had national and international success over the years. .I first asked our Canadian friend how he was doing during this time of unprecedented uncertainty. The genuinely humble vocalist responded the way anyone that knows him would expect..“I’m doing surprisingly well. I qualify that with the fact that there are some people who are having a devastating time, so relative to them; I have absolutely nothing to complain about” .When you listen to the song which has been streamed over 100 000 times since its release just last week (December 4), you may find what I and others have found. The song has a unique quality to it, but there is a bit of John Lennon style to it..“Yes that is what I have been hearing and reading on social media and also the Beatles. I think though more of a Traveling Wilburys kind of vibe where the guys all come together with this great song that has a bit of dry humor in it. In respect to George Harrison, in the TW, I actually have a long connection to the Beatles. My album that I recorded in 1984. ‘Strange Animal’ was recorded at Ringo Starr’s home studio in England and that was the house that was sold to him by its previous owners, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Since ‘Imagine’ was also recorded there, I have always had this sort of spirit following me around and I don’t mind the comparison at all and I couldn’t be more honored.” .Before moving on, I would urge you to Google and research the history of the studio at Tittenhurst Park in Ascot England. Gowan and I chatted for a bit about it and many artists -including some of my favorites like Def Leppard and Judas Priest – have recorded there. I was told that the reason it took 6 months to record ‘Strange Animal’ was because the house had to be quiet by 8:00 pm. I was also told that Ringo would often pop into the studio which was just off of the kitchen and make a little funny comment and mingle with the boys or whoever was using the space at the time. There are a lot of home movies and videos on YouTube that show the making of the studio and recording in the studio that was put in by John Lennon when he originally acquired the house..Getting back on track, I asked Gowan to sum up the history and the writing of ‘Can You Make It Feel Like Christmas’. .I asked him about the references in the song to corporations, etc., and he responded that at this time of year, a lot of smaller businesses generate up to 50 per cent of their yearly sales because of the emotional charge generated from it. His message is that those things shouldn’t get in the way of the overall caring and emotional attempt to bring on this good spirit as “at this time of year there are many people who do not do well at Christmas whether it is because of something happening in their lives which affects them feeling left out and they feel distanced from it so I just wanted to encapsulate quickly and say ‘hey, businesses need to do what they need do at this time of year’, but let’s not let that get in the way of us generating those good warm feelings for one another.” .“Well this year for sure has been a unique year and divisive. This is supposed to be the time of year whether you are religious or not, when we all put aside our differences and come together as fellow human beings. This year has been a kind of a year that has to some extent really pulled us apart ; but one thing we always agree on is that at the end of the year we strive to focus on this time to feel united and grateful and that we are alive, so this song had to be light and filled with hope and humor to some extent because we haven’t had much to laugh. That’s basically what the song is aiming at.”. image-2 .How did the young guns at Stuck On Planet Earth great name BTW) get involved with this world class singer and songwriter you ask? Well, I was curious as well. .“Well basically it started as a result of a former publishing company I used to work with who contacted me in early October and said hey, there is this really young band that had a great year and got some billboard success and were on the rise, but they’re kind of stuck right now. And they asked if I would collaborate and do a song with them.”.“That got my attention right away because everybody has been affect by this [COVID-19] but young people especially. I mean their lives are just getting started and this happens, so I said what would they like? So, their record/publishing company asked if I’d do a Christmas song with them. So I took a few days and after watching some of their videos and listening to their music I thought, ‘Wow’ ! these guys are great, and being a musician myself that was in the same situation they are in now, in my early career. I said ‘sure’. I then wrote the song and sent it to them and after a few changes here and there we recorded it with masks on in my home studio and that’s basically it.. image-1Cover of ‘Can you make it feel like Christmas’ .I will get to the Styx question. I couldn’t let the singer/keyboardist extraordinaire off the line without asking him about Styx and what are their plans for the New Year, and if they are working on a new album or anything. .“Oh man, we’ve been really at it. Last week we released a Too Much Time On My Hands conglomerate video for the Pittsburgh Steelers, we’ve done an anthem for the NFL. We’ve finished recording our new album and it will come out when it comes out. That’s all I can tell you about that but …we’ve been really busy and are in touch with each other daily and we can’t wait to get back out there (tour), and we stay really connected with the 1.7 million people that are on the different Styx platforms on social media. We are as anxious as anyone to get back to playing live in front of people but in the mean time, we are using whatever digital technology is available to keep connected to our fans. “.Ernest Skinner is the WestRock Columnist for the Western Standard
Are you confused? Gowan Gowan? Yeah, well it happened like this. .“Hello! Is this Ernest Skinner?” .“Yes,” I responded. “Is this Gowan Gowan?” .With a chuckle, Lawrence Gowan copied. “Yes !, this is Gowan Gowan.”.As you may know, the Styx lead singer had a very prosperous Canadian solo career back in the 80’s as one of his albums in particular – ‘Strange Animal’ – went triple platinum and during his tenure as a solo artist he was known simply as Gowan, and because I’m simple, I still think of him as Gowan. .Now that we are over that, let’s get into some light Christmas action. The message Gowan has for us is in the form of a new Christmas/holiday song he has just released: ‘Can You Make It Feel Like Christmas’. . image-3 .Joining Gowan in the recording are three-piece alt-rocker Stuck On Planet Earth from Vaughn, Ontario, who themselves have had national and international success over the years. .I first asked our Canadian friend how he was doing during this time of unprecedented uncertainty. The genuinely humble vocalist responded the way anyone that knows him would expect..“I’m doing surprisingly well. I qualify that with the fact that there are some people who are having a devastating time, so relative to them; I have absolutely nothing to complain about” .When you listen to the song which has been streamed over 100 000 times since its release just last week (December 4), you may find what I and others have found. The song has a unique quality to it, but there is a bit of John Lennon style to it..“Yes that is what I have been hearing and reading on social media and also the Beatles. I think though more of a Traveling Wilburys kind of vibe where the guys all come together with this great song that has a bit of dry humor in it. In respect to George Harrison, in the TW, I actually have a long connection to the Beatles. My album that I recorded in 1984. ‘Strange Animal’ was recorded at Ringo Starr’s home studio in England and that was the house that was sold to him by its previous owners, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Since ‘Imagine’ was also recorded there, I have always had this sort of spirit following me around and I don’t mind the comparison at all and I couldn’t be more honored.” .Before moving on, I would urge you to Google and research the history of the studio at Tittenhurst Park in Ascot England. Gowan and I chatted for a bit about it and many artists -including some of my favorites like Def Leppard and Judas Priest – have recorded there. I was told that the reason it took 6 months to record ‘Strange Animal’ was because the house had to be quiet by 8:00 pm. I was also told that Ringo would often pop into the studio which was just off of the kitchen and make a little funny comment and mingle with the boys or whoever was using the space at the time. There are a lot of home movies and videos on YouTube that show the making of the studio and recording in the studio that was put in by John Lennon when he originally acquired the house..Getting back on track, I asked Gowan to sum up the history and the writing of ‘Can You Make It Feel Like Christmas’. .I asked him about the references in the song to corporations, etc., and he responded that at this time of year, a lot of smaller businesses generate up to 50 per cent of their yearly sales because of the emotional charge generated from it. His message is that those things shouldn’t get in the way of the overall caring and emotional attempt to bring on this good spirit as “at this time of year there are many people who do not do well at Christmas whether it is because of something happening in their lives which affects them feeling left out and they feel distanced from it so I just wanted to encapsulate quickly and say ‘hey, businesses need to do what they need do at this time of year’, but let’s not let that get in the way of us generating those good warm feelings for one another.” .“Well this year for sure has been a unique year and divisive. This is supposed to be the time of year whether you are religious or not, when we all put aside our differences and come together as fellow human beings. This year has been a kind of a year that has to some extent really pulled us apart ; but one thing we always agree on is that at the end of the year we strive to focus on this time to feel united and grateful and that we are alive, so this song had to be light and filled with hope and humor to some extent because we haven’t had much to laugh. That’s basically what the song is aiming at.”. image-2 .How did the young guns at Stuck On Planet Earth great name BTW) get involved with this world class singer and songwriter you ask? Well, I was curious as well. .“Well basically it started as a result of a former publishing company I used to work with who contacted me in early October and said hey, there is this really young band that had a great year and got some billboard success and were on the rise, but they’re kind of stuck right now. And they asked if I would collaborate and do a song with them.”.“That got my attention right away because everybody has been affect by this [COVID-19] but young people especially. I mean their lives are just getting started and this happens, so I said what would they like? So, their record/publishing company asked if I’d do a Christmas song with them. So I took a few days and after watching some of their videos and listening to their music I thought, ‘Wow’ ! these guys are great, and being a musician myself that was in the same situation they are in now, in my early career. I said ‘sure’. I then wrote the song and sent it to them and after a few changes here and there we recorded it with masks on in my home studio and that’s basically it.. image-1Cover of ‘Can you make it feel like Christmas’ .I will get to the Styx question. I couldn’t let the singer/keyboardist extraordinaire off the line without asking him about Styx and what are their plans for the New Year, and if they are working on a new album or anything. .“Oh man, we’ve been really at it. Last week we released a Too Much Time On My Hands conglomerate video for the Pittsburgh Steelers, we’ve done an anthem for the NFL. We’ve finished recording our new album and it will come out when it comes out. That’s all I can tell you about that but …we’ve been really busy and are in touch with each other daily and we can’t wait to get back out there (tour), and we stay really connected with the 1.7 million people that are on the different Styx platforms on social media. We are as anxious as anyone to get back to playing live in front of people but in the mean time, we are using whatever digital technology is available to keep connected to our fans. “.Ernest Skinner is the WestRock Columnist for the Western Standard
