Latest news with #Styx
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Going back to a 70s sound, Styx as progressive as ever on new album
They are one of the longest-running classic rock bands and have countless hit songs. And yet to this day, Styx can still be misunderstood. Thanks to such classics as the ballad "Babe" or the soft folk-rock number "Boat On A River" which only made the charts in Europe, Styx is often considered to be a soft-rock group. This, even though they were one of the first successful progressive-rock bands in the United States. Now, on their 18th album titled "Circling From Above," this progressive style is once again clearly in evidence. A broad musical palette "I think that Styx, almost notoriously, were never critics' darlings. This is long before I was in the band," says Lawrence Gowan, who has been a singer and keyboard player for Styx since 1999. "They had a very wide palette that they drew from," the 68-year-old musician says. "They could be very much a pop band. They could be a heavy rock band, and they could also be a progressive band. There were so many ways that you could relate to them that maybe one of those elements might be not what your taste is." Yet all the criticism notwithstanding, Styx has since the 1970s succeeded in filling large concert halls with regular tours. But most recently they have once again been extremely productive in the recording studio. "Circling From Above" is their third album in eight years. This is important both for the band and the group's fans, Gowan argues. "You're proving to yourselves and to your audience that you're still viable, that you still have thoughts, musical thoughts and lyrical thoughts that are occurring to you that you feel are relevant to 2025. That's very important," he says. Song texts are a matter of interpretation On the latest album, the subject matter is the conflict between technology and nature, artificial intelligence and a bit of science fiction. Styx is never outright political—who can blame them in these turbulent times?—but they are also not completely apolitical, says Scotland-born Gowan. Listeners can interpret the songs for themselves. "I think our intention is basically to say something specific in an unspecific way," he says, adding about this approach: "It's the best." Musically, "Circling From Above" is once again a versatile work with polyphonic vocals, classic synthesizers and complex arrangements thanks to the influences of the various songwriters and singers in the group. The intro is inevitably reminiscent of Pink Floyd, but Gowan also said he was influenced by Genesis. The aim was to make a modern classic rock album in the style of the 70s. Styx succeeded in this. Highlights include the melodic rock number "It's Clear" and the folk-rock song "Blue Eyed Raven" sung by Tommy Shaw to the accompaniment of Spanish guitars and mandolins. Music that unfolds slowly The 71-year-old Shaw's voice still sounds like it did in the 70s, when he joined the band in his early 20s and immediately shaped Styx's sound with hits such as "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" and "Too Much Time on My Hands". Such catchy songs are not immediately recognizable on "Circling From Above". But the more you listen to the album, which almost seems like a concept album, the more the music unfolds. However, Styx won't have too much space for the new songs on the upcoming US concert tour. Because they will first perform the eight-song classic album "The Grand Illusion" from 1977 in full. Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Move over Moo Deng! See the new baby pygmy hippo born in Kansas
"This baby is adorable, but he's also an ambassador for a species that needs our attention," Tanganyika Wildlife Park Marketing Manager Daniel Neale said. A new shiny, rotund baby pygmy hippo has entered the chat, and animal lovers are already falling in love. A male pygmy hippopotamus – the same species as Thailand's famous Moo Deng – was born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, Kansas on June 26. Born at just under 13 pounds, the baby has been confirmed to be healthy and alert, the park said in a news release. He's bonding with his mother and already showing early signs of confidence and playfulness. The baby hippo, who doesn't yet have a name, was born to parents Pluto and Posie. Both arrived to Tanganyika Wildlife Park in 2014 and have had five calves together, including the latest addition. A TikTok video posted by the wildlife park, introducing the wide-eyed hippo, had garnered more than 1.9 million views, as of July 11. Moo Deng turns 1! See how the iconic hippo is celebrating her birthday. What is the baby hippo's name? Tanganyika Wildlife Park is hosting an online vote to name the new, baby hippo. To vote, visit the park's website at There are three names to choose from: Styx, Mars and Thor. To cast a vote, you must donate at least $25 to the park. Voting is open through July 18 and Tanganyika Wildlife Park will announce the winning name on July 19. Here's how to visit the baby hippo The baby hippo will make his first public appearance at the park later this summer, Tanganyika Wildlife Park said in a news release. The park will also offer a pygmy hippo meet and greet experience during its open season, which is March through November. Why are pygmy hippos so popular? Pygmy hippos gained popularity on social media last summer with the birth of Moo Deng at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. Countless photos and videos of the chubby hippo eating lunch, running after zookeepers and cuddling with her momma garnered millions of views online. The viral hippo celebrated her first birthday on Thursday, July 10 with a hefty tropical fruit platter. Pygmy hippos were deemed endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2016. Less than 3,000 remain in the wild and less than 450 are managed in professional zoological care, Tanganyika Wildlife Park said in a news release. The species faces threads from habitat destruction, bushmeat (wild animal meat) hunting, and the mining of coltan, a mineral commonly used in smartphones and laptops, Tanganyika Wildlife Park continued. "This baby is adorable, but he's also an ambassador for a species that needs our attention," said Daniel Neale, Tanganyika Wildlife Park marketing manager said in a news release. "Protecting wildlife starts with caring about it." Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
Spectator
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
PMQs is truly cursed
In the Fifth Circle of Dante's Inferno, the damned are cursed to bob on the surface of the Styx, scrapping and fighting with each other for eternity, constantly stuck just at the point when the waters threaten to submerge them forever. Artists have attempted to recreate this – from Botticelli to Doré – but none have come quite as close to depicting it as Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch manage in the House of Commons each week. There is a particular way Starmer spits out the phrase 'manifesto pledges' that gives his face the appearance of two cheap sausages in a food processor We all know the cycle by now. The Tory leader asks about spending and the Prime Minister rants about the economic record of 'the party opposite'. Meanwhile, the country gasps on the surface of the abyss. We've gone past the 'fiddling whilst Rome burns' stage and are now much closer to the 'playing charades after the asteroid has struck' one. Mrs Badenoch opened with Sir Keir's earlier promises not to raise various forms of tax. Did the Prime Minister stand by them, she asked? 'Yes', snapped Sir Keir. The word had barely escaped his lips before he was sprawled back on the green leather. Labour MPs typically lap this up, as if they are in the presence of a comedy maestro. I know these people have a cultural threshold so low that they think Adolescence is King Lear, but surely, they don't actually think the PM's evasive replies are funny? There are aisles of drying paint samples in your local B&Q with better timing than Sir Keir Rodney Starmer. The Leader of the Opposition's questions continued. It's hard to choose which is worse: the PM's curt, rude monosyllables or his usual discursive babble, clucked out at speed. He employed this latter tactic for subsequent queries on pensioners becoming subject to rising tax thresholds. There is a particular way that he spits out the phrase 'manifesto pledges' that gives his face the appearance of two cheap sausages in a food processor. Neither tactic is enlightening or edifying. Round and round we went: rising unemployment and shrinking wealth were met with the words 'breakfast clubs' and 'the NHS' – tossed into a word salad and bellowed back across the dispatch box. It was all about as illuminating as coastal erosion. Things were not fine and dandy in the rest of the House either. It was getting rowdy over in 'malcontents corner' where Reform sits alongside the Greens, the Irish parties, Labour MPs who've had the whip removed, a few of the smugger Lib Dems, Rupert Lowe, Jeremy Corbyn and his backing band of Gaza Independents. Nobody's managed to come up with a good name for them yet: Procol Haram perhaps? Though from the look of Corbyn today – wedged uncomfortably next to Zarah Sultana – the Grateful Dead might be better. Anyway, Nigel Farage tried to ask a question about migration only to be yapped over by either a Green or Lib Dem MP who kept shouting that the British people had been lied to over Brexit. Eventually Lee Anderson, the Little John of the ever-diminishing band of Merry Reform men yelled 'Will you shut up?' Tuts and counter-tuts followed. 'Very disrespectful!' – that harridan cry of the sanctimonious middle-class was yelled from the Lib Dem benches. The Speaker barely attempted to keep the jeering to a minimum. All in all, another squalid and squabble-filled day in the Styx at Westminster. Come on in, the water's lovely.
Otago Daily Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Central farmer wins ultra-fine award
Central Otago sheep farmer John Waldron was "surprised and humbled" to win the ultra-fine category at the 2025 Otago Merino Association fleece competition. "It was a great honour because there is a lot of great wool throughout Otago. I was very pleased." He knew the fleece from his ewe was special as soon as sunlight hit it in the shearing shed on his farm Ithiel in Springvale, near Alexandra, in August last year. "You could see it was very well defined and very fine." Before winning the category for 15.9-micron and finer, the same fleece placed second at the 127th Central Otago A&P Show in Omakau, scoring 95.5 points out of 100. The 13.6-micron fleece had a 2.6kg greasy weight and a 1.9kg clean weight. He ran a small flock of merino sheep, and targets breeding a sheep which grows ultra-fine wool. "It is a very fickle market but if you can get it right, it is quite lucrative." He sold his wool at auction on the open market. "The auction is a very good way of selling elite, ultra-fine wool." Depending on the year, auction prices for 13-micron wool ranges between $25 per kg and $250 per kg. Buyers were often clothing manufacturers in Italy and Japan. He had signed contracts with international clothing manufacturers before, which had certain conditions to meet. "You have to hit the lengths and the strengths." Ithiel was about 40ha of flat to rolling land. He leased about half of the land, including flats near Manuherikia River, to a dairy farmer to grow his heifers. On the remaining land he ran a merino flock — about 160 ewes, 126 hoggets, 30 wethers and four rams. "I have have been increasing numbers because the ultra-fine market has strengthened over the last wee while, and I hope it continues because it is such a cool product." He aims to maximise the return per sheep on his farm. "When you're running a small number of sheep, it is more efficient to grow something more valuable." All of Ithiel had K-line irrigation. His sheep were fed grass and hay. Genetics played a part in producing a winning fleece, including those from "11-micron rams" he bought from Earnscleugh Station. Mr Waldron is the oldest of five children raised on family farm 8500ha Michael Peak Station in St Bathans. The livestock run by his late parents Val and Vera included about 12,000 merino sheep. He left working on the station and moved to Ithiel in 2006, following most of the station being sold to the Department of Conservation, after a Crown Pastoral Tenure Review. The flats and the terraces of the station were now leased and his brother Tom Waldron, of the Styx, had recently signed a deal to run a merino flock on the home block. "That's quite cool," John said. Some of the genetics from the Ithiel flock were from Michael Peak Station. He wanted to thank the association and sponsors, including merino clothing manufacturer Nikke and all the companies which bought New Zealand fine wool, and the people who wore the clothing made from a renewable and sustainable, natural and quality fibre. At an award ceremony in Alexandra last month, the Heather Perriam Memorial Award for outstanding service to the merino industry was presented to to Allan Paterson, of Armidale merino stud in Gimmerburn. An auction at the awards night raised more than $10,000 for the Child Cancer Foundation. Competition results Overall winner: Shane Sanders (Little Valley Station). 15.9 micron and finer: John Waldron (Ithiel) 1; Lindon Sanders (Little Valley Station) 2; Garth Sanders (Little Valley Station) 3. 16.0 to 16.9 micron: Shane Sanders (Little Valley Station) 1; Hugh, Joe and Philippa Cameron (Otematata Station) 2; Don Malcolm (Mt St Bathans Station) 3. 17.0 to 17.9 micron: Trent Spittle (Quailburn Downs) 1; John and Mary-Liz Sanders and family (M/2 Hearts Matangi) 2; Andrew and Deidre Sutherland, Bill and Kate Sutherland (Ahuriri Downs) 3. 18.0 micron and coarser: Bill and Kate Sutherland, Andrew and Deidre Sutherland (Benmore) 1; David and Judy Andrew (Tiroiti Farm) 2; Allan, Eris, Simon and Sarah Paterson (Armidale) 3.
Otago Daily Times
29-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Waldron humbled by award
Central Otago sheep farmer John Waldron was "surprised and humbled" to win the ultra-fine category at the 2025 Otago Merino Association fleece competition. "It was a great honour because there is a lot of great wool throughout Otago. I was very pleased." He knew the fleece from his ewe was special as soon as sunlight hit it in the shearing shed on his farm, Ithiel, in Springvale, near Alexandra, in August last year. "You could see it was very well defined and very fine," he said. Before winning the category for 15.9-micron and finer, the same fleece placed second at the 127th Central Otago A&P Show in Omakau, scoring 95.5 points out of 100. The 13.6-micron fleece had a 2.6kg greasy weight and a 1.9kg clean weight. He runs a small flock of merino sheep, and targets breeding a sheep which grows ultra-fine wool. "It is a very fickle market but if you can get it right, it is quite lucrative." He sells his wool at auction on the open market. "The auction is a very good way of selling elite, ultra-fine wool." Depending on the year, auction prices for 13-micron wool ranges between $25 per kg and $250 per kg. Buyers were often clothing manufacturers in Italy and Japan, he said. He had signed contracts with international clothing manufacturers before, which had certain conditions. "You have to hit the lengths and the strengths." Ithiel was about 40ha of flat to rolling land. He leases about half of the land, including flats near Manuherikia River, to a dairy farmer to grow his heifers. On the remaining land he runs a merino flock — about 160 ewes, 126 hoggets, 30 wethers and four rams. "I have have been increasing numbers because the ultra-fine market has strengthened over the last wee while, and I hope it continues because it is such a cool product." He aims to maximise the return per sheep on his farm. "When you're running a small number of sheep, it is more efficient to grow something more valuable." All of Ithiel had K-line irrigation. His sheep were fed grass and hay. Genetics played a part in producing a winning fleece, including those from "11-micron rams" he bought from Earnscleugh Station. Mr Waldron is the oldest of five children raised on family farm 8500ha Michael Peak Station in St Bathans. The livestock run by his late parents Val and Vera included about 12,000 merino sheep. He left the station and moved to Ithiel in 2006, following most of the station being sold to the Department of Conservation, after a Crown Pastoral Tenure Review. The flats and the terraces of the station were now leased and his brother, Tom Waldron, of the Styx, had recently signed a deal to run a merino flock on the home block. "That's quite cool," John said. Some of the genetics from the Ithiel flock were from Michael Peak Station. He wanted to thank the association and sponsors, including merino clothing manufacturer Nikke and all the companies which bought New Zealand fine wool, and the people who wore the clothing made from a renewable and sustainable, natural and quality fibre. At an award ceremony in Alexandra last month, the Heather Perriam Memorial Award for outstanding service to the merino industry was presented to Allan Paterson, of Armidale merino stud in Gimmerburn. An auction at the awards night raised more than $10,000 for the Child Cancer Foundation. Competition results Overall winner: Shane Sanders (Little Valley Station). • 15.9 micron and finer: John Waldron (Ithiel) 1; Lindon Sanders (Little Valley Station) 2; Garth Sanders (Little Valley Station) 3. • 16.0 to 16.9 micron: Shane Sanders (Little Valley Station) 1; Hugh, Joe and Philippa Cameron (Otematata Station) 2; Don Malcolm (Mt St Bathans Station) 3. • 17.0 to 17.9 micron: Trent Spittle (Quailburn Downs) 1; John and Mary-Liz Sanders and family (M/2 Hearts Matangi) 2; Andrew and Deidre Sutherland, Bill and Kate Sutherland (Ahuriri Downs) 3. • 18.0 micron and coarser: Bill and Kate Sutherland, Andrew and Deidre Sutherland (Benmore) 1; David and Judy Andrew (Tiroiti Farm) 2; Allan, Eris, Simon and Sarah Paterson (Armidale) 3.
