I'm at home here in rainy Los Angeles and lately I have been driving around listening to the final mixes of Big Bang Theory in my car (which to me, shy of sitting in front of the studio monitors, is the best place to listen to music). It's been mastered now (leveling the volumes and equalizations, etc., so that each song has consistency with the next) and it sure sounds good.

We've pushed the release date back to May 10 because we need the time to get the artwork, credits and all that sort of thing together, but let me tell you, it's coming as soon as we can get it to you.

The era of music we are focusing on has such good music, we had a great time digging in and making these songs our own. Deconstructing each one gave us all a real appreciation of the talent and skill behind the artists who first wrote and recorded them. Lots of solos, lots of guitars in general, but also lots of great keyboards, including grand piano, synths, a nasty little hot-wired Wurlitzer electric piano, even a vintage pump organ Lawrence inherited and had fully restored. Having Billy Preston sit in with us at a recent gig was a great inspiration in Lawrence's piano parts too, especially since Billy played on so many records back then. Ricky played some amazing bass and I hear a rumor that Chucky is going to make a cameo. Let's home that rumor is true. Todd even got a drum solo in on "One Way Out" by The Allman Bros. Band. He did the work of two drummers in one take. Unbelievable.

It's gonna be a fun year for STYX!

TS