First of all, let me extend to you a sincere "thanks" for listening to, and hopefully utilizing, "More than Styx." I have worked with Tommy Shaw of the group Styx since 1992. Each year that Tommy goes on tour, I make a point of attending at least a couple of shows. I vividly remember seeing Styx during their reunion tour in 1995. I was completely blown away by their (at that time new) drummer, Todd Sucherman. I thought to myself "Where did they find this guy?" Well, over the years, Todd & I would see each other at shows and we began to talk a lot, mostly, of course, about the drums (I'm originally a drummer by trade and have been playing since age 6). On one occasion, Todd brought up to me how much he liked the Steve Smith Sample CD that I had co-produced. I couldn't believe that he even heard "of" it, never mind heard it! I sometimes forget how many talented artists actually get to use these Sample CD's in production—it's such a high when you think about it.

Anyway, Todd expressed interest in doing a CD with me and I immediately jumped on it. In the past, I had worked with a company that would handle the budget, session co-ordination, replication, documentation, etc. This time I wanted to do those things with my own team. Enter my partner, Gil Gowing. There are so many things that Gil does well; I can't really put just one title on him. He is one of the best Pro Tools editors on the planet. He's a great bass player. He is a fantastic programmer with a great ear for music. The list goes on. You'll know what I mean once you begin to use this disc.

"More than Styx" actually represents the first of several CD's that Gil and I are producing. Each of our CD's will feature the playing of amazing drummers, recorded by amazing engineers and producers, and edited and delivered by incredibly talented people. We have truly enlisted some of the finest talent in the world; this CD being a prime example.

First off, we've got Todd Sucherman, of Styx, playing the drums! He has a feel that is rock solid while being versatile and fluid. A true drumming juggernaut. I guarantee that you'll be knocked out by what you hear on this CD. The next step was to find a great place to record and great people to record and mix it. Kevin Elson graciously accepted the offer to record the sessions at Rumbo Recording (Studio B) in Los Angeles, CA. Kevin produced all of Journey's big albums as well as having produced or engineered Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Don Henley, Europe, Mr. Big, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bush, and many more. When it came time to mix the loops, we asked both Rich Chycki and Roger Nichols to join the team. Rich did the majority of the mixing, giving the drums a powerful yet articulate sound, much as he has done for the likes of Mick Jagger, Pink, and Aerosmith. Roger offered his signature clean, crisp mixing style to the more mainstream rock grooves (if you've heard his sound on Steely Dan records, you'll know what I mean). Everyone involved in this project worked extremely hard to get great sounds. No expense of time or effort was spared in our efforts to obtain an awesome sounding product. In fact, they did so well, at the end of the day, we had 2 gigabytes worth of edited, useful grooves. The type of grooves, tempo's, and feel of the CD were determined by Gil, Todd, and me for maximum usefulness.

As with every CD that I have ever made or used, the point is to use the means of technology to produce great music. I wish you many years of "hits" with this CD.

David Frangioni

info@morethanstyx.com