PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When he’s not on tour with the band Kansas, playing bass and singing “Carry on Wayward Son” and “Point of Know Return,” you’ll find South Jersey’s Dan McGowan at Inglis House in Philadelphia, teaching music to the residents there, all of whom use wheelchairs.
When McGowan, who grew up in Deptford, was asked to join Kansas a year and a half ago, he never considered leaving Inglis House, where he has worked for eight years.
“There’s actually something really comforting about being here and using the abilities that I have to make a difference in people’s lives who are going through a lot,” McGowan said.
Dan and his brother Patrick have their own progressive rock band, The Tea Club, but they also lead the Inglis House residents’ band called Wheelz.
“Wheelz plays a lot of classic rock,” Dan McGowan said, “but we also throw in some stuff that might be a little surprising. We did a Post Malone song one time. We would famously end our performances with ‘Purple Rain,’ and some ’70s, ’80s, ’90s rock — and then we’ll try and throw in some modern stuff too.”
The 39-year-old feels blessed to be able to help the residents discover — or rediscover — the ability to play music.
“People who, before they wound up in wheelchairs for whatever reasons, they would play, and now we’re finding new ways for them to be able to do that,” he said. “Maybe they thought that they were beyond the point where they would be able to play music. And then to be able to come in and say, hey, hang on, we can do this. We can make something happen; we can make some music like that. It’s just amazing.”
In teaching adults with varied abilities, Dan McGowan said he doesn’t focus strictly on fundamentals.
“The way that I’m approaching it is, ‘Are we having fun? Are we making some sounds? Does it sound cool? Good,’” he said. “They’re not thinking about being in the chair. They’re keeping their minds and their bodies active, and their imaginations are going beyond whatever their disability might be.”
As for Kansas, Dan McGowan joked the band is “threatening” to record a new album to follow 2020’s “The Absence of Presence.”
“I think there’s definitely a lot of interest in some new stuff,” he said. “The touring schedule keeps us very busy, but yeah, I would love to do a new album. I think it’s gonna happen.”
