Live (band)

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Live

Background information
Origin York, Pennsylvania Flag of United States
Genre(s) Alternative rock
Post-grunge
Integral
Years active 1988–present
Label(s) Epic, Radioactive
Website http://www.friendsoflive.com/
Members
Chad Gracey
Chad Taylor
Ed Kowalczyk
Patrick Dahlheimer

Live (IPA pronunciation: [laɪv], rhymes with "five")[1] (also typeset as LIVE) is an American alternative rock band from York, Pennsylvania, comprised of Ed Kowalczyk (lead vocals and guitar), Chad Taylor (lead guitar), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass) and Chad Gracey (drums). Since approximately 1999, Live has toured with Ed's younger brother, Adam Kowalczyk as a rhythm guitarist. They have also previously toured with British keyboardist Michael "Railo" Railton and Christopher Thorn (from Blind Melon).

Characterized by an earnest approach to anthemic rock and a spiritual zen reminiscent of Joshua Tree-era U2, Live climbed from modest modern rock success to the mainstream spotlight worldwide on the strength of their 1994 breakthrough album, the 8 million-selling Throwing Copper.

Contents

[edit] History

Kowalczyk, Taylor, Dahlheimer, and Gracey first came together for a middle-school talent show in the Pennsylvania blue-collar town of York. The group remained together throughout high school, going through a handful of band names and new-wave covers before settling on the moniker Public Affection and recording a self-released cassette of originals, The Death of a Dictionary, in 1989. Frequent trips into New York City to play at CBGB helped net the band a deal with Radioactive Records in 1991. With the new name Live, the band entered the studio with former Talking Heads keyboardist Jerry Harrison that year and began recording the EP Four Songs (1991). The single "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)" went to #9 on the Modern Rock chart, and paved the way for the band's Harrison-produced full-length debut, 1991's Mental Jewelry (#73). The album lyrics, penned by Kowalczyk, were heavily inspired by Indian guru Jiddu Krishnamurti.

Fueled by light touring (including billing at Woodstock '94 and Peter Gabriel's WOMAD tour) and a string of hit singles ("I Alone," "All Over You" and the #1 Modern Rock hits "Selling the Drama" and "Lightning Crashes"), Live's next album, Throwing Copper, gave the band the breakthrough it desired. The steady success of the singles propelled the album to #1 on the Billboard 200 on May 6, 1995, more than a year after the album was released. To date, it is their best-selling album and often most highly regarded album by fans and critics. The band was even invited to appear on NBC's Saturday Night Live where they performed their hits "I Alone" and "Selling the Drama."

The momentum continued long enough to help 1997's Secret Samadhi (co-produced by the band and Jay Healey) debut at #1. Deriving its name from a state of Hindu meditation, the album spawned four Modern Rock hit singles, but failed to match its predecessor's success, with sales topping off at 2 million. The band performed "Lakini's Juice" and "Heropsychodreamer" from this album on Saturday Night Live.

Harrison came back on board as co-producer for 1999's The Distance to Here, which debuted at #4 and featured the minor U.S. hit single "The Dolphin's Cry."

On September 18, 2001, the more experimental V (originally scheduled to be titled Ecstatic Fanatic) was issued to mixed reviews, preceded by "Simple Creed" as the first single. However, with the events of 9/11—which occurred a week before V's release—the melancholic "Overcome" began receiving significant airplay, superseding "Simple Creed" and becoming V's selling point. Unfortunately, Live's commercial stock—compounded by their petering radio airplay—had fallen further since The Distance to Here, with V merely reaching #22 at home, and failing to reach gold status. That same year, Live contributed a live performance version of their song "I Alone" to the charity album Live in the X Lounge IV.

Birds of Pray appeared in May 2003, bolstered by the unexpected success of "Heaven," Live's first U.S. Hot 100-placing single since "The Dolphin's Cry." Reaching #28, Birds of Pray ultimately outsold V, although it too received mixed reviews and failed to reach gold status.

In November 2004, Live released Awake: The Best of Live, a career-spanning compilation that included "We Deal in Dreams," a previously unreleased song from the Throwing Copper sessions, and a cover of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line," as well as Birds of Pray's "Run Away," re-imagined with Shelby Lynne on co-lead vocals.

In 2005, Live signed with Sony BMG Music Entertainment's Epic label, and released a new album entitled Songs from Black Mountain in June 2006, preceded by "The River" as lead single. Thus far, the album has achieved much international success and critical acclaim. However, in their native United States of America, it has proven Live's lowest-seller yet domestically, only reaching #52 before quickly disappearing from the charts.

While Live remains only moderately popular in terms of record sales in the United States, much of their current sales come from places in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Ed Kowalczyk has said that "Holland is the center of the Live universe."[citation needed]

The group made news in January 2006 as three band members (Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and touring rhythm guitar Adam Kowalczyk) and two members of the band's road crew were on a United Airlines flight when smoke filled the cabin, requiring the pilot to make an emergency landing.

On season five of American Idol, finalist Chris Daughtry was accused of performing Live's rendition of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" and calling it his own. This angered some Live fans, but one week later Daughtry acknowledged it was not his own rendition, even saying Live was one of his favorite bands. In May 2006, Live appeared on The Howard Stern Show and addressed this issue.

On May 24, 2006, the band and Chris Daughtry performed "Mystery" on the season finale of American Idol, and on June 7, a new version of "Mystery" was released on the Friends of Live website featuring Chris Daughtry on guest vocals.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Mental Jewelry
December 31, 1991

US #73

1 million units
Throwing Copper
April 26, 1994

US #1; UK #37

8 million units
Secret Samadhi
February 18, 1997

US #1; UK #31

2 million units
The Distance to Here
October 5, 1999

US #4; UK #56

1.2 million units
V
September 18, 2001

US #22

250,000 units
Birds of Pray
May 20, 2003

US #28

300,000 units
Awake: The Best of Live
November 2, 2004

US #65

200,000 units
Songs from Black Mountain
June 6, 2006

US #52

46,000 units

[edit] EP's

[edit] Singles

Year Song US US Mod. Rock US Main. Rock UK Album
1992 "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)" - 9 - - Mental Jewelry
1992 "Pain Lies on the Riverside" - 24 - - Mental Jewelry
1994 "Selling the Drama" 43 1 (3 weeks) 4 30 Throwing Copper
1994 "I Alone" 38 (Airplay) 6 6 48 Throwing Copper
1995 "Lightning Crashes" 12 (airplay) 1 (9 weeks) 1 (10 weeks) 33 Throwing Copper
1995 "All Over You" 33 (airplay) 4 2 48 Throwing Copper
1995 "White, Discussion" 71 (airplay) 15 12 - Throwing Copper
1997 "Lakini's Juice" 35 (airplay) 1 (1 week) 2 29 Secret Samadhi
1997 "Freaks" 73 (airplay) 13 5 60 Secret Samadhi
1997 "Turn My Head" 45 (airplay) 3 3 - Secret Samadhi
1997 "Rattlesnake" - 18 15 - Secret Samadhi
1999 "The Dolphin's Cry" 78 3 2 62 The Distance to Here
2000 "Run to the Water" - 14 17 - The Distance to Here
2000 "They Stood Up For Love" - 31 24 - The Distance to Here
2001 "Simple Creed" - 18 11 - V
2001 "Overcome" - 30 - - V
2001 "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" (International) - - - - V
2001 "Like a Soldier" (International) - - - - V
2003 "Heaven" 59 33 33 - Birds of Pray
2003 "Sweet Release" (International) - - - - Birds of Pray
2004 "Run Away" - - - - Awake: The Best of Live
2004 "We Deal in Dreams" - - - - Awake: The Best of Live
2006 "The River" - - - - Songs from Black Mountain
2006 "Mystery" - - - - Songs from Black Mountain
2006 "Wings" (International) - - - - Songs from Black Mountain

[edit] Videography

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Interview with Ed Kowalczyk in 1999." Toazted.com.

[edit] External links

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