Ed working on a new album, 3/16/11(Interview) Options

[SJN1279]

Q&A with Ed Kowalczyk
Q: What can fans expect from the shows?
It will touch on my work in Live, all the sing along songs and a good cross section of my solo album as well. Who knows? I could throw some surprises in there...I’m going into a new area with this power trio I haven’t tried yet, which keeps me having fun. That translates to really good shows and excitement all around for the fans. After close to 20 years of the same lineup, this is a breath of fresh air for me as an artist and a performer. Everything I’m doing now, I can’t wait to get back out on the road and try new things...With [the current live format], it’ll keep a ‘Storytellers’ kind of environment going on, but at the same time have a good intensity musically.


Q: In many ways, your vocal delivery on the new songs harks back to the mid-90’s Live era. Was that a goal?
That really just came from finding this excitement and passion about the process again. It just came out that way. I recognized it right away, like ‘this sounds like 10 years ago from me.’ The fans immediately responded to that. That was really a result of reconnecting with that passion for the music again. With my delivery, it just fired everything up.


Q: How did working with this new group of guys in the studio compare to Live in terms of dynamics?
It was quite a different experience than I’ve had with the recent past records with Live.


Q: “Zion” has a really different sound for you.
Yeah. I went into that after getting my crash course in guitar evangelists like Blind Willie Johnson. I was always admiring his ability. Obviously coming from a spiritual orientation and an intense, somewhat dark rock element, it spoke to my heart about how I might want to approach doing this. I allowed that to color "Zion." We actually sang those hums through this tiny $5 mike you use to tune acoustic guitars. It sounded really good and we went for it.


Q: You co-wrote “Drink” with Chris Daughtry. Would you consider him a kindred spirit?
Absolutely. He’s and amazing singer and a great guy. Incredible musical intelligence with melody and arrangement. We weren’t even planning on writing together...When Chris sings, you really get the sense that he’s just so connected to his music.


Q: Where did the brief street noise sound effects at the beginning of “Rome” come from?
They are actually Roman city street sound effects. You can find anything on the internet. For $10 or $15, I purchased a snippet of a sample, like a movie sound effect. I wanted to recreate the environment that inspired that song. My first trip to Rome was actually a couple years ago. The traffic jam and all that is kind of historical and real in my life, the rest is interpretive. I wanted to try and recreate how wild and crazy that city is, but at the same time, how deeply rooted in history it is.


Q: Did it take an adjustment going the independent label route after being on Radioactive/MCA and then Epic Records with Live?
I’m enjoying it. It’s challenging. I never had that entrepreneurial relationship with my music as much as people who’ve always been independent have. Being on a major label, you’re a little bit distanced from that. You don’t have those day to day responsibilities. Taking that barrier away and having my own label, and being in a partnership with MRI and RED [distributing], being hands on as I’ve been, has been exciting. Just the thrill of it – it’s sink of swim on your own.


Q: Do you enjoy engaging with fans via Twitter and Facebook?
I do. I use Facebook. I’m newer to Twitter. I tweet as an extension to Facebook. It’s really inspiring to do a show, go down the road and look on my iPhone 4 and [see all the comments]. It’s a fun media, I really enjoy it. I did have tweet fatigue for awhile. I’m much more of Facebook person. If you miss a week on Facebook, it’s ok, whereas if you haven’t tweeted every 30 seconds, it’s like ‘where’d he go?’


Q: What was it like to take part in the 2010 Light of Day benefit concert with Bruce Springsteen in New Jersey?
It was a dream. I got this call at the last minute: could I come and do this? I jumped at the chance. I had never met the Boss. I always wanted to thank him for the first time I saw my crazy last name in Rolling Stone in late ’91 or early ’92, with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. He mentioned ‘this band Live and their amazing lead singer.’ I finally got to look him in the eye and thank him and tell him how much I loved his work too. He gave me a 25-minute full mentor lowdown on the length of his career and how it’s always been ‘damn the torpedoes’ and how from his perspective, he’s just had the best year of his career playing the Super Bowl and all that. He said, ‘every 7-10 years, they write me off and then I have my best year ever.’ I thought that was a great outlook. Just meeting him for the first time as I was about to embark on this new chapter, seemed totally scripted in some way. Having this heart to heart from the Boss at the outset was pretty much a dream.


Q: What is coming up on the horizon in 2011?
I’ve started to write for a new record. We’ve released the second single “Stand” and we’re promoting that. And I have my third baby daughter coming in April. I’m hoping to get back in the studio sometime in the next six months.

http://newwavegeo.blogspot.com/2011/03/q-w...-kowalczyk.html

[SecretInsomnia]

Q&A with Ed Kowalczyk
Q: What can fans expect from the shows?
It will touch on my work in Live, all the sing along songs and a good cross section of my solo album as well. Who knows? I could throw some surprises in there...I’m going into a new area with this power trio I haven’t tried yet, which keeps me having fun. That translates to really good shows and excitement all around for the fans. After close to 20 years of the same lineup, this is a breath of fresh air for me as an artist and a performer. Everything I’m doing now, I can’t wait to get back out on the road and try new things...With [the current live format], it’ll keep a ‘Storytellers’ kind of environment going on, but at the same time have a good intensity musically.
Q: In many ways, your vocal delivery on the new songs harks back to the mid-90’s Live era. Was that a goal?
That really just came from finding this excitement and passion about the process again. It just came out that way. I recognized it right away, like ‘this sounds like 10 years ago from me.’ The fans immediately responded to that. That was really a result of reconnecting with that passion for the music again. With my delivery, it just fired everything up.
Q: How did working with this new group of guys in the studio compare to Live in terms of dynamics?
It was quite a different experience than I’ve had with the recent past records with Live.
Q: “Zion” has a really different sound for you.
Yeah. I went into that after getting my crash course in guitar evangelists like Blind Willie Johnson. I was always admiring his ability. Obviously coming from a spiritual orientation and an intense, somewhat dark rock element, it spoke to my heart about how I might want to approach doing this. I allowed that to color "Zion." We actually sang those hums through this tiny $5 mike you use to tune acoustic guitars. It sounded really good and we went for it.
Q: You co-wrote “Drink” with Chris Daughtry. Would you consider him a kindred spirit?
Absolutely. He’s and amazing singer and a great guy. Incredible musical intelligence with melody and arrangement. We weren’t even planning on writing together...When Chris sings, you really get the sense that he’s just so connected to his music.
Q: Where did the brief street noise sound effects at the beginning of “Rome” come from?
They are actually Roman city street sound effects. You can find anything on the internet. For $10 or $15, I purchased a snippet of a sample, like a movie sound effect. I wanted to recreate the environment that inspired that song. My first trip to Rome was actually a couple years ago. The traffic jam and all that is kind of historical and real in my life, the rest is interpretive. I wanted to try and recreate how wild and crazy that city is, but at the same time, how deeply rooted in history it is.
Q: Did it take an adjustment going the independent label route after being on Radioactive/MCA and then Epic Records with Live?
I’m enjoying it. It’s challenging. I never had that entrepreneurial relationship with my music as much as people who’ve always been independent have. Being on a major label, you’re a little bit distanced from that. You don’t have those day to day responsibilities. Taking that barrier away and having my own label, and being in a partnership with MRI and RED [distributing], being hands on as I’ve been, has been exciting. Just the thrill of it – it’s sink of swim on your own.
Q: Do you enjoy engaging with fans via Twitter and Facebook?
I do. I use Facebook. I’m newer to Twitter. I tweet as an extension to Facebook. It’s really inspiring to do a show, go down the road and look on my iPhone 4 and [see all the comments]. It’s a fun media, I really enjoy it. I did have tweet fatigue for awhile. I’m much more of Facebook person. If you miss a week on Facebook, it’s ok, whereas if you haven’t tweeted every 30 seconds, it’s like ‘where’d he go?’
Q: What was it like to take part in the 2010 Light of Day benefit concert with Bruce Springsteen in New Jersey?
It was a dream. I got this call at the last minute: could I come and do this? I jumped at the chance. I had never met the Boss. I always wanted to thank him for the first time I saw my crazy last name in Rolling Stone in late ’91 or early ’92, with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. He mentioned ‘this band Live and their amazing lead singer.’ I finally got to look him in the eye and thank him and tell him how much I loved his work too. He gave me a 25-minute full mentor lowdown on the length of his career and how it’s always been ‘damn the torpedoes’ and how from his perspective, he’s just had the best year of his career playing the Super Bowl and all that. He said, ‘every 7-10 years, they write me off and then I have my best year ever.’ I thought that was a great outlook. Just meeting him for the first time as I was about to embark on this new chapter, seemed totally scripted in some way. Having this heart to heart from the Boss at the outset was pretty much a dream.
Q: What is coming up on the horizon in 2011?
I’ve started to write for a new record. We’ve released the second single “Stand” and we’re promoting that. And I have my third baby daughter coming in April. I’m hoping to get back in the studio sometime in the next six months.

http://newwavegeo.blogspot.com/2011/03/q-w...-kowalczyk.html

Oke good, let him work with the producer that he recorded Grace and Stand with.

However, remember Ed mentioned writing for the 8th Live studio album for like 3 years long (!!!) and it didn't even happen in the end.

[PurdueSteve]

Q&A with Ed Kowalczyk
Q: What can fans expect from the shows?
It will touch on my work in Live[/url]

Touch? At least 1/2 of the show is Live material. Wherein the entire Solo album is not played. I can understand extending a set because one album may not be long enough, but when you aren't even playing the full album and instead using the old and "uninspiring" material then... well..

Songs from Black Mountain 3, back with more Lord, Jesus and False-setto.

[SinfulEyes]

Clearly this news signals Ed is getting back together with CCCP.

This post has been edited by SinfulEyes: Mar 17 2011, 2:56 pm

[LivesMeltdown]

Touch? At least 1/2 of the show is Live material. Wherein the entire Solo album is not played. I can understand extending a set because one album may not be long enough, but when you aren't even playing the full album and instead using the old and "uninspiring" material then... well..

Songs from Black Mountain 3, back with more Lord, Jesus and False-setto.

And when has Live ever played an entire album during a concert? I'm not even sure they did that during Mental Jewelry or Throwing Copper tours. He plays 9 of the 11 songs on Alive, so stop making it out to seem he doesn't play it.

Also, when has he ever called Live's music "uninspiring"? Never. Before he played The Beauty of Grey at a show I saw, he talked about how much meaning the song still has 20 years later.

This post has been edited by LivesMeltdown: Mar 17 2011, 3:01 pm

[LivesMeltdown]

Clearly this news signals Ed is getting back together with CCCP.

Joke is old, and unless there is another Chad that has entered Live...you even typed it wrong.

[PurdueSteve]

And when has Live ever played an entire album during a concert?

I never said they did.

I'm not even sure they did that during Mental Jewelry or Throwing Copper tours. He plays 9 of the 11 songs on Alive, so stop making it out to seem he doesn't play it.

He talks about how he founded excitement again being with these non-Live guys to bring about the old voice (I'd argue that Alive has his old voice) but then proceeds to play the old stuff for the majority of the show. It doesn't jive with what he's saying in these interviews at all. If you need the new band and all that for some new excitement and passion, then why are you playing old stuff. To even make the slightest bit of sense he should be, at the very least, playing 100% of the Alive album. Live's back catalog should only exist as a purpose to extend the length of his shows, since he only has the one album. It's evident that isn't the purpose. He wants to continue doing the Live material, which is fine, but it just makes the whole finding passion and excitement claims a little suspect.

Also, when has he ever called Live's music "uninspiring"? Never.

I didn't mean to imply that he has said as such, I'm just trying to state that it seems odd, to me at least, that he has all of these comments about how the new band and whatnot have ignited excitement and passion, but then continues to play the old stuff at shows even though he isn't playing all of the new stuff. Does that not seem the slightest. Aren't the few songs off of Alive that he's not playing more exciting and passionate then playing Lightning Crashes for the ten billionth time?

[SecretInsomnia]

Aren't the few songs off of Alive that he's not playing more exciting and passionate then playing Lightning Crashes for the ten billionth time?
[/quote]

LC is still one of my favorite songs... ever! but probably also one of the most performed songs by Ed. Also, I think he used to sing the song with more passion then he does now. Although the version on LATP is very decent tho. The times he performed LC since being solo, I have the feeling he doesnt seem to take the song all that serious anymore, which is too bad.

[PurdueSteve]

To prove my point here is his setlist from his enmore show

01 Intro
02 Just In Time
03 The Great Beyond
04 The Distance
05 All Over You
06 Selling The Drama
07 Zion
08 The Dolphin's Cry
09 Soul Whispers
10 Drink (Everlasting Love)
11 Drive
12 Stand
13 Heaven
14 I Alone
15 Overcome
16 Encore Break
17 Fire On The Mountain
18 Grace
19 World Vision Appeal
20 Grace (Reprise)
21 Lightning Crashes
22 Dance With You

I count 9 songs, out of 18, that are old Live material. Which means 3 songs off of Alive weren't played.

If he's found such passion working with these new artists shouldn't there be 3 less old Live songs in this setlist and 3 more solo album songs?

[PurdueSteve]

Aren't the few songs off of Alive that he's not playing more exciting and passionate then playing Lightning Crashes for the ten billionth time?
LC is still one of my favorite songs... ever! but probably also one of the most performed songs by Ed. Also, I think he used to sing the song with more passion then he does now. Although the version on LATP is very decent tho. The times he performed LC since being solo, I have the feeling he doesnt seem to take the song all that serious anymore, which is too bad.

Don't get me wrong, it's one of my favorite songs. I'm just trying to point out the inconsistency between what has been said in these interviews versus what he's doing in concert. I can't just be a lack of new solo material because he isn't playing all of his solo material, which means the conscious decision to not play some solo material in lieu of old live material was made.

[LivesMeltdown]

I never said they did.

But why even bring it up other than to seemingly bash a guy for something that's never been an issue before. I don't remember too many complaints about any Mental Jewelry bootlegs because Mother Earth is a Vicious Crowd was not played and they didn't play the entire cd.

He talks about how he founded excitement again being with these non-Live guys to bring about the old voice (I'd argue that Alive has his old voice) but then proceeds to play the old stuff for the majority of the show. It doesn't jive with what he's saying in these interviews at all. If you need the new band and all that for some new excitement and passion, then why are you playing old stuff. To even make the slightest bit of sense he should be, at the very least, playing 100% of the Alive album. Live's back catalog should only exist as a purpose to extend the length of his shows, since he only has the one album. It's evident that isn't the purpose. He wants to continue doing the Live material, which is fine, but it just makes the whole finding passion and excitement claims a little suspect.

Besides his acoustic shows, about half of Ed's set is Alive (not Live songs being the majority). Ed has repeatedly say he likes his new band and some of the changes in arrangements they have done to Live songs. Whether you or I agree, really doesn't matter...but if he likes the different takes on the older stuff, why not play it? Obviously, Live had issues towards the end, it's pretty well known. It's possible he could be having more fun now then in the past 5 years when he said he was uninspired about writing. It doesn't necessarily mean he didn't want anything to do with music of Live which he helped create prior to his solo record.

I didn't mean to imply that he has said as such, I'm just trying to state that it seems odd, to me at least, that he has all of these comments about how the new band and whatnot have ignited excitement and passion, but then continues to play the old stuff at shows even though he isn't playing all of the new stuff. Does that not seem the slightest. Aren't the few songs off of Alive that he's not playing more exciting and passionate then playing Lightning Crashes for the ten billionth

All 4 guys in Live were miserable in the end. That seems obvious. The whole talk of passion and excitement seems to have more to do being some other musicians, not that he was bored with Lightning Crashes or any other Live song.

[Pokey]

Ed just plays it safe with setlists. Whats sadder is when he has limited time like 1-2 songs maybe for radio or something and then plays LC. It came out like 17yrs ago, I know it's the song that made them but man, have some artistic integrity.

That aside when he gives interviews you'd be forgiven for going "oh this new stuff sounds interesting!" but when you actually hear Alive you realise how much of the talk is all fluff. Words like creative and such. Any praise being given to his session musicians at all is like a slap in the face for CCP because they don't measure up in any way. If Ed was working with some genuinely interesting musicians who were shining on their own accords and that were actually of a completely different mould to CCP then maybe I can understand. I saw a band last night who had 3 new session musos to the last time I saw them. You could take those guys and replace them with ed's current batch and there would be no difference. True I don't know the writing process but when Ed is totally credited and the album is void of creativity, I don't know where this breath of fresh air working with new people come from beyond now working with people who in his eyes, know their role and don't challenge him and allow him the bigger slice of the pie.

[SinfulEyes]

Joke is old, and unless there is another Chad that has entered Live...you even typed it wrong.

It's only old because you love Ed's knickers.

[LivesMeltdown]

It's only old because you love Ed's knickers.

Nah, it's only old because it wasn't funny the first 50 times you said it.

[OutToDry]

I will make one comment, then I will exit the thread:

Ed's inspired playing Live songs again because he doesn't have to look C&C&P in the face on stage in light of redirecting the monies in 2005 and doesn't feel guilty since he's not in their presence. But, the prodigal son might return some day.