We Open The Door, available to stream at Pledgemusic.com Options

[dangum]

AccessPass Update 30 September, 2014
Pledgers Can Hear LIVE's 'We Open the Door' Early!

Because you have pledged to support LIVE’s upcoming album THE TURN, you now have access to check out our new song ‘We Open the Door’ (including an introduction from Chad Taylor) before others hear it tomorrow! You’ll also receive another notice from us tomorrow where you can instantly download the track. In the meantime, give it a listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for all your support, we’re less than a month from the album release now!

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/live/updates/42109

[PhoenixDecay]

I think some people put too much importance into a band and into their own story with them. Look, some people did have to go through this breakup a long time ago, slowly realizing that this band wouldn't be the same as before, some do this now. It hurts, because so many things are attached to your favourite band, like Voodoo Lady says, the music that helped you, the fans you met and become friends through your journey with the band. It's like a relationship. An often used analogy is the relationship you have to your parents. And the last ten years they were just together for safety reasons, although they didn't love each other. And now they are divorced and for some reasons you think you have to chose between them and blame one part, because someone has to take responsibility for your pain. Someone just has to.

The thing is: band are not parents. They don't have to be loved by their children by definition.
Bands are a combination of musical individuals, who have the luck that some combinations "work" better with more people, making them popular. I call it "work" because not everything you like about music is objectively identifiable. Of course there are objective elements - you can study music after all. But which combination will work to you, which brings the magic, resonating with your heart, that can be completely subjective.

And now we have the case that a part of a working combination left the band. And there is another combination now. And with a lot of people this combination resonates, and with a lot of others it doesn't.
And now combine this with the emotions of children going through a divorce.

Ed Kowalczyck was a powerful singer, with a very unique voice, who had his weaknesses as a vocalist as well. I know a lot of people who didn't like this unique thing in his voice and say he is a terrible singer. Can you imagine that? How do you feel about that?
Chris Shinn is by no means a weak singer. This statement is just bold. From a lot of objective points you can rate him a lot higher than other singers. If you are honest: To say he is weak is just your way to say he doesn't resonate with you as the other did. But how should people, who like him more, feel about, your statement? It's the same.
Again, I am not saying there aren't weak vocalists out there and you shouldn't name them, because you could hurt feelings. My point is, it's not the case with Shinn. You just don't like his voice, that's all and the handling of him is unfair.

Adding to this I don't think it's by any means disrespectful to sing the words of someone else. It may be disrespectful to you, because deep in your heart you feel, this guy has stolen my band. But if someone else use your words it's a compliment. Ed's band uses mostly the music of CCP. I, being a drummer myself, would see that as a compliment of my own creation.
It would be disrespectful if you wouldn't use the creation of others seriously or you use it just to make money out of it, without standing behind it.
Of course you will never know if the latter is really the case. But they never gave any hint fot that and their performances don't give any hints either. They take Live, it's heritage, it's identity seriously and that's all that matters when it comes to respect.

This post has been edited by PhoenixDecay: Oct 2 2014, 5:30 am

[WaiterAtCliftons]

I think some people put too much importance into a band and into their own story with them. Look, some people did have to go through this breakup a long time ago, slowly realizing that this band wouldn't be the same as before, some do this now. It hurts, because so many things are attached to your favourite band, like Voodoo Lady says, the music that helped you, the fans you met and become friends through your journey with the band. It's like a relationship. An often used analogy is the relationship you have to your parents. And the last ten years they were just together for safety reasons, although they didn't love each other. And now they are divorced and for some reasons you think you have to chose between them and blame one part, because someone has to take responsibility for your pain. Someone just has to.

The thing is: band are not parents. They don't have to be loved by their children by definition.
Bands are a combination of musical individuals, who have the luck that some combinations "work" better with more people, making them popular. I call it "work" because not everything you like about music is objectively identifiable. Of course there are objective elements - you can study music after all. But which combination will work to you, which brings the magic, resonating with your heart, that can be completely subjective.

And now we have the case that a part of a working combination left the band. And there is another combination now. And with a lot of people this combination resonates, and with a lot of others it doesn't.
And now combine this with the emotions of children going through a divorce.

Ed Kowalczyck was a powerful singer, with a very unique voice, who had his weaknesses as a vocalist as well. I know a lot of people who didn't like this unique thing in his voice and say he is a terrible singer. Can you imagine that? How do you feel about that?
Chris Shinn is by no means a weak singer. This statement is just bold. From a lot of objective points you can rate him a lot higher than other singers. If you are honest: To say he is weak is just your way to say he doesn't resonate with you as the other did. But how should people, who like him more, feel about, your statement? It's the same.
Again, I am not saying there aren't weak vocalists out there and you shouldn't name them, because you could hurt feelings. My point is, it's not the case with Shinn. You just don't like his voice, that's all and the handling of him is unfair.

Adding to this I don't think it's by any means disrespectful to sing the words of someone else. It may be disrespectful to you, because deep in your heart you feel, this guy has stolen my band. But if someone else use your words it's a compliment. Ed's band uses mostly the music of CCP. I, being a drummer myself, would see that as a compliment of my own creation.
It would be disrespectful if you wouldn't use the creation of others seriously or you use it just to make money out of it, without standing behind it.
Of course you will never know if the latter is really the case. But they never gave any hint fot that and their performances don't give any hints either. They take Live, it's heritage, it's identity seriously and that's all that matters when it comes to respect.

Well said. I can understand why some people around here do take sides, but I don't think CCP or Ed really care one way or another. They obviously both want people to like and support their music, but at the same time any professional artist knows that is not always going to be the case. Personally, I feel like Ed did do something awful to these guys who were his longtime band mates and above that, close friends. I was neither of those things to Ed, so while I was pissed because at the time no one was sure if we would ever get new +LIVE+ material. But when CCP announced plans for the band moving forward, it kind of took some of that angst away that I had towards Ed.

I think both sides are not being honest when they say that one or the other are terrible. Ed may not be the same singer/songwriter he was in the 90's, but his music IMO isn't terrible. I will still listen to new +LIVE+ stuff any day of the week over Ed's music, just because I prefer their style more. But I also occasionally will listen to Ed's stuff, and enjoy most of it for what it is. I Find it to be more enjoyable than a lot of other new music out there. That being said, I only listen to it on Spotify, which is a streaming music service. I will not buy any of his stuff or go to his shows, because I don't agree with the way he handled things with CCP.

You can look at it two ways I think. Be pissed about the entire situation and take sides, or just enjoy all the music we have gotten over the past 5 years from these guys who used to make up our favorite band. We had TGF, now a new +LIVE+ album, Ed has put out 2 albums and an EP. That is a lot of music the last 5 years from the guys I grew up listening to and who were and still are a big part of my life.

This post has been edited by WaiterAtCliftons: Oct 2 2014, 8:03 am