Live reveal new EP title - "Local 717" Options

[Bremang]

http://www.news-herald.com/article/HR/2018.../NEWS/180829624

Considering Live is known as a multi-platinum alt-rock band from the '90s, it was apropos that singer-guitarist Ed Kowalczyk referenced another touchstone from the decade when discussing the group's newly released single, "Love Lounge," which is a rocking affair that found the act plugging in its guitars and turning the amps to 11.

"I don't think anybody expected it," said Kowalczyk, calling from Mansfield, Massachusetts. "The fans were a little bit whiplashed by it, which was fun for us.

"We didn't expect to make a song like 'Love Lounge' and to sort of kick it up into that gear three years ago when we started putting the reunion together. It's like one of those, 'Life is a box of chocolates' kind of things."

Live finds itself at a new chapter of its 25-year-plus career, which includes more than 22 million albums sold worldwide, two No. 1 albums ("Throwing Copper" and "Secret Samadhi") and more than a dozen Top-20 alt-rock radio hits.

Advertisement

After spending the better part of a decade away from Live, pursuing a solo career, Kowalczyk


rejoined the group a few years ago with an eye on new material. At that point, the Pennsylvania outfit could have taken the easy route — releasing a nostalgic, albeit schmaltzy, tune in hopes of finding airplay on adult-contemporary radio.

"I blame it all on Dave Grohl," Kowalczyk said. "We reconnected with the Foo Fighters a couple of times last year. 'Love Lounge' has a whole different tenor and energy. We also have EP 'Local 717' coming that's very much along the same lines.

"After this break, I didn't really want to do a sort of five-minute, mid-tempo meditation. We write like that all of the time. I wanted something that rocked, so we really took that, sort of digested it and just went into the studio and kicked the whole thing up a notch."

Fans attending Live's show Aug. 26 at Blossom Music Center — the band is opening for the Counting Crows — can expect to hear the new tune, as well as all of the group's hits ("Lightning Crashes," "I Alone," "All Over You" and "Lakini's Juice") and a Jimmy Reed cover ("Baby What You Want Me to Do").

This tour marks the third time Live has teamed up with Counting Crows, including a memorable 2000 show at Blossom. Kowalczyk said when the Adam Duritz-led act offered them the gig, it was a no-brainer for Live, which over the decades has lived and experienced all of the rock 'n' roll tropes — early success, creative differences, band acrimony, a breakup and an eventual well-received reunion.

"It's some kind of prefigured thing and a story that's been told a lot of times," Kowalczyk said. "But living it in my life, and I think I can speak for the band, the fact we're back together, nobody expected it for a long time. So there's a level of gratitude and joy on tour that I think the fans can really tell."

More importantly, playing up the title of the band's top-5 alt-rock hit "All Over You," it's pointed out that the fans aren't over Live.

"Nope, they're not over us yet," Kowalczyk laughed. "We're still rocking. They keep calling, we keep coming."

[thefunkyredcaboose]

I gave this thing a fair shot and to me it is huge step down from The Turn (which I loved about half of).

What surprised me most of all about it is that Ed isn't really the problem here. I mean, yeah, the lyrics are super cheesy but his voice mostly sounds pretty good. I do feel like the melodies are not very strong, but I don't know that that is Ed's fault.

Where they lost me here is that the songs just come off as aimless chunks mashed together. I can respect trying something new but it is all over the place and not in a good way. Part of it is that the mix isn't super tight, but the larger problem is that the songs don't have the kind of direction that Live usually had even on their worst efforts. I have no idea who wrote what here, but there are a lot of times where it sounds like Ed couldn't come up with a cool melody to go over the aimlessness happening around him.

The other big issue, that I will admittedly probably not listen enough to fully assess, is that most of the time the guitars don't even sound like CT. CT has never been the best guitarist but his big chunky riffs and emotional style is a major part of Live's sound. What's-his-name seems like a good guitarist but his playing is so fucking generic that it is hard to even tell this is Live. It's a shame too because some of CT's moments on TGF and The Turn were the best stuff he has ever recorded to me (Honest Man, Trecedim, By Design).

Now someone could say that CT was paired with Sean on TGF and I loved that (I do!). That was a different band and honestly - you hear WAY more of CT on that record. Those two styles complimented each other so well. And Sean has way more style than generic-guitar-guy-I'm-sure-he's-a-nice-dude-but-who-cares.

Along with that, I don't get the two drummer thing either. It doesn't take me out of the songs like the other guitarist does, but it does make me shake my head.

So even though I pretty much hate this and will never listen to it again (seriously it is down there with SFBM for me), I left my time with it... slightly encouraged? I feel like if they did these simple things:

1. Remember that they are LIVE and the four of them kick ass together without additional members.
2. Get Jerry Harrison in to produce the next record and spend money on the production.
3. Don't confuse "hey look we have loud rock guitars" with the Live rock sound, which was always very melodic above all the meaty riffs. Write songs, not music.

Then they just may have something that would be worth listening to.

I still don't love the rapid dissolution of TGF or the "let's wipe Shinn's work off the earth" moves from these guys, but it'd be nice for them to find their way as the original lineup for the first time since TDTH.