Upcoming: Chad Taylor & Friends concert Options

[717raised]

I'd be curious to see the set-list and hear how this goes

https://zoetropolis.com/special_events/chad-taylor-friends/

Fri, Oct 27

8:00 pm

Run Time: 180 min.

Doors – 7:30 PM

Showtime – 8:00 PM

Tickets – $20

Join us for an intimate evening to celebrate the long-awaited return to the stage for Chad Taylor, founding member, co-songwriter, and former guitarist of the multi-platinum band LIVE.

After a three-year hiatus, the musical performance will feature a robust music catalog, including songs from LIVE, The Gracious Few, and new material. Taylor fronts the five-piece band on vocals and guitar while performing “Taylor’s Version” of songs spanning his nearly 40-year musical journey. This is a new path in Taylor’s historic rise from CBGB’s, 9:30 Club, and The Chameleon Club to global recognition.

Taylor & Friends is filled with fresh faces and at least one musician with a bowling average above 220 who has a known affinity for chocolate Easter bunnies.

[dangum]

Catching up with Live's Chad Taylor as he embarks on new journey, performs sold-out shows [Q&A]
MICKAYLA MILLER | Staff Writer Nov 18, 2023




Chad Taylor is ready for a comeback, but it has to be on his terms.

Taylor is perhaps known for being alternative rock band Live's former guitarist and backing vocalist. The York County-native band rose to fame in 1994 with its album, "Throwing Copper," that features singles like "Lightning Crashes," "All Over You" and "I Alone."

After nearly 40 years, Live has seen plenty of ups and downs, with member changes, lawsuits, personal grudges and firings. (Taylor declined to comment on the lawsuits.) Taylor himself was fired from the band in mid-2022. Lead singer Ed Kowalczyk has since fired the other two members of the band, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey.

Taylor doesn't let the past dictate his future, however. He just knew he wanted to get back on stage — this time, not as the guitarist or backing vocalist, but instead in front of the microphone as the lead singer.

Taylor wanted to focus his efforts on an Americana sound, something more pared down than Live's plugged-in, alternative rock style. He says friends describe him as a blend of Johnny Cash and Neil Young, two of Taylor's idols. (These are claims he denies but says it's an honor to hear.)

He established the group Chad Taylor and Friends, an ever-evolving group of musicians that currently includes drummer Nick Lowry, guitarist Adam Kontis, pedal steel guitar player Jimmy Patron and bassist Dahlheimer.

The band performed a sold-out show at Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse, in downtown Lancaster, Oct. 27. Following that performance, Taylor immediately booked a second show at Zoetropolis Nov. 24. That show sold out, too.

"What the past told me is that I have no idea how long this will last," Taylor says. "How long will my voice as an artist last? I'm not really sure. So there has to be an urgency in wanting to get back on stage."

We caught up with Taylor before his sold-out Nov. 24 concert, and talked about his new band, his feelings on the past and how he plans to move forward in his own direction while still honoring Live's music.

Editor's note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Congrats on two sold-out shows at Zoetropolis. Why was Zoetropolis a good spot for a musical comeback?
Chad Taylor: The plan initially was simply just to get the musicians I was working with back on a stage. The part where Zoetropolis is so attractive to me is that it’s small and intimate. It’s like playing in someone’s living room. … That first night felt like I had all these incredible characters from my career that just stopped what they were doing to come support the show and support me as an artist. Boy, did that feel good. It was like a giant hug. I was nervous … I’ve been playing on the stage for such a long time, I don’t have stage fright, per se, but just more this feeling of, I don’t want to disappoint anyone. … It felt beautiful and natural and extremely rewarding.

You mentioned feeling nervous: Is it different to perform with a band other than Live? Especially since you all-but grew up beside them.
I’ve made so many records and played with so many other people, that I don’t really feel any nervousness when it comes to that. There’s a big difference between the caliber of experience of the collective of Live, versus the people I have here. … There are creative constraints within the dynamic of a band that I don’t have to face. … I wanted to embrace this more Americana feel, much more organic. … What I’m not trying to do is compare myself to anyone, especially the work that Ed Kowalczyk (Live lead singer), Chris Shinn (Live guitarist) and Kevin Martin (lead singer of The Gracious Few, a band that also included Taylor, Dahlheimer and Gracey) performed. They’re such incredible vocal talent. The comparison thing would destroy me. … I’m really careful to give credit where credit is due. For example, I’m singing Live songs in some cases where Ed has written the melodies and lyrics. There’s a whole new computation going on in my mind.

Right, because you’re not doing Ed’s Live, you’re doing Chad’s Live.
Yeah. And, there are some brand new songs that are in the set. … One of the most difficult things about being in a tremendously successful band like Live is that there’s only one global spotlight that shines on the organization. And we had a tremendous amount of talent. … We proved, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that we had a collective magic and our fans, by the millions, supported that. In some weird way, the music itself gets to live on forever. … Anyone that is a Live fan who comes to the show, one thing we’re doing is celebrating the collective that Live created, that the Gracious Few created and the songs I’m writing now. Any negative connotation is left at the door. … There’s enough division in the world these days, there’s not going to be that at my show.

With having the freedom to create new music, not tethered to ‘the collective,’ what can you do with your new band that you haven’t been able to do before?
There are new challenges, and that’s great. I’m standing at the center microphone and singing lead vocals. That’s a brand new challenge, something that I was able to avoid simply due to the fact that I was surrounded by such talented people. The new challenge is fueling new creativity. The guitar and my voice being connected now are driving me into writing new material, planning a new album, planning a new tour. In some shape and form, it’s also open ended in who I’m going to work with. One of the reasons I called it Chad Taylor and Friends is because it can be a group of musicians, and I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself into one particular format. … Bands, when they become multi-national things like Live became, are morphic. There’s something about being smaller and more agile, and I think that means something to me at my age.

You're still performing with long-time Live bandmate Patrick Dahlheimer. Is there some sense of comfort in performing with a musician you’ve known since childhood?
Patrick and I sat next to each other in seventh grade chemistry class at Edgar Fahs Middle School (now the Edgar Fahs Smith STEAM Academy in York County). Long before we played a musical note, we were drawing outlines of what our stage set was going to look like. There’s a trust factor there that is unspoken, unwritten, but always acknowledged. … It’s incredible to have that person anchor the band. … I feel so lucky to have him.

What’s the end goal? Are you thinking of going back on tour?
The goal will be to put myself back on the road. … Everyone, temper expectations. It takes time to put these things together. Even the best laid plans, I’ve learned, can go away or change. … I could easily get back to doing 60-80 shows a year. In my world, that’s barely working. … I can just make those decisions on my own and that feels extremely liberating.

Your last quote in a Rolling Stone article from earlier this year said that you’d pick up and play with Live tomorrow. Do you still stand by that quote?
I stand by that quote a thousand percent. I think the odds of that happening would be slim to none. A big part of my spiritual ethos is forgiveness. And I think that I recognize that I know not a human that doesn’t have flaws, mistakes and imperfections. … That also includes forgiving myself. I’m not without fault or flaw. … I want to allow all my collaborators the space to be the best version of themselves, and I want the same in return. … Not everybody is going to subscribe to my philosophy.

For more information about Chad Taylor and Friends, or to find out when new shows are announced, visit chadtaylorandfriends.com/tour.

https://lancasteronline.com/features/entert...3e18817dfaa.htm