Fishkill, NY (Interview with Ed), August 25, 2007 Options

[crazy1]

Taken from Friends of Live

Live plays Dutchess Stadium tomorrow.


August 24, 2007

Live lead singer Ed Kowalczyk just missed that tropical storm in Hawaii last week by hours. Oh yeah, and don't forget about the earthquake.

"We left right before it got there, and there was also the earthquake after we left, so it was like, 'Wow, this is really kinda nasty down here,'" Kowalczyk says. "We had beautiful timing."

Another beautiful thing is the fact that Live, the Counting Crows and Collective Soul are all going to be at Dutchess Stadium tomorrow.

Live isn't out hawking a new album; the band is having fun on this tour, and Kowalczyk says the set list, which takes an hour to run through, is packed with fan favorites both new and old. Hits that put the band on the map, including "I Alone," "Lightning Crashes" and "Selling the Drama," are all fair game.

Go! reporter Sandy Tomcho caught up with Kowalczyk via phone and spoke about Live's 2006 album, "Songs From Black Mountain," its fan club and Chris Daughtry.

What's it like to be on the road with Counting Crows and Collective Soul?
It's pretty great. There haven't been that many shows. We started around July 2, but everybody's gettin' along great. There's great guys in all the bands.

I heard you really like playing in ballfields. Really?Yeah. You know they're great venues. I was really not knowing what to expect, but the way they set them up is really sorta like a kind of mini amphitheater, but it doesn't have a roof, so it's more open. It's really an interesting setup, and, I have to say it, it's actually pretty cool.

"Songs From Black Mountain" sounds different from past albums. It's warmer. Does that reflect the change in label or that you guys are in a different place?I think it was way more about just what we wanted to do as a band and where we wanted to take the sound of the band for that particular group of my songs. It just felt like it needed a more organic approach, with the guitars being bigger and beautiful, but not necessarily with the crunch they had in previous records. So, it was a palette change rather than a real significant move for the band, because it's the same songwriting style, it's just we decided, "Hey, let's try this with the amps. Let's try this with the guitars. Let's not necessarily hit people in the face with these. Let's let them do a different thing." But, I like hitting people in the face (laughs).

Open-handed or closed-fisted?Open-handed. Lightly (laughs). Our fans in particular are like, "Is this the way the band is gonna sound forever?" The truth is, I never know what the band is gonna sound like record to record because we go with the flow and see where we're at. I would imagine the next thing around we'll be in a different frame of mind and we'll probably want to rebel against what we've done.

Chris Daughtry appears on the track "Mystery," which he sang with you more than a year ago on "American Idol."I was basically doing studio work and remixes during that period of the "American Idol" thing, and Chris actually asked if he could do it. He said, "Hey, we did this really cool version of 'Mystery' and we put these cool harmonies together in my hotel room and we did it on the show and wouldn't it be cool if we had a version of that the way we did it together?" And I said, "You know what? I'm in the studio and I'm actually doing remixes right now, so why don't you stop by." It was really fun. Our voices did work really cool together.

Do you guys still keep in touch? Have you taken him under your wing?
We do. We probably talk on the phone at least once a month. He's on tour and I've been on tour, and it's funny because half the time it's about our voices and what we're doing to keep them strong. "Hey, man, I found this new Chinese herb that's got licorice in it and it helps your voice." It's kinda funny that way. It's more like singer-to-singer stuff.

You guys offer lots of great benefits to your fan club members, more than many other bands. Do you see that paying off?Yeah, we do. And it's something that we've always been into doing because when you subscribe to a fan club, I always look at it old-school. I was a member of the KISS fan club, and you used to get really cool stuff. It's a gesture that says, "You're important to us. You mean something to us." And we're gonna be doing more of that, and we're also going to be making more things available to people who aren't necessarily "Homespun" subscribers, too. I'm not gonna give any more secrets away because there really is something cool coming. We'll keep it like that. Just keep checking.

If you Go! ...
What: Live, Collective Soul and Counting Crows
Where: Dutchess Stadium, Route 9D, Wappingers Falls
When: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 25
Tickets: $49.50
Call: 454-3388
Visit:www.ticketmaster.com
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../-1/ENTERTAIN08

This post has been edited by SJN1279: Aug 24 2007, 11:11 am

[Tina]

I miss hearing Runaway in concert. I just assumed that Ed's voice couldn't handle that song lately. I hope that's not the case though. I would love to hear it again.

[SJN1279]

An Alternative Night Out:
Counting Crows, Live, and Collective Soul
are a Triple Threat Line-Up!
A Kweevak.com Rock Report by Rich and Laura Lynch

• SEE AN ALTERNATIVE VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE WITH DIFFERENT PICTURES!!! Check it out on our partner site - www.soundpress.net!



To find a line-up as potent as the Counting Crows, Live and Collective Soul you would have to look 60 miles south along the Hudson River to the Bronx to find Jeter, A-Rod and the one they call Godzilla. Still, the concert in Wappingers Fall, New York was a monster undertaking and it did take place in a baseball stadium that is home to the Hudson Valley Renegades. On August 25, 2007 more than 5,000 rock and roll renegades braved scorching heat and humidity to participate in the "Rock ' N' Roll Triple Play of 2007" that has been touring minor league ballparks across the U.S. since late July.



Adam Duritz was a bundle of energy during the Counting Crows impressive set!

Collective Soul, Counting Crows and Live are musically diverse and different from each other, yet all three are described as American alternative-rock era groups. All were founded in the 1990's and each have enjoyed the ups and downs of success since their formation. In 2007, the bands formed a dream-team and scheduled a summer series of live shows at baseball stadiums in the midwest and east coast portions of the United States.

In 1993, the song "Shine" penned by Ed Roland became an underground radio hit. Atlantic Records took notice and Collective Soul was born as a major label band. Despite mainstream success, Collective Soul struggled financially in the early years due to a bad business deal but they eventually got things straightened out. Collective Soul has sold millions of records and has built a solid reputation as an energetic live act. Their latest CD Afterwords was released in August 2007.

Right from the start, the Counting Crows focused on cultivating their live shows, which helped them grow their fan base. August and Everything After was their debut album which blossomed and brought the Counting Crows worldwide fame and recognition with the help of MTV. With a few roster changes over the years, the Counting Crows continued to release standout records supported by relentless touring. Today, they are still flying high and their new CD Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings is scheduled to drop in the fall of 2007.



LIVE's Ed Kowalczyk on stage in Wappingers Falls, New York.

Live is known and respected for their anthemic rock songs with Zen tendencies. Throwing Copper is their biggest selling record to date and was also their big breakthrough album. Since then, Live has continued to issue insightful and innovative records and they have steadily increased their following. Live has global appeal especially in Holland, Europe and beyond. Live is currently working on a new CD with a tentative release date of 2008.

Fans of various ages arrived early to Dutchess Stadium for a triple play of 90's rock. Many were tailgating in the parking lot beforehand and musical strains of all three acts were merging in the air as we strode to the entrance of the field. Since the show was taking place in a baseball stadium the national anthem was played before Collective Soul took the stage promptly at 6:30 p.m.

Collective Soul came out swinging, making ample use of their lead-off status in the opening innings. They played an energetic, eight-song set that included lots of hits and one new song "Hollywood" - a catchy rocker from Afterwards - their recently issued seventh studio release.



Ed Roland fronts the Collective Soul collective.

Ed Roland is a lively lead singer and guitarist. Roland prowled the whole stage, sang with expression and performed a few shenanigans with his mic stand. Ed was able to engage the crowd - even those sitting in the bleachers - with clapping and encouraging people to sing the hook lines to some of Collective Soul's most popular songs.

Yet, Collective Soul is more than just its front man. Lead guitarist Joel Kosche combined with guitarist Dean Roland to deliver driving riffs and luscious leads. Rhythym team Will Turpin (bass) and Ryan Hoyle (drums) propel tempting tempos that pack plenty of punch. Collective Soul played a strong set alive with spirited interpretations of their songs with some interesting changes. Highlights included a creative version of "Run" and the crowd pleasing "Shine".

Between sets, members of the Counting Crows did quick PSAs for the local charities that were on site. Next at bat was Live, who stepped up to the plate and rocked the home of the Renegades with the hard-hitting "All Over You". Live connected with the crowd immediately. Their set was a varied mix of anthemic sing-a-longs, contemplative compositions, edgy rockers and melodic numbers. Live's cover of Johnny Cash's "Walk The Line" contrasted power packed drumming and guitar riffs with the reflective refrain of the Man in Black's time-tested number. As lead singer Ed Kowalczyk described it was "a good version of a great song".



Dean Roland helps provide the crunchy hooks found in Collective Soul songs!

"Wings" from the album Songs From Black Mountain (2006) combined melodic perceptive lyrics with soaring guitar leads and it had a crowd-pleasing catchy hook. "River" also from the forementioned record flowed on lush lyrics and a lilting refrain. Live hit it out it of the park with "I Alone" with its potent riffs, rhythms and powerful refrain. The band was all over the stage for this one, jumping and running around, very animated. The song also included a rap about the world needing more love and bringing the troops home which saw Ed begin a cosmic chant of "love" and the crowd complied by filling the stadium with the postive mantra.

Another grand slam for the band was the closer "Lightning Crashes". Folks held their cell phones up for lights, singing, and responding enthusiastically to Live's effectiveness and energy. Live's clean-up act was a commendable mix of classics from Throwing Copper (1994) and more current songs that covered all the bases of their impresseive recording career.

The last licks of the night were provided by the Counting Crows who took the stage a few minutes after nine. Fans were eager with cell phones held high - energized by a few bars of "Lean On Me" which the Crows chose as their uplifting entrance song. Adam Duritz greeted the crowd and stated that they learned a bunch of old songs that they have not played in a while. He also mentioned that thier new record Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings would be out soon and opened the set with the first single - "When I Dream of Michaelangelo" - which was a colorful reflective piece featuring poignant piano parts.



LIVE was at home in a live setting!

Adam was clearly slimmed down from when we saw him last in Hershey, PA., abundantly energetic, moving around the stage and quite talkative, often rapping between songs about the new album and the origins of their music. The set was a mix of up-beat fan favorites and moving, melancholy material. Even Adam painted "Perfect Blue Buildings" as a mopey song about being miserable. Before the band played "All My Friends" Duritz mused about relationships gone bad and how all his friends have grown up while he seems stuck in time. The song was serious with a sullen overtone. "Hard Candy" was also executed with emotion.

The Counting Crows presented alternative interpretations of some of their songs, including an acoustic version of "Miami" and "A Long December". The band was in good form, highlights of the inning included the popular "Mr. Jones" and "Hang Around". The Counting Crows delivered a solid performance that was diverse and entertaining.

Combined bills are good opportunities for bands to play to and win over new audiences. Collective Soul, Live and the Counting Crows was a great combination and it would be fun if they continued to tour as a team in the fall, playing indoor venues which are better suited for sound. The acoustics at Dutchess Stadium were average but there were fluctuations and phase shifts in the quality and volume of the music during all three sets but overall the show was still a championship caliber presentation!