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Taken from SOY:

Thank you Dan!

After two decades, they're still Live
Julio Diaz
jdiaz@pnj.com


While many of their contemporaries — Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains — have split up, reconfigured, reunited and hit the comeback trail over the last decade-plus, Live has quietly endured for more than 20 years. The band is still made up of the same four guys who got together at age 13 for a middle-school talent show in York, Pa. — drummer Chad Gracey, guitarist Chad Taylor, singer Ed Kowalczyk and bass player Patrick Dahlheimer.

Though it's been 10 years since Live's greatest commercial successes with hits such as "I Alone," "Lightning Crashes" and "Lakini's Juice," the band remains creative and active, with a loyal fanbase that includes such modern hitmakers as Chris Daughtry.

And as the band's name implies, Live remains a powerful force on the concert stage. We'll have the opportunity to see that on Saturday, when they perform at the Amphitheater at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Ala.

Ed Kowalczyk spoke about the band's longevity, influence and the ups-and-downs of the music biz in a telephone interview.

Q: It's amazing that Live has managed to stay together for so long with no changes in the line-up. What is your secret?

A: I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we started it so young, at 13 years of age. We formed our personalities in the band, grew up in the band. By the time we got successful, the fact that we had already been together almost a decade really helped us weather the storms of success and maintain and enjoy it and have this family.

Q: Do you think of your bandmates as a family?

A: We operate like one. We kind of always have. It's a very close-knit group, and we have remained a really strong unit.

Q: When the band first started getting national notice in the early '90s, it was in "alternative"/"modern rock" circles. Is that a label you felt comfortable with?

A: I don't know that I'm comfortable with any labels. They tend to shelve you in certain ways and put you in a place that's relative to a degree, but really doesn't cover all of what's unique about Live. There are some parts that fit that category, but they're more the superficial things. If you dig a little deeper, there's more than just a modern rock band. We try to go to a place that I don't think is typical rock and roll. We're a modern rock band, but does that completely define who we are? No, I don't think so.

Q: Did you feel a kinship with other "alternative" bands?

A: Sure. With U2 and R.E.M. in particular, they were bands we looked to as heroes when we were first starting. By the time we really started to come into our own in terms of vision, then I definitely started to feel that sort of resonance with other bands of the mid-'90s, like Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam. I felt like there was a surge of creativity happening in rock that was pushing itself into new emotional territory that I felt a part of.

Q: Do you think there's a nostalgia for those times today?

A: I think so. We can tell in our shows that there's a resurgence of interest in that time period. There was just such a uniqueness about it. It was one of those great moments in rock, where the bar was raised again. It had a uniqueness that I think is sort of missing today, without getting all "good old days" about it.

Q: In that time period, you scored a major coup by getting the opening slot on MTV's "120 Minutes" tour with Public Image Limited and Big Audio Dynamite What was that like?

A: I don't think we realized how cool it was at the time. I wasn't an audiophile. I liked what I liked, but what I owned was really limited. I was using being in a band as an education, I really didn't know much about the Sex Pistols, or who (Pistols/P.i.L. frontman) John Lydon or (B.A.D frontman and former member of The Clash) Mick Jones was. One of the coolest things about that period was learning as I went while I was in a successful band. It was kind of the best of both worlds.

Q: Does the distinction of "alternative" or "modern rock" mean anything anymore?

A: I would say the boundaries are blurring, definitely. I don't know what that means other than you used to be able to turn to "alternative music" that had a certain ethos to it. When you turned on "120 Minutes" Sunday night, it was because you were going for something that was at least somewhat different. That, to me, has faded. Not to say there's not interesting music, but it's not as distinctive where to go for it.

When you start a band, as much as you think you want to be part of a movement, you're also doing it because you want to be an individual. There's a fine line between being an individual and trying to figure out where we fit in.

Q: You're known as being a spiritual guy. Do you hope that fans take some kind of spiritual inspiration from your music?

A: Sure, yeah, and I think they do. One of the things were doing on this tour is to try to use the tie to create an experience of community that people will take away something that goes to a deeper emotional place. We use a lot of volume and running around to get that done, and I think we've got a pretty good average.

Q: A co-worker said I should ask you when Live became a Christian band. Do you consider yourselves a Christian band?

A: No, not in the sense of a genre. I've always said that in my personal life and how I approach truth, is that my mind and heart are completely open to all the spiritual traditions. So my answer is yes and no, because Jesus is a personal inspiration, as are the Buddha and Socrates. No, in the sense that we don't consider ourselves part of the genre of Christian music.

Q: How does Live weather the changes in the music industry?

A: Live has been sort of specially equipped to move into this era because we've always concentrated on our tours. Records are important, too, but I think now that the world is changing so much in terms of how they're digesting the music in terms of the album becoming less important and people buying single tunes on iTunes.

Our nucleus is so rooted on live performance that we've put more focus there because it's a thing we can control every element of. We can't control how people get the recordings. So we're able to move into this new era on the other end, the recording side, with a lot of energy. We're moving into it with a lot of creativity.

Q: You're touring without a new album to promote. How is that different?

A: So far, it's more fun. There's the actual pressure of promoting a record when you have one in the market, and there's the undercurrent of expectations, the sort of "rat race" part of it. Not having that has freed us up to mess with the set, not be beholden to the last record and get into the show more for itself, dig as deep as we can emotionally on stage, and maybe have a little more to give.

Q: You've used the word "emotional" several times. Do you think Live has been an inspiration to today's so-called emo bands?

A: I think so. I know a lot of guys have heard it and guys I've met have [mentioned the] same kind of influence. A lot of the way we arranged our songs, on "Throwing Copper" in particular, that "whisper to a scream" build and emotional depth and drama was always important to me.

If anyone was inspired by me, I was inspired by bands like U2, so I guess it's kind of a tradition. But I guess it's flattering to hear that there are bands that we've inspired in that way.

Q: What can fans expect from the show?

A: Expect a lot of energy. I'm really tired and sweaty at the end. I don't remember much because I'm so into it, but I'm always hot and sweaty so I imagine I'm expending a lot of energy. We do play the hits, but we try to being new twists so it's not just the same old songs. And we also touch on some obscure things from early albums. We get around the entire history.

Q: If you could be remembered for just one song from Live's vast catalog, what song would you want it to be, and why?

A: Wow. (Pause). I would say... (Pause.) I would say "Lightning Crashes," even though it's kind of the obvious one to say. It's interesting to me as a songwriter that that has become the song that's synonymous with Live. It contains all of the emotion I feel should be in music, it's authentic — as a song, it's kind of a template for Live. The fact that that song has emerged as the song a lot of people equate with Live is more than fine with me. I agree wholeheartedly about their choice, and I feel really strongly about that song, too.

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/p.../709280318/1005

[Badman]

Thanks for the article! I'm starting to see alot of patterns in these questions but this one had some new ones. "When did live become a christian band?" The lyrics may be kinda fruity but just because ed moved past his religiously charged teenage years doesn't mean he's ready to worship gods through song.

Ed made a good point, 90's music is popular again. At least for my generation. It's like 80's music 10 years ago.

[Hoodstock]

90's music is popular again. At least for my generation. It's like 80's music 10 years ago.

Except that it's listenable.