Live: Easing Some Pain, Article from largest Mexican newspaper Options

[J.Sax]

Just saw this posted in a bulletin by LIVE's MySpace.

Ed recently did an interview with Reforma Newspaper, the largest newspaper in Mexico.
Below is the article translated into English:

REFORMA NEWSPAPER
THE BIGGEST PAPER IN MEXICO
DECEMBER 6, 2008

Live: easing some pain
Luis Carrillo

While the WTC Twin Towers were falling on September 11, 2001, Live's frontman, Edward Kowalczyk, was among the millions of citizens watching the saddest breaking news in US history. A few days later, he appeared in an awesome video footage for V single, "Overcome" (3:51 mins), trying to give some hope and comfort with this astonishing ballad.

Ed, who years before that was #1 in the US with great selling albums Throwing Copper and Secret Samadhi, would never forget those lyrics, those moments, those days... "Overcome" would become some kind of cure to ease pain.

"'Overcome' is interesting because it was on his way to go out in those days. Suddenly, after the devastation of 9/11, people went to the song for a sense of healing or a sense of just trying to contain the incredible emotion that was coming around that time. As an artist, I felt a lot of gratification in the fact that something that I wrote was helping people after the tragedy. The song wasn't obviously written for that event, but it had life in its own. I'll never forget those moments", says Kowalczyk by phone from Rotterdam.

"Again, we see that music plays a very important part in culture, specially in terms of healing in times where things get tough. I just feel very grateful for participating in that. I feel great. I've always felt that up to that point I've written songs that I was trying to go to a very deep emotional places, but after 'Overcome' I found a new way... I respected the lyrics much more".

"I think there's always room for faith, and more love and more hope and brotherhood. Music has an incredible potential for healing people in every way. Music, for us, is a celebration every night, so I feel like I try to do my part as an artist writing songs about unity and love".

Seven years later, what can you tell us about Barack Obama and the last US election?

"It has been an incredible election. Barack Obama made me cry. We feel very excited and very relieved, but also, we have a very challenging future with a lot of work to do. With Barack Obama, we have an incredible opportunity to come together. In him we have an opportunity for a new sense of world unity", tells Ed.

Live 'live'

Live has just released Live At The Paradiso, a spectacular 2008 concert in Amsterdam.

"Well, being in a band called Live, we figured it was time to make 'Live live'", Ed laughs. "Amsterdam was a wonderful venue, in Paradiso. It was an incredible night, incredible fan devotion throughout the Cd and dvd. The venue was actually an old protestant church and some years ago was converted into a rock venue. It's a great place, a very famous venue in Europe. We thought it was a great place to make this project.
It's an incredible document·

"We are going to be promoting this and hopefully, after we get back on the road in 09, we'll be back into the studio for a full Live album. We could start recording next summer. Forever is being put out in the radio now".

"We still put the music first, we put our fans first. We are just a band that stick together and doing our thing and the fans are still very passionate about our music. We don't really miss those days of success. Every time I get on stage and I get to perform, I feel successful. I feel even more successful just expressing myself from my heart than I could ever feel after someone gave us a number on the chart. Our music and our fans are just priceless".

Did you know?

Ed's favorite Live songs are: "Lightning Crashes", "The Distance", "Overcome", "Forever" and "The Dolphin's Cry".

[SecretInsomnia]

"We are going to be promoting this and hopefully, after we get back on the road in 09, we'll be back into the studio for a full Live album. We could start recording next summer. Forever is being put out in the radio now".

aha! we got the first album delay first Ed stated recording would start in Spring 2009 (and possible summer release), now he says 'we could start recording next summer'... But it's good to see them touring again (maybe they can start writing the album while they're on tour?)
Haha whatever, I can understand that they first want to tour to promote the DVD a little, cuz there hasn't been a lot of promotion outside Holland.

Anyway, tnx for sharing!