Press Release for "Alive" Options

[SJN1279]

ED KOWALCZYK TO RELEASE
DEBUT SOLO ALBUM, ALIVE, ON JULY 6


Ed Kowalczyk, legendary lead singer and songwriter of the multi-Platinum rock band Live, is proud to announce the release of his first solo album, Alive, set to be released through Sony RED/Provident on July 6. The album was recorded in Austin, TX at Wire Recording Studios with producer CJ Eiriksson (U2, Blue October, Matchbox Twenty) and Kowalczyk’s new band – Ramy Antoun on drums, James Gabbie on lead guitar and Chris Heerlein on bass.

"During the last two years, I found myself at a new level of personal inspiration and creativity. I am so excited that my long time fans, as well as new ones, are about to experience the fruit of my labor of love! This album is a gigantic achievement for me and I couldn't be more thrilled at the prospect of finally sharing it with the world,” he says.

The 12-song album features Ed Kowalczyk at his best – ferocious yet passionate, while retaining the anthemic and spiritual songwriting he’s always been known for. Fans both old and new will be immediately drawn to the first single “Grace” – a soaring, hard-hitting song destined to be a rock radio staple. Alive also features a songwriting collaboration with friend Chris Daughtry on the driving rock track “Drink (Everlasting Love).”

Along with friends Art Alexakis of Everclear and Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer, Kowalczyk recently completed a series of dates as “Open Wings, Broken Strings,” a tour that he both produced and created. Stripped down, storyteller-like acoustic versions of their music offered the audience a unique, compelling and intimate way to experience the songs they know and love and hear the stories behind them.

Ed Kowalczyk built an impressive résumé with LIVE that includes eight full-length albums, total CD sales exceeding 20 million, a huge international fan base and extensive touring all over the world. LIVE has been one of the most successful and enduring alternative rock bands of the 1990s and 2000s.

2010 Tour Dates:
Saturday, June 12th - Civic Center Park - Fort Collins, CO
Thursday, July 1st - Thursday at the Square - Buffalo, NY
Friday, July 2nd - Higher Ground - Burlington, VT
Saturday, July 3rd - Woodstock en Beauce - Beauce, Quebec, Canada
Tuesday, July 6th - City Winery - New York, NY
Wednesday, July 7th - Northern Lights - Clifton Park, NY
Thursday, July 8th - The Chance Theater - Poughkeepsie, NY
Friday, July 9th - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
Saturday, July 10th - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom - Hampton Beach, NH
Thursday, August 26th - Koko - London, UK
Saturday, August 28th - Bavaria Open Air Festival - Lieshout, Holland
Sunday, August 29th - Music Centrum - Utrecht, Holland
Monday, August 30th - Ubel & Gefahrlich - Hamburg, Germany
Wednesday, September 1st - Paradiso (Sold Out) - Amsterdam, Holland
Friday, September 3rd - Parkstad Limburg Theater - Heerlen, Holland
Saturday, September 4th - Rottepop Festival - Lansingerland, Holland
Sunday, September 5th - Oosterpoort - Groningen, Holland
Tuesday, September 7th - Klubben - Stockholm, Sweden
Thursday, September 9th - Little Vega - Copenhagen, Denmark


For more information, please contact:
Sandee Fenton / Fresh and Clean Media
310.313.7200 / sandee@freshcleanmedia.com

[BoDoctor]

As maddening as it is for us to see the downfall of Ed, imagine what he must feel like when he listens to MJ, TC, SS, TDTH. To know you were once so talented and now to have become a publicity whore selling pendants and coffee with Hot AC aspirations has to haunt him. Or does it?

[Pokey]

As maddening as it is for us to see the downfall of Ed, imagine what he must feel like when he listens to MJ, TC, SS, TDTH. To know you were once so talented and now to have become a publicity whore selling pendants and coffee with Hot AC aspirations has to haunt him. Or does it?

I wonder what he thinks when he hears a song like Freaks now ... my honest opinion is that he's probably still quite proud, but see's it at juvenile and something that only came about because of youthful naivety and that his work now is honestly a lot better.
But I wonder if he can recognise the level of detail and complexity in the music and lyrics and such then compared to now.
Not that Live was ever a band of major complexity, but certainly compared to his current work it is.

Nick argues that he likes the new stuff better than the old stuff, that's fine, but it's incredibly ignorant to believe the new stuff is more complex and creative than the old. Ed must recognise this and just simply be happier putting his brain in neutral and going for it. He must just like that better and maybe enjoy the simplicity of it. Which brings me back to my original point that he's not reaching his potential. If an artist isn't constantly pushing themselves creatively to develope and evolve and go to new places ... then to me that's not passion, and if there's no passion, it's hard to get behind.

Some people will willingly admit that they will just listen to whatever, they're not real music fans. They like tapping their foot to a track and not having to think about music. That's Nick and Ed now I believe. That way of thinking totally baffles me and is frustrating. But if that's just how you are, then I guess that's fine. But to say that is better than pushing and challenging yourself and reaching your potential is just mad.

[LivesMeltdown]

Some people will willingly admit that they will just listen to whatever, they're not real music fans. They like tapping their foot to a track and not having to think about music. That's Nick and Ed now I believe. That way of thinking totally baffles me and is frustrating. But if that's just how you are, then I guess that's fine. But to say that is better than pushing and challenging yourself and reaching your potential is just mad.

Good post, but I have to disagree with this part. Now, I can only talk about myself but I like both styles of music. Sometimes I'm in the mood for thoughtful music but sometimes I'm in the mood to hear something catchy, something that's uplifting, something that just takes my mind away from things.

I've used this analogy before, but music to me is like movies. Over the past year or so, I've been really into low-budget independent movies, which tend to have much more emotion than most Hollywood movies. However, I also to watch popcorn action flicks and those can sometimes be my favorite movies. It's not any difference for music.

Also, you never know when a simple lyric can touch someone. Lyrics don't have to be "deep" to be meaningful.

This post has been edited by LivesMeltdown: Jun 5 2010, 1:33 pm

[Sakhmet2]

Good post, but I have to disagree with this part. Now, I can only talk about myself but I like both styles of music. Sometimes I'm in the mood for thoughtful music but sometimes I'm in the mood to hear something catchy, something that's uplifting, something that just takes my mind away from things.
I've used this analogy before, but music to me is like movies. Over the past year or so, I've been really into low-budget independent movies, which tend to have much more emotion than most Hollywood movies. However, I also to watch popcorn action flicks and those can sometimes be my favorite movies. It's not any difference for music.
Also, you never know when a simple lyric can touch someone. Lyrics don't have to be "deep" to be meaningful.

I feel the same way. I don't always feel like The Doors. Sometimes I feel like KISS (and then the neighbours complain that my platform boots make too much noise and my clown makeup is scaring the kiddies )
And sometimes I feel like the Beatles - early rockers, classic pop, a Hard Day's Night somewhere in between, symphonic Sgt Pepper, experimental Revolver and Magical Mystery Tour, sublime White Album and Rubber Soul... solo stuff.
Except Wings. I just could not get into them. I've always felt that Paul McCartney ran off the rails on his own. Didn't have it anymore. Trite pop music, embarrassing lyrics.
On the other hand, he was phenomenally successful, gets mega respect even for the Wings stuff from some musicologist friends of mine and ended up writing a classical oratorio. And if I hear one of his stupid Wings songs, the fucking thing is stuck in my head to the exclusion of stuff I like better. So he wins.

So it's kind of like the foreseeable future of the two halves of Live.
TGF find themselves right away in classic rock.
Ed drifts into stuff that's not as hard and finds some direction that some of us will like and some of us won't. He might flail about or suddenly find a creative partner or inspiration that will get his true creativity flowing again (oh please don't let it be country)
I'm willing to wait and see and in the meantime take what I like.