Ed Kowalczyk Opens Up About His Ugly Split With Live, Rolling Stone Options

[jclive]

Indeed! The music is there to be appreciated or not. I don't like what Ed does since 2000 and you do. I like Live and you do too.

In the end, it's all good!

Yes it is!

So then you'll likely understand this pretty well... There are select songs and lyrics going all the way back to SS that I wish were either different or didn't exist as a part of Live.. But hey, I always just took the good with the bad, as there was much more on the good side. Having been a fan in those early years, it was probably easier for me to tolerate some of the bad that went with, what was in my opinion, "good" in the latter years of V, BoP, and SFBM.

[Tips]

Yes it is!

So then you'll likely understand this pretty well... There are select songs and lyrics going all the way back to SS that I wish were either different or didn't exist as a part of Live.. But hey, I always just took the good with the bad, as there was much more on the good side. Having been a fan in those early years, it was probably easier for me to tolerate some of the bad that went with, what was in my opinion, "good" in the latter years of V, BoP, and SFBM.

Yeah I get what you're saying. Personally I just don't like the direction Ed took. I do like V though. But to me it's not a Live record. There something not-Live about it. Yet the music is pretty good. Some subjects surprised me (like the unsubtle sexual content of Deep Enough).

It's everything after that I don't like. There's no soul in it like there was before or at least not one that would touch me in any way. There's no deep spiritual or social poetry (although he seems to have gone back a bit with his solo records). And I have nothing against love songs. But there a huge difference between, say, The Dolphin's Cry and Dance With You, both great love songs, and The River or Everytime I See Your Face.

Anyhow, that's just me.

[jclive]

Yeah I get what you're saying. Personally I just don't like the direction Ed took. I do like V though. But to me it's not a Live record. There something not-Live about it. Yet the music is pretty good. Some subjects surprised me (like the unsubtle sexual content of Deep Enough).

It's everything after that I don't like. There's no soul in it like there was before or at least not one that would touch me in any way. There's no deep spiritual or social poetry (although he seems to have gone back a bit with his solo records). And I have nothing against love songs. But there a huge difference between, say, The Dolphin's Cry and Dance With You, both great love songs, and The River or Everytime I See Your Face.

Anyhow, that's just me.

Everytime I See Your Face is just awful! And I think I'm likely one of the few in this space who doesn't particularly care for Lighthouse either. V was just embarrassing as a Live fan for me. I think it was the final blow for all of my friends who had been fans back in the early days. But of course I still have a few favorites off of it.

Regardless of the ups and downs through the years, this has been a fun band to follow.

[Tips]

Everytime I See Your Face is just awful! And I think I'm likely one of the few in this space who doesn't particularly care for Lighthouse either. V was just embarrassing as a Live fan for me. I think it was the final blow for all of my friends who had been fans back in the early days. But of course I still have a few favorites off of it.

Regardless of the ups and downs through the years, this has been a fun band to follow.

Yes! A little less during the mess (2009 - 2013) but now it is!

[Bremang]

The contract stuff seems like a gray area on details, but that was the big lawsuit dealing with financial wrong doings. If it was such what Ed is saying here, why would the LIVE legal team come after Ed and whomever else so hard.

Best guess is that CCP were mad that Ed wanted his own copyrighted works and was playing Live songs.

I think it is much less likely that Ed would have done anything with his music if he thought that it would instigate a legal battle.

So we don't know if Ed did anything in breach of contract, but if he did, I'm guessing he probably thought he was in the clear with the guys, and they changed their mind.

[Bremang]

I think that is the root of the issue with the first suit. Sole signatory means he somehow got his signature on the document when the other 3 didn't...... shady, if not moreso in the white collar crime definition

chad said Ed wanted his own publishing company. The guys let him. Nothing shady there.

[Bremang]

He's filling halls in Europe and Australia you mean? If you call 200 seat halls in the US filled then I can't dispute the word filled, but scaled down a lot yes. No the of LIVE thing was a def copyright infringement. The change was definately due to mis billing. THere was no confusion around when Live announced Chris as the singer and then toured. No way no how. I think this is your interpretation of something.

When I was at Summerland , plenty of people I spoke with did not realize Live had a new singer until I told them. Plenty of confusion because alot of casual fans don't follow the news about the band. I see they are putting Chris out there more with the album release.

[Bremang]

His ego took over after TDTH for some reason.

That doesn't make sense.

Ego does not correlate to quality of music.

Ego does not correlate to whether Ed writes music himself or whether he collaborates.

Why the negative connotation with ego anyway? Ed always had an ego. CCP always had an ego.

[turningstones]

When I was at Summerland , plenty of people I spoke with did not realize Live had a new singer until I told them. Plenty of confusion because alot of casual fans don't follow the news about the band. I see they are putting Chris out there more with the album release.

If the common concert goer doesn't check on a band prior to attending a show, then it cannot be attributed to the band not stating who's in the line up. Live certainly has been clear that Ed was no longer there and much press after 2012 show they did in York with Chris. I see what you're saying, I had that experience too. But, those stating they didn't know was due to not checking and only assuming it was the same line up.

[turningstones]

chad said Ed wanted his own publishing company. The guys let him. Nothing shady there.

There is a difference in having your own publishing company when you're a solo artist where you're copywriting your works as a solo artist and changing the band one as sole signatory without the consent of the other 3.

[SJN1279]

There is a difference in having your own publishing company when you're a solo artist where you're copywriting your works as a solo artist and changing the band one as sole signatory without the consent of the other 3.

Did CCP contribute creatively to the music of Songs from Black Mountain? Why should they get publishing rights when they admitted they were just Ed's backup band at that point.

[turningstones]

Did CCP contribute creatively to the music of Songs from Black Mountain? Why should they get publishing rights when they admitted they were just Ed's backup band at that point.

I think they contributed about 3% of the record, which was what Ed allowed them to. So the whole situation was a forced upon ultimatum type of arrangement in my mind and what has been revealed thus far.

Looking back probably not wise to allow such one sided stuff, as they have admitted to. But since LIVE was a brotherhood, they chose to one way ward brother to take control. A mistake looking back, but it was their choice.

If the publishing rights were still, per the lawsuits 70/30 where within the new agreement, what gave Ed the right to sign his name for 100%?

Is that legal? Don't think so.

These matters, matter little now. LIVE can freely express their music with no strings attached.
That's what LIVE was all about.

Ed's happy doing his thing. Everyone is. Why are you raging on against CCP and Chris Shinn?
It's tired, jaded and downright insanity....

Like i said this place is a warzone !!!

[Tips]

That doesn't make sense.

Ego does not correlate to quality of music.

Ego does not correlate to whether Ed writes music himself or whether he collaborates.

Why the negative connotation with ego anyway? Ed always had an ego. CCP always had an ego.

You're actually mixing up things I've said. The ego does indeed not correlate to quality of music. It may for the wanting to write music by himself but that's not what I was talking about.

I was talking about a change in Ed. The negative connotation with ego is related to the survival of a band. If the singer in a band that was a collaborative effort before (yes I know Ed wrote the basis of the songs and the lyrics) one day decides that he's the center of the band, appearing by himself, writing by himself, wanting his own publishing deal, supposedly asking for a lead singer bonus, it's not good for the band dynamics and Ed is better as a solo artist.

Please don't try to find any Ed bashing in what I'm writing.

[Bremang]

If the common concert goer doesn't check on a band prior to attending a show, then it cannot be attributed to the band not stating who's in the line up. Live certainly has been clear that Ed was no longer there and much press after 2012 show they did in York with Chris. I see what you're saying, I had that experience too. But, those stating they didn't know was due to not checking and only assuming it was the same line up.

True. But then Ed was not at fault for confusion either. Ed had confirmed online that Live was no longer his band. So like you said: "Those stating they didn't know was due to not checking and only assuming it was the same line up."

I know Ed's promo said he was "of Live," but that phrasing is not totally inaccurate because he was playing a bunch of a Live songs and he was the lead singer when he wrote the songs.

During the summerland tour, there wasn't much boasting in any promo material of a new lead singer. You could say CCP wanted to make a soft transition with Chris. They re-recorded all the hits with Chris and used it as promotional material without really putting Chris' face out there, almost making him sound and look like Ed. Kind of like the banner on the top of this website. The unassuming fan might not know that is not Ed.

This post has been edited by Bremang: Nov 13 2014, 4:01 pm

[Bremang]

There is a difference in having your own publishing company when you're a solo artist where you're copywriting your works as a solo artist and changing the band one as sole signatory without the consent of the other 3.

Is that what Ed did? Chad said Ed asked for his own publishing company. How did Ed change to the sole signatory? If he was able to do it, then it seems implied in the contract that the other band members gave consent.