10 Questions with Chad Taylor, Facebook Options

[Sonic Tonic]

I really hope you were meeting my sarcasm with even more sarcasm which I've now totally fallen for. Live will sell out a decent concert over here still, but they aren't exactly relevant or what you'd call popular.

[jayda]

Chad's deleted his blog posts?? All gone.

[Bremang]

I really hope you were meeting my sarcasm with even more sarcasm which I've now totally fallen for. Live will sell out a decent concert over here still, but they aren't exactly relevant or what you'd call popular.
What I don't understand is how so many people here deal with black and white .. no middle ground. CT writes a blog that is pretty damning towards Ed. It doesnt mean any time he mentions Ed it must be followed by the words "and may he burn in the fires of hell". He himself said hate is a strong word and we should try not to hate .. I doubt he hates Ed. He was hurt by him.
So CT talking positively about Ed in past tense or him speaking about Ed now without being filled with rage isn't an admission that the whole thing was a hoax or that they're over it now. Some people must be confused by what it's like to be able to feel more than one emotion at once.

You're alluding to Chad's emotions, that's not the argument. The secret contract and the lack of communication is mostly unbelievable.

This thing with Chad and Ed is a minor point. First, Chad didn't want to be friends or be in the same room as Ed. Here you see he considers Ed when being asked about bringing Live back together. He also pushes Ed's solo work positively. This is all very curious and adds to the idea of an agenda for the following reasons:

-Its typical of what would be said if Chad accidentally failed to keep his story straight.

-The question wasn't even meant to point to Ed. Chad has already said that a new lead singer might be a possibility, but not ever Ed. The fact that he turned the conversation toward Ed is curious, and inconsistent.

[Bremang]

The directions of Ed and the rest of the band musically would be a good reason for a breakup. But that was not the main reason that Chad gave. It was a contract dispute and money issues mainly.

They were already on hiatus to pursue their separate projects, musically. Consider that your main reason for a breakup already thoroughly existed in a form of a non-breakup.

Among the many reasons why I don't think the break-up is a hoax, the number one reason is the music. If you listen to The EK's new music and you listen to TGF, it is pretty obvious.

The EK is writing the next extension of his V, BoP, SFBM migration away from the edgy rock that Live produced when all 4 contributed.

TGF is writing the music that they really wanted to play for the last decade and became frustrated that they couldn't, ever since The EK took over the whole writing process and the other three became back-up musicians.

If the break-up is a hoax, then it is a pretty nice touch that TGF decided to add to the illusion by creating an amazing, brilliant album that stomps all over anything that Live or The EK has created over the last 10 years, just to make it all more convincing.

This post has been edited by Bremang: Mar 8 2010, 9:19 pm

[Bremang]

Chad's deleted his blog posts?? All gone.

hahaha

What Live has done with the breakup has been good promo and hopefully a reunion will happen in the future.

[Bremang]

You've summed it up nicely Fish.

The fact that we are getting 'Beleive part 2' tells me all I need to know on musical direction.

If you want, I won't bother with the idea that there is a major agenda with the breakup. I don't want to bother Live with the idea so long as someone really wants to cover it up. It just seems that I've been talking about something pretty obvious worth considering.

This post has been edited by Bremang: Mar 8 2010, 9:30 pm

[Pokey]

Dude you should definitely msg chad and let him know that you're onto the whole hoax and that the jig is up, he'd totally get flustered then with how he can't keep his story straight and the whole thing would be exposed. you'd be a hero for reuniting Live!

[Infrequent Poster]

If you want, I won't bother with the idea that there is a major agenda with the breakup. I don't want to bother Live with the idea so long as someone really wants to cover it up. It just seems that I've been talking about something pretty obvious worth considering.

You're still grasping at straws, you realize that, right? The main crux of your argument is:

1.) you don't buy the hidden contract being hidden for so long, or even existing at all
2.) Chad mentioned Ed in an interview a few months after slamming him in a blog post.

It's quite a reach to jump from those two reasons to Live fabricating drama for publicity. For shits and giggles I'll list reasons why it would be a completely insane idea for Live to fabricate this entire mess in order to move records.

1.) Live's fan base is small. Let's face it, they don't move records like they used to. Why, if you were trying to move not just one but two albums (one from EK, the other from TGF) would you risk fracturing an already small fan base? You can see the fractures on this very forum where a few people simply won't buy Ed's CD because of what he allegedly did. There's nothing to gain from a fabrication and a great deal to lose.

2.) The break up, as far as I've seen, has pretty much been ignored by almost every news and music outlet stateside. From what I gather from the sarcastic posts in this thread, the same could be said for Australia, where Live remains (relatively) popular. Why again go through all the effort of making up drama when no one would pay attention to it?

There's just no logical reason to have made everything up to grab attention, not when factoring in what the band could stand to lose. Sample tracks released through websites like myspace, facebook and other social networking sites would have gone much, much farther in getting the word out. I can only speak for myself, but had TGF's sample track been full of SFBM B-sides I'd have completely tuned out to them, drama or no. What matters is the music. I wish all the guys the best but at the end of the day I'm just not that interested in what goes on behind closed doors. If I like the music I'll buy the CD, simple as that. Billy Corgan is a dip but I still listen to Siamese Dreams.

When the hiatus was announced it grabbed the attention of the remaining fans, many of whom, though sad to hear there was going to be a break, were excited to hear what would come from Ed's solo CD as well as what the other three guys would be up to. Chad's blog post and email only divided the community, it did not add anything to either party.

[OutToDry]

Selling the Drama people.

Listen whatever happens in the future, so be it. There was friction, the break is good for all.

[Bremang]

Dude you should definitely msg chad and let him know that you're onto the whole hoax and that the jig is up, he'd totally get flustered then with how he can't keep his story straight and the whole thing would be exposed. you'd be a hero for reuniting Live!

Alright haha. I wouldn't mind if he and Ed talked or more details on the secret contract.

[Bremang]

Don't forget my other point which was that these guys claim they didn't even talk. They were bandmates for 20 years, good friends, and business savvy. I find it at the very least questionable that Ed would leave matters un-discussed.

The secret contract was created in 2005, prior to the Paradiso DVD, Radiant Sea, and even SFBM. It seems questionable that any band members would not have realized if they were receiving anything less from whatever publishing deals they originally had, or if any publishing contract situations had changed. I also wonder how it could have changed with only Ed's signature.

It's becoming less about album sales, more about ticket sales and merchandise. I don't think you have the resources to determine Live's worldwide fan base, the effect on album sales, nor are able to determine that the breakup announcement had a negligible impact on Live's audience. So I think your two reasons are not likely to be very accurate. Also, I think its safe to say that message boards are not representative of Live's fanbase as a whole.

A fabricated breakup can be great for business. The binary opposition is all about gaining interest. Just look at all the hip hop beef. Just look at any political election. It is good for both sides. Bad press is still good press.

Just off the top of my head, I could imagine many reasons to fabricate a breakup. It might just be a simple case of Ed wanting to settle down, and the band wanted to keep rocking. Ed's got kids, his voice is going. Maybe he wants to tone it down as a performer, all of which would be reasons not advantageous to tell the fans. Maybe Ed didn't care that his name was dragged into the mud, like a Freak, if it meant helping his friends' band. Maybe they wanted to pool their income from two separate acts...haha maybe.

Or imagine this. Maybe Ed would not be so greedy as to step on his band. Even if he had, I could imagine the rest of the band having more composure, and not trifling over money issues and contracts. Sure, there would be deception involved on Ed's part, but I'm guessing they're all wealthy. I could imagine if Ed's management was asking for a lead singer bonus, that maybe one of the guys would have talked it over with Ed. Who really knows. How do these things really go unresolved? How does a professional band like Live tour for months and not a single conversation between Ed and his band surface in regards to Ed's greed?

You're still grasping at straws, you realize that, right? The main crux of your argument is:


1.) you don't buy the hidden contract being hidden for so long, or even existing at all
2.) Chad mentioned Ed in an interview a few months after slamming him in a blog post.

It's quite a reach to jump from those two reasons to Live fabricating drama for publicity. For shits and giggles I'll list reasons why it would be a completely insane idea for Live to fabricate this entire mess in order to move records.

1.) Live's fan base is small. Let's face it, they don't move records like they used to. Why, if you were trying to move not just one but two albums (one from EK, the other from TGF) would you risk fracturing an already small fan base? You can see the fractures on this very forum where a few people simply won't buy Ed's CD because of what he allegedly did. There's nothing to gain from a fabrication and a great deal to lose.

2.) The break up, as far as I've seen, has pretty much been ignored by almost every news and music outlet stateside. From what I gather from the sarcastic posts in this thread, the same could be said for Australia, where Live remains (relatively) popular. Why again go through all the effort of making up drama when no one would pay attention to it?

There's just no logical reason to have made everything up to grab attention, not when factoring in what the band could stand to lose. Sample tracks released through websites like myspace, facebook and other social networking sites would have gone much, much farther in getting the word out. I can only speak for myself, but had TGF's sample track been full of SFBM B-sides I'd have completely tuned out to them, drama or no. What matters is the music. I wish all the guys the best but at the end of the day I'm just not that interested in what goes on behind closed doors. If I like the music I'll buy the CD, simple as that. Billy Corgan is a dip but I still listen to Siamese Dreams.

When the hiatus was announced it grabbed the attention of the remaining fans, many of whom, though sad to hear there was going to be a break, were excited to hear what would come from Ed's solo CD as well as what the other three guys would be up to. Chad's blog post and email only divided the community, it did not add anything to either party.

This post has been edited by Bremang: Mar 9 2010, 1:54 am

[OutToDry]

read this and tell me it's a hoax with a straight face. I would expect for anything to continue in the future, some sort of healing or reconcilation would have to take place. Meanwhile, in the present, let's anticipate what the TGF will give us and enjoy it.


Not the ending I wished for


There have been tons of crazy rumors surrounding the hiatus of LIVE. I have read quite a few and laughed at the extremely creative imaginations of our fans. I've been reluctant to fan the flames but the rumors are getting further away from the truth and I will try to set the record straight from my standpoint.

First and foremost, Ed has every legal right to perform the songs he helped birth while being the front man for LIVE. The copyrights for these songs are owned by Chad Gracey, Patrick Dahlheimer, Ed Kowlalczyk and myself. Ed does not control the catalog but rather the bands publishing company, Black Coffee Publishing, Inc. Black Coffee is a majority rule corporation.

Yes, it is true, there was a hidden publishing contract singed in 2005. I personally discovered it via a communication breakdown. Ed is listed as the only signature. When I wrote him to find some resolution to the situation, he failed to respond. I have left these matters to our attorneys who will no doubt file a complaint. Honestly, I don't care about the financial/legal outcome of these matters, the proof is on the page. Ed was able to stab his three best friends from middle school in the back. This act was far down the line from typical rock star ego. As you can imagine I am deeply hurt and wounded.

In light of these matter, I can't ever see myself working with Ed, let alone ever being in the same room with him. LIVE was always about the band, when Ed lost sight of that in favor of his own ambitions and goals, our considerable fans base began to sigh a collective yawn.

As band mates and friends and despite the lack of fresh material we continued to support Ed with all of our integrity. The final blow was Ed's request for a $100,000 "lead singer bonus" to perform as surprise guests at this years Pink Pop Festival. I was informed of his request by our management and politely told them to "fuck off."

Ed will no longer be the vocalist for the band LIVE. At this point in time, we have made no official plans to replace him but it is clear that he is no friend of mine or the lifelong fans of LIVE.

I have focused my energy on creating new music with The Gracious Few. I look forward to seeing many LIVE fans in the audience at our shows. Patrick, Chad and I have made a pledge to honor our long shared history with the fans of LIVE. You will always be graciously welcome in our house.

Love
Chad Taylor



This post has been edited by OutToDry: Mar 9 2010, 8:32 am

[FishOutaWater]

I must say that I have been very confused about how Ed could take control of publishing rights, and which publishing rights we are talking about.

This part does not make any sense to me: "Ed does not control the catalog but rather the bands publishing company, Black Coffee Publishing, Inc. Black Coffee is a majority rule corporation." Those two sentences are internally inconsistent. I assume that Black Coffee Publishing, Inc. is the name of the corporation that owns all of the publishing rights to Live's music. Chad appears to be stating that it is a "majority rule" corporation. That's not legalese, but I assume that Chad means that the 4 of them are directors and the directors only have the power and authority to bind the corporation by an action of a majority of the directors. If that is true, then how did Ed sign a contract and steal all of the publishing? The contract would not be valid because Ed was not duly authorized to bind the company. Did Ed set up his own company five years ago and sign publishing contracts for the material that has been created since then (e.g. BoP, Radiant Sea, Paradiso and SFBM) without the knowledge of the other 3 band members? I don't see how he could have stolen the rights to the older material. Maybe the directors of Black Coffee authorized Ed to act to sign publishing rights on behalf of the company (perhaps as an officer or agent of the company) and he signed contracts that diverted the rights to himself? That would result in potential breach of fiduciary duty claims. The whole thing is pretty confusing and doesn't make sense.

If this is a hoax, I think it would have been much more fun and effective if Ed had just started having an affair with Jennifer Aniston or Kate Goeslin.

[thefunkyredcaboose]

I must say that I have been very confused about how Ed could take control of publishing rights, and which publishing rights we are talking about.

This part does not make any sense to me: "Ed does not control the catalog but rather the bands publishing company, Black Coffee Publishing, Inc. Black Coffee is a majority rule corporation." Those two sentences are internally inconsistent. I assume that Black Coffee Publishing, Inc. is the name of the corporation that owns all of the publishing rights to Live's music. Chad appears to be stating that it is a "majority rule" corporation. That's not legalese, but I assume that Chad means that the 4 of them are directors and the directors only have the power and authority to bind the corporation by an action of a majority of the directors. If that is true, then how did Ed sign a contract and steal all of the publishing? The contract would not be valid because Ed was not duly authorized to bind the company. Did Ed set up his own company five years ago and sign publishing contracts for the material that has been created since then (e.g. BoP, Radiant Sea, Paradiso and SFBM) without the knowledge of the other 3 band members? I don't see how he could have stolen the rights to the older material. Maybe the directors of Black Coffee authorized Ed to act to sign publishing rights on behalf of the company (perhaps as an officer or agent of the company) and he signed contracts that diverted the rights to himself? That would result in potential breach of fiduciary duty claims. The whole thing is pretty confusing and doesn't make sense.

Given the information we have, yes, this or he managed somehow to change the terms of the old contract without them knowing. It won't ever make sense without all of the information, which we won't ever have.

Given the nature of the recording business all I can add is that none of this is far-fetched in the slightest. That is how it is out there.

[OutToDry]

I think Black Coffee Publishing Inc is a secret contract.

Every Live record has in the liner notes with the exception (of the online mp3 record 'Radiant Sea')

Loco De Amor Music Inc is listed on all liner notes as the music publising company of record. (even the cd singles)

Nothing is mentioned of BCP anywhere in print on any record.

Makes me think that the secret contract is true.

This post has been edited by OutToDry: Mar 9 2010, 10:53 am