Billboard.com - Ed interview Options

[livefan1999]

The interview is below. One thing that saddened me was when I decided to pull up Billboard's information on the band Live. If you go to this link, you can see a slideshow of their archived band promo photos. Even sadder is to look down at the bottom of that section and see their four number one hits posted on Billboard.

http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/live/19678?tag=lrailart

The interview:

Daughtry Collaboration on Solo Album Was 'Fun,' Says Live's Ed Kowalczyk

With his solo debut, former Live frontman Ed Kowalczyk says he's "Alive" again after suffering a "creative malaise" in the wake of the band's dissolution last year.

"I hit this point -- I guess you'd say an end of a chapter -- where I felt like I kind of did everything," Kowalczyk tells Billboard.com. "I wasn't interested in music. It was a really strange feeling, and needless to say it freaked me out a little bit. I really started to go inward and say, 'Hey, what is this about?' "

Kowalczyk says that starting to do solo acoustic shows two years ago rekindled his interest, and in short order he "started to write music like it was going out of style. The spigot went back on, and I've been really riding that ever since. It's like starting a new chapter."

Kowalczyk recorded "Alive," which came out July 6, in Austin with producer CJ Eriksson. The 11-song set follows a similar dynamic path to his work in Live, but Kowalczyk hopes the group's fans hear -- and embrace -- some differences, particularly in the dance-style rhythm of "The Great Beyond" and the blues/gospel tone of "Zion."

"I've stayed true to the core," Kowalczyk says, "but there's definitely moments where I've pushed it beyond where I've been. I'm conscious of that fanbase and how special it is, but I also feel a kind of mission, if you will, to push it. There's definitely finding a balance between the two, and I think I found a sweet spot on this record."

Kowalczyk wrote eight of "Alive's" tracks himself and teamed with Gregg Wattenberg on a pair. For the track "Drink (Everlasting Love)," Kowalczyk worked with "American Idol" finalist (and avowed Live fan) Chris Daughtry, who became a friend after the two performed together on the 2006 "Idol" finale.

Kowalczyk, in fact, had "kind of wrapped up" the song until he joined Daughtry on stage in Ventura, Calif., then invited him back to his house for dinner. "We started playing each other our ideas," Kowalczyk recalls, "and I played a little of that song and he was like, 'Try this here, try this there...' It turned into this impromptu collaboration that I don't think either of us expected, but it was really fun."

Kowalczyk is playing sporadic live dates -- including an appearance at Lollapalooza's Kidzapalooza stage on Aug. 6 in Chicago -- before heading to Europe for a series of shows that includes the Rottepop Festival in the Netherlands, where "Alive" debuted at No. 4 on the national album chart. He's starting line up North American dates, meanwhile, for October. "I feel like I'm at the tip of the iceberg here," he says, which means a Live reunion probably isn't in the cards any time soon.

"From my perspective it's never really been a split; it's more of an outgrowth, a moving beyond, a kind of expansion for me as an artist rather than that definitive moment where we said, 'No more,' " Kowalczyk says. "I wouldn't close doors, but being an artist I get tunnel vision about what I'm doing presently, and it's this solo career that I'm really excited about now."

http://www.billboard.com/#/news/daughtry-c...004104456.story

[OutToDry]

If he ever wants a reunion, he better get down to fixing his errors he made against his friends.

[Aitkens]

If he ever wants a reunion, he better get down to fixing his errors he made against his friends.

He only wants a reunion if the money is right for him. 70% to Ed, 10% to CT, 10% to CG, and 10% to PD.

[OutToDry]

In which the apple pie will never be baked.

[Aitkens]

In which the apple pie will never be baked.

Ed will find a way to fuck it. The apple pie that is. Then he'll sing a song about it, and fill it with "OOOOHHH, AHHHHH, LALALALALALA", and some jesus.

This post has been edited by Aitkens: Sep 6 2010, 7:20 pm

[OutToDry]

[SJN1279]

He only wants a reunion if the money is right for him. 70% to Ed, 10% to CT, 10% to CG, and 10% to PD.

I'd rather have 10 percent of Live, than 20 percent of The Gracious Few.

[Aitkens]

I'd rather have 10 percent of Live, than 20 percent of The Gracious Few.

I'd rather have 0% of you, and so would many others.

[OutToDry]

Aitkens go see his response for the 2 initial week sales #'s for Alive in the other room.

[SJN1279]

Aitkens go see his response for the 2 initial week sales #'s for Alive in the other room.

What is the next mistake TGF will make when it comes to promotion? We should take a pool.

[Aitkens]

Nick, what would be great is if you would get your head out of your ass for once. During that time, actually sit down and listen to TGF with an open mind. Instead you'd rather be a complete douche bag. You talked so much trash that now even if you did enjoy TGF, you would never admit it. It's a damn shame too.

See, I gave Alive a chance. I wanted to hear it on my own, hear that Ed was back. However, he isn't, and he never will be. I gave it a chance. I tried I really did. You on the other hand never will give TGF an honest chance. It's a damn shame.

This is what you've become at this point...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[SJN1279]

Nick, what would be great is if you would get your head out of your ass for once. During that time, actually sit down and listen to TGF with an open mind. Instead you'd rather be a complete douche bag. You talked so much trash that now even if you did enjoy TGF, you would never admit it. It's a damn shame too.

See, I gave Alive a chance. I wanted to hear it on my own, hear that Ed was back. However, he isn't, and he never will be. I gave it a chance. I tried I really did. You on the other hand never will give TGF an honest chance. It's a damn shame.

This is what you've become at this point...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Trust me that I don't enjoy TGF's music or bitter video blogs.

[Aitkens]

Trust me that I don't enjoy TGF's music or bitter video blogs.

Ok Gollum, calm down. One day you'll be free...

[OutToDry]

What is the next mistake TGF will make when it comes to promotion? We should take a pool.

What was the first jocksniffer? Don't tell me the freaking billboard thing?

[SJN1279]

What was the first jocksniffer? Don't tell me the freaking billboard thing?

1. Splitting Live's fanbase by posting negative comments about Ed. Yes they caused Ed to lose some support, but it also backfired onto them as well.

2. Buying a Billboard in Atlantic City for no apparent reason.

3. Releasing Honest Man to radio in May. The single was actually did well for a couple of months on the Active Rock chart, but by July it was all but dead. If they had released the single in August they would have had some radio momentum going into their album release.

4. Not having their debut CD available for purchase on their website

There are a few others, but I will wait on them to see if they pan out the way I think they will.