York band 'Live' part of NASCAR finale on Sunday, 11/15- Article Options

[SJN1279]

Thanks to klove807 on SOY:

York band 'Live' part of NASCAR finale on Sunday
COLUMN By ELLEN SISKA For The York Dispatch
Article Launched: 11/15/2007 07:02:41 AM EST


Athunderstorm is not a welcome thing at a racetrack on race weekend.
But when "Lightning Crashes" at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday, fans will be on their feet cheering because York's own rock stars, Live, will be performing.

The quartet of Ed Kowalczyk, Chad Taylor, Chad Gracey and Patrick Dahlheimer, the band behind 1990s alternative-rock smash hits "Selling the Drama," "Lightning Crashes," "I Alone" and "All Over You," will take the stage before the Ford 400, the final race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup series season.

"Racing fans have come to expect the best both on and around the track during Ford Championship Weekend, and Live fits that bill beautifully," speedway president Curtis Gray said. "It's really an entertainment coup for us and our NASCAR fans; we couldn't be happier Live will take the Miller Lite stage on Sunday."

Live's 1994 release "Throwing Copper" sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and is the only album in Billboard history to stay on the charts for 52 weeks before reaching No. 1. It has been hailed as one of the most definitive alternative-rock recordings in the history of the genre.

Speaking Wednesday via phone from his home in California, lead singer Kowalczyk told me that while he doesn't follow NASCAR, he's looking forward to the appearance.

"I have to say I'm not big into car races in terms of being a spectator, but the environment as far as playing a show is pretty exciting," he said. "Everybody is so amped up. It's a real party atmosphere and everybody's there to have a good time. They're really great from that standpoint."
In a news release issued
by the track, Kowalczyk is quoted saying, "Live is looking forward to fueling the race with plenty of high-octane rock and roll. We're also really looking forward to meeting Ricky Bobby -- shake and bake, baby!"

Kowalczyk said he made the tongue-in-cheek reference to the movie "Talladega Nights" because "I've seen it three times on the tour bus and I think it's one of the funniest movies ever."

While frequently critical of York in interviews in the 1990s, Kowalczyk said his views have changed with the passage of time.

"It's funny," he said. "I think growing up there, which is typical of a lot of people and their hometown, they can't wait to get out. But York's a cool place. I think that as a kid, I wanted to get out and see the world so much that I held a negative view of where I grew up just because it was part of my -- the fuel for my fire, to feed and build our band.

"But as I've gotten older, I do get back there every once in a while and it's a cool place. I still have lots of friends there. I can't say I'd ever want to live there again, but my views on it have become softer as I've gotten older."

Kowalczyk, who has two daughters, said that becoming a father has also changed him and is reflected in his music.

"It's a deeper humanity, a deeper sense of being grounded and very real," he said. "Bringing up my daughters has made me a better person in general, and that would include my life as a singer/songwriter."

An example of Live's bigger world view is the band's upcoming participation in a World AIDS Day concert on Dec. 1 in South Africa.

"It's such a tremendous honor to be asked," he said. "Not only is it an honor to be asked to do this concert in particular, but it's always fun to appreciate the success we have all over the world, as far away as Africa."

The band remains extremely popular in Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Africa, perhaps more so than in the U.S.

"I think that a lot of it has to do with our approach to the music being so passionate," Kowalczyk said. "My lyrics are lyrics that people seem to be able to sort of sink their teeth into and then grow with them and stay interested in them for years and years, rather than just, 'oh yeah, that was a song I liked for a month, and now I don't like it anymore.' Our fans seem to stick with us.

"Our music tends to sort of integrate itself into people's lives at a really deep level, and that's just been a universal experience in terms of going to places like Europe and Africa and Australia."

But Kowalczyk said he still loves playing for his hometown crowd, citing a September concert in Hershey as "one of our best shows all year."

Asked if he had a message to convey to local fans, Kowalczyk laughed.

"You keep calling and we'll keep coming," he said.

[Badman]

Nascar... Ballparks... What's next Hockey games? They are really stretching out to crazy venues these days. Thanks for the heads up on the interview. I have no idea how you get these but FansOfLive is my best source for news about live.

[SinfulEyes]

"Our music tends to sort of integrate itself into people's lives at a really deep level, and that's just been a universal experience in terms of going to places like Europe and Africa and Australia."

Seriously? Who? Did "V", "BoP", and "SFBM" really integrate deep into your lives? I find it very sad Ed had to make a quote like this in relation to a Nascar event. Come on now. This is just pure embarassment. I'm really getting to the point where I'm ashamed of being a fan of this band now.

Thanks to klove807 on SOY:

York band 'Live' part of NASCAR finale on Sunday
COLUMN By ELLEN SISKA For The York Dispatch
Article Launched: 11/15/2007 07:02:41 AM EST
Athunderstorm is not a welcome thing at a racetrack on race weekend.
But when "Lightning Crashes" at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday, fans will be on their feet cheering because York's own rock stars, Live, will be performing.

The quartet of Ed Kowalczyk, Chad Taylor, Chad Gracey and Patrick Dahlheimer, the band behind 1990s alternative-rock smash hits "Selling the Drama," "Lightning Crashes," "I Alone" and "All Over You," will take the stage before the Ford 400, the final race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup series season.

"Racing fans have come to expect the best both on and around the track during Ford Championship Weekend, and Live fits that bill beautifully," speedway president Curtis Gray said. "It's really an entertainment coup for us and our NASCAR fans; we couldn't be happier Live will take the Miller Lite stage on Sunday."

Live's 1994 release "Throwing Copper" sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and is the only album in Billboard history to stay on the charts for 52 weeks before reaching No. 1. It has been hailed as one of the most definitive alternative-rock recordings in the history of the genre.

Speaking Wednesday via phone from his home in California, lead singer Kowalczyk told me that while he doesn't follow NASCAR, he's looking forward to the appearance.

"I have to say I'm not big into car races in terms of being a spectator, but the environment as far as playing a show is pretty exciting," he said. "Everybody is so amped up. It's a real party atmosphere and everybody's there to have a good time. They're really great from that standpoint."
In a news release issued
by the track, Kowalczyk is quoted saying, "Live is looking forward to fueling the race with plenty of high-octane rock and roll. We're also really looking forward to meeting Ricky Bobby -- shake and bake, baby!"

Kowalczyk said he made the tongue-in-cheek reference to the movie "Talladega Nights" because "I've seen it three times on the tour bus and I think it's one of the funniest movies ever."

While frequently critical of York in interviews in the 1990s, Kowalczyk said his views have changed with the passage of time.

"It's funny," he said. "I think growing up there, which is typical of a lot of people and their hometown, they can't wait to get out. But York's a cool place. I think that as a kid, I wanted to get out and see the world so much that I held a negative view of where I grew up just because it was part of my -- the fuel for my fire, to feed and build our band.

"But as I've gotten older, I do get back there every once in a while and it's a cool place. I still have lots of friends there. I can't say I'd ever want to live there again, but my views on it have become softer as I've gotten older."

Kowalczyk, who has two daughters, said that becoming a father has also changed him and is reflected in his music.

"It's a deeper humanity, a deeper sense of being grounded and very real," he said. "Bringing up my daughters has made me a better person in general, and that would include my life as a singer/songwriter."

An example of Live's bigger world view is the band's upcoming participation in a World AIDS Day concert on Dec. 1 in South Africa.

"It's such a tremendous honor to be asked," he said. "Not only is it an honor to be asked to do this concert in particular, but it's always fun to appreciate the success we have all over the world, as far away as Africa."

The band remains extremely popular in Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Africa, perhaps more so than in the U.S.

"I think that a lot of it has to do with our approach to the music being so passionate," Kowalczyk said. "My lyrics are lyrics that people seem to be able to sort of sink their teeth into and then grow with them and stay interested in them for years and years, rather than just, 'oh yeah, that was a song I liked for a month, and now I don't like it anymore.' Our fans seem to stick with us.

"Our music tends to sort of integrate itself into people's lives at a really deep level, and that's just been a universal experience in terms of going to places like Europe and Africa and Australia."

But Kowalczyk said he still loves playing for his hometown crowd, citing a September concert in Hershey as "one of our best shows all year."

Asked if he had a message to convey to local fans, Kowalczyk laughed.

"You keep calling and we'll keep coming," he said.

[Soxwsc]

"Our music tends to sort of integrate itself into people's lives at a really deep level, and that's just been a universal experience in terms of going to places like Europe and Africa and Australia."

Seriously? Who? Did "V", "BoP", and "SFBM" really integrate deep into your lives? I find it very sad Ed had to make a quote like this in relation to a Nascar event. Come on now. This is just pure embarassment. I'm really getting to the point where I'm ashamed of being a fan of this band now.

He didn't say which cd.. As far as I'm concerned, his quote was 100% accurate. Their music, especially TC, TDTH, SS, and BOP (my personal favorite road trip cd) integrates itself into people's lives at a really deep level. That's why they continue to be my favorite band. And I know a lot of people who feel the same way.

This post has been edited by Soxwsc: Nov 19 2007, 7:03 pm

[SinfulEyes]

He didn't say which cd.. As far as I'm concerned, his quote was 100% accurate. Their music, especially TC, TDTH, SS, and BOP (my personal favorite road trip cd) integrates itself into people's lives at a really deep level. That's why they continue to be my favorite band. And I know a lot of people who feel the same way.

I won't argue most of their original older work is deep. To say any of their newer stuff reaches people at the same deep levels is just completely absurd. I keep waiting for Live to redeem themselves but I keep getting disappointed.

[SJN1279]

I won't argue most of their original older work is deep. To say any of their newer stuff reaches people at the same deep levels is just completely absurd. I keep waiting for Live to redeem themselves but I keep getting disappointed.

I think some of the band's newer stuff is more likely to reach a person than the band's older stuff. Some songs from the older CD's had assinine lyrics. "Everybody's here, puke stinks like beer" was never anything profound.

[Existentialist]

How many times do you idiots have to keep referring to that line? It was profound and I'm not going to explain it to you again.

[Live inside]

How many times do you idiots have to keep referring to that line? It was profound and I'm not going to explain it to you again.

...NOT?

[Existentialist]

Fine. It's used to juxtapose the intellectualizing of the world and the raw physical world. It's supposed to be a basic, unadulterated description of the world.

I think the new albums reach out to people more than the old ones only if your brain is turned off or not there to begin with. Nothing on the last three albums comes even close to anything written on the first four albums, and only the hipster doofus running this site and 40 year old women think otherwise. Can we get some real FANS in here, or are we stuck with the preteen girls stuck in adult bodies?

[crazy1]

I think the new albums reach out to people more than the old ones only if your brain is turned off or not there to begin with. Nothing on the last three albums comes even close to anything written on the first four albums, and only the hipster doofus running this site and 40 year old women think otherwise. Can we get some real FANS in here, or are we stuck with the preteen girls stuck in adult bodies?

[Badman]

I liked Century. Not my favourite on the Album but in the last half it really starts to rock similarly to "Transmit your Love" except better. I love interpretation of my music and the newer albums mean pretty much what they say. On TC and SS, I don't even think Ed knew what he was writing about on a couple songs so it could mean anything and that is what keeps me coming back. In the meantime, I'll enjoy artists with similar lyrical mysteries like Pink Floyd. I just got Division Bell and I gotta say it is deeper than the critics say...

[SinfulEyes]

I think the word that everyone is looking for to describe Live's newer work is transparent.

Honestly, there is no other way to describe their music. Ed gives us the same garbage every interview about how they're happy with what, who, and where they are. That is absolutely fine but can you at least write us a song that isn't as obvious as all the other crap on the radio these days?

I haven't really listened to BoP since SFBM came out (since BoP is fairly transparent itself) but it is just plain embarassing that BoP is less transparent than SFBM when they're both almost equally artless.

[Distance to Me]

Some fans we have here. Maybe their music isn't as deep as it used to be, but can you honestly tell me what something like Night of Nights is about? It means many things to me. What about Show? What about Call Me a Fool? Can you honestly say what these songs are about, exactly?

Sorry if the sour mood around this place is getting to me.

[SJN1279]

Some fans we have here. Maybe their music isn't as deep as it used to be, but can you honestly tell me what something like Night of Nights is about? It means many things to me. What about Show? What about Call Me a Fool? Can you honestly say what these songs are about, exactly?

Sorry if the sour mood around this place is getting to me.

No reason to apologize.

Even if some of the new music is more transparent than the older work, it doesn't mean the songs are less meaningful to listeners. For instance, a song like Heaven is truely moving song to many parents. Other newer songs like Wings, have an uplifting vibe that can transport a listener to a feeling of well-being.

I'm sure there are people on this board who relate to the newer Live songs, just as they have for the band's older music. Its all very subjective.

[WaiterAtCliftons]

Some fans we have here. Maybe their music isn't as deep as it used to be, but can you honestly tell me what something like Night of Nights is about? It means many things to me. What about Show? What about Call Me a Fool? Can you honestly say what these songs are about, exactly?

Sorry if the sour mood around this place is getting to me.

I'll second there is no need to apologize here. Many people forget that music is not a science. Music, and lyrics especially are all about interpretations. Many song writers will never tell you exactly what a certain song is about because different people can find different meanings in certain songs, and that is the art of it.

To me SFBM is a very underrated album, a lot of good music critics loved it as well. But to some fans just because it doesn't mean as much to them or doesn't have the same sound as what originally brought them to Live they feel the need to put it down, or say its not as good as something else.

To me V is Live's weakest album, but I can personally find a lot of strong points that still allow me to enjoy it. And I know some people on here absolutely love V, and that's completely fine with me.

Put any of Ed's lyrics up against a song like "Umbrella" by Rhiana which for some reason had huge success and tell me that Ed isn't better than that any day of the week? But yet those are the songs that continue to top charts. That is what Ed is getting at here.

I say Fuck anyone who tries to judge art like its science, that's the beauty of art.

This post has been edited by WaiterAtCliftons: Nov 20 2007, 11:03 pm