New article of Live's Break-up Options

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Thank Barb for this(crazy1)

http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_13962636?source=email

Internet updates leave fans wondering about Live's status
According to band members' Web sites, York rockers Live might part ways for good.
By ERIN McCRACKEN
Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 12/09/2009 10:35:46 PM EST


Ed Kowalczyk performs with Live during the band's concert at the York Fair on Sept. 11, 2004. The band -- which formed in York in 1984 -- has indicated through its Web sites that it might be breaking up. (DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS -- FILE)The band that would become Live formed in 1984 at Edgar Fahs Smith Middle School in York.
In the '90s, the group -- Ed Kowalczyk, Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and Chad Gracey -- had a string of platinum albums and world tours.

Then, in August -- after nearly a quarter century of making music -- the band announced a hiatus.

Now, according to band members' Web sites, that hiatus might be permanent.

On Nov. 30, the group's fan-run site, www.friendsoflive.com, sent out an e-mail attributed to guitarist Chad Taylor. It reads:

"Our hiatus had fast turned into a break up. Chad, Patrick and I have no plans to replace Ed at this point in time, however, he will no longer be a member of our band."

The next day, a tweet was posted on Kowalczyk's Twitter account, twitter.com/eddieklive. It reads: "Hey all! Sorry about the FOL (Friends of Live) e-mail that went out yesterday; you all deserve better than that! Especially because its completely untrue about me."

Efforts to reach the band through publicists, marketing companies, record labels and social media outlets were not returned.

Live members have communicated about their possible split only through their personal Web sites.

On Nov. 30, a post attributed to Taylor appeared on his blog, allthingschadtaylor.blogspot.com. It's titled, "Not the ending I wished for."

The blog post cites legal and contractual concerns as the reason for the Live breakup.

The post reads: "Ed was able to stab his three best friends from middle school in the back . . . I am deeply hurt and wounded. In light of these matter(s), I can't ever see myself working with Ed, let alone ever being in the same room with him."

Now, fans are left to judge if the band's "solid foundation" is shaking or breaking.

Hundreds of people wrote comments on the band members' blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.

Jimmy Lang, who helps with Live's Web site, said he had no comment about the situation.

"That's

Guitarist Chad Taylor wrote a blog entry Nov. 30 citing legal and contractual concerns causing Live to break up. (DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS -- FILE)a personal matter between those guys," Lang said.
Kowalczyk was in town Oct. 22 with Art Alexakis of Everclear and Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer. He played an acoustic set at York's Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center as part of the Open Wings-Broken Strings Tour.

In an interview prior to that concert, Kowalczyk did not talk about a breakup. He said he was focusing on his solo tour and album, which is due out in 2010.

"It's a fluid situation," he said at that time. "I'm digging into this new tour and have no future plans to tour or play with Live at the moment."

Taylor, Gracey and Dahlheimer are working on a project with Candlebox members Kevin Martin and Sean Hennesy called The Gracious Few. A post attributed to Taylor on allthingschadtaylor.blogspot.com says he is also working on a TV pilot and producing projects for Aurora Films.

During the recent interview, Kowalczyk said Live had a "solid foundation" because the members had been together since the age of 13.

Together, they topped the Billboard 200, graced the cover of Rolling Stone and sold almost 20 million albums worldwide. After the millennium, Live's spotlight started to fade. But they continued to make albums and perform.

Addictions, power struggles, deaths and the burdens of fame have driven acts apart for years. The Beatles survived only about a decade.

Back then, band breakups were announced through press conferences. Now people receive the artists' direct thoughts in their e-mail inboxes.

Jerry Duncan, of Duncan Media Productions in York, said he wasn't aware of the Friends of Live e-mail, but has heard discussion about the latest band updates in the local music scene.

At this point, it's all rumors, he said.

emccracken@ydr.com; 771-2051