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LIVE ~ are a multi-platinum selling rock quartet, born in the best of rock times, the early ‘90s. Their blend of anthem and ballad have earned them superstar status, yet surprisingly, even at the height of success, this band is still somewhat little known, especially in Europe and the UK. A powerhouse rock band that can wrench your heart in two, and yet leave you with a sense of awe and yearning. Their music is very spiritual, and draws from a variety of sources, yet the message is clear - Live for life! (the band’s name is actually pronounced Live - as in Livewire).

Biography

"First Aid" were formed in York, Pennsylvania, US. by messrs Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer, and Chad Gracey. Playing at school, the trio narrowly miss out on a winning a local talent contest.

The band enlist a vocalist, Ed Kowalczyk, and change the band name to "Public Affection". With the powerhouse vocals of Kowalczyk, the bands music now took a turn towards anthem rock, and heart wrenching ballad. They soon built up a fanbase and local following.

1989 - Public Affection form their own record label, "Action Front", and release their first cassette, (remember them?) The album is entitled "The Death of a Dictionary",

1990 - The band play across clubs and venues in PA, including a performance on the court house steps in York. They also played extensively at CBGB’s in NY.

The band record a demo for "Giant" records, NY. The demo proved unsuccessful, however, it did open the door and a contract at "Radioactive" records, with the offer of recording a debut album with Jerry Harrison, ("Talking Heads"), at the helm.

The band decide to change names again, this time to "Live". A somewhat confusing name, phonetically. The name is actually pronounced Live - as in Livewire. They enter the studio to record their first EP, titled simply, "Four Songs". This included the single "Operation Spirit", that would also feature on their forthcoming debut album.

1991 - "Live" release their debut album on "Radioactive" records. Titled, "Mental Jewellery", the album is a collection of songs based around the writings of spiritual guru Jiddu Krishnamurti. Singles from the album included, "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)" and "Pain Lies on the Riverside."

The band tour the US interstate, including NY, NJ, MA, WA, RI and CA. They also appear in the UK in November, playing at only minor venues, such as Queen Mary’s college?

1992 - The band continue touring interstate in support of "Mental Jewellery", this time the tour includes dates in TX, AZ, GA, LA and IL. The band appear for dates in Europe, and at the "Town and Country club", UK. where they support Johnny Rotten’s band, "Public image Ltd".

1994 - The band release their second album for Radioactive records, "Throwing Copper", with hit single "Selling the drama" hitting the US billboard chart at #1. The single "I alone", performed just as well reaching #6 . The album went on to top the Billboard 200. This was the band’s turning point, and promotion on MTV ensured solid success, (the videos are still shown today). Other tracks included the excellent "t.b.d", and "White discussion", "Iris", and "Lightning Crashes".

They tour extensively, with the likes of "Weezer", "Chestnutt", "Angelfish", and "Fatima Mansions". In August they support the "Ramones", in Canada, before appearing at Woodstock ‘94. November. They appear on the Jon Stewart show. They also appear for the first time at the UK club, "Shepherds Bush Empire", the first of a long association with this Brit venue.

1995 - The band perform on "Saturday Night Live", playing top single hits, "Selling the drama" and "I alone". The band play Australia for the first time, and also appear at the UK "Glastonbury" festival in June. They tour Germany, Norway, Sweden and Holland. Then it’s back to the US touring with bands, "Buffalo Tom", "Catherine Wheel", and "Bad".

1996 - The band take some time out from touring. However, they do appear for "Edenfest" in Mosport Park, Ontario, Canada.

1997 - The band release third album, "Secret Samadhi", again on the Radioactive label. Produced this time round with Jay Healy. With the momentum and popularity of their first release, the album debuted at the Billboard #1. and had hit singles "Turn my head", and "Lakini’s Juice". However, the album sales did not fair as well as the previous multi-selling debut, although it still sold a respectable 2 million copies. They perform once again for "Saturday Night Live" in February. Then its back on tour across the US, Europe, and this time New Zealand, as well as Australia.

1998 - They appear at "the Carnegie Hall" NY, and also back at their primordial haunt, CBGB’s. June. They perform for the "Tibetan Freedom concert" in Washington DC, and later in November at the "Bumbershoot Festival" in Seattle WA.

1999 - The band release their fourth album for Radioactive, this time with Jerry Harrison back as producer, titled "The distance to here", this album is perhaps their finest hour to date. This time round the album topped the billboard at the #4 spot. The album’s excellent production and style resonates from the speakers, and screams for attention. Certainly gains them a 9/10 here from yours truly.

June. They are invited back for the "Tibetan Freedom concert", this time in WI. They record at Sony studios for "VH1 Hard Rock Live". The band finish the year with another European tour.

2000 - The US leg continues, then they are touring Australia in March, the band also venture to South Africa and appear at the "Bellville Velodrome" in Capetown.

2001 - The band release album number five, and titled simple "V", produced with [] for Radioactive. The album was somewhat diverse from previous releases, and single "Simple Creed" failed to break the lull in the bands popularity. The album was released only weeks before the tragic 9/11 terror attack, and only managed to reach #22 in the album chart. However, the new single, "Overcome", found it’s way onto the airwaves of the US, with stations welcoming the song as an anthem for the recent tragic events. The band were quick to embrace the success, and quickly recorded an alternative video for music TV stations.

July. They appear at "Garrison grounds", in Halifax for "Canada day". October. They tour with "Jane’s Addiction", interstate and Ontario, Canada. December. They finish the year touring once again across Australia and New Zealand.

2002 - After three dates in Amsterdam, Holland, the US tour leg continues. They finally take a brief break after last date for the year in November at "Muhlenberg College" in Allentown, PA.

2003 - The band release their sixth studio album on Radioactive, titled "Birds of Pray", this time with producer Jim Wirt, and mixed with Tom Lord-Alge. The album includes the single, "Heaven" Very much a power driven album of ballad, and contains no less than fifteen tracks! The album also includes a live version of "Overcome". Although the album faired better than the last, the band had still not re-awakened the success of their first three albums.

June. The band support "Bon Jovi" across Europe and the UK. and appear back at the "Shepherds Bush Empire" in London, UK. August. They perform a secret gig at the "Live Underground Lounge" in Las Vegas. The band finish the year touring South Africa, and once again Australia, and NZ.

2004 - "Awake - the best of Live" is released on Radioactive featuring tracks from the first six albums, including, "Selling the drama", "I Alone", "Lakini’s Juice", "Turn my head", "The Dolphin’s Cry", "Run to the water", "Dance with you" and "Heaven". The album compilation features a previously unreleased track, "We deal in dreams", from early 1994, and also an acoustic version of "They stood up for love", ("the Distance to here"). Also featured was a new version of "Run away", featuring vocals by Shelby Lynne, and a Johnny Cash cover song, "I walk the line".

The album is released as a single CD, and also as a double pack with CD and Dvd of video hits. A must for all "Live" fans, this best of showcases both a musical and visual history of the band, (something perhaps all bands should offer on their "best of" releases).

February. They appear on TV shows, "Tonight with Jay Leno", and "Ellen Degeneres". Ed Kowalczyk performs a number of acoustic sets at various venues. The band also perform another secret gig, this time at the "Loft" NY.

2005 - The band sign to the Sony/BMG record label. They appear at "Tempe Beach Park" in Tempe, Arizona, and at "South Beach", Miami, Florida. Also appearing at "House of Blues" in CA, and "Hard Rock Live", in FL and Maryland.

2006 - The band release "Songs from Black Mountain", on Sony/Epic. The album reached only position #52, with single release, "The River", "Mystery", and latest release "Wings".
January. Begins and extensive tour leg, starting at the "CN Centre" in Prince George, British Columbia, and across Canada, supporting fellow hard rockers, "Nickelback". March. Ed performs more solo acoustic sets. In fact, 2006 proved to be one of the busiest years for the band to date, with performances across Europe, UK, Australia, South Africa and the US.

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