Hailing from York, Pennsylvania, the group is comprised of Ed Kowalczyk (lead vocals & guitar), Chad Taylor (lead guitar), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass) and Chad Gracey (drums). Since approximately 1999, Live has toured with Ed’s younger brother, Adam Kowalczyk as a rhythm guitarist, and, previously, British keyboardist Michael “Railo” Railton.
Kowalczyk, Taylor, Dahlheimer, and Gracey first came together for a middle-school talent show in the Pennsylvania blue-collar town of York. The group remained together throughout high school, going through a handful of band names and new-wave covers before settling on the moniker Public Affection and recording a self-released cassette of originals, The Death of a Dictionary, in 1989. Frequent trips into New York to play at CBGB helped net the band a deal with Radioactive Records in 1991. With the new name Live, the band entered the studio with former Talking Heads keyboardist Jerry Harrison that year and began recording the EP Four Songs. The single “Operation spirit (the tyranny of tradition)” went to #9 on the Modern Rock chart, and paved the way for the band’s Harrison-produced, full-length debut, 1991’s Mental Jewelry (#73). The album lyrics, penned by Kowalczyk, were heavily inspired by Indian guru Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Fueled by heavy touring (including billing at Woodstock ‘94 and Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD tour) and a string of hit singles (“I Alone”, “All Over You” and the #1 Modern Rock hits “Selling the drama” and “Lightning crashes”), their next album, Throwing Copper, went to #1 in 1994. It is their best-selling, and often most highly regarded by fans and critics, album to date. The band was even asked to perform on Saturday Night Live where they performed their hits “I Alone” and “Selling the Drama” and to this day, they are the only band to receive a standing ovation at the party after the broadcast.[citation needed]
The momentum continued long enough to help 1997’s Secret Samadhi (coproduced by the band and Jay Healey) debut at #1. Deriving its name from a state of Hindu meditation, the album spawned four Modern Rock hit singles, but failed to match its predecessor’s success, with sales topping off at 2 million. The band performed “lakini’s juice” and “Heropsychodreamer” from this album on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Harrison came back on board as coproducer for 1999’s The Distance to Here, which debuted at #4 and featured the minor US hit single “The Dolphin’s Cry.”
In September 2001, the more experimental V (originally scheduled to be titled “Ecstatic Fanatic”) was issued to mixed reviews, preceded by “Simple creed” as the first single. However, with the events of 9/11—which occurred a week before V ‘s release—the melancholic “Overcome” began receiving significant airplay, superseding “Simple Creed” and becoming V’s selling point. Unfortunately, Live’s commercial stock—compounded by their petering radio airplay—had fallen further since The Distance to Here, with V merely reaching #22 at home, failing to reach gold status.
Birds of Pray appeared in May 2003, bolstered by the unexpected success of “Heaven”, Live’s first US Hot 100-placing since “The Dolphin’s Cry.” Reaching #28, Birds of Pray ultimately outsold V, although it too received mixed reviews and failed to reach gold status.
In November 2004, Live released Awake: The Best of Live, a career-spanning compilation that included “We deal in dreams”, a previously unreleased song from the Throwing Copper sessions, and a cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk The Line”, as well as Birds of Pray’s “Run Away”, re-imagined with Shelby Lynne on co-lead vocals.
In 2005, Live signed with Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s Epic label, and released a new album entitled Songs From Black Mountain in June 2006, preceded by “The river” as lead single. Thus far, while the album has achieved international success, it has proven Live’s lowest-seller yet domestically, only reaching #52 in the US before quickly disappearing from the charts.
While Live remain only moderately popular in terms of record sales in the United States, much of their current sales come from places in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Ed Kowalczyk has said that “Holland is the center of the Live universe” [citation needed].
The group made news in January 2006 as three band members (Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and touring rhythm guitar Adam Kowalczyk) and two members of the band’s road crew were on a United Airlines flight when smoke filled the cabin, requiring the pilot to make an emergency landing.
On season 5 of American Idol, finalist Chris Daughtry was accused of performing Live’s rendition of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” and calling it his own. This angered some Live fans, but one week later Daughtry acknowledged it was not his own rendition, even saying Live was one of his favorite bands. In May 2006, Live appeared on The Howard Stern Show and addressed this issue.
On May 24, 2006, the band and Chris Daughtry performed “Mystery” on the season finale of American Idol, and on June 7, a new version of “Mystery” was released on the Friends of Live website featuring Chris Daughtry on guest vocals.
The members of Live announced in June 2009 that the band would be taking a two-year hiatus as they work on other projects. On November 30, 2009, guitarist Chad Taylor confirmed that the hiatus of the band was most likely a permanent rift. See the Wikipedia page for more. During the first European tour of the new band of Taylor, Gracey and Dahlheimer (The Gracious Few), Taylor commented both on stage and in post-show discussions that he believes Live may still come back together, though he also stated that the chances of Kowalczyk joining them in this effort may be very small. In an exclusive blogpost[1] on website The Comet, Taylor confirmed that the remaining members of the band would be working on new material for Live in Nashville early July 2011.
The band returned from their nearly three-year hiatus on March 12, 2012, with Chris Shinn, formerly of Unified Theory, as their new lead singer. The new line-up performed before an invited audience at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center in York. The band performed as a six-piece with The Gracious Few's Sean Hennesy on guitar and Alexander Lefever on keyboards
[1]: http://thecomet.com/posts/exclusive_blog_chad_taylor_talks_the_gracious_few_and_live
There's another band with the same name:
2. Live was a 70s-era Progressive Rock group from Germany. Formed in 1971, the outfit appeared to be a strangely named band indeed.
In October 1972 their guitarist Martin Knaden went to Curly Curve. Throughout their history only one member has remained, the multi-talented keyboards and flute player Norbert Aufmhof. Although in existence for a decade Live never got to record a proper studio album, or gain a contract, which surely they should have. Maybe the band name was a bit of a jinx?!
Their earlier history was originally just documented by a single. Only more recently did an LP surface collecting 1974 recordings. Quite obviously a collection of rehearsal session tapes, the LP reveals a band with promise albeit rather grottily recorded with often barely understandable muffled lyrics in English. Musically, there are nods to early Satin Whale and Jane, but with lots of classical touches, notably Grieg and Bach, and a penchant to meander rather nicely during the instrumentals.
Based on the ROCK OFFERS track "Sea Fever", they had blossomed and changed focus somewhat, as a much more sophisticated symphonic progressive of the Pancake and Jane type, typical of the mid/late-1970's.
In all, during their history, three different versions of Live existed, but eventually the band split in 1976. A full history of the band is included in the GEVELSBERG CD, which documents other oddments, sessions, and a live recording!
Meltdown
Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
These jaws of kali yuga
Yeah it's a crazy kind of cold
A lifeless slumber in a stranglehold
Yeah tibet she can't even touch this
I'd rather freeze in her forests
We're in a spiritual winter
Fire!
Amongst the dreamers
You are in my heart
Like the sun on the icecaps
My only friend in the prison
The long lost meaning to the story story
The divine and ancient wisdom
How could it be that you've graced my
Night?
Like a pardon from the governor
Like a transplant from the donor
Like a gift from the one who is
Fire!
Amongst the dreamers
You are in my heart
Fire!
Amongst the dreamers
You are in my heart
In a place where everything dies
It's you I follow
See by the fire
Of my darlin', yeah!
Fire!
Amongst the dreamers
You are, you are
In my heart
Like a pardon from the governor
Like a transplant from the donor
Like a kiss, like a kiss, from my darlin'
Yeah!
The song "Meltdown" by Live talks about the cold winter, both physical and spiritual, with reference to the Hindu mythology of Kali Yuga, which essentially denotes the age of darkness and ignorance. The song starts with a comparison to the cold Himalayan winter, which draws a parallel to the spiritual winter that has engulfed the world. The line, "A lifeless slumber in a stranglehold," is an apt representation of the dullness and stagnancy of life that this spiritual winter brings with it.
The next set of lyrics talks about Tibet's inability to escape this spiritual winter, and the singer's desire to freeze in her forests, which is an indication of the desolation and absence of hope that this winter brings. The reference to "Fire amongst the dreamers" is a ray of hope amidst this darkness, and the singer acknowledges that this warmth is the only solace in his heart. There is a clear indication that the fire here represents enlightenment, and the singer longs for the one who embodies this fire, and who provides the guidance to get out of this spiritual winter.
The last few lines talk about the transitory nature of everything in the world, where everything dies eventually. However, the singer finds comfort in following the symbol of fire, and in the end, it is this fire that keeps his heart warm. The song essentially speaks of the spiritual stagnancy that the world is facing, but it also provides the hope that the warmth of the fire will help conquer this darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
Like Himalayan cold winter
Comparing the coldness of the world to the harsh and unbearable coldness of the Himalayan winter.
These jaws of kali yuga
Referring to the current age of degradation and strife in Hinduism, where Kali Yuga is considered the last and worst era.
Yeah it's a crazy kind of cold
The coldness being experienced is so extreme and intense that it can be considered insane.
A lifeless slumber in a stranglehold
The world is in a state of stagnation and hopelessness, being choked by negative forces.
Yeah tibet she can't even touch this
Even the spiritual heights of Tibet can't compare to the current state of the world.
I'd rather freeze in her forests
The idea of being in a spiritually pure place (like Tibet) and freezing to death is more appealing than living in the current state of the world.
We're in a spiritual winter
The world is currently experiencing a spiritual 'hibernation' or state of inactivity.
And I long for the one who is
The artist desires to be in the presence of someone (or something) who can bring warmth and spiritual awakening to the world.
Fire! Amongst the dreamers
The artist is calling out to those who hold onto a dream of a better world, to ignite and bring forth a positive change.
You are in my heart
The person (or idea/ideal) that can bring change is held deeply in the artist's heart, giving them hope.
Like the sun on the icecaps
The singer sees their hope as the warmth of the sun, breaking apart the cold and stagnant world.
My only friend in the prison
The hope the artist holds is the only thing they have to comfort them in the bleak and oppressive world.
The long lost meaning to the story story
The idea that can bring positive change to the world is the answer to a story that has been missing its meaning for a long time.
The divine and ancient wisdom
The solution to the world's problems lies in the wisdom and teachings of the divine, which have been around for centuries.
How could it be that you've graced my night?
The singer is in disbelief that they have found hope and change in the dark and cold world.
Like a pardon from the governor
Finding hope is like being granted a pardon from someone with high authority - it is a rare and extraordinary event.
Like a transplant from the donor
The hope is like a transplant, bringing new life and a fresh start to a world in need.
Like a gift from the one who is
The idea or person that brings hope is viewed as a gift from a higher power or divine entity.
In a place where everything dies
In a world where everything is lifeless and meaningless.
It's you I follow
The hope that the artist holds is the one thing they actively pursue and follow in their life.
See by the fire
By following this hope, the artist is able to see the light and warmth of the 'fire' that will bring about positive change.
Of my darlin', yeah!
The hope being held onto is something that the artist cares for and loves deeply.
You are, you are
The hope being held is reiterated, as a reminder to not lose sight of what has brought them comfort and hope in the world.
Like a kiss, like a kiss, from my darlin'
The idea of hope is seen as a tender and loving embrace that brings comfort and inspiration to the artist.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHAD ALAN GRACEY, CHAD DAVID TAYLOR, EDWARD JOEL KOWALCZYK, PATRICK DAHLHEIMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind