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!
Tired of "Me"
Live Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I say "Let them go tonight"
My brain waves
Confused between what is and ain't
She cries "Groundless and free"
.
Tired of the water
Tired of the wine
Tired of time
Tired of the madness
Tired of the steel
Tired of the violence
Tired of me
.
Used steel
Used steel am I
What was pliable in love
Is now hard and crystallized
The intellect is fine
For counting money
And recalling times
That she cried,
"Groundless and free"
.
Hope is a letter that never arrives
Delivered by the postman of my fear
Live's song "Tired of 'Me'" is a song that deals with the difficulties of life, particularly when you feel trapped in your own head or in your circumstances. The lyrics suggest a push and pull between two people, with one person encouraging the other to hold onto the reins (control) while the other person wants to just let go and be free. The confusion between what is and isn't real, or what is and isn't worthwhile, is something that plagues both people. The line "groundless and free" suggests a desire for a life that is unencumbered by responsibilities and expectations, but also one that has no roots or grounding.
The chorus of the song expresses a deep exhaustion with life in general. The repetition of the word "tired" emphasizes this sense of weariness, and the specific things that the singer is tired of suggest a life that is full of conflict and struggle. Water and wine, typically associated with pleasure, are now sources of exhaustion. The future and time are no longer seen as full of promise, but just more reasons to feel drained. Even things that are typically seen as positive, like hope, are framed in a negative light. The letter that never arrives is seen as reinforcing the singer's fear rather than offering any real comfort or solutions.
The final verse of the song suggests that the singer feels like they have become hardened by life. What was once pliable and soft, like steel, has become crystallized and immovable. The intellect can still do some things, like count money and remember past moments of emotion, but it can't seem to shake off the feeling of being trapped. The song doesn't offer any easy solutions or happy endings, but it does convey a deep sense of frustration and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
You say "Hold on to the reigns"
She insists on maintaining control over the situation
I say "Let them go tonight"
He suggests abandoning the idea of maintaining control over the situation
My brain waves
His thoughts and emotions are in a state of turmoil
Confused between what is and ain't
He's unable to distinguish between reality and his perception of it
She cries "Groundless and free"
Her emotions appear to be unfounded and unrestrained
Tired of the water
He's exhausted from repetitive, monotonous activities
Tired of the wine
He's worn out from excessive indulgence in pleasure
Tired of the future
He's anxious and apprehensive about what's to come
Tired of time
He's exhausted from the relentless passage of time
Tired of the madness
He's overwhelmed by the chaos and confusion around him
Tired of the steel
He's fatigued by the cold, unfeeling nature of modern life
Tired of the violence
He's exhausted from the physical and emotional harm caused by conflict
Tired of me
He's weary of his own self and the negative feelings and experiences his existence brings
Used steel
He no longer possesses the supple, adaptable nature he once had
Used steel am I
He feels rigid and inflexible in his mindset and outlook
What was pliable in love
His heart was once open and receptive to affection, but is now hardened and distant
Is now hard and crystallized
His emotional state is now fixed and unchanging, like a crystal
The intellect is fine
He's intellectually capable and sharp
For counting money
He excels at financial management
And recalling times
He has a good memory for past events
That she cried,
Referring back to the earlier line: her emotions were unfounded and baseless
"Groundless and free"
Her lack of rational reasoning and unrestrained emotions are a frequent occurrence in their relationship
Hope is a letter that never arrives
He's lost faith in the possibility of a better future
Delivered by the postman of my fear
His anxiety and apprehension prevent him from being hopeful and optimistic
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JANET VOGEL, JOSEPH VERSCHAREN, JOHN TAYLOR, JOSEPH ROCK, WALTER LESTER, JAMES BEAUMONT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind