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Live was formed in the mid-80's by members Chad Gracey, Chad Taylor, and Patrick Dahlheimer. The band held auditions for its fourth member, enter Ed Kowalczyk, who actually auditioned to be a guitarist, not the lead singer. Although the band was now together, they were not known by the name we know them today, for they originally called themselves Public Affection. They released one album under this name, which was called Death of a Dictionary. From there, they decided to change their name to Live.
Their first release under their new band name was 1991's Mental Jewelry, which ended up going gold. Next came an EP titled Four Songs. Live's second album release, Throwing Copper(1994), was what catapulted them into stardom. It sold over seven million copies worldwide, fueled by the hit singles I Alone, Lightning Crashes, and All Over You. Live promoted it with a 252 show world tour. In 1997 came the highly anticipated release to their smash Throwing Copper, the spiritual and reflective Secret Samadhi. Secret Samadhi was a total musical redirection for Live, some thought it was a good thing, some thought it was a bad thing. But all who were critical of Secret Samadhi need only pay attention to the fact that it was the album that paved the way for the soaring melodies and solid riffs on their fourth release, 1999's The Distance to Here, which is already being given such praise as one of the best albums of the year, and even one of the best albums of the decade.
Live is a spiritual band, and one of the few rock bands left that are actually about the music. They spread their message of peace and love through extensive touring, inviting people to join them on their spiritual journey. Singer Ed Kowalczyk tells us what Live is all about when he talks about his new album, "The message of The Distance to Here is no secret. It is a message of love and an invitation to myself and to those who want to come along to ask the big questions and not feel uncool doing it."
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