The Badger Herald MADISON, Wis. -- After having spent three years out of the limelight, Live returned late last month with their fourth album, The Distance to Here. Taking a break in Dallas while touring, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer talked with The Badger Herald (University of Wisconsin) about the poorly-received Secret Samadhi, self-promotion at this summer's Tibetan Freedom Concert and the band's latest musical endeavor.

How has the tour been?

The biggest thing we have noticed is the awareness of the new record. Fans are singing along with many songs from the latest album and not just the single. This is so encouraging because we, as a band, pour so much into each song and we never know if the fans are going to accept it.

Does the entire band contribute to the writing process or does [Live's lead singer] Ed Kowalczyk do most of it?

This time we approached it a little different. We all write, it's been that way from the beginning, really. Ed does tend to have a lot of songs on the album for the simple fact that he can write a melody. We all come up with tons of musical ideas but it's hard for Ed to work with every idea that we have. But this time we all decided that we would just chill at home in York, Pa. and do most of the writing there.

After the successes of Mental Jewelry and Throwing Copper, was there a fear among you and your bandmates that it would be impossible to match those albums' great success, especially from Throwing Copper?

I think we all kind of knew that there were a lot of factors going on with [Throwing Copper]. It was timing especially. The radio climate at the time was looking to embrace something. So when we finished touring for that record, we had a whole different outlook. Thus, when we went into the studio to record the next album, Secret Samadhi, it came out a little darker and moodier, and that was just something that we had to get out of our system. The record company might have wanted Throwing Copper II, but it was just not in us.

So were you pleased with the outcome of Samadhi even though it was heavily panned by critics?

There was tons of criticism and you take that with a grain of salt. It is a record that I am still very, very proud of. That record was within us and we had to get it out of us.

Was there ever talk of the band splitting up after Samadhi's release?

No, not at all. We knew that there was music in us. We actually went into the sessions for our latest record with more material then ever before. We went in with like 30 songs.

Do you consider your latest release, The Distance to Here, a more traditionally rock-oriented album? Were you attempting to get back into the mainstream?

To me it's almost a bit more pop-ish. The songs are superficially easier to grasp. But again I think they are just as intense and deep as the material of Samadhi. There is a general tone that makes this album a more hopeful record.

You were one of the acts to perform at this past summer's Tibetan Freedom Concert. Did you feel that the tone of the event was less about Tibet and more about self promotion for the individual acts?

It was definitely a different vibe than the year before. I don't know if the awareness was played up as much as it should have been. To me it was more bands, as you said, looking to self-promote instead of an awareness campaign for Tibet.

Who do you consider to be your musical influences?

The obvious ones that everybody seems to call us on are REM and U2. They are and we can't deny it.

What about more obscure influences?

Johnny Cash, Pavement. The more that you can take in the better.

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