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Live never intended to take more than 15 years to release its first concert CD and DVD, “LIVE at the Paradiso--Amsterdam,” but, in hindsight, Ed Kowalczyk is sure glad it did.

“It was happening a few times before and it just didn’t feel right. This is perfect,” says Live’s front man and primary songwriter Ed Kowalczyk of the two shows recorded June 30 and July 1, 2008 before a fervent Dutch audience. “The band is playing better than ever. The timing captured the band at a great moment in our career.”

And what a career it is. Since forming in 1985, while in middle school in York, Pa., the quartet has sold more than 20 million CDs worldwide and is one of the most popular and enduring alternative rock bands of the past two decades. Its probing, multi-layered, intense tunes, such as “I Alone,” “Lightning Crashes” and “Selling the Drama,” provide the perfect anecdote for today’s often lightweight musical fluff.

In addition to the band’s stellar, dark cover of the Johnny Cash standard, “I Walk the Line,” the “Paradiso” CD includes two new Live studio songs: “Forever” and “Purifier.”

“Forever” is a mid-tempo meditation on faith and loyalty. “I was just wanting to do a song that has that message of holding on; ‘’the darker the night, the brighter the dawn. All these things move in seasons that feel kind of barren. But you find yourself after that period, coming into a reaping period.”

“Purifier” is a full-on rave up that was completed in two days. “Chad threw the riff down. I’d been listening to a lot of gospel, blues and old guitar evangelism. We started in the morning and by the next evening we had it. It’s a pretty awesome whirlwind. You feel the explosion in your gut.” The track features Blues Traveler’s John Popper, with whom Live toured last summer.

As strong as Live’s songs are on disc, the best, truest way to capture the band’s charismatic, transformative music is in concert. They are named Live, after all.

“If you’ve never seen the band in concert, this DVD makes a strong case for you to do just that!" says Kowalczyk of his hopes for the CD/DVD. “These guys are kind of quiet, and then as soon as the PA comes on, they totally lose it.”

He’s talking about his best friends and band mates, guitarist Chad Taylor, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey, whom he’s know for most of his life. “By the time we got a record deal, we’d formed our personalities together. When the going got tough and we got famous and there were pressures and stuff, everyone had their role defined already. With Live, there are no surprises between the four of us.”

The video gives fans total access to the quartet on the road, allowing an unprecedented look into the 22 hours spent off-stage every day. “It grounds the DVD in reality. This is really who we are,” Kowalczyk says.

With a deeply devoted fan base around the globe, Live could have picked virtually anywhere to record the DVD/CD, but ultimately settled on Amsterdam. “Amsterdam just has a great vibe no matter who you are,” Kowalczyk says. “Our fans here are super crazy about the band. Also, the idea of doing it internationally is another dimension, another color for our American fans. It was just a little bit more exotic.”

The band loved the Paradiso because it provided an architectural analog to their sound. “The venue has built-in drama,” Kowalczyk says. “It’s an old Protestant church. It ties in with our ethos of a universal, spiritual message and to elevate the energy.”

From the opening song, Live pounces on the stage with a ferocity, passion and purpose few bands possess. “My goal every night is to break down the boundaries between the fan and me. We just never stop trying to connect,” Kowalczyk says. That trusting communion between band and audience is evident throughout, especially during such moments as “I Alone” when the crowd takes over the song. Reinventing its classics on stage is a constant endeavor as the songs evolve and take on new meaning. “Take a song like ‘Lightning Crashes’,” Kowalczyk says. “As soon as I had my first baby about six years ago, I feel it’s even more important to me now because I’ve been there. This song now means something totally deeper to me. That’s what I love about doing this for a living, if you get a good song, you really grow with them and they grow with you. They have their own kind of life and interact with you over the years.”

Latest bulletin 11.11.08

In Stores Now!

The "LIVE at the Paradiso - Amsterdam" CD and DVD are available now! The CD and DVD can also be purchased at the

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Jul 31, 09:37 AM

Member Post Card Contest

Homespun Members: There's just 2 weeks left to get your entry submitted for our member post card contest! We're giving away some great prizes including a signed, framed DVD poster and signed "Live at the Paradiso - Amsterdam" CDs! Log in to Homespun online now to view the details for this contest. But hurry - the deadline is August 15th!!
Jul 27, 02:13 PM

7/27/09 - 3 Weeks Left

Congratulations to our first 5 winners in the Summer Store Promotion! There’s still 3 more weeks left to get entered to win some great autographed prizes! Click here for the details on this promotion.
Jul 02, 01:07 PM

4th of July Sale

The 4th of July Holiday is upon us, and Friends of LIVE is celebrating by offering you big discounts in the online store! Our “Fourth Sale” will run for only 4 days (from July 2nd at 4PM ET until July 6th at 4 PM ET) and will feature lots of tees reduced to only $14 – including some of the newest tees! Save 30% or more off of the regular prices of these tees!!

Plus remember that you also get 1 prize code entry into our contest to win autographed memorabilia for every order placed (See the 6/19 post for all the details). Now is a great time to get your order in for those LIVE items you’ve been wanting! Log into the online store to check out all of the items on sale!
Jul 02, 01:04 PM

Eddie in Australia

It's official! Eddie will be visiting Australia to perform a few solo acoustic shows! Check out www.eddieklive.com for all of the show listings and ticketing information.

Homespun members: we were able to set up Ticket presales for these Eddie solo shows! The presales all begin on Tuesday July 7th at 9AM (local time for each venue) and will run until July 8th at 10AM (local time) or until presale tickets sell out, whichever occurs first. Homespun members just need to log into Homespun online to get access to these presales! We will post all of the information there on Monday for all the presales.
Jun 19, 03:08 PM

New Summer Store Promotion

Friends of LIVE are launching a great summer promotion in the online store! Every Friday for the next 8 weeks, we will be giving away one Autographed prize a week! Here’s a run down of when we will select winners and the prizes:
Week 1 (6/26): Autographed Drum Head
Week 2 (7/3): Autographed set list from 5/9/09 Reno, NV Show
Week 3 (7/10): Autographed set list from 5/9/09 Reno, NV Show
Week 4 (7/17): Autographed set list from 5/13/09 Dallas, TX Show
Week 5 (7/24): Autographed set list from 5/13/09 Dallas, TX Show
Week 6 (7/31): Autographed set list from 5/13/09 Dallas, TX Show
Week 7 (8/7): Autographed set list from 5/13/09 Dallas, TX Show
Week 8 (8/14): Autographed Drum Head

Check out an image of the autographed drum head and an autographed set list

For every order placed in the online store, a unique 8 digit code will be provided. This 8 digit code is the last 8 numbers of your order number (for example if your order # is WS619200923385654987 then your code is: 85654987). Every Friday afternoon, we will select one prize code from the last 7 days of orders (Friday thru Thursday), and post this code in the “Features” section on the main page of the Friends of LIVE web site. Fans can check in weekly to see if they are a winner! The deadline to place an order to be included for each week’s drawing is Thursdays at Midnight ET.

Homespun members: Don’t forget that your member discount has also been increased to 15% for a limited time!! So you can also save money while getting the chance to win one of many autographed prizes! Log into Homespun online now for details.

No purchase necessary to enter this contest. For one free prize code during this promotion (limit of 1 free code per household), please send a 3x5 card with your name, address, and email address to:
Friends of LIVE
ATTN: Free Prize Code
PO Box 20266
Lehigh Valley, PA 18002

You will receive your prize code via email along with details on what week the prize code is valid for (You may not request a specific week). All free code requests must be received by July 31st, 2009. FOL is not responsible for lost or misdirected mail that results in requests not arriving.
Jun 16, 05:47 PM

New Homespun Offers

Homespun members: log into your Homespun online account now to learn more about the latest member contest (for you chance to win signed items including a signed, framed poster!) and a special discount offer exclusively for members!
May 13, 03:01 PM

Eddie Kowalczyk solo acoustic show in Chicago

Eddie will be performing a solo acoustic show at Schuba's in Chicago, IL on June 23rd. This is a 21 and over event. Tickets for this show go on sale to the general public on Friday (5/15) at Noon CT at www.schubas.com . We were able to get a presale set up for Homespun members. This presale starts now and will go until Friday (5/15) at 10 AM CT - or until presale tickets sell out (whichever occurs first). Homespun members: to purchase tickets during this presale, just log into your homespun online account. Once logged in click on the "Homespun Member Ticketing Page" link. This will take you to the secure page where you can purchase tickets.
May 12, 03:08 PM

New Date Added

LIVE will be performing at the Virgin Festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 20th. Tickets for this event are on sale now! For more information visit the Virgin Festival web site.
May 08, 11:23 AM

Forever Video

The final version of the Forever Video has officially been released. This video was made by Ray Slavenburg, a fan who entered and won the Forever Video Contest. Check it the official Forever video in the Videos section of our iLike page!
May 08, 11:22 AM

Name that Tune Contest Winners

Congratulations to the 5 winners of our “Name That Tune” Contest:
Ben Kearns
Chris Martin
Matthew Woestman
Manfred Krug
John Goodheart

The lyrics “Pick me up and put me on the ground” are from Top, a song off of the Throwing Copper Album. These 5 fans were randomly selected from all correct entries, and will receive a LIVE USB Flash Drive. Thanks to everyone who participated in this contest!

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Latest bulletin 11.11.08

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