‘Lightning Crashes’ Onto Paramount Stage
/By Arielle Dollinger
adollinger@longislandergroup.com
In what will be only the second United States concert of his current tour, Ed Kowalczyk and his band will take The Paramount stage on Aug. 2 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of LIVE’s album “Throwing Copper.”
Kowalczyk, the former lead singer of American rock band LIVE, began his solo career in November 2009. During his Paramount performance, he will perform the entire 14-song sequence of the landmark album, including hits like “Lighting Crashes” and “Selling the Drama,” and will also sing his hits from his time with LIVE and some of his solo material during the encore.
“It’s a pretty long show,” Kowalczyk said.
The Pennsylvania native has performed the concert around the world over the past year, but will not have performed it in the United States until Aug. 1 – the night before he comes to the Paramount.
“The Paramount just has a great reputation as being a really wonderful venue for sound and just for vibe in general,” Kowalczyk said.
Though he is a solo artist now, the husband and father of four said that his sound has remained “pretty much the same.”
“Throwing Copper, which was released in 1994, was definitely a record that sort of embodied the whole [essence] of the early and mid-90s modern rock music,” he said. “I think that that period of time was a really exciting period in rock and roll.”
Kowalczyk, who said he has “always” loved singing, started to get into writing and began to consider a career in music when he was in high school. The band got together, and got a record deal in 1991 – just at the conclusion of their high school years.
On his latest solo album, Kowalczyk had the opportunity to work with REM’s Peter Buck – a man to whom he refers as “one of my all-time favorite guitar songwriting heroes.”
“That’s what’s great about this career – you really don’t know from month to month or record to record the kind of relationships that just happen spontaneously,” Kowalczyk said.
He had known the members of REM for a while, but had not seen Buck in a long time. Then, his producer ran into Buck at a wedding. The two spoke about Kowalczyk’s album, and Buck offered to play on it, Kowalczyk said.
“We’re going to try and do some more stuff together,” Kowalczyk said.
Those not familiar with Kowalczyk’s music may at least recognize the name of the film in which he holds his one and only acting credit: “Fight Club.”
A friend of director David Fincher, Kowalczyk had moved to California and Fincher gave him a role as a waiter in the film.
“If you’re going to be in one [movie], I guess that was the one to be in,” he said.
His 12-year-old daughter, meanwhile, is “big time into drama and singing,” he said. She has tried different instruments, as has his 9-year-old, but has not quite found her instrumental focus yet.
Kowalczyk was pleased, however, to notice that the 12-year-old’s music taste seems to be evolving. The two went to see Lorde at Roseland Ballroom and Kowalczyk was happy to find that his daughter seems to be transitioning from straight pop music to “more artistic” selections.
The Aug. 2 performance will begin at 8 p.m.
