+LiVE+
+LIVE+ are a band from York, Pennsylvania, USA. They used to be called Public Affection, but didn't seem to be going anywhere with that name, so after their first album, Death of a Dictionary, they changed their name and got a record deal with Radioactive Records.
The first thing they did on their new contract was release an EP called Four Songs, which (unsurprisingly) contained four songs. It sold badly.
Mental Jewelry sold better. In fact, the first single from their first full-length album (under their new name) hit #1 in the states. It was called Operation Spirit. The next single from the album was Pain Lies On The Riverside.
It wasn't until their next album Throwing Copper though that they really made it big. Selling The Drama, All Over You, Lightning Crashes, and I Alone were all huge hits internationally. The band toured on the back of the album for about 18 months.
+LIVE+'s third album (under that name) was called Secret Samadhi. It was not so successful. It spawned such singles as Lakini's Juice, Freaks, Turn My Head and Rattlesnake.
In late 1999, the band released The Distance To Here. It and its first single, The Dolphin's Cry were both successful and acclaimed by critics. The other singles from the album, Run To The Water and They Stood Up For Love were not quite as successful.
In July of 2000, +LIVE+ teamed up with Counting Crows on a co-headlining tour of the USA, supported by bands like Galactic, Verbow and Unified Theory. They toured together until the end of October when LIVE took a break to finish off their album, which they had been recording in short bursts since the middle of the year.
Update: A new album, V has been released. I'll write more soon!
Audio Samples
- Sample 1 - Lightning Crashes (originally from the album Throwing Copper) - an acoustic version as played during an interview on South Africa's 5FM.
- Sample 2 - The Dolphin's Cry (originally from The Distance To Here) - from the same acoustic session.
- Sample 3 - Shit Towne (originally on Throwing Copper), as played on 2/12/99 - not acoustic! This song is an Ode to their native York, PA.
- Sample 4 - Lakini's Juice (originally from Secret Samadhi) - also from 2/12/99.