If you are a fan of 1990’s grunge, you know the band Live. Though songs like “I Alone” and “Heaven” debuted twenty or so years ago, they still get air time today. Not all fans of 1990s grunge or Live know the name Ed Kowalczyk though. Live’s former lead singer has taken a new direction (sort of) since splitting with the band, Live, in 2009.
Kowalczyk’s direction is an active one; he is producing new stuff and still tours. Quite a bit. Despite his happy marriage and four kids, he is seemingly always on the road. He sold out The Egg’s Swyer Theater in Albany on March 21 and is heading overseas shortly.
Ed Kowalczyk followed an opening performance by Anna Rose, originally of Dutchess County and promoting her album Behold a Pale Horse, she is all voice. While her stage presence is still a bit awkward – she even explained that she’s been accused of laughing too loud – Anna Rose’s powerful voice over heart-felt lyrics will lead her to greater things in the future.
Kowalczyk, also known for pairing his powerful voice and lyrics, opened with “All Over You”. It seemed like everyone in the theater knew the words, leading me to believe that the sold out show was filled with Live fans. But as the show proceeded, and Kowalczyk shared his newer, more religious songs, it was clear that there was a strong Christian contingent in attendance as well. Kowalczyk’s three solo albums since 2010 focus on his re-awakening into the Christian faith, but listening even to his oldest material, you can sense the strong religious tide that runs through all his music.
The Egg is a great venue because the layout allows fans to feel really close to the performer(s). This was my third time seeing Kowalczyk (once with Live ten or so years ago, then solo at Albany’s Alive at Five series in 2011), and this show did feel more intimate. Kowalczyk seemed totally at ease, and the closeness made it a lot easier to see the emotion that was written all over his face. He offered a very good sampling of 20 years worth of music, performing 18 songs including one surprise cover of The Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter.”
Last Time Kowalczyk was in Albany he confessed that he has a long history with New York’s Capital City since he once courted a girl who attended Siena College, who later became his wife. Now that he and his family have moved to the East Coast (Connecticut) from California, I suspect that we will see lots more of Kowalczyk.
Setlist: All Over You, The Distance, The Great Beyond, Bottle of Anything, All That I Wanted, The Dolphin’s Cry, Angels on a Razor, Selling the Drama, Seven, Pain Lies on the Riverside, Face and Ghost, Heaven, I Alone
Encore: Lakini’s Juice, Gimme Shelter, The Beauty of Gray, Overcome, Lightning Crashes
A naturalistic approach to life themes told in tune using the imagery and temperament of Mother Nature present a dynamic dichotomy. “Where the Rivers Run Cold,” symbolically declaring never giving up in the refrain and “Winds of Change,” where moving on is encouraged, are contrasting emotions just as life and death exists in nature. Gentle picking and soft fiddle bowing add to the sweetly sorrowful ballad of “Rainbows” communicating a simple naivety in daydreaming.
Andy Hall (Dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle) and Travis Book (upright bass) are no strangers to raising awareness and making a difference. In 2013, the band invited fans, affectionately known as Jamily, on a six-day float trip through the wilderness. The excursion brought water sustainability issues to the forefront in partnership with Patagonia, Klean Kanteen, and Osprey Packs. “Middlefork” was created paying homage to the location of the trip in an instrumental dominated by a fiddle and dobro composition matching music with nature’s soundscapes. Likely brushing off the dust the great outdoors can kick up, surely these boys were left yearning a bit for the Colorado country flare proclaiming “I wanna get mile high/touch the sky/get lost in mountain time.”
Other than the name Alan Evans Trio, everything else remains intact and on schedule. Beau Sasser and Danny Mayer still make up the other two-thirds of the band and all of the tour dates they scheduled are still on. From a recording standpoint, the guys are heading into the studio as we speak to record the follow-up to Merkaba, an album honored in the 
Starting the afternoon was Dorsia, a four piece band that brought loads of power to the stage. With two guitars trading off solos and tight jams that effortlessly extended into the beyond, Dorsia was just the music to start the day off. Bobby Paltauf Band was next and the 14 year old and his band kept the energy up in the venue. Playing many tracks off his first album, Lost + Found, the band was comfortable and played a great set. Stand outs were “Flood Franklin Park”, “Guitar”, and “Lost + Found,” with the last track bringing the audience into an uproar with a rocked out nonstop jam. Nigel Hall joined the band during a flawless rendition of the ‘Soulive version’ of “Eleanor Rigby ” earlier in the set as well.
The main event was Eddie Roberts & The Funky Charms who sauntered onto the stage and began to deliver a more than two hour set of covers with jams that just continuously went to beautiful and unexpected places. The all-star band included Nigel Hall, Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, James Casey, Ron Johnson, and John Staten. All of these incredible musicians have played together in various projects before but never together, and hopefully it will happen again soon as the whole show was a highlight. Eddie stated early in the set that they were planning on doing many 80’s covers, and the crowd ate up every song. Two highlights were a great “Sweet Dreams” and an awesome “All Night Long.” Ending the night with “Let the Music Take Your Mind” the band took a bow and Equifunk successfully threw another great event. Look for the 3rd Annual Leprechaun’s Ball next year and make sure you get down to it.
