“Bring your burning skin to my river once again
I’ll give you life”
– Ed Kowalczyk, “The River”
Ed Kowalczyk may be best known as the former lead singer of the band, Live. He is currently an outstanding solo artist and has just completed a tour of Australia celebrating the 20th anniversary of Live‘s 1994 album, Throwing Copper.
Following his time in Australia, I saw him play at Vector Arena’s restaurant venue, The Tuning Fork. He and his bassist, Chris Heerlein, performed his acoustic I Alone show, featuring songs from his Live days as well as tracks from his new album, The Flood and the Mercy.
It was an intimate, powerful, sold-out show enjoyed by about 300 in attendance. After the show, Ed met with fans and graciously accepted a copy of Redeeming Brother Murrihy as a gift. I thought he might enjoy the story, the setting of New Zealand, the spiritual themes and the river imagery, similar to some he uses in his lyrics. Perhaps a good read for a long plane ride home.
Read a review of the show on The 13th Floor blog.
Antony Millen is a Canadian living and writing in New Zealand and the author of Redeeming Brother Murrihy: The River to Hiruharama and Te Kauhanga: A Tale of Space(s).
You are so smart to do that! Good for you.
Haha – thanks Janet. I thought, from his lyrics, that he might enjoy the book. It was fun to meet him and he was really cool about it.