It's pretty unheard of for middle school friends to stay together; even more unlikely is a band that started in middle school to stay together. But that is what Live has done, for over 22 years.

Created in 1985, by lead singer, front man, guitarist Ed Kowalczyk, lead guitarist Chad Taylor, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey, the youngsters starting performing and writing in their home town of York, Pennsylvania.

The band went through several names before settling on Public Affection in the 1980s. They played at local gigs and earned a steady fan base before creating their first cassette, The Death of a Dictionary on their own Action Front label. Moving to New York City clubs, the group signed with Radioactive and picked Talking Head producer Jerry Harrison to help create their 1991 debut album, Mental Jewelry. Combining sounds from their inspirations like U2, REM, Peter Gabriel and the Beatles, Live had created a sound of their own.

Their sophomore effort was released three years later, called Throwing Copper. This was the album that gave Live their first bout with commercial and mainstream success. They saw several singles reach the mainstream rock tracks, which propelled the album to the top of the charts. Their third album, Secret Samadhi, a live LP, followed in 1997 but saw even less success than their previous album. Over the years, they continued to release several more albums, with their 2003 album Birds of Pray reaching the Billboard Top 30.

Live has recorded eight full-length albums, sold 20 million records worldwide, has seen international success with their tours and wide-spread fan appreciation and become one of the most successful alternative rock bands of the ‘90s and ‘00s.