How a great band from the 90s was broken up by an alleged investor

In the midst of a pandemic, while the world was facing a virus that defied medicine, the members of the North American band live dealing with one of the biggest obstacles of his career. Formed in the 1980s and reunited after years of hiatus, the group broke up once again and, in different ways, narrated their history to the Rolling Stone USA.

Classic band formed by young people, the live was born during the adolescence of its members and was complete before the musicians entered high school, in 1984. Ed Kowalczyk, chad taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer It is chad gracey created the public affection — which turned live in 1991 — and released their first LP, The Death of a Dictionaryin 1989.

Formed by young rockers from York, Pennsylvania, the band took off in the 1990s and even played at the Woodstocks in 1994 and 1999. Rolling Stone USA in January 1996, the live suffered to achieve stardom, mainly because fans could barely pronounce the names of its members, but ended up selling millions of records.

After reaching the top of the charts, in the early 2000s, however, the band began to face some problems. the guitarist chad taylorfor example, had serious issues with alcohol, in addition to facing mental health challenges, according to RS USA.

In 2009, there were so many disagreements that the band decided to break up. “We broke up via email,” he recalls. taylor. “Ed sent a letter and said, ‘I think we should put this band on hiatus. We all responded within about 30 seconds and said that was a great idea. There wasn’t one of us who fought to keep it together.”

It turns out that, in addition to personal issues (such as alleged betrayals, disagreements with music rights and even cases of aggression) that separated the members of live, there was a third factor that was very decisive for the situation that musicians face today. Portrayed in different ways by each artist, this factor is called Bill Hynes.

Hynes’ arrival

As the musicians told Andy Greene in the report of Rolling Stonethe band met Bill Hynes in mid-2010. At the time, the man emerged as a solution to the group’s dissolution, offering them ways to profit without the live – for taylorthe new friend was still a possible financier of a new project, the Gracious Few.

All these promises were made by a man who claimed to be a wealthy real estate investor, but who, according to public records, had declared bankruptcy some time before. For taylorhowever, hynes even promised a recording in California, in which the Gracious Few could get some songs off the ground — the checks used for the studio reservation, however, would have been bounced, version that hynes vehemently contests.

Today, years after the controversy, taylor believe that hynes is a crook, whose purpose was to use the live to deceive investors. In mid-2012, when the alleged deceiver returned to the musicians’ lives, however, chad taylor he didn’t think twice before accepting a new far-fetched plan from the man who, this time, wanted to bet on fiber optics.

At the time, it all started with the return of a live without Ed Kowalczyk — which had been replaced by Chris Shinn. Without fan support, the group members accepted a curious plan of hynes and bought a building in Pennsylvania that ended up collapsing.

Shaken by the disaster, the musicians entered into another bizarre deal devised by hynes: the creation of United Fiber and Data, a fiber optic company. business partners, gracey, taylor It is Dahlheimer were taken by surprise when hynes had to step down as CEO of the company in 2019 after being accused of committing several crimes against his ex-girlfriend.

In the same year, Bill Hynes was arrested for theft, stalking and brutal assault against the woman, who was an employee of the United Fiber and Data. According to Rolling Stone USAthe man is still cited in five bankruptcy proceedings in Pennsylvania between 2004 and 2012 — which hynes claims to have been caused by identity theft and system failures.

The Separation of Live

With the arrest of hynesthe members of live were able to breathe a sigh of relief once again, especially after the group met in March 2020. Shortly before returning to the stage, however, the band was prevented by the pandemic — and also by the return of old controversies.

As it turns out, in 2021, the Pennsylvania State Police revealed they were investigating a theft of over $3.82 million from the United Fiber and Data. Since then, while the process remains open, the members of the live communicate only by lawyers. In 2021, Ed Kowalczyk separated from the other three musicians and, in 2022, dismissed them from live.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, chad taylor says he believes it was bill who destroyed the live — according to the musician, the “con artist” even stole more than $10 million from him and his bandmates. “I was a sucker,” he said taylor. “I have people who depend on me and I trusted a person who hurt us. I failed. I still haven’t forgiven myself.”

For chad gracey“everything that happened [com a Live] it’s because of chad taylor”. To the reporter of Rolling Stonehe claims that taylor is “a delusional and pathological narcissist who made bill the bogeyman of everything that happened in your life. I don’t want to deal with him anymore.”

Patrick Dahlheimerin turn, spoke about the topic in a statement sent to the Rolling Stone. “We regret to allow Bill Hynes enter our professional and private lives. Our family is working diligently to have it removed and moving forward,” she wrote.

Already Ed Kowalczyk said to believe thatBill Hynes innocent until proven guilty.” “I never want to play with chad taylor again,” said the vocalist, during an interview. “The best way to deal with a narcissist is not to deal with them, so I don’t want to. Every time he opens his mouth he is manipulating you, trying to control you or intimidating you.”

“chad taylor he’s a crazy drunk. I regret having met him.” Bill Hynes. Also interviewed by Rolling Stone USAthe man settled with prosecutors in 2022 and has been under house arrest ever since, after pleading no contest to crimes of criminal trespass, theft by mistake, felony falsification, stalking and simple assault.

For Chris Shinnthe controversies are much more complex than hynes It is taylor were complicit in the alleged financial crimes. “There was never anything taylor didn’t know when it came to Live. He had all the numbers. I can’t imagine he didn’t know what was going on. That said, I think bill it is the dirtier of the two. He belongs in prison.”

Now, hynes is processing taylor for nearly US$500,000 for a promissory note, which taylor claims to be invalid. This is one of the three processes that the ex-guitarist of live is currently facing — and which he says are “coordinated” by hynes.