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Public Affection January 1987 - June 1991 York, PA
This modest alternative rock band hailing from York, PA consisted of four childhood friends that formed a talented high school band with a passion for music and honest, heartfelt expression. In a few short years, Public Affection found success and signed to MCA/Radioactive. The band changed its name to Live, going on to achieve international stardom. The story of Public Affection is the prelude of a young band on their way to multi-platinum success.

Founding Members:

Ed Kowalczyk
Chad Taylor
Patrick Dahlheimer
Chad Gracey

Subsequent Members:

Chris Shinn

Related Artists:

The band went on to change their name to Live
Other names included:
The Gracious Few
First Aid
Club Fungus
Paisley Blues
Action Front
Body Odor Boys

Noteable Hightlights:

Chronology

1/1/85 - Edgar Fahs Smith Middle School Talent Show - First Aid debut
1/1/86 - "Great York Talent Hunt," Cable 4 York - First Aid's second performance
Memorial Ice Rink - Band's first performance with Ed
1986 - Band showcases for Manager, David Sestak at DJ Banannas in Allentown, PA
6/3/88 - Saint James Academy (Maryland), Prom
4/18/89 - First performance at Chameleon Club
5/1/89 - Band records Death of a Dictionary at Red Rock Recording (Kent Heckman and Benji King)
6/9/89 - Band members graduate from high school
8/17/89 - Album Release Party for Death of a Dictionary at Big City in York, PA
9/28/89 - Band plays a show supporting the Pixies at the Chameleon Club

Venues Played:

"Great York Talent Hunt," Cable 4 York (York, PA)
9:30 Club (Washington, D.C.)
Big City (York, PA)
Brooklyn Alley Depot (York, PA)
Cambria County Fair (Edensburg, PA)
CBGB (New York, NY)
Chameleon Club (Lancaster, PA)
Club Met (Harrisburgh, PA)
DJ Banannas (Allentown, PA)
Edgar Fahs Smith Middle School, Talent Show
Granfalloons (York, PA)
Harrisburg Forum (Harrisburgh, PA)
Memorial Ice Rink (York, PA)
New Music Festival (Harrisburgh, PA)
Nightingale Bar (New York, NY)
Northeastern Middle School (York, PA)
Olde York Street Fair (York, PA)
Rialto Movie Theater – Supporting the Ramones (Montreal, Quebec – Canada)
Saint James Academy, Prom (St. James, MD)
Scenic River Days (Reading, PA)
Seymore Stein Showcase (New York, NY)
Stardust Club (Wildwood, NJ)
The Barn (Bensalem, PA)
The Coyote Club (Wilmington, DE)
The Dutch Club (York, PA)
The Funhouse (Bethlehem, PA)
The Patriot (Harrisburgh, PA)
The Silo (Reading, PA)
Trappers (Allentown, PA)
Woody's (New York, NY)
York Fair Grounds (York, PA)
York Fairgrounds-Memorial Hall (York, PA)
York State Fair (York, PA)

Additional Info:

Members Ed Kowalczyk, Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and Chad Gracey first played together at a middle-school talent show in York, Pennsylvania. They remained together throughout high school, playing new wave covers under band names such as First Aid, Club Fungus, Paisley Blues, Action Front, and Body Odor Boys. The group eventually settled on the name Public Affection and recorded a self-released cassette of original songs titled The Death of a Dictionary produced by Benjy King. The album was released in 1989, while the band members were still in high school, via their own label, Action Front Records. Just 2,000 copies of the album were made, all on cassette, and is considered a highly prized collector's item. In 1990 they released an EP of demos produced by Jay Healy, titled Divided Mind, Divided Planet, via their Black Coffee mailing list. The band played regular concerts at CBGB in New York City, helping them earn them a contract with Radioactive Records in 1991.

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