THE SPILL MAGAZINE ARTIST PORTRAIT:
LIVING COLOUR
Living Colour reformed on December 21, 2000, at CBGB as a gig billed “Head>>Fake w/ special guests”. Head>>Fake was the current drum and bass project headed by Calhoun and Wimbish. Glover was on the bill to sing a few songs and Reid came on after three songs. The reunion was followed by the release of the band’s fourth studio album, Collideøscope, in 2003, their first album not to chart in the United States, although it was critically praised. In 2005, Sony Records released Live from CBGB’s, a live album recorded on December 19, 1989, as well as another best-of compilation, Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour, with songs from Vivid to Collideøscopen August 2006, Glover took on the role of Judas Iscariot in a national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, touring with JCS veteran Ted Neeley. Doug Pinnick, vocalist and bassist of King’s X, filled in for Glover on lead vocals. Glover’s tour of the musical ran through June 2008, and he then rejoined the band. On September 22, 2006, Skillings joined the band for the first time in fourteen years when they played at a private party which drummer Jack DeJohnette threw for his wife Lydia. Wimbish was unable to come back from his base in London to play for the event, so Skillings agreed to take over for the special private event.
The band performed a week-long European Tour starting on December 12, 2006. In May 2007, the band released their first live DVD – On Stage At World Cafe Live. On July 11, 2008, the band performed at the 1980s hard rock-themed Rocklahoma festival at Pryor, Oklahoma. Once again, Skillings performed with them in August 2008 for a Black Rock Coalition Band of Gypsys tribute in Harlem. They performed “Them Changes” and “Power of Soul”.
On October 25, 2008, MVD Audio and CBGB Records released CBGB OMFUG MASTERS: August 19, 2005 The Bowery Collection, a soundboard collection of songs from the Save CBGB’s benefit show. On November 25, 2008, Inakustik and MVD released The Paris Concert (Living Colour DVD)|The Paris Concert, a DVD recorded at New Morning, in Paris, France, during their 2007 European Tour. The band released their fifth studio album, The Chair in the Doorway, on September 15, 2009 on Megaforce Records. The album sold approximately 2,800 copies in its first week and landed at No. 159 on the Billboard 200. This was the band’s first album to chart since Stain in 1993. The band toured the world in support of the record.
In an interview on breakdownroom.net, Glover hoped to release another album with the band next year. “We’re going to do something different [for us] and make a real record, right now, right after we’ve done this one,” Glover said with a laugh. The band’s song “Cult of Personality” received fresh exposure from 2011, as it was used as the entrance music for professional wrestler CM Punk. In 2013, Living Colour performed the song live during Punk’s entrance at WrestleMania 29.
On July 2, 2014 Living Colour announced on their official website that they were putting the finishing touches on their upcoming sixth album Shade, which was released on September 8, 2017. “Shade is the sound of a band coming to terms with its shadows and light, From the blue pulpit of Robert Johnson to the mean red streets of Brooklyn to the golden lure of Hollywood, Shade is the next chapter of a unique American journey,” Reid stated on the official website.
On August 19, 2016 the band released a cover of The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya?”, from an EP entitled “Mixtape” which was released on September 9. It features appearances from Chuck D, Black Thought, Pharoahe Monch, Prodigal Sunn, and Kyle Mansa.
Their latest release Shade is out NOW: http://smarturl.it/LivingColourSHADE (Available in MP3, CD and VINYL)
Artist Links
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