By: Angela V. Ignacio
3:38 am | Saturday, May 12th, 2012

Philippine Daily Inquirer

There’s a reason foreign acts keep coming back to the Philippines. For Lifehouse frontman Jason Wade, it involves a dare—and a certain duck delicacy. “The last time we were there with our guitar tech, we bet him $50 that he wouldn’t be able to eat three balut. We’re hoping this time that we can get him to eat five,” he chuckled.

Of course, that’s not the only memorable moment he wants to make for the band’s next trip to Manila. The American alt-rock band graced our shores last 2009 to promote its fourth album, “Who We Are”; now armed with a fifth album, 2010’s “Smoke & Mirrors,” and a bunch of happy memories from their first trip, Wade and the rest of Lifehouse—guitarist Ben Carey, bassist Bryce Soderberg and drummer Rick Woolstenhulme Jr.—are set to make Pinoy hopeless romantics fall even more in love with their heartfelt, guitar-driven brand of rock in a special comeback gig.

They will be performing their hits and more on May 26 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. They actually have a whole bunch of anthems to choose from, including “You And Me,” “Take Me Away,” “Everything,” “Sick Cycle Carousel,” “First Time,” and the US Top 40’s Most Played Song of 2001, “Hanging By A Moment.”

Super recently caught up with Wade while the band was recording their sixth studio album in Los Angeles, California. Apparently, the boys had been running a tight tour schedule ever since the release of “Smoke & Mirrors,” not to mention coheadlining with Daughtry on a US tour, which explains why they haven’t finished the album yet.

Meanwhile, we found out a few interesting bits of trivia: one, Wade and Daughtry have been working with a certain fauxhawked favorite from this season’s “American Idol.” And two, we get a surprising—and unbelievably flattering—revelation about Manila from Wade himself, and we have a strong feeling it’s not just lip service. Read the phoner excerpt below to find out.

So, Colton Dixon of AI sang “Everything” on the show…

Yeah, that’s right! I actually had him in my house the other day. He’s making songs for his upcoming album. He’s a really, really nice guy. Very talented.

Reached out

I heard that as soon as you heard him perform the song, you called him up and asked if you could write songs with him.

Yeah, I did. I was at home watching the show, and I heard that he and Chris Daughtry had reached out and they had dinner a couple of weeks ago. I called Chris up to get Colton’s number, and I called him and just wanted to congratulate him. I thought he did a really, really excellent job.

You worked with Chris in “Smoke & Mirrors.” Will we see a collaboration with Colton in your next album?

It’s very possible. We wrote two songs yesterday so we’ll see how we turn out, but I really enjoyed writing with him.

Colton is pushing for Christian rock music, whereas you guys don’t want to brand yourselves as Christian rock. What are your thoughts on it?

We’ve always kind of liked to stay away from being in any genre as a pop rock band or any other. I feel like genres kind of confine you to a certain audience, and it was always our goal to reach as many people as possible with our music. It was always kind of tough to be labeled or put in a box.

We’ve always just encouraged everybody who listens to our music to just take what they can get out of it. Obviously, a lot of the songs are very spiritual and are taken in that context, which I think is great. But with a lot of the songs, especially “Everything,” a lot of people know the words and also sing it as a love song, so we don’t really discriminate. We take into account the journey of the song so they can take it wherever they want it to.

Actually, Filipinos don’t need any encouragement because apart from the fact that we’re highly spiritual, we’re also hopeless romantics at heart.

(Laughs) I’ve actually talked to the guys and we kind of reminisce about playing that show. That show that we played at Araneta Coliseum was by far our favorite show since the inception of Lifehouse.

Oh, wow. Thank you!

We’re really, really excited to go back. It was just interesting to see the responses from the crowd. It really was just a powerful feeling. You can feel the energy and the electricity in the arena, and we were blown away by the fact that with a lot of the songs that weren’t well-received in America, there’s a familiarity with some of these songs over in the Philippines, so we’re really, really just shocked in a good way.

A blessing

Since you’ve been making music for over a decade now, have you had any changes in what inspires or motivates you to write music?

Yeah, I feel like it’s always a blessing. I feel like we’re at a point in our career now where it’s really vital that we keep looking for new inspirations instead of becoming stagnant and complacent and redoing the same album more than once. So we’re really hungry to dig deep and find new sonic landscapes to go to. Personally, I’ve been inspired by film music, so I think that on this new album there are two or three tracks that kind of bring an orchestral feel to an actual pop-rock song structure, which is a really, really nice hybrid. I think we’re really just kind of going in this new direction and it sounds really fresh and new for us, so we really like the progress of that.

Most of your previous songs have been used for TV soundtracks like “Smallville” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Given the context of those shows, does it resonate with you guys?

It does. I think it’s fantastic. For me, as a songwriter, when you write a song and the director or producer was inspired by it to put it in a certain scene, that inspires me to want to write even more songs. When I hear the music played with really talented actors kind of portraying their scene or whatnot, it’s a whole other level and medium of communication and connection with people, and I really support it. I’d love to do more music for TV.

I actually call it a mood setter.

(Laughs) Actually, that’s right on. That’s exactly what it is.

Yeah, for the moment where the guy and the girl get together, or there’s a pivotal moment where the doctor saves somebody’s life and there you go. The music plays in the background.

(Laughs) I get to be kind of a hopeless romantic right there. I really enjoy it when the right scene kind of collides with the right melody and right lyrics.

Lastly, what can we expect from your second concert?

We’re gonna stretch the set. We usually play for about 75 minutes, but we’re gonna try to stretch it for over 90 minutes so we can play many songs as possible. If the fans want to go on our Twitter page and make song requests, we’ll try to include them. We’re gonna try to tailor the set to the fans in the Philippines because we feel like this is a special show.

Source

By Nathalie Tomada (The Philippine Star) Updated May 10, 2012 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – Lifehouse has tirelessly been on the road for over a decade. And the road is heading back to Manila with the American rock band’s May 26 concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, a follow-up to its first performance in the country in 2008.

The first Philippine visit has left quite an impression on Lifehouse, according to its bassist Bryce Soderberg in a phone interview with The STAR Tuesday.

“It was a great time. Absolutely, the whole Philippine experience was unlike any other that we had. (It was) definitely a highlight of our career since the plane touched down, the warm reception at the airport, (the) really exciting show at MOA. It was one of the biggest reactions of the crowd we’ve ever had, and we’re excited to have it again,” recalled Bryce whose fellow band members are Jason Wade (lead vocalist) Rick Woolstenhulme Jr. (drummer) and Ben Carey (lead guitarist).

For the May 26 concert presented by Dayly Entertainment and co-presented by Star World and FOX, Bryce said that the band is “definitely gonna play a little of the old Lifehouse, from our first four records, then a lot from our new record Smoke & Mirrors. We take pride in our live show, so we have some tricks and secrets up our sleeves that people would have to come to the show to find out.”

Bryce said that the band feels extremely blessed to be around this long in the music biz. He believes that what really holds them together is the strong bond they enjoy on- and off-stage. “We all get along really well. If there’s any sort of conflict, we talk it out. We have great (work) ethics together… I think that’s the key to (longevity).”

Bryce was actually not part of the original line-up of the band formed by Jason and Rick in L.A. He used to play for another band and joined Lifehouse in 2003, or two years after Lifehouse was launched into the spotlight with the global success of its debut record No Name Face featuring Hanging By The Moment, which was Billboard’s No. 1 single and the most-played song in the US in 2001. To date, the band has combined album sales of over five million with Spin, Whatever It Takes, First Time, Broken, Halfway Gone and You and Me among its other hits.

“It’s been about eight years now (that I’ve been with Lifehouse). It’s been amazing. I hope many more (years) to come,” said Bryce.

Also worth-noting that apart from commercial success, the band has been described in write-ups as one of the most down-to-earth rock stars. So far, the band has steered clear of things that generate bad press.

“Well, we just live normal lives, we’ve been fortunate enough to make a career in music and we’re just ourselves on the road, in interviews. We just have good chemistry and we just stay true to who we actually are rather than giving in to the facade of fame,” Bryce surmised. “If you just make music as the most important thing in your life, all the good things will follow and you don’t need to put on a front to pretend to be somebody. If inside your head and if your subconscious is clean then you’re gonna move forward in that part of direction and people will see that.”

Lifehouse continues to move forward with its sixth studio album now almost done, a news sure to excite fans following the impact its previous record Smoke & Mirrors (2010) made — that is, debuting at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

“I think it’s gonna sound like Lifehouse, but will show some growth and maturity of the band in the last 12 years,” said Bryce.

What’s the record-making process like?

He shared, “The majority of the songs come from Jason who comes in with the song idea. Since the beginning, he’s got the heart and soul for the Lifehouse sound, lyric-writing and strong sense of melody. A lot of times he’ll bring in ideas and the rest of the band will arrange around that. Sometimes he co-writes with other people and artists, and sometimes he’ll co-write with the rest of the band. We bring our ego out of who writes the songs. The best songs are the ones that make the record and we all have a really good gauge for what the best songs are gonna be.”

Meanwhile, The STAR asked Bryce, who takes care of the social media presence of the band, his opinion on the way artists are getting discovered these days. Does he think artists now are having it easier making it because of the very accessible, online platforms to showcase music and reach audiences?

“It depends… I’ve seen a lot of changes. Back in the day, when we started in ’99 to 2000, a lot of labels had more money so they were giving artists development deals and they were giving a lot of record deals so a lot of (the artists) would have first, second chances. If you would fail, then you would have a second chance. Nowadays, major labels don’t give you that chance, you do it on your own, you have to get your music out there. It’s a big change…. So a lot of people don’t get second chances, a lot of bands get frustrated.”

Nevertheless, Bryce encourages bands still waiting for that big break to just soldier on.

He said, “You just have to really, truly believe in what you’re doing. You have to play every day, listen to the music that inspires you, do the things that inspire you, just learn to love it, and if you really believe in what you’re doing, you can achieve anything. You gotta take it seriously. I say to a lot of artists that are trying, to develop creative trends in lyric-writing, read books, watch the greatest movies ever made, live life… You become a better artist if you appreciate the finest in life. There are so many things to see and appreciate to build yourself up to be great.”

Submitted by Justin on Sun, 10/17/2010 – 11:42

EF caught up with Lifehouse drummer Rick Woolstenhulme prior to their last London show at Shepherds Bush Empire and got to ask the band about coming back to the UK to play after such a lengthy hiatus. Check out what Rick has to say.
Its been 8 years since you guys have been last here in the UK. What took you so long ?

That’s a good question. I don’t know if it was because some of the songs not hooking up over here on the radio or what it was. I know we spent alot of years focussing on getting our bearings together in the States. Worldwide wise it has been 8 years. And we’re glad to have a song back on the radio here. And from the turnout of the shows we’ve been doing at Shepherds Bush. its been amazing. We’re all kind of blown away by it.

I think the whole audience reaction has been absolutely tremendous especially Monday. Were you surprised by how well the old songs were received by fans on Monday night ?

We were really surprised. Especially when there’s a few tracks that we put in the set that we haven’t played in a long time.
They’re kind of deep cuts if you will. Some of them were abstract tracks and watching people sing every word to those songs when its not even really a song that wasn’t on the radio or wasn’t on some TV show. thats pretty impressive.

It certainly shows how much support you’ve got over here.

Definitely

Now there was a pretty humourous moment when you interrupted Jason on Monday during his acoustic set.

Laughs.

Do you guys do alot of that sort of stuff. Do you joke around and do impromptu performances ?

Thats kinda how we are behind the scenes. And we’re getting comfortable to the point now to just have fun and not take it so serious. And understand that it is a show and we love to play for all the people and if theres too many acoustic songs then thats my job to kick it back in gear. Laughs.

Give Jason a good kick!

Laughs. exactly.

The band’s gone through some personnel changes over the years. But your music has been very consistent. Was that a hard thing to achieve ?

That’s a tough question. I think this line up especially when Bryce and Ben joined the band, we kinda knew right away this
was going to be the unit for awhile. And as for anything changing, the creative process really has been that we try to think outside the box each record. Because we dont want to go back in and just make another album that sounds like the last one. So It’s been a good eye opening experience for all of us. Each time we do get in the studio and start writing and recording that we try to think outside the box. When the four of us play together we just have that sound.Its almost like if we wanted to play a country song, we play it and it would still sound like Lifehouse playing a country song. So however direction we go down, it sounds like us. Especially with this record, we wanted to experiment with a lot of different sounds and ths lineup
is the lineup thats going to stick around for years to come for sure.

You’ve got the new album Smoke and Mirrors. can you tell us about the album name and the themes on the album.

The name of the record, Smoke and Mirrors was the first song we recorded for the record. And we all kinda loved the name Smoke and Mirrors as it just sounded cool. And when we got in to recording the record, we cut the first six tracks that had this Americana organic rock feel. Then we started cutting a few more tracks that took on more of this pop radio thing. And its like both sides of what we do. We have songs on the radio that connect to people and we have batches of super organic live rock tracks. Midway through the record we realized that the title Smoke and Mirrors lended itself perfectly to the album. Because it is like a split down the middle with this pop sensibility and this live rock sensibility and we wanted to capture both sides.

Its a very nice live feel to it. was it a hard album to record ? and did you actually record any of the songs live as opposed to track by track ?

We record most everything live. For some of the tracks, we wanted to experiment a little bit. I’m a stickler for getting the live take and getting it all in one pass and building a track on that.This time there’s a track called It Is What It Is where I recorded the whole thing live and I went back and I took out my drums out of the first verse of the song and I went in with a vintage MPC which like a Dr. Dre machine and I played that live so I could get the synthetic sound but still with my live feel so it isn’t computerised and quantised. Its me playing it. We just wanted to have a slight departure and have some colour change where people can go whoa thats different.

Theres a song on the album that features Chris Daughtry called had enough and it also features Richard Marx. How did that collaboration come about ?

Jason and Chris have been friends for awhile. We met Chris about five years ago. We played a show together. He came and knocked on our tour bus and he was a big fan of the band. We had been watching him on tv. He came on bus and he was super humble, super nice guy. Those guys became friends, Jason and Chris. and Chris had been buddies with Richard Marx and they set up a writing session and that track was the first song that had been written. Jason brought that back into the studio and we recorded that one full live. Two passes three passes maximum. We finished it and Chris came down
and sang the harmony. and it we all were erally excited about it and it turned out great.

Bryce (Bassist) sings on the album on one song called Wrecking Ball. How did that idea come about ?

We’re going to lunch one day. We had been in the studio hatching through ideas for a few days. And we were beating around some ideas and we were all going to lunch and we had this idea, of a machine sounding drumbeat and we all went back to the studio and started playing it and out came the song and basically Jason was originally singing it and it was out of his range and I wasn’t sure what it was exactly. And Bryce came in and we said Why don’t you try putting a vocal on it. He stepped up to the plate and sang it we really ended up liking his voice on that track specifically. Especially over in Europe, people like this song. Its crazy. I think its awesome to have another viewpoint.  It enlightens the band.

Does that mean you’ll be doing vocals sometime ?

Laughs. You know I’ll always say one day. It’ll be quite humourous if I sang on anything.

You could do a Phil Collins and sing and drum on the same time

Our manager he tells me I should get a mic and sing backgrounds but I think I dance too much when I play. I think I would chip my tooth on the microphone.

Whats your favourite lifehouse song and why ?

Right now my favourite song is Nerve Damage. Thats on the new album. Thats a track that has peaks and valleys. Its an experience because we recorded that no click track. Its a full on tempo changing live track and its almost has a hint of prog. It almost has the drowny verses that are very lax. And then the chorus just hits you in the head with these stabbing guitars. Then the bridge opens up into this whole different land. Its cool just as artists to make a track like that in your career, to have one of those under your belt. We played that song one time in the studio and thats whats on the record. we overdubbed some guitars and vocals. It has an intensity and an edge to it that we’re very proud we’re able to capture it.

When will you guys be coming back again ? Hopefully its not in 8 years time!

We were speaking after the show last night. There’s talk of us coming back to do all the festivals. Thats probably 99% going to happen. As for now, we’re all so blown away that this European run has been so successful. The plan is to come back and keep building and make a thing of being over in Europe and coming back and working over here as much as we can. Cause the fans are amazing. we feel kinda sad that some of the fans that saw us 8 years ago are still coming to these shows now. We’re hoping that we’re not going to that again laughs.

You still have so much support after these 8 years and it shows alot, that the music you make does reach out to a lot of people here.

We’re fortunate to have such amazing fans to be honest. thats been sticking with us for so long. and we’re across the world and we have greaet fans. Its amazing.

Would you be able to do an acoustic session for us when you come back next time ?

I’m sure without a doubt.

With any interludes you feel you want to do with Jason.

Laughs. We do acoustic stuff and we love bare bones-ing the tracks so to speak. it is just broken down to the guitar, vocals and some kind of percussion. its always fun to play the songs in that scape.

Thank you for your time Rick Woolstenhulme.

Thank you! Its been a pleasure.

Source

Habitant à Los Angeles, pourquoi avez vous choisi de répéter cette tournée à Atlanta ?

Bryce : « Nous avons l’habitude de faire la pré-production de nos tournées à Nashville, mais il y a eu de grosses inondations là bas. On trouvais que Nashville était la ville parfaite car c’est une ville très créative. Et quand vous bossez dans une autre ville, vous pouvez vous concentrer sur votre travail, sans être distrait par le fait d’avoir votre famille, vos amis, vos jouets et vos manies près de vous. Donc, quand Nashville a été inondée, on a cherché une autre ville qui aurait à peu près les mêmes qualités, et Atlanta avait un lieu sympa où nous pouvions répéter, avec de bons équipements. On a passé une semaine là bas, c’était marrant. »

Les shows en Europe sont-ils un test pour la future tournée aux USA ? Ou bien est-ce une décision stratégique de venir d’abord en Europe ?

Ben : « On adore venir en Europe, donc on saute sur l’occasion quand elle se présente. Le public ici en Europe est vraiment cool. Ils applaudissent en rythme ! »

(tout le monde rit)

Bryce: “C’est vrai.”

Ben: “La vibe que vous avez du public ici est génial, donc on saisi chaque chance de venir jouer ici. »

Bryce: “D’un point de vue stratégique, la tournée européenne était juste prévue comme ça, avant la tournée américaine. On voulait enchainer les deux tournée et ça s’est organisé comme ça.”

Quelle est la chose la plus important dont vous ayez besoin en tournée ?

Ben: “Le téléphone portable!”

Bryce: « Haha, les cartes SIM.”

Ben: “Oui, une carte SIM dans chaque pays. Cette tournée tourne autour des cartes SIM. J’ai un numéro de téléphone allemand à l’heure actuelle. Je ne comprends pas un mot de ce que l’opérateur me dit, mais je peux quand même passer des appels, c’est le principal.”

Rester en contact et certainement le plus important pour un groupe qui passe plus de temps dans un avion ou dans une chambre d’hôtel que chez lui.

C’est quoi votre routine avant et après un concert ?

Bryce: “J’imagine que nous avons nos petites traditions. Jason aime se poser, s’échauffer la voix, se concentrer et méditer un peu. Rick s’entraine. Ben joue de la guitare et moi, je m’échauffe aussi. Et après, avant d’entrer sur scène, on se regroupe et on se booste mutuellement. Un truc du genre « Let’s GO! » et après ça, on rentre sur scène. Après un concert, on se pose dans les loges pendant 20 petites minutes. On boit un coup, se rafraichit et on discute du concert. Très simple.”

Premier arret de la tournée : la petite ville hollandaise de Tilburg. Toujours sujets au décalage horaire et fatigués après une longue journée, le groupe profite de la petite brise d’une soirée d’été. Comme la plupart des dates, le concert affiche complet et les fans attendent patiemment à l’extérieur de la salle de bonne heure, afin de profiter au mieux de Jason Wade et des autres.

“Hello there Ladies and Gentlemen! Hello there ladies and gents, are you ready to rock?”. C’était l’intro et le motto de la soirée. Avant de vérifier vos tracklists, sachez que cette chanson, « Hello There » est du groupe Cheap Trick.

Rick: “ Cette chanson est super énergique. On a suggéré l’idée, on a testé plusieurs fois en répétitions, et cette chanson est apparue comme étant une bonne idée pour notre intro. Et on est super fan de Cheap Trick, donc c’est aussi une façon de rendre hommage au groupe.”

Kat: “Certaines personnes pensaient que c’était une de vos nouvelles chansons !

Rick: “Oh woah haha!”

Ben: “C’est le cas, on l’a un peu modifiée.”

Déjà transpirant après cette intro, le show continue avec le nouveau single du groupe, « All In’, puis le morceau « Here Tomorrow Gone Today » et l’extraordinaire « Nerve Damage ». Ben Carey s’empare de la scène et le public retient son souffle pendant son solo de guitare.

Est-ce que Lifehouse a prévu d’être plus rock à partir de maintenant ? Peut être sur le prochain album ?

Bryce: “Quand nous faisons un nouvel album, on ne pense pas à ça. Quand on donne un concert, on essaie de maintenant une certaine énergie, pour être sûr de pas faire un show ennuyant. On ne sait jamais de quoi sera fait un futur album.”

Avoir plus de live sur un album ne dérangerait pas au passage. Sur scène, Jason Wade remercie le public qui est venu soutenir le groupe après tant d’années.

Est-ce que vous vous préparez pour une tournée dans un pays non anglophone ? Avez vous appris quelques mots en allemand ou en hollandais par exemple ?

Rick, Ben et Bryce: “Oooohhh!!”

Rick: “On est mauvais avec les autres langues. Ben parle l’australien, Bryce parle le canadien et moi, je parle l’américain ! C’est déjà ça… Je veux dire… 3 c’est beaucoup !!”

Ben: “Parfois, Jay essaie de dire le nom de la ville où on est.”

Bryce: “Parfois, je travaille mon australien… Certains verbes sont compliqués, mais j’y travaille.”

Kat: “Comme lesquels ?”

Ben: “Il est même pas près d’y arriver, vraiment !”

Bryce: “Capsicum. C’est piment vert en canadien. En australien, c’est Capsicum.”

Le concert continue avec la partie plus douce du groupe, avec leur chanson la plus connue : You & Me. Hommes et femmes « fall even more in love » (sont de plus en plus amoureux) de Jason Wade, et reprennent en coeur “Cuz there’s you and me and all other people…”. Et c’est à ce moment là que tout le monde dans le public a la sensation que Wade chante juste pour lui ou elle.

C’est ensuite au tour de Bryce Soderberg d’être au centre de l’attention puisqu’il prend le micro pour interpréter « Wrecking Ball”. Ce n’est pas la première fois que le bassiste prend du galon et chante en live, mais Jason, Ben, Ricky et le public n’en sont pas moins fiers pour autant.

Que se passe-t-il si Jason tombe malade et ne peut pas chanter pendant une tournée ? Pourrais-tu assurer toute la partie chant du concert ?

Bryce: “Nooo. On a déjà été confronté à ça par le passé. On s’est retrouvé dans des situations où Jason ne pouvait plus chanter. En général, ce qu’il se passe, c’est qu’il ne peut pas chanter avec la même puissance que d’habitude, donc il se donne à fond sur les chansons plus douces. Mais moi faire tout un concert ? Non. Vous savez, les gens viennent pour écouter la voix de Lifehouse, et cette voix, c’est Jason. J’ai juste deux ou trois chansons par-ci par-là, mais la majorité du public s’ennuierait.”

Beaucoup de fans pensent le contraire. Tout le monde applaudit quand tu chantes “Wrecking Ball”et ils sont contents d’avoir un peu de changement.

Bryce: “J’aime me prendre pour Kramer de Seinfeld. A chaque fois qu’il  ouvre la porte, tout le monde applaudit. C’est moi !”

Après ce break de 2 minutes, Jason Wade remonte sur scène. Maintenant, c’est juste lui et sa guitare acoustique. L’idée est née d’un problème technique survenu par le passé, quand une des pédales de guitare s’est cassée. J’ai appris ça de leur manager de scène, Winnie. Pour garder l’enthousiasme du public pendant que les techniciens arrangeaient les choses, Wade a attrapé sa guitare et a commencé à jouer en acoustique. Pour beaucoup de fans, c’est la partie du concert qu’ils préfèrent. « Que voulez-vous entendre ? » demande Jason. Et le public crie et réclame des morceaux du premier album de Lifehouse. Les plus demandées sont sûrement « Storm » et « Everything ».  Pas une seule parcelle de mon cou n’a pas frissonné quand le chanteur a interprété « Breating ». C’est environ 1000 personnes qui ont repris avec Jason “Cuz I am hanging on every word you say…” Cela faisait un moment que Wade n’avait pas joué cette chanson en live. Il s’arrête de chanter et sort : « Quoi ? J’arrive pas à croire que vous connaissez cette chanson. Notre maison de disque avait prévu un flop radio… ». Ce n’est pas la première fois que la maison de disque ne coïncide pas avec l’opinion des auditeurs.

Je voulais demander quelle serait la pire chose qui pourrait arriver en tournée. La réponse à ma question a été donnée avant même que je la pose.  Peu avant cette interview, le chanteur et guitariste Jason Wade s’est coincé le doigt dans la porte d’un van.

Bryce: “On a prévu un plan de secours au cas où Jason ne puisse pas jouer de guitare. Au pire, Ben assurera.”

Ben: “Je jouerais sur deux guitares.”

Bryce: “Ouais, deux guitares en même temps.”

Je suis sûre que Ben est en effet capable de jouer sur deux 6 cordes en même temps. La blessure de Jason n’est pas aussi grave que ça, mais assez pour être embêtant sur un concert de 90 minutes. Ben soutiendra Jason, surtout pendant le set acoustique… Je me demande si les guitaristes sont payés pour les heures sup’.

Après 10 minutes de session acoustique, le batteur Ricky débarque sur scène. Il croise les bras et soupire, ce qui déclenche un fou rire de Jason.

Est-ce Rick chantera sur une chanson de Lifehouse ?

(Rick commence à rire)

Bryce: “Un jour…?”

Ben (en regardant Rick): “Je pense que si Jason perd sa voix, tu pourras assurer le chant, et Jay fera le batteur.”

Rick: “Ouais, quand il neigera en enfer, je chanterai !”

Kat: “Tu ne dis même pas un mot sur scène.”

Rick: “Il ne vaut mieux pas.”

Kat: “Noon!”

Rick: “Noon, hahaha.”

Mais Rick veut quand même faire du rock, donc il se résinstalle à la batterie, et débute la chanson « Wash ».

A la surprise général, le petit canard en plastique fluorescent ne tombe pas de la batterie.

Rick: “Une fan m’a donné ça lors de notre premier show, à Tilburg. Comme il brillait dans la nuit, j’ai trouvé que c’était sympa de le poser sur ma batterie.”

A la fin de la tournée, chaque membres de la tournée aura son canard en plastique posé sur scène.

La puissance du son du groupe s’intensifie encore. Ben Carey et Bryce Soderberg chauffe le public en sautant sur scène pendant « First Time » et « Halfway Gone ».

Après avoir été longtemps hors de portée de vue en Europe, le single marche bien en radio. Et il semble que la maison de disque accorde plus de confiance au groupe.

A quel point votre maison de disque influence-t-elle votre musique ?

Bryce: “Notre maison de disque nous laisse beaucoup de liberté, et nous laisse contrôler notre musique. C’est nous qui décidons dans quelle direction nous allons quand nous enregistrons un album. Je pense que plus nous avançons ensemble, plus on acquiert de l’expérience en studio. On ne prend pas une direction particulière. On écoute différents groupes, différents styles. La maison de disque n’a pas grand chose à dire… On fait ce que l’on veut, de nous même. »

La dernière qu’on s’est rencontré, c’était un peu avant la sortie de “Smoke & Mirrors”. Quels sont les aspects de l’album que les fans aiment ou n’aiment pas ?

Rick: “L’accueil de cet album a été plutôt bon. Mais ouais, c’est une question difficile. Est-ce qu’on a eu des retours négatifs ?”

Ben: “Je pense surtout qu’on essaie de se concentrer sur la musique et d’avancer. On ne peut pas contenter tout le monde. Donc on fait ce qu’on aime. Si on écoute ce que tout le monde dis, on va finir par avoir notre peau.”

Les dernières minutes du concert sont consacrées à la chanson nouvellement réenregistrée “Everything”. Une chanson tellement emplie de passion, de puissance, avec une telle signification… Il serait impossible de trouver les mots justes pour décrire les sentiments qu’elle procure en live. “And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?” serait sûrement la meilleure description possible. Si vous avez manqué Lifehouse sur cette tournée, faites un tour sur YouTube pour dénicher des vidéos de fans.

Avez-vous considéré l’idée d’enregistrer un DVD live ? Peut-être sur cette tournée ?

Bryce: “On parlait justement de ça. On essaie de s’organiser. On a pas encore de plan bien défini. Pendant cette tournée, ou peut être l’année prochaine… on voudrait en faire un.”

Lors de cette tournée, il n’y a pas que les fans hollandais ou allemands qui se sont déplacés. Le groupe a également pu rencontrer des fans venant de Suède, de France, du Portugal, de Pologne, d’Italie et même d’Israël.

Certaines de vos chansons ont-elles été influencées par vos fans ?

Bryce:  “On écoute nos fans, et on lis qu’ils ont à dire. Tout le monde apprécie la chanson « Storm ». Je pense que c’est une des raisons principales qui nous ont poussé à la mettre sur l’album « Who We Are ».

Ricky: “Il y a aussi la chanson “By Your Side”, qui s’inspire d’une fan. Elle a assisté à un de nos concert, et on a appris qu’elle était atteinte d’une tumeur au cerveau. Quand on enregistrait l’album à Los Angeles, on l’a fait venir en studio. Elle était très malade. On a enregistré la chanson alors qu’elle était dans la salle de contrôle. Elle est malheureusement décédée quelques semaines après, et la chanson a fini par être sur le nouvel album.”

L’un des points forts de l’année pour le groupe a été leur passage sur un bateau de croisière, entouré de centaines de fans et d’autres groupes de fans. (VH-1 Best Cruise Ever).

Quand vous faites de la promo comme la croisière “VH-1 Best Cruise Ever”, avez vous du temps pour vous ?

Ben: “Pas sur le bateau… A moins de sauter par dessus bord.”

Rick: “Il a raison.”

Ben: “On n’était pas trop sûr de ce qui nous attendait quand on a embarqué. La zone où se trouvaient nos cabines était assez prive en fait. Donc quand on voulait être tranquille, on allait dans notre chambre. Mais les gens ont été vraiment cool. On s’est beaucoup amusé avec tout le monde. Ils étaient tous super aimables et gentils et on a passé un bon moment. Beaucoup de fiesta !”

Bryce: “Tout le monde s’est montré très respectueux, c’était surprenant. Je suppose que quand plusieurs personnes se retrouvent dans un environnement sympa, les gens sont sympas et normaux. ”

Kat: “Pour moi, ça ressemble un peu aux vacances de printemps.”

Rick: “C’était un peu ça. Fêtes autour de la piscine tous les jours !”

Ben: “Beaucoup de fêtes, pas de sommeil. C’était trop bien.”

Rick: “Quatre concerts, c’était génial. »

Rock’n’roll et fête, de quoi d’autre avez-vous besoin pour votre image de rockstar parfaite ? De tatouages !! Tattoos ! Bryce Soderberg en a un nouveau depuis peu.

Bryce: “Et bien… je ne peux pas porter l’étiquette du type à tatouages. J’ai eu le mien grâce à Mike Devries, c’est un artiste tatoueur renommé à Los Angeles. Je suis canadien, je vis aux Etats-Unis. Mon tatouage représente un aigle portant une feuille d’érable. C’est une sorte de combinaison entre les deux. En plus, le blason de ma famille est un aigle, alors le motif s’est imposé de lui même.”

Ben, Bryce, vous avez tous les deux des étoiles tatouées sur vos bras. Quelle en est la signification ?

Bryce: “Un jour, je me suis fait faire une étoile, et après, Ben en a voulu 6.”

(rires)

Ben: “En fait, j’en ai 7. Une pour chaque jour de la semaine. Je voulais juste faire comme Bryce. Il avait une étoile, et je trouvais ça cool alors moi, j’en voulais plein. ”

Kat: “Et la semaine prochaine, vous serez tous blonds ?”

Ben: “Ouais, j’ai déjà été blond.”

Bryce: “Nous sommes un groupe, alors on s’influence mutuellement. »

Ben: “La prochaine fois, je me fait tatouer un aigle.”

Bryce: “Sur ton visage.”

Ben: “Ouais. Je pense que tout le monde a une signification pour leur tatouage. Le mien signifie beaucoup pour moi. C’est la « Southern cross » du drapeau australien. C’est une constellation d’étoiles que j’avais l’habitude de regarder tous les soirs avec ma famille.”

Kat: “Et cette spirale sur ton bras ? »

Ben: “J’ai un truc pour les spirales. Différentes formes de spirales, qui viennent de partout dans le monde. Elle représentent beaucoup pour moi. Leur signification est très proche de moi.”

Kat: “Est-ce que Jason a un tatouage ?”

Rick: “Non.”

Bryce: “Il y pensait mais je pense qu’il restera le gars sans tatouage du groupe.”

Lifehouse est sur le point de débuter une nouvelle tournée aux USA.

Il se passera quoi après la tournée aux USA ?

Rick: “On ne sait pas encore. Sûrement d’autres concerts. Pour le moment, on se concentre sur la tournée européenne et on enchaine avec la tournée américaine.”

Et on ne pouvait pas laisser partir les garçons sans leur avoir posé notre question favorite :W

Vous aimez les vaches ?

Rick: “Les vaches ? Comment ça ? Si on les aime ?”

Kat: “En général.”

Rick: “J’adore monter les vaches.”

(Ben et Bryce sont morts de rire)

Bryce: “On a des tonnes de photos de Rick montant de grosses vaches en plastique !”

Rick: “Les statues de chevaux ! Le montage de statues est mon sport favori depuis des années. Mais maintenant que tu mentionnes les vaches… Vous savez, les joueur de basket peuvent jouer au baseball aussi. Et les cavaliers de statues de chevaux peuvent aussi chevaucher les vaches, haha.”

Ben: “Oh, j’adore, haha.”

Rick: “C’est quoi la signification cachée de cette question ?”

Kat: “Rien du tout. On aime bien voir la réaction des gens faces à cette question. ”

Rick: “Ah vraiment ? T’es douée!”

Ben: “Est-ce que la vache est ton animal préféré ?”

Kat: “Pas vraiment, je préfère les cochons d’Inde.”

Bryce: “Vite fait ! J’ai une histoire effrayante à propos des cochons d’Inde. Really quick, I have this really scary guinea pig story. J’étais à l’école élémentaire, et on avait des cochons d’Inde bébé. Et les élèves ont touché un des bébés, et la maman a commencé à manger tous ses bébé ! Et les enfants étaient complètement flippés. Je suppose que les mamans cochons d’Inde, elle bouffent leurs bébés si vous les contaminez en les touchant. Effrayés à vie ! »

Source
Traduction

Despite a sound that sounds generic to some, Lifehouse continues to build on the multi-platinum success of its 2000 debut, No Name Face,” with its fifth collection of songs: Smoke and Mirrors.”

Though its title might suggest otherwise, Smoke and Mirrors” represents the convergence of two goals in the recording studio: first, re-create the band’s power-packed live sound; and second, keep the music radio friendly.

Smoke and Mirrors” was released in March and made its debut at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 album chart, the highest debut of the band’s career.

The album’s first single, Halfway Gone,” was co-written by lead singer Jason Wade, Kevin Rudolf (“Let It Rock”) and producer Jude Cole, who had worked with Rocco Deluca, Beth Orton, MoZella and others). The song has done handsomely well on the Hot AC radio charts, and now the band is trying to decide on a follow-up single.

Another interesting collaborator on Smoke and Mirrors” was Richard Marx, who co-wrote the song Had Enough” with Wade. Marx, a singer, songwriter and producer with a classic rock sound, recorded such hit songs Endless Summer Nights,” Right Here Waiting” and Now and Forever.”

Clearly, Lifehouse has staying power. Hanging by a Moment” is a classic for many rock fans of a certain age. (The single beat out Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys in 2001 for a Billboard Music Award for Hot 100″ single of the year.) And You and Me” (a 2005 song) has the honor of being a popular wedding song.

Lead singer Wade is a friend of Chris Daughtry’s and has written a number of songs with the fifth season American Idol” finalist. So it comes as no surprise that Lifehouse has joined Daughtry on a spring tour that began in late March and ends in June.

Lifehouse includes Wade, guitarist Ben Carey, drummer Ricky Woolstenhulme and bassist Bryce Soderberg, who grew up in Victoria, B.C.

I reached Soderberg by phone recently during a two-day break in L.A. Soderberg was cheerful, energetic and feeling very positive about the band’s new album and tour.

Q: I know that Jason (Wade) and Chris (Daughtry) are friends who collaborated on Had Enough” and other songs. Did a tour with Daughtry just seem like a good fit?

Bryce: We’ve known Chris and his band for a few years now. They’re really good friends of ours. Jason and Chris wrote some songs for Chris’ album, and they wrote ‘Had Enough.’ When we were making that song, we just kind of realized that we’re in the same genre, our fan bases are quite similar, and it makes for a great show, having two mutually respected bands on the same bill. We’re having a blast. So, yes, it’s a good fit.”

Q: Other than being on tour with good friends, what’s different about this tour?

Bryce: It’s great to be out with dudes who are so down-to-earth and fun and easy to get along with. Backstage, it’s kind of like summer camp. We have barbecues and we play paint ball sometimes. There’s no pressure about who’s cooler than who or any competition. It’s just all about the vibes that make for better entertainment and a better show all around.”

Q: The members of Lifehouse have really been road warriors, touring relentlessly. Is there a benefit to constant touring?

Bryce: Absolutely. You know, we pride ourselves on our live show and we’re always trying to raise the bar and be a better band. There’s a certain level we want to get to. We’ve never really settled and thought, Oh, we’ve made it. We’re always trying to grow, and we’d like to headline arenas soon. We love touring.”

Q: What do you do on the road to keep yourselves from going crazy?

Bryce: It’s really important to eat well, obviously. We have good catering. And not turn into fat slobs. We run stairs and work out as often as we can. That helps you feel good, especially when you’re traveling a lot. Just trying to take care of your body. A lot of younger bands ask, ‘What’s the secret for doing what you do? Can you give us a good tip?’ And we always tell them, get in a band with people who are your close friends. We get along really well, we know how to get along. And that makes for better touring. And hopefully longevity.”

Q: I’ve known some dysfunctional bands that could use some help.

Bryce: Maybe they need a band whisperer.” (Laughs)

Q: I read that drummer Ricky (Woolstenhulme) is like the band’s the camp counselor.

Bryce: Rick’s a great guy. He’s kind of like the class clown of the band. He’s the funny guy, and he’s always up for something fun and spontaneous. It’s more fun on the road when you’re not all uptight and you can let loose. He’s a good guy to have around.”

Q: Congratulations on the success of Smoke and Mirrors.” It’s the highest chart debut thus far for the band?

Bryce: Yeah, yeah.” (Sounding excited)

Q: What was the goal on this album? On the one hand, I’ve heard that you were looking for more radio-friendly sound; and on the other hand, the live sound that you’re known for. Was it a half-and-half split?

Bryce: It wasn’t anything premeditated going into the studio. We had the luxury of taking a solid year and a half to make the record that we wanted to make. And through the course of recording we got to experiment with different sounds and kind of raise the bar and make a really good album. We took influences from everything from Led Zeppelin to like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. We also wanted to get back to the more polished side of record making at the same time. Because so many Lifehouse fans know us through radio. The title ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ ambiguously ties together the two sides, and everything fell into place.”

Q: How did you end up working with Kevin Rudolf, who had recorded Let It Rock” with Lil Wayne? He certainly comes from a different camp.

Bryce: It was our manager, Jude Cole, who came up with the idea. He loved that we were all fans of ‘Let It Rock.’ Jude got in touch with Kevin’s manager and we heard back from them right away. And Kevin said, ‘Yeah, I’d love to write a song with you guys.’ So he came in and we wrote ‘Halfway Gone.’ Kevin is good at fusing together the rock and the pop. He has this urban hip-hop feel to him. So he lent his influence to the song and you can definitely hear it.”

Q: And what about Richard Marx?

Bryce: He’s a respected songwriter and producer. Chris (Daughtry) and him are friends. Richard really lent his influence to ‘Had Enough.’ He’s a brilliant songwriter and he’s worked with other artists and come up with some great stuff. We love the guy and look forward to doing more with him in the future.”

Q: The song Wrecking Ball” features your first lead vocal for the band?

Bryce: Yeah, I’m lovin’ it. I do the song every night.”

Q: Had you wanted to do that for some time?

Bryce:” I’d sung lead for a couple of bands before Lifehouse, and it’s great getting a chance to put on that hat and sing lead for a track. It’s perfect. I get my fill of that side of being an entertainer, and it gives Jason a break. It wasn’t anything pre-mediated. It just was one of those things that fell into place.”

Q: What’s the next single from Smoke and Mirrors”?

Bryce: We’re really trying to figure that out. It’s coming up soon. We haven’t decided yet. My personal choices are between four songs. I think it would be ‘It Is What It Is,’ which is my No. 1 choice; or ‘Falling In’ or ‘In Your Skin’ or ‘Had Enough.’ ”

Q: You and Me” has become a huge wedding song. Do you have any sense of how often it gets used? It must be an honor to record a song that becomes a favorite for ceremonies like that.

Bryce: ” ‘You and Me’ is numbers-wise almost as big as ‘Hanging by a Moment.’ It’s a total honor to have so many people have a connection to the song. We had a lot of help from the TV show ‘Smallville’ that it was played on back in 2004. They debuted the song. It was originally called ‘You, Me and the People.’ And we always thought it was going to be a big prom song. We had no idea it would become a huge wedding song.”

Q: What’s your best tool for promoting the band on the Internet? Streaming videos? You’ve got 70 million viewers.

Bryce: Yeah, YouTube has been a great tool for us to keep in touch with fans, especially fans overseas.”

Q: When I did a Google search for the band, I discovered that over the years, a lot of fans have speculated about whether Lifehouse is a Christian band. Has the band addressed this?

Bryce: I sometimes have a tough time answering that question because I don’t want to offend people that are expecting an answer. Jason was raised with a Christian background. He is very spiritual. The first record had a lot of spiritual lyrics and people connected with that. Which is great. But we’ve never been on a Christian label. I wasn’t raised Christian myself. We’re not technically a Christian band. But Jason obviously has that lyrical background, and a lot of songs are open to interpretation. We’re not a Christian band. We are what we are. We’re a rock band. We play rock music. That’s what we do.”

Source

March 30, 2010 at 4:39 pm by Irving DeJohn, arts and entertainment editor

Before rocking the Times Union Center Sunday night, Lifehouse bassist Bryce Soderberg took some time to talk with the ASP writer Heather Wheeler.

Calling to conduct the phone interview a half hour early, Soderberg certainly didn’t have the ego you would expect from a rock star currently touring with Daughtry. Finding himself between shows, alone in his hotel room while the other band members were off doing various things, Soderberg was looking forward to having someone to talk to.

Albany Student Press: So Bryce, I know you haven’t always been with the band. When did you join? How did that come about?

Bryce Soderberg: Well, I was in a band AM Radio. Our drummer, Rick, called me and I went to jam with them. We just got along really well and they invited me to join. It’s been great. I feel like I joined at a really good time. Their second album wasn’t a great success, so they were really trying to build themselves from the ground up again.

ASP: How did your family feel about you joining the band?

BS: They thought it was very cool. Most of them had been fans of the band before I joined. It was cool to become a part of something everyone already admired.

ASP: For this tour, you guys are promoting your new album, Smoke & Mirrors. Why did the release date of the album get pushed back?

BS: It was supposed to be released in December, but everyone just thought the timing now [March] was way better. The single [“Halfway Gone”] was growing, gaining a lot of air play.

ASP: Tell me about creating the album. You guys recorded so many tracks that there is a special deluxe album released on iTunes, right?

BS: Yeah, we recorded 35 tracks for the album. Then, we had to sit down and root out the best of them.

ASP: Who has a say about what songs go on the album?

BS: The band, definitely. But our producer, Jude Cole, has a great ear [for music].

ASP: You sing the lead on the song Wrecking Ball. How did that come about?

BS: It came about by accident, really. I originally sang a song called “Eggshells”, but it didn’t vibe with the rest of the album. And Jason just wasn’t cutting it on “Wrecking Ball”. Haha, no he didn’t feel like it worked in his register. I sang it and it just kind of worked out. It’s a great opportunity for me. I mean ,I have sung covers during live shows, just to sort of shake up the playlist, but it’s great to be able to sing an actual Lifehouse song.

ASP: What is your favorite cover song to sing?

BS: “Rebel, Rebel” by David Bowie.

ASP: So how is touring with Daughtry? Any memorable stories?

BS: They are a great, great group of guys. Every few nights, we have bbqs together [on the bus]. They all have paintballs. That’s something we [Lifehouse] need to get. Paintball guns, so we can have tournaments.

ASP: What do you do when you finally get home? Where is home? LA?

BS: Yeah, LA. I’m originally from British Columbia, but I’ve been in LA for 10 years. It’s funny, because we all hang out a lot. We’re honestly all pretty close friends. Ben, the guitar player, and I play a lot of basketball. We’re always having barbecues. LA has a very cool music scene, so we’re always going out, checking out bands. There’s always something to do.

ASP: Is it easy for you guys to go out? Do you get recognized?

BS: Our band is famous, but when we go out, we don’t really get recognized. It’s not like we have paparazzi stalking us and starring through our windows. We get all the attention we need out on tour and basically have the luxury of leading pretty normal lives. It’s pretty cool.

ASP: Now, in regards to Facebook, Twitter, etc – do you guys go on and update your own pages or do you have people who do that?

BS: No, we do it. I have sort of taken over the reign on that. I’m pretty good with computers. We’re sort of late in the game when it comes to things like that, but I think it’s really important to connect with our fans. In the 80s and 90s, the only way you would get to see your favorite musician was by starring at their record cover, and it’s not like that anymore.

ASP: Cool. Ok, time for some random questions. What is the most embarrassing song on your iPod?

BS: Hmm. That’s a good one. Um, probably “The Chicken Dance”. I gave my friend AJ my ipod and he loaded a bunch of random songs.

ASP: What movie do you know every line to?

BS: Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Growing up, I would watch it every day after school.

ASP: If you could have a room full of anything, what would it be?

BS: Popcorn! Unsalted, unbuttered popcorn. You can do so many things with it. Eat it. You could jump around in it. You could pack things and ship things with it.

ASP: Celebrity crush growing up and now?

BS: Growing up, Samantha Fox. You probably don’t know who she is. She was like one of those girls who were on posters in the 80s that boys hung on their wall, like standing next to a Lamborghini or something. Now? Hmm. I don’t know. That’s tough. Rachel McAdams is very beautiful.

ASP: So you must have been pretty excited that “Broken” was in the trailer for her movie The Time Traveler’s Wife.

BS: Yeah, that was very cool.

ASP: Fill in the blank. If I wasn’t a big time rockstar, I’d be…

BS: Doing something with computers. About ten years ago, I worked for a company that sold Viagra online, like when it first came out. People were getting online prescriptions. We would get letters from old people who would be like “Thank you so much. You saved my marriage.” It was very fulfilling.

ASP: Bryce, thanks a lot for taking the time to talk to me. Is there anything else you want to plug, in regards to the album or tour?

BS: Smoke & Mirrors is just a really great album. We really tried to step outside the box and raise the bar on this album. We’re really proud of it.

Source

Bill: For long-term Lifehouse fans, what’s new here on the Smoke and Mirrors album that they might be looking for?

Bryce: One of the differences from this record compared to the last is it shows a lot of growth in the band while still maintaining that Lifehouse sound. We explored new directions. We tried to kind of raise the bar on this record and try out some synth sounds.

We did some co-writes on this record with different artists. Jason wrote with Kevin Rudolf and Chris Daughtry. We just took a year and a half on this record. We took our time to develop the band and try and make the best record that we could. So it’s not exactly the same. You can’t keep making the same record over and over again.

Bill: How did connecting with Kevin Rudolf to work on the album come about?

Bryce: It was actually our producer Jude. He listened to that song “Let It Rock” by Kevin Rudolf, and we all liked that song. He seemed like a guy that had this cool hybrid of pop and rock, and Jude e-mailed him and he responded right away. He said he would love to write a song. We got together and “Halfway Gone” was born and “Falling In.” They were written in the course of like half an hour each. He’s just great.

What happened is our record Smoke and Mirrors is kind of a hybrid of the live organic rock stuff and also the radio-friendly pop. That song (“Halfway Gone”) is kind of a perfect blend of the two.

Bill: And you worked with Chris Daughtry too?

Bryce: Yeah we worked with Chris. He’s been a friend of ours for like a good two years. Our band is friends with his band. He invited Jason to write a song for his record awhile ago. After they got together the chemistry was good, and he invited him to write with us for our record. He wound up singing a song on the record, and it turned out to be great.

Bill: You’ve got your first lead vocal on this album, right?

Bryce: Yeah, I’m singing a song on the record called “Wrecking Ball.”

Bill: And how did that go?

Bryce: It wasn’t anything that was premeditated at all. We were jamming as a band in our rehearsal space. We were going to take a lunch break and during the break I showed Jason the songs I had been listening to from Canada, and we came back and we came up with this cool beat that was influenced by those bands. “Wrecking Ball” was made. Jason was originally singing lead on it, and it was about to get swept under the rug. The song wasn’t going to make the record because our producer wasn’t a fan of it. I was like, “We gotta do ‘Wrecking Ball,’ we gotta do ‘Wrecking Ball.’”

Then Jason was like, “Well, why don’t you sing it?” I said, “OK.” I sang it, and this was one of the songs that was lost in a sea of 35 tunes we had come up with. It wound up being one of the ones that stood out, and we put it on the record.

Bill: You sang lead vocals with a group before you joined Lifehouse?

Bryce: I was in a band called T.E.A. about six years ago, and I was the lead singer in that band.

Bill: Had you missed it? Did it feel good to be back on lead vocals?

Bryce: Absolutely. There’s a certain part of making music and playing live that when you sing lead it’s a completely different hat than being a bass player. I did miss it, and I’m honored I get a chance to sing lead with Lifehouse.

Bill: If you were to pick ones are there three personal favorite songs of yours on the new album?

Bryce: Yeah, my first of the three would be “All In.” “All In” was the last song that was written for the record. Funny enough it wound up being the first song on the record. It was the puzzle piece that was missing on this album to kick it off and kind of show people, “Whoa, this is Lifehouse and they’re back.” That song kind of hits you in the face.

My second favorite would probably have to be a song on the record called “It Is What It Is.” Our fans really seem to like it. I never would have thought that everyone would kind of connect to this song, but it seems to be one of the most popular now. I think it’s because it has a great lyric that’s different from…Jason kind of takes it outside of his zone, and musically we kind of made a synthetic drum beat for some of it. We just did some things with different sounds on that track.

My third would probably have to be “Wrecking Ball.”

Bill: In the live show are there any particular changes from what you’ve done in the past?

Bryce: We’re actually in Nashville working on pre-production for our tour. We’re spending a week working on the show. I think what fans can expect from this show is we’re going to be playing a lot of the new record. We’re going to be playing a few of the old hits, but mostly, since we have a shorter time slot with the Daughtry tour, it’s like 50 minutes, we’re going to be doing most of Smoke and Mirrors.

Bill: The album title Smoke and Mirrors. Where did that come from?

Bryce: Smoke and Mirrors was actually a song. It was the first song written for the record. It was kind of a Tom Petty influenced track. Basically what happened with how it ties in with the title of the record is we were out touring off of Who We Are, our last record. We wanted to kind of capture the essence and take a snapshot of what we were doing live in the studio for this record.

So we kind of started doing these live, energetic, organic rock songs. We did about five or six of these with “Smoke and Mirrors” being one of them, “Nerve Damage” being another. About halfway through making the record we kind of realized we were missing an element that Lifehouse is thankful for that keeps the blood flowing, and that’s the radio side, millions of radio spins.

So we started collaborating with Kevin Rudolf and Chris Daughtry and started experimenting with the pop record. We started getting back to the record-making process. Then we came up with songs like “Halfway Gone” and “Had Enough.” So we had the two sides to Lifehouse on this record, the live, organic rock side and then there’s the radio-friendly pop side. The hybrid of the two kind of ambiguously fit in with the name Smoke and Mirrors.

Source

Mar 24, 2010
Copyright : Vh1 Australia
Source: Sophie Barnett

They’ve been on the road for over ten years, and with four albums already under their belts, Lifehouse are back with their fifth and arguably best, record yet.

Guitarist Ben Carey tells Vh1 why there’s no illusion behind their new release ‘Smoke & Mirrors,’ the joys of travelling by private jet, and working with Rihanna.

Vh1: Tell us about the new album ‘Smoke & Mirrors’

Ben Corey: We stepped outside of our comfort zone on this record. We work hard on the road, we tour a lot. We’re a band who does it like the old guys does. We really play, we really sing, we’re out there rocking as much as we can , we tour very very hard, we took elements of our live show into the studio, which is the rock side of the record, and also we worked really hard on the song making and the record making process for the radio side of the record.

Vh1: You’ve been touring with American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry. How’s that been?

B: Chris is a good friend of ours. All the guys in the band Daughtry are really great. We’re currently on a three and a half month tour round America with them.

We actually met Chris about two or three years ago in Texas, we wanted to meet him and he wanted to meet us, he’s just the real deal. It’s great fun touring with them coz we’re definitely out there together, we’re loving it.

Vh1: Lady Gaga and Rihanna have both been Down Under recently, are you fans of theirs?

B: I think Lady Gaga is a great artist. She’s pushing the envelope, she’s definitely outside of any box and I admire that, she has great songs, great pop songs.

Rihanna, she’s a great singer and a great performer. We’ve done a few shows with Rihanna, she’s a nice girl, you know we get on great. From the little we’ve had to do with her it’s been really really cool.

Vh1: So might we see a collaboration in the future?

B: You never know. We’ll see how the paths cross I guess. She’s a great artist, a great singer and only time will tell.

Vh1: Ben you live in LA, but were born in Australia. When are you guys going to do an Oz tour?

B: I’d be really excited to get back home and play. I’m really happy the single is doing well in Australia. I get lots of calls from friends and family saying, ‘hey we heard you on the radio today.’ It’s exciting for me and it’s exciting for the band. I’d love to take them back home and show them my Australia.

Vh1: Lastly, as a rock-star, what’s the most rock n’ roll thing you’ve ever done?

B: A couple of times we had to do the private jet thing, you know try and be in 16 places at once, all on the same day. That was definitely a departure for me. It was pretty cool. Definitely a step out of the norm.

Get your hands on Lifehouse’s new album ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ – out now!

Perhaps best known for some of their Top 40 hits including “You and Me,” “First Time,” and “Whatever it Takes,” Lifehouse has been big on the pop/rock scene ever since 2001, when they beat out Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys to win a Billboard Music Award for #1 Single of the Year with “Hanging By a Moment,” off of their debut album, No Name Face.  In the following years, they’ve released three additional albums and to date, they have sold more than 15 million singles and albums worldwide.

When the group came off the road in 2008 after spending three years supporting Who We Are, they were “on a post-tour high and urgently wanted to bring that visceral live energy to the next album,” according to bassist Bryce Soderberg.  Lifehouse recently spent a year and a half recording upwards of thirty-five tracks, twelve of which would eventually be selected to make up their latest record, Smoke & Mirrors.

The title is reflected in the fusion of styles and personalities represented in the album’s various tracks.  Soderberg said in a recent interview, “We wanted to raise the bar and explore with different influences and sounds.”  Lifehouse has been known for their combination of intense rock style with highly refined songwriting and producing, a distinction that is especially apparent in their latest work.

“We started recording a bunch of organic rock tracks, and halfway through the record realized that we were missing the one piece that got us a lot of our lifelong fans,” Soderberg said.  “We didn’t want to neglect the radio aspect of the band.  So we started getting back to more polished record-making, and those two sides fit in with the name of the album, Smoke & Mirrors.”

Nearly a decade after coming to prominence, the group has evolved enormously.  Soderberg said, “We’ve ironed out all the kinks of Lifehouse… we’ve gone through a few member changes and developed a sound, got our team, our management.  We’ve become better performers and entertainers.”

And it shows.  Smoke & Mirrors debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200, the band’s highest charting ever.  Even though the group has been sprouting Top 40 hits since 2001, this kind of success shows that they are seriously working to produce high-quality material.  “I think this album has legs,” Soderberg admits.  “It’s got a lot of longevity, and while we’re touring on it for the next couple of years, we’re hoping we can reach a whole new fan base.  That’s our goal.”

Even though Soderberg and his fellow band members are all reaching their thirties, they still feel as though they are able to keep their music fresh and enjoy touring and playing for fans. “It’s fun, you know?  Like summer camp.  Having fun is what this is all about for us, but at the same time we take it very seriously when we hit the stage and we try our hardest to every night deliver,” said Soderberg.

The current tour with Daughtry will last only for the next three months, but Lifehouse will continue to promote Smoke & Mirrors on the road for at least a couple of years.  In terms of the group’s plans for the future, “You know what… the sky’s the limit,” said Soderberg.  The band is beginning to reach an overseas market in Europe and Asia (particularly Japan) with their music, further fulfilling a goal of constant growth and improvement.

Soderberg expounds on the band’s philosophy behind music: “We want to get as many people to listen to it as possible.” Following a long pause, he said, “Then make more,” and laughed.

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And now, after ten years and 5 million albums sold, Lifehouse is back on the road with Chris Daughtry and their newest album, Smoke and Mirrors to talk to me once again. Literally.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to interview one of the men behind the Lifehouse success: lead singer and songwriter, Jason Wade. I was so excited to have the opportunity to interview him I had a perma-grin spread across my face for an entire week. Lifehouse’s music is some of the most-played on my iPod and, duh, he’s the one writing those most-played songs! How could I not be excited to speak with him!?

And so I did. And I’ll just go ahead and say it: he is a hot commodity. Can I also go out on a limb here and say he has a zexy phone voice? But I guess that just comes with the “lead singer” territory.

5 Questions We Ask Everybody

1. What’s your favorite college memory/most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
Well, I actually barely graduated high school so I don’t really have a college memory. The most trouble I’ve ever been in…we were on tour with Matchbox 20 about 10 years ago and uh, the three of us, it was the first time we were traveling without a tour manager and we were actually an hour early for our flight.  But, we were at the gate and we were having such a good time that we actually just missed our flight, and we almost missed the gig. Luckily we got on the next flight, but it could have been really bad.

2. What are five things you cannot live without?
Computer, iPod, acoustic guitar, some sort of a book… What is that four? Um, my cell phone.

3. What is your motto/advice you live by?
Probably, live every day to the fullest because you don’t know how long you’re going to be around.

4. What is your favorite song to belt out at the bar/car/karaoke?
Let’s go with ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey. That is a guilty pleasure.

5. Ten years from now you will be…
Forty.

Questions We Ask Jason Wade

1. If you could have a room full of anything, what would it be?
Probably those jelly beans, the butter popcorn ones. I like those. A lot of people think they are gross, but I actually like them. I kind of go back and forth, but I was obsessed with them for two years.

2. Who inspired you to get started in the music business?
I would have to say my Mom. It wasn’t really about the business back then per say, I mean I was fifteen when I started playing guitar and for me I was kind of going through a difficult time when my parents got divorced. We moved around a lot so I didn’t have any close connections with any people so I was kind of coming from a place of isolation. I was kind of writing these songs, and as soon as I made some connections in Los Angeles a bunch of these producers and record labels started to freak out on these songs I was writing. So it kind of happened that I wasn’t really looking for it, it just kind of found me when I was fifteen or sixteen.

3. What has been the biggest moment of your career thus far?
We had an opportunity to open for The Rolling Stones for three shows back in 2002-2003. They are one of my favorite bands, so that was definitely a highlight in the last 10 years.

4. If you weren’t successful musical artists right now, what would you be doing instead?
When I was younger I was really into martial arts, I got up to brown belt and I kinda had ambitions to start my own karate studio. But I’m the kind of person that can only do one thing at a time so as soon as I got obsessed with music I put that on the back burner. But if I didn’t have music I might get back into that.

5. What can we expect from your new album Smoke & Mirrors?
This record is different from any other album we’ve made in that there’s way more collaborations. I used to predominantly write most of the songs by myself on acoustic guitar and most of the songs were coming from a really personal place, but I felt like I was at the point in my life where I kinda needed to do a little more co-writing. You know, ‘Hanging by a Moment,’ ‘You and Me’, songs from our first record like ‘Somewhere in Between,’ those were all coming from my personal relationships and stuff. But on this record I felt like I was at a place in my life where there wasn’t a whole lot of drama or turbulence going on. So I reached out to friends like Chris Daughtry to write songs with, Richard Marx, Kevin Rudolph. I wrote with my producer Jude Coal quite a bit, so I did a lot more collaborations with this record than I did in the past.

I think that this record is a bit of a departure for us, but there are songs on here that are a little bit more organic and are a little bit more reminiscent of our first record. So, I think there is something on this record for everybody who enjoys listening to Lifehouse.

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