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By Paul John Caña,
Contributor
Most fans of American pop-rock group Lifehouse know them best for
their saccharine sweet lyrics and heart-melting
melodies. Songs like “You and Me,” “Everything,”
“Breathing” and “Broken” have helped establish the band as
the ultimate sentimental rock group.
But the band
composed of Jason Wade, Rick Woolstenhulme, Bryce Soderberg and
newest member Ben Carey have more to offer than the songs you hear
on television shows like Smallville and Grey’s Anatomy.
The Manila Times:
A lot of your fans are women. Where do you get the inspiration to
write lyrics that speak to them?
Jason Wade: From
the women—that’s where I get my inspiration.
Bryce Soderberg:
Women are the inspiration for everyone, except women.
TMT: Have you
ever heard a song of yours being played on a TV show and thought,
“Wow, they got that one right?”
JW: Yes. The song
“Broken” was used in Grey’s Anatomy. I didn’t even know that
it was going be on television. I liked how they used it on that
episode. Although I have to say the editing there was a little
weird.
TMT: What bands
did you listen to when you were growing up?
JW: For me,
Nirvana. The bands from Seattle, because I grew up in Seattle. Then
I got into the music of the sixties. The Beatles. Badfinger. Those
guys.
BS: Anything
organic really. We’re a real band that plays live. And now, a lot
of people don’t. I like the organic stuff. Real music.
TMT: Are you guys
fans yourselves of other artists?
JW: I think the
new Coldplay record is genius. You know who Gillian Welch is?
She’s one of my favorites.
BS: Yeah we’re
going to see Radiohead later next month.
Ben Carey: I’d
love to say Tom Petty. I’ve never seen him play live but he’s a
big inspiration and his guitar playing.
Rick
Woolstenhulme: The Ting Tings. I like them.
TMT: Jason, how
do you feel about comments that you are essentially the face, heart
and soul of Lifehouse?
JW: I feel I
might be the face of the band, but in my opinion, these guys are the
heart and soul of the band. Rick and I have been doing this for
eight years. There’s nothing more exciting than being onstage with
your best friend.
TMT: How is your
musical artistry affected by fame?
JW: In the early
days, when we were making the first record, there was no pressure.
When that record sold a lot and it became really popular, we had to
go through the growing pains. When we make records, we shut
everything out. We make music because we love it, not because we
want to sell records.
BS: I think too
much of the music today is done through computers. There’re a lot
of people who can’t sing. You really feel you’re getting ripped
off when you get a record and they can’t perform it live. We take
a lot of pride in making our records really pure and organic.
TMT: Out of all
the songs that you’ve written, which one is your favorite?
JW: It changes
depending on how long we’ve been playing the song and how sick we
are of it. But right now, I would have to say a song called
“Broken.”
TMT: For Ben,
you’re a new member. Did you have to make adjustments when you
joined the band?
BC: I think it
takes a long time for people to find the right people to play with.
And we were just lucky enough to find each other. We actually sat
down and talked for a couple of hours before we even played our
instruments. And it wasn’t an effort. It was a lot of fun and it
was a good hang. The first song we ever played together was
“Spin.”
TMT: How has
music changed your life?
BS: I’ve been
playing music my entire life. I can’t see myself doing anything
else.
JW: I fell in
love with music when I was 15 and it changed everything. Having an
outlet to create songs and express your self and connect with
people, it’s the most amazing feeling in the world.
TMT: What’s the
significance of the title of your new album, Who We Are?
JW: It’s a
message to all the people who called us “Lighthouse” over the
years. This is the first record that we co-produced and it was our
truest record and we went in without having any ideas and laid it
all down.
TMT: How do you
feel that your second album (Stanley Climbfall) wasn’t as
successful as your first one?
JW: I still think
it was one of our best records. You write songs that are honest and
you open yourself up to be criticized by everyone. We just kept
writing songs and moving on. And our third record was a success,
with that song “You and Me” and we’re just happy to be doing
this and not working at [some donut shop].
TMT: You’ve
been together seven or eight years. What’s the secret of your
longevity?
BS: I don’t
think we even know what it is.
JW: Music is kind
of magical. You don’t really know where it comes from sometimes.
As long as you stay true to the music and you do it for the right
reasons, you’ll be OK. I think that’s what we’re doing.
We’re having fun.
TMT: With the
songs you’ve written, you seem to be a sad songwriter, Jason.
JW: I’m
absolutely happy and really sad at the same time. I would never hurt
myself on purpose. You can’t have too many happy songs. Everything
is about balance.
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