Lifehouse makes several introductions
When the band Lifehouse emerged in 2001, it caught critical and audience acclaim for its song “Hanging By a Moment.”
When Lifehouse surfaced on the music scene in 2005, it gained acclaim for the ballad “You and Me.”
And when it showed up with the song “First Time” in May 2007, it was the band’s debut as far as much of its audience was concerned.
Notice a trend?
“This thing is so competitive already, and we feel like we had a huge breakthrough with ‘Hanging By a Moment,’ and our second record didn’t do that well. We had to kind of fight to get out there with the third record with ‘You and Me,’ and now we’re just fighting to stay out there,” Jason Wade, the band’s lead singer and songwriter, said in a telephone interview from the San Francisco airport.
Thanks to a loyal core of fans, the Los Angeles-based band wasn’t completely forgotten during those interims.
“We’ve definitely developed a real strong fan base over the years, but when it comes to the public eye, we’ll come out with a single and people won’t know we were the same band that did ‘Hanging By a Moment,’ ” Wade said.
Wade said he and the band — drummer Rick Woolstenhulme and bass player Bryce Soderberg — are happy with their place in the musical pecking order.
“I definitely wouldn’t like that lifestyle of the paparazzi following you around or anything like that,” he said. “We’ve managed to make a living putting out songs that people connect with. We’re gaining momentum, which is great.”
Lifehouse performs Tuesday night in a concert at the Capitol Theatre, downtown Davenport.
The band’s four albums were produced by Carbon Cliff, Ill., native Jude Cole, who also serves as Lifehouse’s manager.
Cole himself had hits in the early ‘90s with the songs “Maybe It’s Tonight” and “Time For Letting Go.”
Wade, who turns 28 later this week, said he’s known Cole for the past 12 years and had a handshake agreement with him to be the band’s manager and producer.
“I’ve learned so much from him, everything from songwriting to the whole music business side of things. He’s just a really smart guy,” Wade said. “It’s great to have a manager, too, that actually knows how to play music — not like one of those managers with a cigar in his mouth who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Wade said he’s happy with what Cole has done for the group.
“I feel like he’s navigating us through our careers. He’s kind of making up for the mistakes he’s made, with us,” he said. “He’s definitely wary that we don’t get taken advantage of.”
The band has released the ballad “Broken,” its third single from the album “Who We Are.”
Although Wade is the son of missionaries and has a background in Christian music, he said Lifehouse has been incorrectly labeled as a Christian group since neither of his bandmates have Christian music histories.
“To be honest, it’s been really frustrating because (Christian music) wanted to own us in that community and we fought against it because we want a wider audience to listen to our music and not just a certain sect,” Wade said. “I feel like we’re getting to the point when we can stand on our own and not be a part of a certain club.”
IF YOU GO
What: Lifehouse with opening act to be announced
When: 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 1
Where: The Capitol Theatre, 311 Ripley St., Davenport
How much: $21.50 in advance, $24.50 the day of the show
Information: Call (563) 326-8820 or TheCapDavenport.com on the Web
Also on the Web: Lifehouse Music.com
David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.