Lifehouse

Lifehouse Artistfacts

  • 1996-
    Jason WadeVocals, guitar1999-
    Sergio AndradeBass1996-2004
    Rick WoolstenhulmeDrums2000-
    Ben CareyGuitar2009-2014
    Sean WoolstenhulmeGuitar2002-2004
    Bryce SoderbergBass2005-
  • Both Andrade's and Wade's parents were Christian missionaries. Andrade lived in Guatemala with his parents; Wade traveled to such foreign locales as Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and California.
  • These boys were originally named Bliss, but after a fan confused it with the word piss, they changed to Lifehouse. They are not named after Pete Townshend's infamous, abandoned rock opera, Lifehouse.
  • They gained popularity by playing regularly with a church youth group called FKA (Formerly Known As) at the school of the Malibu Vineyard Church. They would also lead prayer services there.
  • Says Wade: "My music is spiritually based, but we don't want to be labeled as a 'Christian band.'"
  • Lifehouse has been compared to Pearl Jam and Creed, primarily because of Wade's low voice.
  • Wade is the creative force in the band and writes most of the songs himself. When DreamWorks offered him a record deal, it was as a solo artist, but Wade preferred being in a band.
  • In his teenage years, Wade got into bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, which shaped his sound musically. In terms of songwriting, his influences include The Beatles, James Taylor, Paul Simon and Elliott Smith.
  • When "Hanging By a Moment" took off, the band was in their early 20s, but their audience skewed much older. They got lots of airplay on VH1 and on radio stations with Adult Alternative or Adult Contemporary formats.
  • The band was rather inexperienced when they recorded their first album, No Name Face, in 2000, so a passel of session musicians were brought in to help out.
  • Wade was 20 years old when he married Braeden, whom he had been dating since he was 15. "A lot of people say that if your parents get divorced, you're going to get divorced," he told the San Francisco Chronicle. "So I just did it to rebel against everything that my parents did and to prove to myself that I'm not like them."
  • Speaking about how his Christian faith influenced his songs, Jason Wade said in a 2017 Songfacts interview: "I come from that world, so a lot of the earlier Lifehouse songs were spiritual in nature, but at the same time, we never wanted to be put in a box where it's like this is the only thing that we sing about. We like people to take the lyrics and make them their own."

Comments: 6

  • Steve from Ewa BeachI part of that older audience being 60 now. Lifehouse became my favorite band almost immediately. The songs have mirrored my life with Spin being my favorite. Broken, when my daughter went to rehab. Storm, when I lost my leg. Fligh, when my mom died, and You and Me for the love of my life, and now The Beginning, because it seems to be ending. Thank you Lifehouse, you have saved my life more than once.
  • Hannah from Fargo, NdI love Lifehouse! Jason Wade's voice is amazing...and well he's not bad looking either ;)
  • Nimesh from Dubai, OtherI love the song 'Blind', and of course 'You and Me': Wade has an incredibly adorable voice. Is Lifehouse a successful band in the US?
  • Christine from Jaffrey, NhIF anyone actually did research, one would know that Bliss/Blyss (both spellings were used) became Lifehouse because when they went to COPYRIGHT the songs to the name, it was already taken by a European band. That and the "piss" comment are the truth. Ask the man yourself!
  • Hope from Florence, MtI love Lifehouse! I like the band Creed too. But anyways, I really like their old song "The Edge" that they performed when they were called Bliss, and I thought it was actually spelled Blyss. Anyways, I think that they are definitely an AWESOME band!!!
  • Aj from Dxb, United StatesAmazing band, yes i would say that wade's voice is pretty simillar to creed's and in confuses me, but however i like wade better, his sings smoothly you can almost feel the guitar stringin in ur heart when he plays it .. !!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.