Lifehouse

Singer and songwriter Jason Wade guided Lifehouse into the spotlight at the start of the 2000s, where the group fused melodic pop/rock with raw, post-grunge vocals. Having first assembled the project under the name Blyss in 1995, Wade spent his childhood traveling with missionary parents before eventually moving to Los Angeles with his mother, where he began focusing intently on songwriting. Bassist Sergio Andrade, who lived next door, joined him for countless hours of rehearsal in the garage, sharpening their early material and shaping the band’s straightforward, radio-friendly style. These sessions led to the independent release Diff's Lucky Band along with performances at various church services. Rather than committing fully to Christian music, the trio signed with Dreamworks Records as an alternative rock act, bringing drummer Jon Palmer into the fold to complete the initial lineup.

The band’s first official album, No Name Face, arrived in fall 2000 and achieved double-platinum status largely due to the hit single “Hanging by a Moment,” which became the most-played radio song of 2001. Amid a landscape ruled by teen pop, Lifehouse distinguished itself through guitar-driven rock, prompting a swift return to the studio for a sophomore effort. Producer Brendan O’Brien oversaw the recording of Stanley Climbfall across spring and summer 2002; Dreamworks issued the album that September, yet it sold far less than its predecessor. Soon afterward the group fractured when Andrade departed to explore other endeavors.

Wade reassembled Lifehouse and delivered a self-titled third album in early 2005. For subsequent live dates, he and drummer Rick Woolstenhulme, Jr. added former AM Radio bassist/vocalist Bryce Soderberg, who stayed on for the more straightforward alternative rock direction of 2007’s Who We Are. Both the self-titled record and Who We Are reached gold status, powered by the Top 40 singles “First Time,” “You and Me,” and “Whatever It Takes.” Three years later came Smoke & Mirrors, which featured a collaboration with rapper/songwriter Kevin Rudolf on the opening track “Halfway Gone.” The album entered the Billboard Top 200 at number six. After touring in support, the band reunited with producer Jude Cole—who had also helmed Smoke & Mirrors—to create its sixth album, Almeria, released in December 2012 and preceded by the single “Between the Raindrops,” a duet with pop singer Natasha Bedingfield.

Almeria peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Top 200, a sharp drop from Smoke & Mirrors’ number-six position, and received no touring support. By summer the members announced their departure from the label and an indefinite hiatus. Wade turned to solo work, Soderberg launched the band KOMOX, and Woolstenhulme, Jr. joined the Goo Goo Dolls, yet the musicians reconvened in 2014. In May 2015 they issued Out of the Wasteland, again produced by Jude Cole and released via Ironworks; the set debuted at number one on the Top Independent Albums chart. Early in summer 2017 Lifehouse unveiled its first compilation, Greatest Hits, and afterward toured the United States alongside Switchfoot.