Lifehouse excited about Manila return

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.”

(Tickets to Lifehouse Live in Manila are available at all Ticketnet outlets.)