Lifehouse Not Breaking Any Old Molds

The music created by modern rock quartet Lifehouse isn't very radical. That said, after listening to their debut, No Name Face and reading about the life of lead vocalist and guitarist Jason Wade, I can't help but feel that he is genuine about what he is writing about though.

"When I'm feeling confused I write about confusion. Music is an outlet for emotion," he remarked.

Wade first started writing music as an outlet for his frustrations when his parents were going through a divorce. When he can't find personal problems to write about he uses the experiences of people he has known as material for lyrics. An example of this is the song "Simon," which is based on a childhood friend who was a bit of a social outcast.

Another experience that pops up on No Name Face is the prejudice he experienced when his family moved overseas and lived in an impoverished section of Hong Kong.

"They [locals] thought we were mocking them," he says.

The locals would sometimes come up onto their porch early in the morning and set off firecrackers in an attempt to scare them off. One would think this experience would leave him bitter, but Wade says, "I don't regret any of it."

Lifehouse, comprised of Wade, bassist and co-founding member , guitarist Stuart Mathis and drummer Rick Woolstenhulme have impressed some big names. Arguably one of the biggest producers of the '90s, Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against The Machine, Pearl Jam), mixed their debut album.

"We were more than excited. We were honoured." Granted they didn't want to hamper the highly sought after producers work ethic. "He mixed two or three songs a day and we stayed out of his way."