Early Life of Lifehouse Lead Vocalist Jason Wade:

Lifehouse front man Jason Wade grew up with an unusual childhood. Wade’s parents were missionaries and frequently moved from one Asian country to the next. Disliked by local children, Wade found it difficult to make friends. When Jason was 10, his family moved back to the United States where his parents soon divorced. After moving to Seattle with his mother, Jason Wade began writing poetry as a way to help cope with the difficulties of divorce.

Finding his mother's guitar, Wade began to teach himself to play. He started writing songs as he put his poetry to music and soon began recording his own demos.

Lifehouse Band Members:

• Jason Wade- Lead vocals, Guitar
• Bryce Soderberg- Bass, Background vocals
• Rick Woolstenhulme- Drums

Formation of Lifehouse:

In 1995, Jason Wade moved to Los Angeles. The 15-year-old grew to be friends with next-door neighbor and bassist Sergio Andrade, who eventually became one of the early members of Lifehouse. With a few more musicians, Lifehouse officially formed in 1996, although initially they called themselves Blyss.

Quick Rise to Stardom:

Playing gigs throughout L.A. for years, Blyss was eventually signed to DreamWorks and officially changed its name to Lifehouse in 2000. The band's major label debut, No Name Face, hit record stores in fall of the same year. In early 2001, the first single, “Hanging By A Moment,” began to pick up some scattered radio airplay. By spring, the record was soaring up playlists throughout the country, and “Moment” went on to become radio’s most played song of the year.

This instant fame helped Lifehouse gain spots on successful tours with the likes of Matchbox Twenty and 3 Doors Down.

Quote From Lifehouse Leader Jason Wade:

From an interview with ConcertLiveWire on Jason Wade's favorite music:

"I've really fallen in love with the older music. The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel and Elton John - great songwriters. I'm attracted to singers - songwriters and if they happen to be in a rock band.”

Lifehouse and the Christian Rock Market:

Early on Lifehouse appealed to the Christian rock market. Wade and Andrade first played together in their church youth group, and many of the band’s songs clearly contained Christian content. However, Lifehouse received criticism from the Christian community during their breakout success due to MTV sponsorship of an early tour. Jason Wade also has that, although he considers himself a Christian, he does not want Lifehouse to be known as a Christian band. Many faith-based radio stations have boycotted the band’s music, and many Christian music retailers refuse to sell the group’s work.

Mainstream Pop-Rock Success:

Fall 2002's Stanley Climbfall, the second album from Lifehouse, unfortunately did not duplicate the success of No Name Face. However, the band was still able to tour and draw strong crowds, as little time had passed since their breakout success. In late 2004, Lifehouse entered the studio once again to record their self-titled third album. This time around the group was able to prove they did not catch lightning in a bottle as the stripped down lead single “You and Me” became a top 20 pop hit and topped several adult contemporary charts.

Continuing the trend of an album release every couple of years, Lifehouse unleashed Who We Are in June, 2007. In an attempt to change pace and help their sound evolve, the group entered the studio without having recorded any demos, and instead had only lyrics from Jason Wade. This new method worked if the success of lead single “First Time” is any indication. The track climbed well into the top 40 of the pop singles chart. As of November 2007, Lifehouse was in the midst of a nationwide tour.