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The interview took place on March 8, 2005 and went as follows: TeenSpot.com: Your latest single is called "You and Me." Is "you" someone specific? Lifehouse: Yeah, it is, but you know with a lot of my songs I kind of don't like to tell who they're about because I like the listener to interpret it in their own way... It is definitely about a very special girl, I'll give you a little hint. TS: The latest album will be Lifehouse's third. With all of the experience you have had so far in your career, what is your favorite part about the album-making process? LH: To be honest, making records is my favorite about the whole music industry, even more than playing live, because I feel like those few special moments when you finish a song and you actually put them on tape and then you start laying guitar parts and vocals... it's like creating a painting, you know, bringing something that wasn't there before. I still today just love that process, and especially this record was amazing because we were recording in a completely different environment. We recorded it in Easton, Maryland. Basically, at this producer's house, we just lived in his house, and recorded just in a beautiful landscape. To the right was the Chesapeake Bay, and to the left were just green hills. It was like an amazing experience, and we're L.A.-based, so for us to get outside of those dark, dingy L.A. studios to record this record was really an amazing experience. TS: Could you pick a favorite track on the CD... or maybe a least favorite? LH: My favorite is probably a song called "Chapter One." I think it is track eleven. For me as a song writer it was the most challenging out of all of the songs because I wrote it on piano. Most of my writing is done on acoustic guitar, so I had to actually relearn the piano part three times before we tracked it live, because it was kind of a challenging part. It was one of those songs where I accidentally started stumbling upon chords just messing around on my Wurlitzer in my studio. All of a sudden this song just came about, and I did a demo of it. So that was probably the most challenging [song] to me, and it think that it is one of the most creative songs on the record. Probably my least favorite, which is just because I'm kind of burned out on it, is a song called "Days Go By," which we actually recorded three or four times before we actually ended up with the final version. By the time we finally finished it, I was so burned on the song that it was kind of like I had to get away from it for a while. TS: Last year, two band members (Serge and Sean) left. What effect did this had on the new album, if any?  TS: What sets the latest album apart from the others? LH: I think that the thing that makes this record the most unique is that we kind of have gone back to our roots in a way of just not worrying about record sales or radio; it feels like making the first record. The first record we had no idea what to expect, our main idea objective was just to put our best songs that we could on the record, and not worry about worry about whether it would be received well. Once that record did so well, I think we kind of had pressure going into the second record of following it up, and who to cater to, and all of this stuff. Basically, it was kind of a good thing in disguise that our second record didn't do as well because I feel that it is healthy to kind of experience both the ups and the downs. Not every record that you put out is going to be received well. In a way, that made it, to me, less pressure of going into this record. It was like, ‘Okay, you know what, trying to be something that we are not just doesn't work. Let's just go in and make the best work that we can.' I always feel that you're at your best when you are being yourself and you're not worrying about what other people are thinking about you. TS: Do you have any goals for this album? LH: Our main goal was to try to top the last two records that we made, to make the best songs and the best production, and just make it the best that we can. I feel like that is the only thing that you can control. I realize that you can't control whether people are going to like it or how many records you sell, and all of that stuff. I just feel like we've done our part, and now all we have to do is go out and tour and do the best that we can. If it sells a lot, or if people like it or not, we're still going to be proud of it because we did the best that we could. TS: Why is your latest album self-titled? LH: That just basically reflects all of the changes that we've gone through. It almost feels like it's our first record again, it feels like we are starting over. With a new bass player, new record label, and new producer, we kind of felt like it just felt right to self-title this one, to kind of give ourselves a clean state. It's almost like we're starting over again. TS: Of all the songs you've written, which one holds the most meaning to you and why? LH: Probably a song off of our first record called "Trying" is one that just kind of sticks with me through the years. I look at it like the first song that I ever wrote, that I didn't throw away or that I could actually listen to, to this day. Lyrically, it was basically what got me into song writing. I started writing poetry when my parents got divorced as a way almost like therapy, and that was one of the songs that came out of that time period. It's funny how a song kind of evolves and changes with you over the years. I can still listen to that and it means something different to me now than it did then. It just reminds me of a time period that was kind of hard, but was also a good time at the same. TS: What is your favorite song to play live? LH: The most fun for all of us to play live is our first single off of our second record called "Spin." It just has a great energy to it, and it has this outro that we just kind jam almost a little bit like Led Zeppelin. It's just kind of that raw energy. Whenever we play it, it seems like the crowd really gets into it. It just feels like a great connection. TS: How about your favorite venue to play in so far? LH: My favorite venue would probably have to be Urban Plaza in New York. I love that venue, I think it sounds great, and I think it's the perfect size. It's not too big and not too small.  LH: I'm a big sports fan. I love playing basketball, watching basketball. Whenever I am home, if the Lakers are playing, I'll go see the Lakers play. I'm a big movie buff too, so I'll go see movies when I'm not writing songs or playing guitar. TS: Does Lifehouse have any plans for a tour coming up? LH: We're kind of in a promo phase right now. We'll be touring by the summertime, but we're doing the Jay Leno show coming up here, the Carson Daly show. We're basically doing radio stations. We got off of a month long tour of basically just going into radio stations and playing a few songs off the new record. We're kind of in that phase. After the new record gets out and we kind of see where it lands and everything, we'll probably make plans to either go out just by ourselves or open up for a bigger band, but we'll definitely be touring by May. TS: You guys have quite a few international fans; do you have any plans for a tour overseas? LH: Yeah, definitely! I mean, they're basically going to release the record over there, but they're not really going to start promoting it until probably later this year. I think the record label wants us to stay in the States and really try to promote it here, but we'll definitely, by the end of the year, be going to Australia, Japan, the UK, and a bunch of countries in Europe to promote the record, but our main objective right now is to stay in the States and try to promote it here. TS: Do you play any instruments besides the guitar? LH: You know, I'm learning how to play piano a little bit more. I have a Wurlitzer and a Rhodes at my house. I technically don't know how to play, like I don't know how to read music, but I've been able to learn enough chords to write some songs with it. That's pretty much it. I play a little bit of bass too. TS: Who are some of your favorite artists, and have any inspired you or your music? LH: Probably my favorite artist of all time would have to be Elliot Smith. It's tragic what happened to him last year. His records, I remember, completely changed my life when I found "XO," when I was about seventeen years old, I just thought they were some of the most amazing songs. "Figure Eight" or "Either/Or." All of his records are amazing. I think he has inspired me most as a song writer. TS: Are there any amusing stories from past tours you would like to tell us about? LH: Probably the best story I have, it's kind of embarrassing. We got a chance to open up for the Rolling Stones a couple years ago. We played three shows and I actually got really sick before one of them. I had really bad bronchitis and I had to have a Cortisone shot put in my neck to try to loosen my vocal chords so that I could pull off the show. It was just so embarrassing because I couldn't hit any of the notes. It was one of those shows that I just wanted to crawl up in a corner afterwards. But we had two chances to redeem ourselves and those shows were great after that. It was just really cool to sit in sound check and watch the Stones play and stuff. It was just an amazing three days. TS: Do you have a favorite website? LH: Ah, you know what, I'm really not that computer-savvy, I really don't go online that much. TS: What do you think about music sharing and the internet? LH: I kind of go back and forth. Obviously I think it has effected the way a lot of... a lot of bands have gotten dropped because they can't sell records as much as they used to, back when it wasn't an issue. It can also be a good thing if you are an Indie band on an unsigned label. It really just depends on what kind of business you are doing. For us, I don't think it has really hurt us that much. I think that "the more the merrier" for people hearing your music. It just helps you out live, because if they hear songs that are unreleased or whatever, they can get them for free, and they want to see them live, I think that's a great thing. TS: What does "Lifehouse" mean? Is there any secret meaning behind the name? LH: Not really, you know, it's kind of a play on words. I don't remember who exactly brought it up, but it ended up on a list of names that we were going to go copyright. It was one of the only names that didn't get chosen. To be honest, it was my least favorite out of all of them. We really wanted the name "Blyss," but it was taken by a band in the UK. It was one of those things where a name just kind of becomes a part of you after a while and it just started growing on us after a while. Now I like it, but at first I wasn't too keen on it. TS: How did you guys get your "big break" into the world of fame? LH: I think the biggest stepping stone for us was getting a producer that had a connection at a record label. That was like the defining moment. People always ask how you get signed and stuff, and to be honest with you, a lot of it is just luck; knowing a person and getting you in a place where you can actually have someone actually listen to your music, because there is so much music out there. By the time we got signed and put out the record, I think it came out at a right time. That song, there wasn't really anything else like that on Top 40 at that time, and it just kind of took off. Once it hit radio, I really felt like it was our defining moment, for like really getting out there in the mainstream. People started knowing who we were. They started knowing our record and stuff. TS: How do you come up with ideas for songs? LH: It's different every time. Sometimes I will have a lyric in my head and I'll just kind of write the song around a lyric. Most of the time for me I'll just be playing guitar and put together a chord progression and have a melody. Lyrics are usually the last thing that I work on because I feel like that is the most important part of the song. That kind of gives the song its identity. So if you have a great melody, some good chords, you really need a good lyric to make the song complete. TS: Which of your albums do you believe this is your best album to date, and why? LH: I would say this new record, but I don't know if it is just because it's brand new and I'm not burned out on it yet, but according to our fans, I think a lot of our fans think that our first record was the best, but hopefully we can top that some day. TS: What can we expect from Lifehouse in the future? LH: For the next two years, expect us to be working it on the road. That's our main priority. As soon as we're done with this promotion it is just to stay out on the road as long as possible and really get to connect with our fans and play this new record. TS: Anything else you'd like to say to your fans? LH: Yeah, you know, I always try to let the fans know that we really realize how important they are and that we wouldn't be where we are without them. They kind of drive the boat, so to speak, you know? TS: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us, and good luck with the new album! LH: Alright, appreciate it man, take care! Audio: You and Me E-Card: Lifehouse Contest - Click here to enter!
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