This isn't the original LifehouseFans you may remember.
Erica & Jeff started LifehouseFans.com in the early 2000’s and ran one of the biggest fan sites dedicated to Lifehouse for close to a decade. By the time the site shuttered in 2008, the community had over 2,000 members. Their website was the only place on the web where you could find lists of released and unreleased songs (for both Jason & Lifehouse), including lyrics, song meanings from the first two records as well as band photos, streaming audio of certain b-sides and live tracks.
One of my favorite memories from those days was back in April of 2006. They had an Easter Egg hunt where fans could find the Blyss version of Simon hidden on their website. Simon was (and still is) my favorite Lifehouse song.
Thanks to archive.org, some of that information is still available and has been instrumental in building this new site.
Lifehouse has been my favorite band since I first heard Hanging By A Moment playing on a TV commercial back in 2000/2001. On one of the next shopping trips to Wal-Mart, my Mom bought me the most influential record of my life, "No Name Face" (even 20+ years later, I still stand by this statement!). She ended up purchasing two or three copies of that CD before I got one where Sick Cycle Carousel and Cling and Clatter didn't skip (thanks, Mom!). Over the course of the next few years, I played that CD non-stop everywhere I went. I think a big part of why that record was so influential to me was the timing - starting high school.
In Sept. 2002, Stanley Climbfall came out. It was no "No Name Face", but it wasn't any worse or better. It was it's own thing. I love that record, just as much as "No Name Face". Unfortunately, it didn't do nearly as well and almost became the bands last record. I remember visiting the LifehouseFans community back then and hearing that Lifehouse had taken a break, Sergio Andrade (bass) had left and DreamWorks Records had folded (they were actually bought by UMG). A lot of changes and rumors left a lot of uncertainty.
Thankfully, things worked out. Bryce Soderberg took over on bass and the band released their third, self-titled record in 2005. Three months later, I finally got to see them live for the first time in Boston.
This is why I decided to launch a new LifehouseFans fan site. The magic of sharing information, stories and rare finds is lost. In a way, we've become more connected than ever with social media but that connection is nowhere near as deep or as passionate as it once was.
- Shawn