With a back catalogue containing seven albums, released since 2000, there is quite a lot to choose from when picking a set. Add in to that solo works and side projects and you can see the dilemma for Lifehouse’s Jason Wade ahead of his support shows with Train, which kick off this coming weekend in Perth.
It was an interview that nearly didn’t happen but we put faith in technology and the interview gods before we finally connected with Jason. The added bonus when the zoom camera finally flicked on was that Jason was also joined by guitarist Steve Stout. We chatted about their love and connection with Australia and what we may get to hear in the set…
Sean: Hey, how are we both?
Jason: Doing good. How are you, sir?
Sean: Doing very good. I didn’t know if this was going to happen. [laughs] I was sitting tight and I thought, have faith! It will happen. It’ll happen. [laughs]
Steve: [laughs] We like to show up.
Jason: Yeah, we don’t not show up! [laughs] Even when we are sick, we show up.
Sean: How’s things going?
Jason: It’s going good. We just played four shows in the Midwest here in the States. Just me and Steve, acoustic guitars, two-hour shows with no production and just playing old Lifehouse stuff and just loving it, man.
Sean: Sound pretty cool.
Jason: So that’s what we’re going to do in Australia, a condensed version obviously cause we’re the first band on, but in 50 minutes and we’re trying to get as many of those old Lifehouse songs in the set as we possibly can.
Sean: Fantastic. Well, I’m over in Perth. So we get to see you first. We get the whole shebang, first off the rank. It really is a wonderful line up – a real something for everyone show. I was looking back through the dates. Is it really eight years since Lifehouse were here in Australia?
Jason: Yes it was. That’s when we were there last which is so funny because the last interview that we were doing we, me and Steve were just talking about, like, that was when he kind of first joined the band, right? Like, maybe you were there for two years?
Steve: Yeah, yeah.
Jason: But I remember Perth because we had a day off, and we were walking down by the beach, and we started talking about music production. And we started to really connect, and we got home, and we started to write songs together and stuff. So Perth was our connection of coming together as a production team and we’re there for a day before the show too so it’s like going to be really kind of nostalgic to go back and be this is where we kind of started our friendship and our musical career together in that capacity.
Sean: Well, maybe there will be a couple of hours where you can get creative and write a new song.
Jason: Yeah, maybe. I hope so. I mean it’s definitely a beautiful place so yeah it’s true, stranger things have happened.
Sean: It’s nice to see a tour that gets to every major city. There’s normally one or two get left off on a major tour. So you’ve got a bit of everywhere to go to, which is wonderful.
Jason: Oh, we’re so excited, man. It’s five for us, right?
Steve: Yeah. Five for us, and then they go to New Zealand, I think, after.
Jason: And our wives are like, okay, after this, you guys need to take a little break because we both have little babies. My little Abby girl is two years old, and Bowie (Steve’s) is three. So it’s like we’re trying to keep these little runs in no longer than eight days before.
Steve: We’re stretching it on this one [laughs]
Sean: The only fight you really have when you get home is jetlag.
Steve: I know. It’s only a little thing and we gain time and we make up days and we can do it but we love Australia and we are so excited to be back.
Sean: The hardest thing I suppose for you guys is what to pick and what to play in that condensed set time because I’ve been looking at your career Jason, especially since 2000, it’s just been constant creativity with not only Lifehouse but with Oswald and with your solo stuff too. It must make things quite interesting when picking a set obviously the big hits need to be in there but filling in those gaps must be fun.
Jason: Well I just want everybody to know we’re going to be playing mostly Lifehouse stuff because we only have 50 minutes so it’s like and we’re doing a bunch of like these medleys. The record ‘Stanley Climbfall’ I think is important to some people so we’re trying to put like ‘Spin’ and ‘Take Me Away’ and a couple of those songs in there and I’m only going to play one solo song, that is about my daughter in the set but everything else is like, I just want people to remember the old nostalgic Lifehouse stuff because I feel like that’s what they want to hear. If we can come back and play a two-hour set I’ll make sure we play a couple more songs you know but for right now I just want everyone to have a good time and memories of the old Lifehouse tunes.
Sean: This is a lovely way to tee up a follow-up tour and we’d always have you back because it’s music that’s stood the test of time. You put these big hits on and suddenly it just like takes you back to when they first hit the radio.
Jason: Thank you man. Sometimes it feels like 25 years ago and sometimes it feels like a million years ago and then sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday and I think that’s why it’s important for us to just get out there a little bit and like start to play these songs again. It’s just me and Steve, were just talking about this, we’re not on in-ears anymore, we’re up there with two acoustic guitars, two vocals, no backing tracks, nothing just playing those songs like how I wrote them in my room. Some nights you can hear a pin drop and you can just hear the crowd responding to them again and it feels so special to see that connection to songs like ‘You and Me’ and ‘Hanging By A Moment’, ‘Whatever It Takes’… it’s been really really cool so I’m so stoked to get back over there.
Sean: So with all this creativity, how does it work for you as a songwriter, for both of you? Is it as natural as vibing off each other or do you have to apply yourselves with song writing sessions as such?
Steve: I think it depends. When I’m home I do some producing with other artists and I just go through waves I think.
(Jason nods)
Steve: My procrastination for writing my own music is to work with others so then I’m too busy to write. So you do have to show up because there can be months where you don’t write anything for yourself. Jason has taught me me so much about setting yourself up to like… you do really need to keep the guitars out so you can stumble into one to start playing one. That’s more the trick than anything else you know. I love just playing the guitar while talking to my wife while making dinner…
Jason: That’s when you go, “Oh I’ve found a chord I really like”.
Steve: You almost have to try not to think about it. That’s what helps me anyway.
Jason: I think the writers block thing might be a bit of a myth, but maybe not. What Steve’s saying is very important. Showing up to the studio and not be afraid to not write anything. I do that sometimes – Let’s see if there is any magic happening with the guitar or the piano and honestly, at my age now nothing happens but sometimes I will be watching something on the tv and I’ll go “woah” and I’ll pause it and go to the bathroom because I don’t want to wake the baby up. If I want to sing something with that guitar chord I’ll grab my phone and then I have something that may build into a song. Its not a recipe but I think that is the thing that has worked for me throughout the years. But I never forget it either. I wake up the next morning and I know I need to finish that song and then maybe a lyric may materialise and then I can feel then whether it will be a good song or not.
Steve: The funniest part is when you go through the voice memos on your phone…
Jason: Yeah, your like, “That’s ok, that’s shit, what’s that?” [laughs]
Steve: You find the ones you’ve chipped through too.
Jason: Then you find the songs that are almost the same but in a different key too. It’s like The Goonies, they are trying to find that treasure. You are hoping that this will lead to this, then to this and to this, hoping there is something there at the end. And sometimes it’s still not great [laughs] but at least your trying. Then there are times you finish the whole thing and realise it’s still not right, you know. That’s when you go for a run or head to the park and take a break.
Steve: It really is hard to force it because it really is a funny thing, song writing.
Jason: It’s weird. It’s not like making pancakes or building a house, where you can plan what your doing and what needs to be done. You can be walking in the woods and then all of a sudden two deer pop up, and that can be the moment that triggers an idea. It can be something unexpected. Our job is to go, “OK, lets capture that.” And that’s usually how it happens.
Sean: Well sadly we are about to lose this call. It’s been so great to catch up with you both and get a tiny insight into the forthcoming shows as well as how music works for you both. We wish you a safe trip and hope to catch you up at Redhill for the opening night of the tour.
Jason: It’s been great man. Thanks for the support Sean.
Steve: Yeah, thanks.
