Radio regular swooners Lifehouse have conquered the charts with their single, You and Me from their new self-titled album. Now, they are preparing to hit Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium with their acoustic guitars and heart-melting lyrics.
The Post's music writer, Kelly Schwaberow, talked to Lifehouse drummer Rick Woolstenhulme while he was hanging out in a Chicago hotel room Wednesday afternoon.
The Post: How has your lifestyle changed since being on TRL?
Woolstenhulme: Our lifestyle really hasn't changed much, other than like having a 16-year-old girl recognize you every once in a while, but other than that, it's been pretty much the same.
The Post: Some fans may think of you as a Christian band because your songs are very inspirational. Are you a Christian band?
Woolstenhulme: We definitely are not a Christian band. I mean, Jason (Wade) really is the only one in the band that was kind of raised along those lines. Our new album that we just put out now really doesn't deal with religious connotations - more open-ended love songs, breakup songs. (It deals with) stuff about breakups with friends, stuff I guess.
The Post: How do you come up with fresh beats to songs that are generally mellow and contained?
Woolstenhulme: No, you know what? It's just the chemistry that we have, I think. When we make music, we kind of just dive in and do it, and the sound that you hear on the record is kind of the first idea that we come up with. I don't know how to explain it - it's a chemistry.
The Post: I know you've had a couple different members in the band. In fact, you weren't even in the band for the whole ride. How has that affected the chemistry?
Woolstenhulme: I think right now, this is the best band that we've had. Everyone has a lot of fire going on, with ideas. Right now the chemistry is the best it's ever been, I would say.
The Post: Did you ever go to college, and if so, did you ever go to class?
Woolstenhulme: I did not go to college, but yes I've partied a lot. I think I've done the amount of partying that most college people have done, but I didn't have the burden to have to go to college. I ended up going to a music college later on and just studied music and drums, stuff like that because I knew that was what I wanted to do. But I did go to class, I would say, yeah.
The Post: You've been on the road for about two weeks now, have you reached for the First-Aid kit yet?
Woolstenhulme: No, nobody is sick yet ... so far so good, but touring is pretty brutal on your body, so hopefully nobody does get sick in the next two weeks.
The Post: How do you try to keep healthy?
Woolstenhulme: Well, we try not eating pizza every night, although it ends up on the tour bus. We try just to eat good and exercise when we can.
The Post: What is the best thing about being a rock star? The cars, the chicks or the cash?
Woolstenhulme: Wow, I would have to say all of the above. I mean ... yeah, all of the above. It's just all of the things we feel and do of our hobby. Just hang out with our friends and play music for a living, but all the other stuff that comes along with it isn't that bad either.
The Post: Do you have any advice for bands looking to get in Rolling Stone magazine or to use music as a way to make a living?
Woolstenhulme: Just discipline. Work hard. I would try to find things about your playing that you can make better; that's pretty much what we do. We try to take our jobs and our playing really seriously, so everyone is pretty much on top of their game all the time. So I would just say, practice, practice, practice and listen to the Beatles.
The Post: Yeah, I read that you guys were onstage with the Rolling Stones; that's pretty cool.
Woolstenhulme: We did three shows with the Rolling Stones, and they were amazing. They let us watch their sound check, and Mick Jagger walked into our dressing room. He just strutted in like how he normally walked on stage. So the fact that he really walks like that is pretty crazy. It was cool for sure.
- Kelly Schwaberow
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Kelly Schwaberow
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Members of the band Lifehouse drummer Rick Woolstenhulme, Jr., left, guitarist and vocalist Jason Wade and bassist Bryce Soderberg will be bringing their hit songs, including You and Me
to Ohio University. The band performs tonight at Templeton-Blackbu
