Lifer | |
|---|---|
| Also known as |
|
| Origin | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
|
| Labels | |
| Members |
|
| Past members |
|
| Website | liferband |
Lifer is an American rock band formed in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States in 1999. They were originally active from 1999 to 2002, releasing their sole full-length album through the major label Universal Music and Republic Records.
The group originally formed as Strangers with Candy in the spring of 1999, having acquired the name after a girl at a party suggested it to them. [3] They were initially known for performing covers of modern acts, including Coal Chamber, Cypress Hill, Deftones, House of Pain, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime and Tool. In 2000, Strangers with Candy entered MTV's Ultimate Cover Band Contest, quickly becoming a fan-favorite with covers of "Take On Me" (by A-ha), "Guerrilla Radio" (by Rage Against the Machine) and "Nookie" (by Limp Bizkit). [1] [4] [5]
The MTV exposure helped the band gain fans all over the world, and also caught the attention of the music industry. [4] [1] On July 10 of that year, they signed a six-record contract with Universal Music and Republic Records. [6] Vocalist Nick Coyle claimed in 2001 that the band's success on the series was not the sole reason they landed a major label deal, recalling "We sold a lot regionally. Some record labels saw us and were like 'who is this band selling all these CDs' and they picked us up." [7] The band immediately went on to change their name to Driver (and later Lifer), after legal complications with the Comedy Central series of the same name. [8]
In late 2000, Alex Lifeson (of progressive rock pioneers Rush) agreed to produce the band's self-titled debut album. [8] Regarding their choice of producer, guitarist Aaron Fink said in November 2000 "We wanted a player rather than just a standard producer." [6] The album was recorded with Lifeson at Longview Farms in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. [9] Around this time, Lifer also recorded a studio version of their "Take On Me" cover for 2001's Not Another Teen Movie . However, it was never released, as they were unhappy with how it sounded. [10]
Following the August 14, 2001 release of their self-titled debut, Lifer toured with like-minded acts such as Cold and Dope. [7] By the end of 2001, Lifer's founding guitarist and bassist Aaron Fink and Mark Klepaski had quit due to internal disagreements and the self-titled record's lack of success. Fink recalled in 2003 "We got a small deal on Universal and they are so huge. They're like the biggest company. Their roster is so huge. We weren't a band that had a lot of hits so, there were obviously more important things for the label to do. They kinda caught wind that there were problems in the band so they didn't want to push it, I think. It's hard. Our first single didn't hit. LA was very hit oriented. If you didn't have a hit – we couldn't even get our manager on the phone and you know that's a bad sign. So Mark [James Klepaski – the bass player] quit." [11] Fink and Klepaski went on to join the popular Hollywood Records rock act Breaking Benjamin. AllMusic claims they are "far from a carbon copy of Lifer – instead, they favored a radio-friendly post-grunge approach that was aggressive and forceful yet melodic." [12] DJ Tony Kruszka, who had joined in 2000, also departed the band for unknown reasons.
Lifer continued into 2002, with Derek Spencer and Ian Wiseman handling guitar and bass duties. This lineup recorded an independent EP that year titled IV. Nick Coyle subsequently decided to rename Lifer under the moniker myDownfall, as the recent material the new lineup had been writing featured more of a melodic rock sound. [13] myDownfall would eventually split in 2003.
Coyle went on to play in several bands as both a vocalist and guitarist, such as The Drama Club, Stardog Champion and, most recently, Cold. [14]
Lifer performed an acoustic reunion show in support of three-year-old Emalee Kate Kachurkain, who had cancer. The concert took place in Berwick, Pennsylvania on August 14, 2010 with all the original members minus Chris Lightcap, who was on tour with Shinedown. Turntablist Tony Kruszka handled drum duties. Lifer performed 10 previously released songs which included, "Ugly", "Parade", "New", "Key of Me", "Swallow", "No Need", "Perfect", "Not Like You", "Boring" and "Breathless". "Key of Me" hadn't been played since Lifer was known as Strangers with Candy in 2000.
In July 2018, Coyle announced a second acoustic reunion show with Aaron Fink, performing songs from the debut album and covers from the Strangers with Candy era. The show took place in their home town of Wilkes-Barre on August 24, 2018. [15] Coyle and Fink have since reformed the band with a new lineup featuring former turntablist Tony Kruszka on drums and Mike Morgan (of Nick Coyle's other band The Drama Club) on bass. [16] On March 31, 2020, Lifer released their first new single in 18 years titled "The Start of Something Else". [17]
The members of Lifer claimed their influences as Deftones, Faith No More, Sevendust, Godsmack, Tool and Glassjaw. [4] According to AllMusic, the band travels "within the darkest lines of alternative metal inspirations, presenting soul-rupturing themes composed of raging guitar strains and fierce and brutal rhythms controlled by mind-gazing lyrics." [1] Lifer garnered heavy comparisons to Sevendust and Tool, although their sound has also been likened to Factory 81, Incubus, Liquid Gang, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Live and Skrape. [18] Tony Kruszka stated that after their success on MTV's Ultimate Cover Band Contest, they were told to "change the music around and to change our style and start playing the lighter stuff to draw more people", remarking that "I think that us not changing anything with our style is why people want to see us play." [3]
AllMusic's Kurt Morris gave Lifer's self-titled debut a highly negative one and half star review, criticizing their apparent lack of originality. He wrote "Lifer's self-titled debut amounts to little more than another filler in music bins at major chain music stores and a quick single at airplay on the local hard rock radio station. Singer Nick Coyle has a good voice and shows himself capable of good harmonies, especially on such songs as 'Ugly', but this quickly dissipates into the aptly named song 'Boring.'" [9]
Current lineup
Past members
Timeline
Aleksandar Živojinović, known professionally as Alex Lifeson, is a Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist for the rock band Rush. In 1968, Lifeson co-founded a band that would later become Rush, with drummer John Rutsey and bassist and lead vocalist Jeff Jones. Jones was replaced by Geddy Lee a month later, and Rutsey was replaced by Neil Peart in 1974, after which the lineup remained unchanged until the band's dissolution in 2018. Lifeson was the only member of Rush who stayed in the band throughout its entire existence, and he and Lee were the only members to appear on all of the band's albums.
Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by Durst's angry vocal delivery and Borland's sonic experimentation. Borland's elaborate visual appearance, which includes face and body paint, masks, and uniforms, also plays a large role in Limp Bizkit's live shows. The band has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, sold 40 million records worldwide, and won several other awards.
Nu metal is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique, and emphasizes rhythm with instrumentation that is heavily syncopated. Nu metal guitarists typically use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound. Vocal styles are often rhythmic and influenced by hip hop, and include singing, rapping, screaming and sometimes growling. DJs are occasionally featured to provide instrumentation such as sampling, turntable scratching and electronic background music. Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal.
Rush was a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto in 1968 that primarily comprised Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson (guitar) and Neil Peart. The band's original line-up comprised Lifeson, drummer John Rutsey, and bassist and vocalist Jeff Jones, whom Lee immediately replaced. After Lee joined, the band went through a few line-up changes before arriving at its classic power trio line-up with the addition of Peart in July 1974, who replaced Rutsey four months after the release of their self-titled debut album; this line-up was kept intact for the remainder of the band's career.
Staind is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki. The lineup has been stable outside of the 2011 departure of Wysocki, who was replaced by Sal Giancarelli. Staind has recorded and released eight studio albums: Tormented (1996), Dysfunction (1999), Break the Cycle (2001), 14 Shades of Grey (2003), Chapter V (2005), The Illusion of Progress (2008), Staind (2011), and Confessions of the Fallen (2023).
The Faint is an American indie rock band. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, the band consists of Todd Fink, Graham Ulicny, Dapose and Clark Baechle. The Faint was originally known as Norman Bailer and included Conor Oberst. He quit shortly after the band was formed, though the Faint continued to share a spot with Bright Eyes on Saddle Creek Records.
William Frederick Durst is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released six studio albums.
Dysfunction is the second studio album by American rock band Staind, released on April 13, 1999, by Flip Records and Elektra Records. It is the band's first studio album released on a record label.
Cold is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 1986 by lead singer and rhythm guitarist Scooter Ward, drummer Sam McCandless, bassist Jeremy Marshall and lead guitarist Matt Loughran. The band has gone through numerous lineup changes during its existence, with Ward being the band’s only constant member.
Wesley Louden Borland is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist and backing vocalist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative and industrial rock band Black Light Burns, and the co-founder of the experimental metal band Big Dumb Face.
Significant Other is the second studio album by American nu metal band Limp Bizkit. It was released on June 22, 1999, through Flip and Interscope Records. It saw the band expand their sound from that of their 1997 debut Three Dollar Bill, Y'all to incorporate further metal and hip hop influences, but with a more melodic and less hardcore punk-influenced sound.
Three Dollar Bill, Y'all is the debut studio album by American nu metal band Limp Bizkit, released on July 1, 1997, through Flip and Interscope Records. It established the band's trademark sound with the singles "Counterfeit", which was influenced by hip hop and heavy metal, and "Faith", a cover of the 1987 song of the same name by George Michael. Limp Bizkit's rearrangement of the song incorporated scratching by DJ Lethal and heavier guitar playing by Wes Borland.
Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, formed in 1999 by lead singer and guitarist Benjamin Burnley and drummer Jeremy Hummel. The first lineup of the band also included guitarist Aaron Fink and bassist Mark James Klepaski. This lineup released two albums, Saturate (2002) and We Are Not Alone (2004), before Hummel was replaced by Chad Szeliga in 2005. The band released two more studio albums, Phobia (2006) and Dear Agony (2009), before entering an extended hiatus in early 2010 due to Burnley's recurring illnesses.
Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American teen parody film directed by Joel Gallen and written by Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It features Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Eric Jungmann, Mia Kirshner, Deon Richmond, Cody McMains, Sam Huntington, Samm Levine, Cerina Vincent, Ron Lester, Randy Quaid, Lacey Chabert, Riley Smith and Samaire Armstrong.
Earshot is an American alternative metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1999. The band's lineup has changed several times during their existence, with vocalist Wil Martin being the band's sole constant member.
Dropping Daylight is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have performed with Jason Mraz, The Pixies, Plain White T's, Jonas Brothers, Paramore, Papa Roach, Cypress Hill, Green Day, Phantom Planet, The Misfits, Blue October, Breaking Benjamin, and more recently with Army of Anyone and Sick Puppies.
Breaking Benjamin is the self-titled debut extended play (EP) by American rock band Breaking Benjamin. The EP was released in 2001 around the band's hometown of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where all 2,000 copies sold out in the weeks following its release. All five tracks were re-recorded for the band's major label debut album, Saturate (2002).
The Badlees are an American roots rock band from Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania that formed in 1990. They released several independent albums and achieved national success with their 1995 album River Songs. In 1998, after recording a follow-up album, Polydor/Atlas was sold to the Seagram Corporation, which delayed the release of the album and eventually led to the Badlees being dropped from the roster.
Droid was an American groove metal band from Long Beach, California, formerly signed to Korn member James "Munky" Shaffer's record label Emotional Syphon Records.
Benjamin Jackson Burnley IV is an American musician and the founder and frontman of the rock band Breaking Benjamin. As the sole constant and namesake of the group, Burnley has served as its principal songwriter, lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist since its inception in 1999.
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
