road to hana by the lift

They'll prescribe you a mega-dose of pristine alt-pop -- not without its side effects (disorientedness, cold sweats), but with the overall effect of a mild dose of Prozac: you will be Lifted. -- Sarah Silver SPLENDID

...the record really works as a whole. Slip it on and let the next 40-plus minutes go by without worrying about your CD player. --Thomas Crone PLAYBACK

...well wrought, evocative and sonically pleasing, suggesting what Radiohead would sound like if they spent their time listening to vintage Todd Rundgren and Spirit rather than... oh, I don't know, electric can openers? -- Simon Glickman HITS

When Matt Docter sang "Come on feel the noise, girls F#$% the boys!" most people in the small town of Collinsville, IL probably didn't notice or even watch. But Matt and Jason's parents did. Dad called St. Louis Public Access and had the 6th graders' first television appearance taken off the air.

Twin brothers--Matt and Jason continued playing and writing music throughout high school and college. Their band, The Suede Chain, recorded two albums for the Parasol label, Mud Records, in the mid-90's. Based out of Champaign, IL, they toured the east and midwest and became popular in the local scene made up of major label and indie bands such as Hum, Lanterna, and The Poster Children. Charting commercial radio play helped The Suede Chain sell 6,000 cd's.

Meanwhile in Minneapolis, bassist Todd Beeson was playing with his band Wood for five years and three albums. He then toured with critically acclaimed artists Marlee MacLeod and Matt Wilson--leader of the large cult following band Trip Shakespeare. Recently, Todd has been doing session work for films/tv, and teaching music to children.

In '98 Matt, Jason, and Todd met in Los Angeles and started a band. They went through a few line up changes, while several of their songs appeared in the television shows Roswell, She Spies, and the NBC mini series The 70's.

In 2001 the band met drummer Josh Quirk and decided to make a record. They called themselves THE LIFT and started recording the album Road to Hana in November of '02. Edgy and somewhat socially conscious the band felt a need to make music that reflected the atmosphere of their surroundings-a country at war, a confused population, and a people trying to make sense of it all.

In March of '04, drummer Chris O'Brien solidified the line-up, replacing Josh Quirk who played on the album. Originally from Toronto, Chris has done session work for years and composed for TV shows like Entertainment Tonight and Hard Copy. He's an experienced MIDI Programmer and Sound Designer having worked for Michael Jackson, Amy Grant, and Lionel Richie. Recently, he produced an award winning drum loop CD, "Stark Raving Beats," for ILIO Entertainments and stays busy writing production library music.

With their current release on the band's own Little Red Records, THE LIFT is busy playing shows in Los Angeles, and planning to tour the country this fall.

--p.s. R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe went to Matt and Jason's high school! But as far as I know, he's never covered Quiet Riot.

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