We had a good run. When we hit the scene in early 2000, we came out swinging, and nearly instantly were considered one of the area's top bands, right up there with Sea Of Souls, Real By Design, Mindset, and Rock Iron Puppets, among others. We had a unique blend of heavy riffs, melodic vocals, and odd time signatures and changes that people found pleasingly different from anything else available at the time. We brought a high energy performance, and later one of the premier light shows in the area... a Lift show was always an event.
However, it was to be a short run. In three short years, we released two CDs, recieving airplay on radio across the country. We had a song featured on the soundtrack of an MTV Real World/Road Rules show. We played hundreds of shows, and sold thousands of CDs. We played two FM99 Lunatic Luaus in a row, a feat that only a handful of bands worldwide can claim, signed or otherwise. We played for record executives in New York twice. We were on the fast track for the big leagues... but unfortunately we fell victim to the disease that claims the life of hundreds of bands a year: Creative Differences. The conflict between two strongwilled writers, when balanced, can yeild some great music. But, like with Pink Floyd or any incarnation of Van Halen, that creative conflict can last only so long before it implodes. Such was the case in Lift... I saw the band going in one direction, and the other guys saw something different. So, it was inevitable that in 2003, Lift 6 Eighteen called it quits.
The 4 remaining members of Lift reformed with a new vocalist, DJ Lapanne, as Down From Zero, while I went on to form Life After Life, which soon became Something Like Seven. Down From Zero ended up splitting up, and Jeff joined Nemesis. Randy ended up joining me in Something Like Seven. Tom is currently working on a new project, while Ray has moved to Indiana and settled down with his wife and 2 children. And that's the 2 minute "where are they now?" episode... We are all on good speaking terms, and we run into each other from time to time, but the odds of a Lift reunion are about as slim as that of a Floyd reunion tour. (In case you were gonna ask.)
So, in conclusion, this page is dedicated to the memory of a band that I enjoyed being in, and hopefully you got a chance to enjoy seeing live... if not, then use this page to enjoy the music of Lift, either again, or for the first time!
- Jason Jacquin
March, 2007
