Local Vibe

If you are not familiar with LIFT these rockers are a mainstay of Cambridge festivals. They kicked at the fall fair this year. When I contacted Steve for a story for The Cambridge Voice on their Fall Fair Gig to send us something on the band, I didn’t realize I’d be putting up a job posting. Steve informed me, as you can read below, that although lead singer James Billard won a battle against throat cancer it has done irreparable damage to his vocal chords has left him unable to sing. Steve told me at the time that “the Fall Fair will likely be the last gig for us until we find a singer who can fit in.”

Would you fit in? Check out their video below and you can contact them at liftrocks@rogers.com . If you have ever had an inclination to be a singer in an established band, this could be your chance.

Here is a compilation of them at the fair in 2007. (If that isn’t enough of a teaser, there’s a video of them doing AC/DC at Juniors at the bottom)

From Steve to Scot in September

Anyway, sorry I don’t have any recent press kit promo to give you as over the past few years we’ve been playing sporadically at venues where we’re already known so it hasn’t been necessary, although I will admit to being a bit lazy about it as well. We all have day jobs and play for the sheer enjoyment of it so constant gigging week by week is happily a thing of the past as things stand.

So, I will simply write out some of the finer points without (hopefully) getting too superfluous as bands tend to do when refering to themselves.

LIFT consists of four members:

• James Billard – lead & backup vocals / rhythm guitar
• Jim (Chummy) Baird – lead & backup vocals / percussion
• Mark Johnson – bass guitar
• Steve Rollins – lead guitar / backup vocals

LIFT is a cover band formed in 1999 from the ashes of well-known Toronto based band Hemisync by James Billard bringing together fellow Toronto musicians Chummy Baird (Marshall Law) and Mark Johnson (Jay Englishman) for the purpose of “just getting the f@#*  out there and having some fun”. After dumping the guitar player (the name escapes me) due to his predilection for bandmates’ girlfriends, I was approached to fill the part via Dave Hibbs who at the time I was playing with in Yankee Rose, a country band and local jam night hosts of the now infamous and defunct Overland Hotel. Dave knew I was never completely satisfied playing country music and suggested to James Billard that I might fit the part.

As it turned out it was just what I needed, and after an audition in Toronto I was thrown into a gig with only about two days notice to learn their setlist which turned out well enough, jumping from the frying pan into the proverbial fire – especially considering I’d been playing exclusively acoustic guitar in a country band full-time for the past few years to transition into lead guitar for a hard rock band. It was a bit harrowing but quite a rush, especially having that calibre of musicianship behind me!

We play hard rock classics in the vein of great 70’s/80’s bands such as AC/DC, Scorpions, Ramones, Pink Floyd as well as 90’s rock like Collective Soul and Stone Temple Pilots, and newer rock from Foo Fighters to Jimmy Eats World. We’ve been lucky to have good musicianship backed by many years of experience performing for large and small audiences as well as good vocals. LIFT has been billed with such great acts such as Teenage Head, Helix, Killer Dwarfs, April Wine, Nazareth, and headlined numerous outdoor festivals including charity functions for special needs kids in Welland, Ontario.

I should also mention a bit of (very) recent news has put us in a rather precarious position as a band. James Billard won a battle against throat cancer a number of years ago which required radiation therapy. At the beginning of 2008 he contracted a cyst in his throat that luckily had turned out to be benign and has since disappeared, however it has done irrepairable damage to his vocal chords which in combination with previous radiation therapy has left him unable to sing for much longer according to the doctor. In fact, the Fall Fair will likely be the last gig for us until we find a singer who can fit in. We’re optimistic and it would be a good thing for us to have a dedicated front man but I know it will be a daunting task finding someone with the experience and attitude to keep up with us.

We’d be interested in hearing from anyone who feels they might fit the bill at liftrocks@rogers.com .

Best regards,
Steve Rollins
LIFT

Cheers!