Lucas Guariglia: Lead vocals, Guitar, and Lyrics 　　 　　Kevin Lewis: Bass and backing vocals 　　 　　Matt Koschak: Drums and percussion 　　 　　Liftpoint first hit the streets in early 1999, recording a two-song demo after being together as a band for just a few months. With a plan to take off running, the trio made a big impact from the start by playing every major venue in their home town of Chicago. Their live show, as well as their connection with fans, was a main priority from the beginning. Six thousand copies of their demo were pressed and the Liftpoint Footsoldiers Street Team helped promote the band by spreading demos, stickers and flyers throughout Chicago and well beyond the city limits to include locations and fans nationwide. 　　 　　In early 2002, Liftpoint played the first of several sold-out shows at Chicago's Cabaret Metro, one of the city’s largest music venues. The buzz continued to develop as the band made their way through the Midwest, including radio-sponsored events in Iowa City, as well as countless shows in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. The release of another street sampler, featuring the tracks, Downer Ave., Father, and the radio single Together We Grow provided frequent airplay on Chicago’s Q101 (101.1FM) and The Zone (94.7FM), as well as consistently packed shows at the Metro. 　　 　　Armed with a batch of newly written material, Liftpoint was invited to open for a string of dates alongside Chevelle and Pulse Ultra in mid-2003. A sold-out show at the House of Blues in downtown Chicago fueled their momentum. “There was something like 1,400 people there and we had almost 400 kids sign up to be on the street team immediately after the show.”, reports singer/guitarist Lucas. “We gave out close to 2,000 samplers that night alone. By the time we got to the end of the tour in Cincinnati, we only had empty cd sleeves and no more samplers, but kids were still waiting in line, offering to buy the cd sleeves to have them signed. When all was said and done, we had another 3,000 samplers pressed, which put us close to over 6,000 of them hitting the streets.” 　　 　　After touring, the band returned to Chicago to record a full-length album with engineers Mark “Mouse” Brunner at Reel Sounds Studios, Skokie, IL, and Manny Sanchez at Chicago Recording Company. Pent up in the studio for close to a year, Liftpoint decided to release just three songs from their album’s worth of material. Breathe, Ordinary Calm, and a re-recorded version of Together We Grow were the three songs put out as a new sampler. Armed with an initial pressing of 5,000 cd’s, Liftpoint hit the road again with Chevelle and Kill Hannah. This string of Ozzfest off-dates took them down to Florida for a series of sold-out shows and up along the east coast to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. First slated as an opening act for Chevelle and Kill Hannah, Liftpoint, as an unsigned act, was moved to direct support for Chevelle for the entirety of the tour after selling nearly 200 cds on opening night of the tour at Janus Landing in St. Petersburg, FL. The band then sold out of all merchandise and a total of 700 cd’s within the first four dates of the tour. 　　 　　The drive continues. Liftpoint’s momentum is gaining force on a consistent basis. To date, the band has toured with national acts that include Kill Hannah, Chevelle, Pulse Ultra, Taproot, Ill Nino, and Dark New Day. Liftpoint has sold over 2,000 cd’s independently and draws 700+ fans for their home town shows. Their hit singles Together We Grow and Pressure (Jude) have considerable airplay and support from 101.1FM Q101 (Chicago, IL), 88.3FM WXAV (Chicago, IL), 101.5FM BANANA (Flint, MI), 101.1FM 101WRIF (Detroit, MI), and 104.5FM KDOT (Reno, NV) to name a few. The addition of Kevin Lewis, former bassist for Factory 81, has solidified the tie between Chicago and Detroit, each an important midwest music pulse. 　　 　　“Until the Drive is Dead,” Liftpoint’s first full-length cd engineered again my Mark “Mouse” Brunner and mixed my Dave Reiley, was released independently in May of 2006 and has already sold in excess of 700 units. In support of the album, Liftpoint have hit the road relentlessly with acts such as 10 years, Soil, and Eighteen Visions. Most recently, Liftpoint went back into the studio to work with legendary engineer/producer Stephen Short at Sonic Studios in El Paso, TX. Excitement and attention over where the band is headed increases, and Liftpoint is gaining speed while maintaining a clear and solid focus. “We’re very excited to be where we are right now.”, says the band. “We have some of the best people in the business on our side at the moment and we all collectively understand that we need to continue to work even harder at this level. We know that the ball hasn’t even begun to roll half as fast as it will, but we’re prepared for that time to come. In the meantime, we’ll continue to do what we do and work as hard at it as possible.” 　　 　　As Liftpoint moves into larger territory, industry curiosity is rising. The band shows no sign of slowing as it moves forward at a rapid pace, turning heads along the way.