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About Airlift - Band Bio's

Airlift Band Bio
Hailing from Idaho Falls, Idaho, Airlift hit the music scene in 2005 when lead singer, Chad Heath set out to find the “perfect band”. He immediately found the sound he was looking for with lead guitarist, Kendal Anderson and drummer, Jack Hoole. A good bassist was a little harder to find, but a few months later they were thrilled to be joined by Spencer Gierke, a great match for their talent and tone. Airlift began playing the local bar scene to raise money for the recording of their album, In My Favor. Chad had been writing songs for the album for a couple of years, and they were perfected by additions from Kendal, Jack and Spencer. After cycling through several other names, the band decided on the name Airlift, a good match for their powerful, uplifting rock music. Airlift’s long-awaited album, “In My Favor”, is due out in Spring of 2008. The combination of inspiring and catchy lyrics with strong beats and unique solos has produced an album that pleases a wide range of listeners, young and old alike.

 

Airlift Artist Bios:

Chad Heath, Lead Singer and Rhythm Guitar Player for Airlift, had his first musical roots planted at a very young age via his Dad’s extensive 8-track collection. (His dad even had an 8-track player in their VW van).  The first album that really made him want to play guitar was Hysteria by Def Leppard, which he claims to have listened to at least a thousand times.  He began playing in bands in the early 90s, as a bassist, and has been writing music ever since.  Most of his strongest musical influences are 90s grunge bands and other bands from that era, such as Stone Temple Pilots, Social Distortion, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, and Pearl Jam.  However, he considers the band 311 to be his number one influence/inspiration, the modern day equivalent of Led Zepplin in his opinion.  
Chad took a break from playing in bands for a few years while going to college in San Diego, but started up again after moving back to Idaho. He organized a few informal groups, but began seriously writing and looking for the “perfect band” in 2004. In 2005 he was joined by Kendal, Jack and Spencer. They began playing locally to raise enough money for the recording of their first full-length album “In My Favor” due out in Spring of 2008.
Chad’s writing style is powered by his own personal philosophy of trying to bring positive things into the world.  “There is so much negativity out there….Everyone singing about how bad everything is.  I don’t feel the same way at all.  Even when things are their worst, life is still really good.  I want to rock, but I feel that putting negativity and darkness out into the universe is bad for everyone.  I’d feel bad thinking that I was bringing people down.  The message I want people to feel through our music is one of power, optimism, and positivity.” Chad is a huge Bob Marley fan and would love to have even a sliver of the kind of positive impact that Marley had and still has on his fans. 

Spencer Gierke, Bass Player for Airlift, was born in Port Angeles, Washington, but spent most of his childhood growing up in Kent, Washington. He joined band in junior high, playing the trumpet and baritone, but soon realized that those instruments were kind of lame. Guitar lessons weren’t yet offered in his school, so he took up playing his dad’s old Spanish style acoustic. He always loved to hum the bass lines of songs and figured he was born to be a bass player. So he played with his fingers instead of a pick on his dad’s old acoustic and worked a fast-food job to save up half the money for Squier bass guitar and amp (his dad covered the rest for a birthday present). Up to this point, Spencer’s musical tastes were pretty broad, but mostly centralized around Grunge and Alternative since it was that era of the 90s and he lived so close to Seattle. Around the time he joined his first band “Animal Farm” a punk band made up high-school angst ridden 16 year-olds, he was given his first CD of heavy metal. It was Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven album. He gave it a listen, and never looked back. From then on he was a metal head. With baggy jeans, black t-shirts and dyed hair, his sole purpose in life was to earn money for metal cds and concert tickets. Some of his favorite groups now include, At The Gates, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Cryptopsy, Sleep Terror, Dimmu Borgir among others. A few metal bands later, Spencer moved to Idaho and married Jenessa in 2005. Although he still loves metal, he decided to go with a more modern rock direction for future endeavors and soon joined Chad, Jack and Kendal in the band then named “Crop Circles.” They had gone through a few different bass players, and were relieved to find Spencer who gelled well and really completed their sound. After a year or so of playing together they decided that the name had to go and came up with the name “Airlift” for the band. Spencer now uses his talent in graphic design to manage the band’s multiple web pages and prides himself with keeping tension in the band.

Kendal Anderson, lead guitarist for Airlift, grew up in Idaho Falls, Idaho surrounded by musically creative family members. At age sixteen, he was inspired to follow in the footsteps of his dad who had played in bands throughout his life. He started playing guitar and was immediately hooked. Growing up in the 90s, some of his favorite bands were Offspring, Green Day, Weezer, Pearl Jam, STP, Nirvana, and Metallica. He even admits going through a short country phase that didn’t last for long, but primarily listened to rock. Kendal and Chad were introduced by a mutual friend, and started playing together in 2005. They got right to work on a few of the songs Chad had already written including Someday and Breakdown.  Kendal added his own sound to their music by writing a lot of the lead guitar parts on the album.  His style consists mostly of blues rock and minor pentatonic scale soloing, and is heavily influenced by lead guitarists like Kirk Hammett of Metallica, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Jimmy Page, Joe Walsh,  Troy Stetina, and a slew of others.  His smooth style and creativity wows crowds, and makes it look like he was born wailing!

Jack Hoole, drummer for Airlift, has lived in many places and played with many bands throughtout the years covering quite a few styles.  Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Jack started playing the drums at age 10 when prompted by a friend to join the elementary school band.  It also didn't hurt that his mother played the guitar, dad played the Banjo, sister played the piano, and grandparents played the mandolin, fiddle, organ, and piano.  As a young child Jack also got to experience the free spiritedness of folk festivals and John Hartford concerts...as well as exposure to an 8-Track tape of The Beatles Seargant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band over and over and over and over and over again.

 A couple of years after joining the school band he acquired his first drumset and began listening to the many influences that would shape the style that you hear today.  From John Bonham to Neil Peart to Steve Gadd to Buddy Rich to Simon Phillips to Stewart Copeland to Bill Bruford to Dave Weckl......well you get the idea.

Jack's rock band experience began in his early teens when bands like Night Ranger, Poison, and Motley Crue ruled the day.  Later, in college, influences such as REM, The Minutemen, and Husker Du, with a more raw sound and different kind of edge, took over.   

Besides playing covers, Jack has also played with numerous groups who wrote and performed original music.  Guilty Party, ESP, The Earthworms, Squid the Owl, 39 Fingers, The Rhyne McCormick Band, Echoes Myron, and of course.....AIRLIFT!!!!!!!

When onstage you'd be hard pressed to find someone with more love for their craft or someone who is constantly striving to perform better.

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