Lifter (band)
Lifter was an American grunge band from Los Angeles, California. History. 1992-1994: Independent releases. Lifter was formed by Jeffrey Sebelia and Mike Coulter, who met at a rehabilitation centre. After they both left, they added John Rozas, who Coulter had worked with six years before, and the band was formed. They then began performing around the Silverlake area of Los Angeles. The band released several singles during their independent years on Fingerpaint and Triple X Records, which helped the band establish a local fanbase. 1994-1996: signing to Interscope and "Melinda (Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt )". The band signed to Interscope Records in 1994. Before the band could commence work on a full-length release, Interscope sent Mike Coulter to rehab again to recover from his heroin and cocaine addictions before they would let the band record. The band's major label debut, "Melinda (Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt)" was released in April 1996. Titled after Coulter's ex-girlfriend, the album was lyrically inspired by Coulter's breakup with the aforementioned Melinda, and was written as a way for him to cope with the separation. Upon release, "Melinda" received positive reviews from critics, many  who complimented the album's lyrics and musicianship. Keanu Reeves of Dogstar also chose the band and the album as one of his favourites of 1996. The album was promoted with two music videos for "Headshot" (which was also released as a single) and "The Rich, Dark, Sultry Red of Hate". The song "402" became a minor success after receiving airplay from a Seattle radio station, though Interscope sent the station a cease-and-desist. Despite the positive reviews, and the minor success of "402", the album failed to bring about commercial success. 1996-1998: Breakup. After the album's  promotional cycle ended, Lifter went back to the studio with a new drummer, Angie Scarpa (born Anthony Scarpa) and producer Bob Marlette. They produced five songs together, which the band submitted to their label. After the label gave no response, the band believed the forthcoming release would not be promoted by the label, and asked to be let go from their contract, to which the label obliged. The band broke up a year later, though the separation was not acrimonious. "We played for a while, and then it just stopped", Mike Coulter.