Lift To Experience (partially found track/John Peel session recordings; 2000-2001)
Status: Partially Found
Lift To Experience was a post-rock/ shoegazing band from Texas. Their music was recorded various times throughout the late 1990s to early 2000s. Their sole album, The Texas Jerusalem Crossroads garnered them critical acclaim and respect. The album was quite ambitious as it was a double album whose apocalyptic and religious themes proved a bit much for most record companies to bother with. Unfortunately, the band broke up shortly after the album was released.
Background
The band's early discography is notoriously difficult to get a hold of. The releases were always limited, and the band was not very proud of them. However, because of a highly dedicated fanbase, most of the releases found their way onto torrent and file-sharing sites. The one exception is an extremely rare vinyl split single with The Autumns titled Callin' Out Jesus in The Middle of The Night/White Nights ("White Nights" being the track performed by The Autumns). The Lift to Experience track has never leaked online because of its rarity and was never recorded (or possibly even played) live. Nobody seems to have any copies of it, though one copy was put up for auction on eBay,[1] though the bidding was closed in 2012.
Another Lift to Experience rarity is some of the John Peel sessions. Peel recorded the band 3 times, giving them his famous mixing treatment, which many people think captures the band's live sound better than any other available recording. Unfortunately, of the 3 sessions, only one is commonly available online.[2] Another one is said to be in the hands of a YouTube user who offered the file up to people who commented on the video posting, however, he was only offering it by email, and it looks like he is now unresponsive. The final Peel recording has never surfaced and is suspected completely lost as it hasn't even appeared in the massive torrents featuring Peel live sessions.
With the band's reputation as one of the best bands of the early 2000s only rising, these tracks are slowly getting more and more sought-after. It doesn't help that Josh T. Pearson, the band's vocalist and guitarist has become slightly reclusive and doesn't like talking much about his days in Lift to Experience.
Availability
YouTube user Eyes Like Propellers purchased a copy of the vinyl for Callin' Out to Jesus in The Middle of The Night/White Nights and uploaded it on YouTube way back in December of 2013.
"Thank you goes to Eyes Like Propellers, it couldn't have been easy (or cheap) to pick it up. Listen and enjoy!"