It's a big month for Lifehouse, the alternative rock band from LA and client of Pomegranate. Their fifth album, Smoke and Mirrors, is being featured on the iTunes home page this week, a week that also included visits to Live with Regis and Kelly and Jay Leno's not-so-velvet revolution at The Tonight Show. The first single from the album, "Halfway Gone," was co-produced by hip-hop rocker Kevin Rudolf and is the fastest growing single of their career. Plus the band will join the second leg of Daughtry's US tour on the 18th (Chris Daughtry co-wrote and provides vocals for their new song "Had Enough").

Though it may sound like they've hitched a ride on the elusive and dangerous-sounding Rocket to Stardom, in reality Lifehouse has been producing hits since "Hanging by a Moment," the first single from their first major release album, No Name Face, won Billlboard's Hot 100 Single of the Year in 2000. "You and Me" from 2005 and "First Time" and "Whatever it Takes" from 2007 have also been Top 40 singles.

Making all the noise are Jason Wade (lead vocals, guitar), Rick Woolstenhulme, Jr. (drums), Bryce Soderberg (bass guitar) and Ben Carey (guitar). (And in full Pomeganda disclosure, Pomegranate CEO Grant Powell played with Jason in a very early iteration of Lifehouse. Oh, what could have been...).

As for playing with Daughtry, Jason says "It's a good match, audience-wise, and we play more shows in larger cities, which keeps the schedule less hectic."

The band tries to avoid being overly commercial and likes to connect with fans, knowing they've sometimes waited hours to hear them play. One Pomeganda contributor remembers them playing the big room at an Indiana casino last year then performing a surprise encore in one of the much smaller bars. We'll look into what our contributor was doing at an Indiana casino.

Check out Lifehouse on iTunes, or for tour dates and more info visit their official site: www.lifehousemusic.com.