Live Artist Biography - Raine Maida

On February 18, 1970 a future rock star was born in Weston, Ontario. Raine Maida, born Michael Raine Maida, is best known as the lead singer of the Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace. Raine also does some guitar playing (more now than he used to so that he doesn't "go crazy on stage"). Raine dropped his first name and uses his middle name in order to avoid confusion between him and Mike Turner, the now ex-guitarist of Our Lady Peace. Raine first started writing songs for the band in 1992 while still in school. He went to St. Catherine's private school as a child and then went to Saints High School when he was older. Later, he went to Ridley College and university of Toronto to study criminology. He was 2 and a half credits away from getting his degree and graduating when he dropped out of school to dedicate his life to Our Lady Peace and be with the band full time. The most noted aspect of Raine's lyrics is how real and personal his everyday messages are. All his songs relate to real life situations that people have to live through and deal with every day, which is why his songs also appeal to all age categories - from teenagers to people in their 50s, 60s and later years. His lyrics are one of the main things that make Our Lady Peace different from all other bands with a unique sound in each one of their songs. The uniqueness and reality of the band's songs is what gives the listener a sense of connection with their songs. Raine's talent for making his music so personal and easy to relate to may come from some of the difficulties he's had in life. His parents got a divorce when he was younger; he has a brother 18 years younger than him. He's had three knee surgeries and chronic back problems, which caused him to start practicing yoga and meditation to relieve the pain and stress. He loves to read and enjoy many other forms of media. He is mainly influenced by female singers because of their "lack of ego