- Thu, 2010-04-08 13:56
Halestorm are an American hard rock band who have conquered U.S. audiences whilst on tour with such giants of the genre as Papa Roach, Shinedown and Theory of a Deadman. Their eponymous debut album recently dropped this side of the pond, and the band are now preparing to take the UK by…um…storm!
I Like Music spoke with lead singer Lzzy about the band’s prepubescent genesis, playing live, recording the debut album, and sharing a hotel room with Janis Joplin.
“I Like Music because…it kicks me in the teeth and then kisses me in the face.” Lzzy, Halestorm
ILM: How did Halestorm come together?
Lzzy: My brother and I founded Halestorm when I was 13 years old and he was 10. We had started playing our instruments, and had written one song called Love Is Power. We named the band Halestorm and entered ourselves in a talent show at The Schuylkill County Fair in central PA. We won third place, lost 1st to tap dancing cowgirl, and decided right then and there that this was something we needed to do. We met Joe and Josh and few years later through a mutual friend in Philly, the chemistry was instantaneous...the rest is history. We've never stopped!
ILM: How do you approach your live show?
Lzzy: Usually from stage right...! We try to approach our live show from an audience point of view. We ask ourselves often, “how would I want to be entertained?” Our live show is just that... a show! Food for the eyes, ears and rock n roll soul...like biting into a big juicy steak. There's nothing tofu about Halestorm.
ILM: What’s the best or most fun live show you’ve ever played?
Lzzy: Every show is different, therefore every show is my favorite in one way or another. It just keeps growing, so we've fallen in love with the chase of making every single show better than the last. The best show we've ever played will be tomorrow’s!
ILM: Tell us about the debut album – what was the writing and recording process like?
Lzzy: The writing and then narrowing down of all of those songs was very much like piecing together a Frankenstein monster. We really wanted to make this album a complete thought, so, very much like the album cover art, we made sure all the parts of the monster could work together. The recording process was great! We didn't know what to expect by going into a real studio, with a real producer and a real studio team. We ended up realizing that we had the freedom to just be musicians, and make the music the way we wanted to make it. In every other recording experience in the past, we had to wear the producer cap, and engineer cap...which makes it hard to just play music. We had so much fun, and came out with something we are very proud of!
ILM: Who or what are your primary musical influences?
Lzzy: Me and my brother grew up on a lot of classic rock, such as Vanilla Fudge, The Beatles, Alice Cooper, Van Halen, Cream, Black Sabbath, The Who etc. Joe and Josh introduced us to a lot of 90's Rock such as Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Soundgarden etc...We've also discovered some odds and ends such as Jeff Buckley, Bjork, Lamb Of God...a little band called Metallica.
ILM: When did you realize that music was what you wanted to do with your life?
Lzzy: I realized it at 13, in middle school. When my brother and I named our band Halestorm that was it...we had our direction. We found out when we met Joe and Josh that they had started their own bands at 13 years old too. It was just a matter of finding each other.
ILM: What would you be doing with your lives if you weren’t making music?
Lzzy: I have never had a back up plan. Even if I had another job to make ends meet, writing music is something I've done since I was 6 years old, so I would be doing that in my free time.
ILM: Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
Lzzy: Still rocking the world! Probably just starting our 3rd record...maybe I'll have a more massive collection of guitars!
ILM: Which bands or artists would be your dream touring partners?
Lzzy: There are so many. Metallica, Stone Temple Pilots, Slipknot, Alice Cooper, Carnivool. We also just enjoy touring with anybody. That’s how we discover a lot of new music.
ILM: If you could collaborate on a song with any musician, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
Lzzy: I would've loved to collaborate with Janis Joplin, there was so much love in her to give, and so much pain. I would've loved to have just hung out in a hotel room with her, and write everything down!
ILM: Could you recommend our readers a song by any other artist to check out?
Lzzy: I Am Destroyer by Daughter's of Mara.
