Although Halestorm’s initial exposure for most people came with the release of its eponymous 2009 debut for Atlantic Records, the Red Lion, Penn., quartet was actually conceived more than a decade earlier.
Lzzy Hale and her younger brother Arejay both learned to play piano at age 5, with Lzzy gravitating toward guitar and Arejay moving into the drum chair. The pair released an EP as teenagers, then formed Halestorm with their father Roger on bass; guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the band in 2003 and bassist Josh Smith replaced Roger Hale the following year.
Atlantic signed Halestorm in 2005 and released the band’s live EP One and Done the same year. With the 2009 release of its full-length debut and its radio-ready singles “I Get Off” and “It’s Not You,” Halestorm generated tons of positive press (Lzzy was featured on the cover of Revolver as one of the “Hottest Chicks in Metal”) and continued its almost relentless road assault; the band plays upwards of 250 shows a year.
This year has already been a huge one for Halestorm. In February, the song “Here’s to Us” was performed on Glee and the band’s sophomore album, The Strange Case of... was released in April, hitting Billboard’s Top 20 in its first week. In May, Gibson Guitars unveiled a signature series for Lzzy just as Halestorm became the first female-fronted band to hit the top slot on Billboard’s Active Rock Airplay chart.
What’s next? To see a million faces and rock them all, naturally.
HALESTORM performs Friday, Sept. 7 with New Medicine at Bogart's in Corryville. Buy tickets, check out performance times and get venue details here.
