Halestorm has had an incredible year in music, with many firsts for their hard-working musical career. Back in February, the band won a prestigious Grammy-award for their single, “Love Bites (So Do I),” as Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance from their current album The Strange Case Of…They are currently on an extensive tour, hitting all the major cities, including most recently, Atlanta, with a SOLD OUT show at The Masquerade. Lauded as an inspiration for aspiring female guitarists and lead singers, Lzzy Hale sets a whole new path for a new generation of women who rock. With her band’s big Grammy win, Lzzy is also the first female to front a band that hit #1 on the Active Rock radio charts. The band has landed that number one spot twice with their singles, “Love Bites (So Do I),” and “Freak Like Me,” both pulled from their current album, The Strange Case Of…As a band, Halestorm have performed on the hit late-night talk shows “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”
We had the exclusive opportunity to chat with Lzzy about her favorite albums that she wouldn’t want to live without, her dream line-up gig, her first CD and tape (hint: it’s all ’80s goodness), her guilty musical pleasure, and the music that makes her cringe. Check out what she had to say:
GGM: What are five albums or bands you wouldn’t want to live without?
Lzzy: I’ll go for albums…let’s see if I can remember…Let’s see…
Black Sabbath- Mob Rules
Yeah, I’m going to show my dated interest in music during this list (laughs).
Van Halen’s 1984
There’s too many albums by Pearl Jam that I like, but if I’d have to have one of their records, maybe 10, but there’s other records that are amazing, too.
Let’s see, Wildflowers by Tom Petty. I think he’s an amazing songwriter.
Then, I’m going to go with…(laughs), it’s so hard. You know, you only have five and I have to live with it now!
For just good measure, I’m going to say there’s a Halestorm cassette tape that we made when I was 13 years old, and it was called Forecast for the Future.
GGM: What’s your dream line-up gig as a band?
Lzzy: As a band; well, you know, I’ll obviously do it from my opinion because the guys aren’t here to defend themselves. But, you know what, I’d love to…we went to Europe and did a couple of festivals over there. They always have like crazy line-ups and I think that if I had to put my own line-up, it would be kind of similar. Obviously, I would have to have Metallica because they’re one of my favorite live bands. I would also want to have Eminem on the bill (laughs). I think he’s got a little bit of a rock cred. I don’t think anybody would throw bottles at him. That and I’m going to bring some people back from the dead here, and I’m going to go with Janis Joplin, because I never saw her live. I’m assuming this is a magical line-up and can bring people back from the dead (laughs).
GGM: Yes you can!
Lzzy: Obviously, we would have to play because I’m selfish like that. To open up the show, there’s an awesome band that’s opening on this tour called Bad Seed Rising, and they range in age from 11 to 15 years old; they’re killer, amazing. I’ll put them on the line-up, too!
GGM: What was your first album on CD, casstte and/or vinyl?
Lzzy: Let’s see, it was on cassette tape and the first one that I bought, basically? I’m pretty sure it was Damn Yankees and it was just the single “High Enough” (laughs). That was the first thing I bought with my own money, and it was at a secondhand, kind of a used record store I used to go into when I was a kid. I’m pretty sure that was the first one I bought myself, and then I branched out from there (laughs). The first one on CD I believe was, man, what was it? I think it was Sevendust. Yeah, between Sevendust and Disturbed’s Down with the Sickness, they kind of brought me out of the ’80s. Very good record (in reference to Sevendust).
Lzzy and I discussed our continued mutual love for the ’80s and who we enjoyed, as Lzzy states, the ’80s “were a lot of fun.” She also mentioned that her boy band back in the day was Cinderella, whom I still blast on my iPod and CD player 😉 Lzzy stated that she and I should go sing karaoke and I wholeheartedly agree. People would know what to think of her, but maybe not so much of me!
GGM: Do you have a guilty musical pleasure?
Lzzy: Yeah, well it’s pretty much in my entire iPod (or whatever you can call it), or my collection, and pretty much is my one guilty pleasure after another. One of them is a band called the Divinyl’s and they’re really only known for one song, “I Touch Myself.” It is a great record, and they are one of my guilty pleasures because I listen to their records on a plane and stuff like that. The guys are always like, “Isn’t that the “I Touch Myself” chick?,” and I’m always like, “Yeah, I know, but it’s a great record” (laughs).
GGM: Is there any music that makes you cringe in particular?
Lzzy: I’m not too into the kind-of like the emo stuff. I know there are a lot in my generation who do, but it’s not so much even the whiny-screaming thing, just for the sake of screaming, but it’s some of the guitar sounds I’m just not into. I shouldn’t say I can’t stand it, because I will listen to it if I have to (laughs), but it’s definitely not something I go after and seek. That’s one genre of music I don’t necessarily have in my collection.
GGM: Thanks for chatting with me, Lzzy!
On a last note, Lzzy wanted me to know she loves Atlanta and mentioned that she loved the fans and that we are great. “Everytime that we come through, people are amazing, and they love coming out to the rock shows”, says Lzzy.
GGM: Thanks for taking the time for me, Lzzy!
Lzzy: Anytime, honey! Thanks for taking the time for me. Bye dear!
Halestorm is:
Lzzy Hale: Vocals, Guitar
Arejay Hale: Drums
Josh Storm: Bass, Vocals
Joe Storm: Guitar, Vocals
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