Edited and Interviewed by Morris Goodwin and Chelsey Goraczkowski of STILLCODAAs we enter the dressing room, we're instantly embraced by a band we've known since their beginning. That crazy summer of Halestorm shows around the Midwest now returns to us on a much grander scale. They're right where they belong: sharing the main stage with some of music's most talented bands. We knew they'd get here and here they are!
(Lzzy: Singer Arejay: Drums Joe: Guitar Josh: Bass)
STILLCODA: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS A BAND?
Finding the catering! (laughs) All the smells and seeing the signs, but its nowhere in sight and we are hungry and no one can figure it out!
L: But you know, to keep a band together it takes a lot of time. I think in earlier years it was a little bit harder. We didn’t know each other quite well back in the day, but for the most part its easier to keep the band together because everybody is on the same page now. Still there are always challenges. Once you think you’ve had everything figured out, then there is something pains or and effects our day, like how to sell records, how to be creative and writing new songs and definitely the politics.
J: Today to be a band you have to do 4 or 5 times the work whereas a band 10 years ago hadn’t had to do so much
A: And that more work for a quarter of the results. It’s not always about the music. You have to be so much more than the band and as a whole
STILLCODA: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS YOU HAVE WHEN YOU GUYS FIND OUT YOU’RE PLAYING FEST/TOURS?
L: Our first thought that goes through our head was this was the first date on the Uproar Tour and when we scored this spot, we were saying ‘what were they thinking!’ (laughs)
Yah know… Somebody really screwed up. I mean, we are on the main stage and I’m not saying that we don’t believe in what we do, but with everything that happens it really blows our mind that we are here.
This is quite the lineup on this tour that you probably won’t see again. All these bands under one tour, it’s kind of a once in a lifetime career thing.
J: Its surreal!
J2: It’s kinda a lot to even just go and watch, let alone be on it.
L: It definitely blows our minds.
STILLCODA: TALKING ABOUT OTHER TOURS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU PICKED UP WATCHING OTHER BANDS AND BEING A PART OF THE EXPERIENCE?
L: The fact that we need more pyro! The great thing about being with all these bands that have done it for years and years and years and are on this level and we are here, it’s like being a freshman in college from being a senior in high school. We are now freshman. We are getting hazed all over again, but it’s wonderful because its like being inducted into this old boys group with their exclusive club. And all these people have so much wisdom. We’ve been talking to Vinnie Paul a lot from Hell Yeah and he has so many great stories and all those boys have such good advice.
J: To get somebody like Vinnie Paul who we’ve looked up to our whole lives to come and say that he likes what we do is pretty mind boggling and these amazing people, the Hell Yeahs, the Avenged Sevenfolds, Disturbed and Stone Sours, they think of us as their peers and that just blows our minds. It’s very humbling.
L: Its not even so much the music, because everyone is such an amazing musician and we have learned a lot from that, but just as people, its really cool to see people who could be prima donnas and want green skittles and all that stuff, we would be fine with it. They’ve earned it, but they aren’t. They are these great down to earth people that reminds us that if and when we ever get to that point (of greatness) we don’t want to be like them.
STILLCODA: PIGGY BACKING OFF THAT, MUSIC ALWAYS HAS A PURPOSE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL. TELL US ABOUT YOUR PURPOSE. WHAT DOES IT BRING TO YOU?
L: For me personally, I don’t know who I’d be. It became my identity at an early age. It’s become part of who I am. I don’t think I’d be the same person without it. With every year and the more I am in it, it becomes inadvertently your religion, your therapy, the way you define yourself and also how you learn. It kicks you in your butt and you learn more about yourself, though this (the tour) and through music…I need this.
J2: I think music is twofold. You can’t escape it. You see people try and you see the old guys in the bars playing. They should and they try to get away from it and you can’t.
A: It started out as an obsession. It was the only thing that we wanted to do growing up. It was tunnel vision. We knew what we wanted to do and now its evolved where all these kids and people come up to us and you get inspired to play by them watching us and that alone encourages us to keep going.
STILLCODA: NOW THAT “HALESTORM” THE ALBUM HAS BEEN OUT FOR A WHILE, WHAT THE REACTION YOU’VE NOTICED, NOT ONLY WHEN YOU PLAY BUT WHEN FANS COME UP TO YOU?
A: Intensity.
J2: It’s been really great. People come to have a really good time, with us and the people around them. The only thing I can remember, there was one show where people were going nuts and kicking each other’s butt. That’s one thing that some people do when watching a metal show. But a lot of people don’t do that when they come to our shows. They rock out and have a great time. It weird’s me out when you see people getting hurt right in front of me. You can’t even listen to the music at the shows, its crazy, but generally they come and have a great time.
L: They are really respectful at our shows and they feel the same way we do. Rock shows are supposed to be about being together. Its’ not us and them, it’s all of us. From a lyrical standpoint, we wrote this record and me being the lyric person you write these songs very selfishly. You write them about you ‘cause you have something to say, but the great thing is now I’m seeing over the past year and a half, its’ there’s (fans). It’s about them and all of a sudden I’m seeing in a room full of people that are just like me and think like me… It’s so incredibly humbling. It’s been an amazingly overwhelming response to the meaning of these songs and to hear the stories…we’re touching people, we’re talking and its neat.
STILLCODA: THE DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL! WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE LIKE?
J2: We got there a day early and got the chance to see Pretty Vultures and ACDC perform which was pretty cool. The next day was really busy with a lot press and didn’t get to see to many bands that day, but most of them were from Rock on the Range. But it was really awesome to see some of the other bands.
STILLCODA: KINDA JEALOUS NOT GONNA LIE
J: A lot of people had no clue who we were. We were pretty much brand new at the time. A few did come back from our first Euro club run we did, but it was an incredible crowd. They love to party.
L: Yeah, just crazy in the pit In between songs, especially when we did the echo (hey hoo)
A: When we did the drum solo and only in Europe and the UK do they clap. Not only did the clap, they shouted (oye oye oye!) It was the most coolest sound I ever heard. It got me so pumped up and I was speeding up. It was amazing.
STILLCODA: YOU GUYS PLANNING ON GOING BACK?
A: Oh yeah, We’re on the Taste of Choas Tour, I think with Buckcherry, Disturbed, Papa Roach, so many others after this tour and we are going to Japan for a show to do a special and we’re pretty excited to do that and then flying all the way to Europe.
STILLCODA: YOU GUYS GOTTA ENJOY SOME OF THE FINER JAPANESE EATERYWHAT’S ONE THING YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE WHILE WATCHING YOUR SHOW?
A great time, intensity and some oye oye!
MAKE SURE TO CATCH HALESTORM ON THE 2010 ROCKSTAR UPROAR TOUR!! KEEP UPDATED ON ALL THE BAND HAPPENINGS AT:
WEBSITE:
www.halestormrocks.com/
MYSPACE:
www.myspace.com/halestorm
(Lzzy: Singer Arejay: Drums Joe: Guitar Josh: Bass)
STILLCODA: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS A BAND?
Finding the catering! (laughs) All the smells and seeing the signs, but its nowhere in sight and we are hungry and no one can figure it out!
L: But you know, to keep a band together it takes a lot of time. I think in earlier years it was a little bit harder. We didn’t know each other quite well back in the day, but for the most part its easier to keep the band together because everybody is on the same page now. Still there are always challenges. Once you think you’ve had everything figured out, then there is something pains or and effects our day, like how to sell records, how to be creative and writing new songs and definitely the politics.
J: Today to be a band you have to do 4 or 5 times the work whereas a band 10 years ago hadn’t had to do so much
A: And that more work for a quarter of the results. It’s not always about the music. You have to be so much more than the band and as a whole
STILLCODA: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS YOU HAVE WHEN YOU GUYS FIND OUT YOU’RE PLAYING FEST/TOURS?
L: Our first thought that goes through our head was this was the first date on the Uproar Tour and when we scored this spot, we were saying ‘what were they thinking!’ (laughs)
Yah know… Somebody really screwed up. I mean, we are on the main stage and I’m not saying that we don’t believe in what we do, but with everything that happens it really blows our mind that we are here.
This is quite the lineup on this tour that you probably won’t see again. All these bands under one tour, it’s kind of a once in a lifetime career thing.
J: Its surreal!
J2: It’s kinda a lot to even just go and watch, let alone be on it.
L: It definitely blows our minds.
STILLCODA: TALKING ABOUT OTHER TOURS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU PICKED UP WATCHING OTHER BANDS AND BEING A PART OF THE EXPERIENCE?
L: The fact that we need more pyro! The great thing about being with all these bands that have done it for years and years and years and are on this level and we are here, it’s like being a freshman in college from being a senior in high school. We are now freshman. We are getting hazed all over again, but it’s wonderful because its like being inducted into this old boys group with their exclusive club. And all these people have so much wisdom. We’ve been talking to Vinnie Paul a lot from Hell Yeah and he has so many great stories and all those boys have such good advice.
J: To get somebody like Vinnie Paul who we’ve looked up to our whole lives to come and say that he likes what we do is pretty mind boggling and these amazing people, the Hell Yeahs, the Avenged Sevenfolds, Disturbed and Stone Sours, they think of us as their peers and that just blows our minds. It’s very humbling.
L: Its not even so much the music, because everyone is such an amazing musician and we have learned a lot from that, but just as people, its really cool to see people who could be prima donnas and want green skittles and all that stuff, we would be fine with it. They’ve earned it, but they aren’t. They are these great down to earth people that reminds us that if and when we ever get to that point (of greatness) we don’t want to be like them.
STILLCODA: PIGGY BACKING OFF THAT, MUSIC ALWAYS HAS A PURPOSE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL. TELL US ABOUT YOUR PURPOSE. WHAT DOES IT BRING TO YOU?
L: For me personally, I don’t know who I’d be. It became my identity at an early age. It’s become part of who I am. I don’t think I’d be the same person without it. With every year and the more I am in it, it becomes inadvertently your religion, your therapy, the way you define yourself and also how you learn. It kicks you in your butt and you learn more about yourself, though this (the tour) and through music…I need this.
J2: I think music is twofold. You can’t escape it. You see people try and you see the old guys in the bars playing. They should and they try to get away from it and you can’t.
A: It started out as an obsession. It was the only thing that we wanted to do growing up. It was tunnel vision. We knew what we wanted to do and now its evolved where all these kids and people come up to us and you get inspired to play by them watching us and that alone encourages us to keep going.
STILLCODA: NOW THAT “HALESTORM” THE ALBUM HAS BEEN OUT FOR A WHILE, WHAT THE REACTION YOU’VE NOTICED, NOT ONLY WHEN YOU PLAY BUT WHEN FANS COME UP TO YOU?
A: Intensity.
J2: It’s been really great. People come to have a really good time, with us and the people around them. The only thing I can remember, there was one show where people were going nuts and kicking each other’s butt. That’s one thing that some people do when watching a metal show. But a lot of people don’t do that when they come to our shows. They rock out and have a great time. It weird’s me out when you see people getting hurt right in front of me. You can’t even listen to the music at the shows, its crazy, but generally they come and have a great time.
L: They are really respectful at our shows and they feel the same way we do. Rock shows are supposed to be about being together. Its’ not us and them, it’s all of us. From a lyrical standpoint, we wrote this record and me being the lyric person you write these songs very selfishly. You write them about you ‘cause you have something to say, but the great thing is now I’m seeing over the past year and a half, its’ there’s (fans). It’s about them and all of a sudden I’m seeing in a room full of people that are just like me and think like me… It’s so incredibly humbling. It’s been an amazingly overwhelming response to the meaning of these songs and to hear the stories…we’re touching people, we’re talking and its neat.
STILLCODA: THE DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL! WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE LIKE?
J2: We got there a day early and got the chance to see Pretty Vultures and ACDC perform which was pretty cool. The next day was really busy with a lot press and didn’t get to see to many bands that day, but most of them were from Rock on the Range. But it was really awesome to see some of the other bands.
STILLCODA: KINDA JEALOUS NOT GONNA LIE
J: A lot of people had no clue who we were. We were pretty much brand new at the time. A few did come back from our first Euro club run we did, but it was an incredible crowd. They love to party.
L: Yeah, just crazy in the pit In between songs, especially when we did the echo (hey hoo)
A: When we did the drum solo and only in Europe and the UK do they clap. Not only did the clap, they shouted (oye oye oye!) It was the most coolest sound I ever heard. It got me so pumped up and I was speeding up. It was amazing.
STILLCODA: YOU GUYS PLANNING ON GOING BACK?
A: Oh yeah, We’re on the Taste of Choas Tour, I think with Buckcherry, Disturbed, Papa Roach, so many others after this tour and we are going to Japan for a show to do a special and we’re pretty excited to do that and then flying all the way to Europe.
STILLCODA: YOU GUYS GOTTA ENJOY SOME OF THE FINER JAPANESE EATERYWHAT’S ONE THING YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE WHILE WATCHING YOUR SHOW?
A great time, intensity and some oye oye!
MAKE SURE TO CATCH HALESTORM ON THE 2010 ROCKSTAR UPROAR TOUR!! KEEP UPDATED ON ALL THE BAND HAPPENINGS AT:
WEBSITE:
www.halestormrocks.com/
MYSPACE:
www.myspace.com/halestorm
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