Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 26 July 2018
Grammy-winning rockers Halestorm don't care about the haters

By KRISTIN M. HALL we were performing.
Associated Press Hottinger: Like the first re-
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — cord came out and no-
When four-piece hard rock body really cared and the
band Halestorm went back only thing you'd see about
into the studio to work on us was positive things
their fourth album, they 'cause people would take
had already thrown out the time because they
a bunch of songs they felt were excited.
sounded too much like Hale: We always said once
songs they had recorded people started hating on
before. us, then we've got it.
Led by frontwoman Lzzy Hottinger: You can't make
Hale, the group has been everyone happy and we're
dealing with critics for not going to. I think it's
years saying they leaned great actually when you
too pop and didn't shred get some of the good, cre-
hard enough. But the band ative criticism.
wasn't trying to please ev- Hale: We've always been
eryone, because they just our biggest critics and like
wanted to keep evolving. any obstacle that is in front
"We're on our fourth record of us or judgment that's in
on a major label and we front of us, we usually put it
won a Grammy Award, and there.
there's this misconception AP: That feels like a theme
that you've had the suc- throughout the album, es-
cess and therefore it gets pecially on songs like "Un-
easier," said 34-year-old comfortable," of being un-
Hale. "It really doesn't be- In this July 20, 2018, photo, members of Halestorm, pose in Nashville, Tenn., to promote their new apologetic.
cause you've put so much record, “Vicious,” out on July 27. Hale: I was trying to fig-
out in the world and you're Associated Press ure out how to be OK with
like, 'OK, what's next?'" not being the person that
Their new album "Vicious," linecz, who has worked with ing together for more than in a room and who's got a makes everybody happy.
out Friday, came out of a bands like Foo Fighters and 15 years and Raskulinecz riff? We'll start there." And writing an album and
lot of experimentation in a Alice in Chains. Hale and wanted to capture that live Hale: He was a Halestorm moving this band forward
Nashville, Tennessee studio her brother Arejay Hale, sound as much as possible. fan before we ever started specifically for myself and
working with acclaimed Joe Hottinger and Josh The Pennsylvania-based working together. So when my bandmates and not for
rock producer Nick Rasku- Smith have been perform- band will also start the sec- we would be excited, like anybody else. So it came
ond leg of a tour with all this is really cool, he would through very honestly in the
female-fronted rock bands say, "No, no, no. I've seen lyrics.
— including In This Moment what you can do live. I AP: By touring with other
and New Year's Day — on know you can sing harder, female-fronted rock bands,
Friday in Kansas City, with I know you can play faster, did you hope to change
additional stops in Albany, I know your brother can be perceptions about what
Seattle and San Francisco. crazier. Let's push every- rock fans will pay to see?
A third leg of the tour was thing that makes you guys Hale: Halfway through this
just added starting in No- who you are. Let's push it tour we realized the audi-
vember. forward." ence is no longer 60/40
Lzzy Hale and Hottinger, AP: Is there a democratic male to female, which is
who plays guitar, talked process to making deci- usually kinda what hap-
with The Associated Press sions as a band? pens at a rock show. It's ei-
about dealing with critics, Hale: It's interesting be- ther 50/50 or it's completely
finding new inspiration and cause we've been a four- turned on its head. So we're
touring with other female piece for over 15 years now seeing this kind of sea of
rockers. Answers have and it's interesting how you girls that are like us. We're
been edited for clarity and settle into your roles. Every- kind of proving on this tour
brevity. body has a tremendous that this heavy music is
_____ amount of respect to what genderless.
AP: What was it like in the everybody brings to the Hottinger: You look at the
studio this time? table. And not everybody crowd and there's these
Hottinger: We were re- has to be interested in the girls that are like embrac-
ally like, "How do we push same thing. ing these traditionally mas-
this band forward? How AP: Do you pay attention culine moments, like heavy
do we do something in- to critics and reviews of moments or these screams,
teresting that's hard rock your albums? and these girls are loving it.
these days?" Because it Hale: We pay attention And you realize these are
seems like it's really hard to to critics and reviews, but just rock 'n' roll moments
find good rock music and we've never paid any mind and there's no gender.
something that is pushing to what people think of us. Hale: I think the goal with
the boundaries a little bit. I think that comes with lit- this next leg is to really
And (Nick) is like, "Well, let's erally growing up on the show these girls that this is a
just start with the four of you stage. Since we were 13 place for you.q