April 4, 2025 • 38 mins
She truly needs no introduction as she has become one the most well-known voices in the world of rock music. Scratch that. She's become one of the most well-known voices in music. We know her as Halestorm's lead singer, but last year, she was also the fill-in singer with Skid Row. She's put out duets with everyone from Brooks & Dunn to I Prevail. Joining us from somewhere in Georgia as Halestorm puts the final touches on a new album due out later this year, we have a soul-searching conversation about music and what it truly means to be a part of music history.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Attention please and no it cutters rock cast.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hey, Hey, how are you, honey? I'm good. How are you?
I'm great, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
We had like a crazy like tornado watch last night.
It was like nuts It missed us, but it was
like intense, just shut down the studio and everything. It
was nuts. Die.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
The weather's the weather's nutty. We had a nice storm,
so we got that going for us in spring, I know, right,
I don't know. Welcome to eleventh winter.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Yeah, welcome to you.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Yes, because it's loud, because it's louder than the other winters.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
So it's the eleventh winter.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
All right. Sorry, it's awesome.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
There you go. Lizzie, thank you so much, and it's
so good to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
You're very welcome. Thank you so much for having.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Me always always a woman you know who truly needs
no introduction if you've been listening to rock and roll
music over the course of the last two decades. Yes,
I said two decades, but I'm gonna introduce her anyway.
She's the lead singer of Hailstorm. She's sometimes the lead
singer of skid Oh. She's a guest singer on literally
everybody's albums. Country, hard rock, classic rock, new rock, heavy metal,
(01:06):
doesn't matter, all of it.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Her name is Lizzie Hale.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Lizzie, thank you, yeah, hello everybody, thank you so much
for you know, having me on this beautiful eleventh winter
second morning.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
I don't know, but you've been everywhere lately. It feels
like like every.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Time I open a news website, I go on YouTube,
I go anywhere, there's Lizzie Hale's wonderful face, in her
amazing voice, singing, performing, talking.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You're everywhere lately. Do you sleep?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
You know what I don't.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
You're a vampire.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I knew it pretty much, you know, I don't know.
I'm an odd shick. Like I'll have like a lot
of sleep, like one night, and then the next night
I'll be like just wired and doing stuff, and then
you know, the guys will be just like, why are
you still up at three in the morning. Yeah, so,
but but I don't know. I mean, it takes about
twenty years for an overnight success, I think. But just
(02:04):
you know, I'm so proud of the fact that I've
been doing it for so long. I've been in this
band since I was thirteen. We've been the same four
members since for twenty two years, you know.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Which which I'm gonna pause you just for one second. Yeah,
and I understand that your brother's the drummer and that helps,
but oh yeah, amazing, twenty two years is the same lineup.
We can't keep bands together for six months, let alone
twenty two years. I mean, like, what's the secret, Lizzie,
Like how.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You know I've been I've been trying actually to figure
that out. Because there's a couple different theories from our fans,
like like one is more cosmic there, you know, because
in all honesty, if anybody is interested in that stuff,
I go in and out of it because I have
a lot of friends that are interested in that. But
they pointed out to me a couple of years ago
that my birthday, Joe's birthday, Josh's birthday, and our Jay's
(02:55):
birthday is wind water, fire, Earth. So there's that. Maybe
there's some kind of cosmic but and.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
With the powers combined, Captain.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
But but really, I mean for us, it's it's a
the love of what we do and and and trust
in each other. Like we we truly do love each
other and and we trust each other that you know,
every time we go into a situation or we step
on stage. You know, we hold hands and we jump
(03:27):
off this proverbial cliff and we hope we packed our
parashutes right and we and we trust that we're all
in it for the right reasons. And there's something there's
something to that as well, because the longer that you
go as a band, the more beautiful it gets. It
gets harder too. But the beautiful thing about it is
that you realize that nobody on earth, nobody living right now,
(03:54):
will ever know you as much as your bandmates do.
Like my bandmates know me better than my own family,
does you know. It's almost like every time we like
go home for Christmas or like have a Thanksgiving thing,
I'm having to like reintroduce myself to my aunts and
my uncles. They're like like, oh, yeah, I'm still doing
that thing, you know, the music thing.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Are you still singing in that rock and roll band?
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Sweet? Still? Yeah? But but no, I love my guys.
And the craziest thing is that you live a couple
different lifetimes together. Like when we're in our twenties, it
was like everything was so new and we like freshly fine,
We're going on tour. We're opening for first of four bands.
You know, on whatever tour and then you know, we've
gotten some recognition and success and as the pressures of
(04:37):
that kind of come in. I know, for me in
my like mid thirties, I was like the fame happened
kind of in a way that it kind of snuck
up on me and I felt like I had to
be the hero all the time, and that got me
a little depressed. And the guys were like, hey, we're
here for you. You do not have to carry this weight
on your own. And it was like, oh my god,
(04:58):
thank you, you know, because it like things get messy,
but the fact that I have these boys and they
understand the big picture and I mean, the world could
burn and we would be fine because we have each other.
So I know that sounds cheesy, but it's like that's
that's truly kind of where we're at now. We're at
we're in this like midlife as a band, and we're
about to release an album and we're in rehearsals every
(05:21):
day going over everything, and it's just we're super excited
about that. It's like it's like oh, now, new things,
new things, new adventure. You know.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
I don't think it's cheesy. I think it's inspirational.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Oh thank you, you know, in all honesty, I mean,
it's it's to be able to hear that from people,
because yeah, sometimes people don't think it, don't get along, Okay,
it happens. But the fact that you've been able to
do that and make a career and do this thing.
We're yes, we hear it all the time. And you know,
and I've played in bands in and out all my
entire life. It is that's sort of you're in it.
(05:51):
It's a different relationship to be in a band, especially
an original band, especially a successful one. Who are you're
living together for you know, nine ten months out of
the year. That's that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, And it's like it's like we were talking about
it two days ago. We were in a we were
laughing our asses off because we were we've been recording
all of our rehearsals and Joe decided to record some
of his farts in rehearsal, and it was like, you know,
Martie's about to be thirty seven, we're all like forty
(06:24):
forty one, and I'm like, this is a combination of
you know, the Goonies and like Lord of the Flies
and like and like hook with the Lost Boys, Like
I swear to god, it's like we were all very
we are mature when we need to be, but sometimes
you need that, you know.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Absolutely, yeah, please please tell me that shows up on
an album somewhere.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I just like some sort of remix thing.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Just it just there's a drum breakdown and just you know.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I am sure, I am sure that will happen in
all honesty. But what was the album? It was our
last uh reimagined EP that we kind of reimagined some
of our some of our old songs and made them new.
And there is something I forget which track it was.
We'd put it into, like the drum groove or something
(07:15):
because Joe was playing acoustic and just like you know,
we like couldn't do anything about it, just got a
ripped one. It's yeah, and our engineer like started looping
it into the little tracks. Were like, okay, just as
I quote unquote easter Egg.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
You know, hey, speaking of that reimagined EP, this this
conversation has come up a lot recently because I you know,
I do a classic rock morning show now and then
I still have you know, my my new rock show
and the Cutting Edge Countdown. But what is classic rock?
For whatever reason that that conversation keeps coming up. You
did this reimagined EP, but Hailstorm has also done three
(07:52):
EPs of cover songs covering everything from uh What Dolly Parton?
To uh Skid Road to Metallica to Daft Punk and
everything in between.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
What is your take on that?
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Just just as a musician, as a singer who's done
classic rock songs, who's you know now been a part
of a classic rock band? Hailstorm has now been together
for over two decades. Like, what if somebody you are
ask you, well, what makes a song a classic a
classic rock song?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
What would what would your answer me? Out of curiosity?
Speaker 1 (08:31):
A classic rock song to me is more than like
you know, people call people call it dad rock, people
call it you know, oh, it's like you know that
time of music. But for me, classic rock is uh
is what's missing in a lot of what's happening in
today's rock. And you know, I'm not knocking anybody, you're
(08:52):
yucking anybody's young. But for us personally, classic rock is
that human element you know that you know, before the
or tracks, before everybody was miming, before everybody was striving
after perfection, you had to have the love of what
you do. You had to have the trust of your bandmates,
like we talked before, and then you had to kind
(09:12):
of jump off the cliff. You have to take the risk,
you know, either in the studio or live and say, okay,
we're going to be good as people, not just you know, hey,
we're gonna dance around to tape and make everything look amazing.
And and like I said, you know, I have a
lot of friends that do that and that's that's their
mo But for us, you know, when we end up
(09:34):
doing those covery piece, we're trying to not only recreate
a feeling that we got from listening to this song. Well,
like you know, when we were kids, we all grew
up on a lot of classic rock because our dads
are very much, very much into that. So so you know,
you almost are are trying to recreate this feeling that
you had when you first listened to it, but also
(09:55):
as a musician, by learning your favorite songs and by
trying to figure out how you're going to do your
twist on them, you a lot as a music and
you learned a lot about yourself. And then for us
as a hailstorm there's a little method to the madness
because usually one or two of those songs will be
like our favorite cover to do, and then we'll be like,
(10:15):
how do we write an original like this? How do
we make an original sound like this? For instance, when
we did the skid Roll cover Slave to the Grind,
I ended up you know, sitting down to guys and
being like, we need something with this tempo. We don't
have anything in our set list with this type of
you know, tempo, and we ended up writing love bites.
So so you know, it's it's I'm a firm believer
(10:39):
that like everything you do helps everything else you do. Like,
if you have a mission, it's it's going to like
leach its way into all these other things that make
you happy and then kind of become whatever your next
thing is. Because I like, I don't know if if
you're like me, but I have to constantly be like
searching for you know, new inspiration or just being wow,
(11:01):
buy something. I can't just keep doing the same thing
over and over again, which is a reason why we
switch up our set list every night. We don't do
the same set not just to you know, give back
to the fans and be like Okay, if you come
to this show, you're not going to see the same
show the next night, because we have people that come
and see eight shows in a row. But for us,
it's it doesn't become boring and it keeps us on
(11:24):
our toes. So yeah, I don't know, that's for me,
That's that's what it is about.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Yeah, No, I like that. I think you make a
lot of sense there.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
As you mentioned Slade to the grind, how did you
end up becoming the lead singer skid Row for men?
Speaker 1 (11:37):
You know what? It really wasn't that official. It was
I was at a birthday party. It was a Nick
Rascal and it's birthday party. Who has uh? He was
the producer of Vicious and Back in the Dead and
a couple of Peace of Ours and uh. And Rachel
is also a friend of Nick's and he's done a
bunch of skid Rows recordings as well. And so we're
(11:57):
I'm eating cake and we're talking. I'm talking to to
Bowling and you know, as you do, like hey, as
you do on a Saturday night, and and he turns
me he says, hey, how would you feel about performing
with skid Row sometime? And I, you know, I'm like,
I'm dumb. I'm like, wait, you mean like Hailstorm and
skid Row. That sounds like fun. He's like, no, that's
(12:17):
not what I'm talking about. He's like, would you actually
front the band for a couple of days? And I said, oh, well,
I mean i'd love to. What's happened? And he's like, well,
we're having some stuff going down with our lead singer
and we have these dates to fill. And so I said, well,
you know, let me call up my people and see
what your dates are and see if I can clear
the calendar and make that happen. Just because you know,
he's a friend, I want to I want to help
(12:39):
him out, and also like, man, that would be so
much fun. So so I did. I cleared the calendar,
I made sure that we could do it, and then
they announced it right and all of a sudden, it
became so much more than just a friend helping a
friend and us doing something together. It became this event.
I started hearing from people that I hadn't heard from
(12:59):
fifteen years back in the East Coast, like oh my god,
I'm bringing my daughter and uh, you know, and and
it was like and then I called my dad and
my dad's like, dude, I remember you blasting Slave to
the Girl on that album in like nineteen ninety six
when you were like eleven, how does this feel? And
I'm like, you know what before you said that, Dad,
I was not nervous at all, and now I'm real
and and but it was it was great. I mean,
(13:21):
I you know, it was like boot Camp. I you know,
I wanted to honor all the songs, make sure I'm
hitting all the notes. So I like put myself through that.
And then we got to the first gig and we
did four shows. And the amazing things that there were
two distinct crowds, like like the people that came to
the show. It was the die hard I've been seeing,
you know, Skid Rosin's nineteen eighty seven. And then it
(13:43):
was the Hailstorm girls, the Hailstorm fans, these gus from
young women that were coming in their Hailstorm shirts with
their dads. So it became like a daddy daughter dan.
So it was just like so amazing. And I was
on I was on stage, and I I had ation
because I'm like, man, the only thing I realized that
(14:05):
when I was a kid, the only thing that I
wanted to be was that dude dressed up like a
girl in the in the Skid Room music video, Like
I was like living out my teenage fantasy. So it
was it was really cool, and it was it was
kind of bittersweet because we ended it and we all
wanted to continue, but like, you know, I'm not going
(14:26):
to do two bands, and once we were about to
you know, finish up the record and all this stuff,
and so it was it was kind of sweet. Their
managemer was their manager was like, are you sure you
can't do both and you can't stay, Like we want
to just have you as the singer, and I'm like, oh,
I would love to, but I'm married, you know. So
it was really neat to just you know, have I
(14:48):
don't know, I was. I was nervous about pulling it
off and then to have that kind of recognition and
that kind of respect from these these men that literally
raised me inadvertently, Like I would not be the rocker
that I am today without them. So it was such
a wonderful experience.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
And the reviews were fantastic, as I think us as
fans knew they would be.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Yeah, yeah, And.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Then sir, I actually I don't think I've actually told
anybody in this. So then we were at after Shock
the festival, and I walked up to UH to Dimebang's
uh wife and she's like, hey, I heard from Sebastian Buck,
you know. And I'm like, oh, oh, you know, because
(15:32):
I haven't talked to Sebastian since then, you know, like
he and I have talked over the years that he's
always been great to me. But I was like worried that, like,
now I'm gonna be on like a naughty list because
I played with this band and and he's He's like,
I showed him the videos of you performing and it's
I guess what he said. I'm like, oh what and
he said apparently Box said oh I hate those guys,
(15:53):
but she's freaking great. I'm like, okay, you know, so
I'm keeping the peace between the two.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
You know, he's the best. I had Sebastian Bach on
the show they were doing. They were doing a Sebastian
was doing a Christmas concert for us of all things,
you know, rock and roll Christmas though, and at the
exact same time that you were doing that stuff, and
almost because obviously we have a very long history and
I've known Sebastian for a long time too, being in
(16:21):
and out of the classic rock world.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
I'm like I almost asked him, and I did. I
chickened out.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
I'm like, no, we got to sell tickets for this concert.
I'm not going to even go there right now, because
I don't know. That's the thing about him. I never
know how he's going to react on things. It's like, yeah,
one moment, it could be like, oh my god, he's
gonna hate that.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
He's like, dude, that's the greatest thing ever. And the
next moment is like click. You know. I don't know.
So anyway, that's just the.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Way he is. Though. My metaimhere in Japan and he
was talking about how like Atlantic Records never liked Slave
to the Grind, but but we're on Atlantic Records and
we got to cover their song, and he like pull
up the knife and he's like, oh, screw Atlantic Records,
and like his base was like put down the knife
and then he looks at my pants. And then immediately
afterwards he looks at my pants. I was wearing these like
latex leather pants and he snapping my pants. He's like,
(17:08):
are these in now? Because I got a parodies from
like nineteen eighty two. I can still sit in them too,
and I'm like, I just want to invite to any
party just what happened.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Oh yeah, he's that guy, there's no doubt about it.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Speaking of that just really quick, because I know you guys.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Are in Nashville and you've been there for a long time,
But how do you end up doing versions of boot
Scoot and Boogie?
Speaker 2 (17:31):
And now what?
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Earlier this month, Life is a Highway from Rascal Flats,
the cover of the old Tom Cochrane song from Cars
by the Way.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yes, absolutely, you know so Bootstoot and Boogie was awesome.
We literally got an email out of the blue from
Brooks and Done saying, Hey, we're putting together this thing.
There's no rules, don't just cover the song, make it
your own, and then uh, we'll see it in this
studio and so and so we we literally we spent
(18:04):
like I think like two days kind of figuring it
out because it was kind of like, you know, right
after the fact. And then we went to Blackbird Studio
here in Nashville, and we just thought we were going
to be with Dan Huff, the producer, Like you just
thought we were going to get in and like record
the song and go get launch or something. And we
walked in and not only was there Brooks and Done there,
(18:26):
but they had their uh their manager, this guy named
Juice that like make sure that uh Ronnie Dunn has
all his lyrics, and their like tour manager chick, and
uh so I didn't know we were gonna have an audience,
but we ended up so like we were like, oh
my god, okay, it's great to meet you. And then
the producer's like, okay, let's do this thing. And so
(18:48):
we literally were performing it for the first time ever,
like in front of them, and uh, you know, just
kind of ran through and like recording kind of a
live version and and they gave us like a standing
ovation and then Ronnie was like, oh my, He's like, dude,
I was high on mushrooms the other day and I
thought I was trying to imagine what you guys were
(19:09):
gonna do. And I swear I knew it was gonna
be some kind of like Janis Joplin meats Metallica thing.
He's like, you guys just nailed it. And then we
did this like interview afterward, and they're like, man if
you're gonna have to teach me how to sing like that.
That is not in my wheelhouse. It's like it was
just so beautiful. It was like I just love I
love those men so much. And h and as far
(19:29):
as the Life is Highway, I mean the same thing.
The weirdest thing is that at this point in time
in my life I'm no longer asking for things all
of a sudden, you all whatever, Like it's all of
a sudden, there's like, hey, you don't know me, but
would you ever do something with me? And so like
then I have to have like a meeting like is
(19:49):
this for real? And what's going on? And like do
you guys know this person? And so that was amazing too.
And and nobody told me after I recorded Life as
a Highway that I was going to be in the
company on this album of Kelly Clarkson and Backstreet Boys
and Jonas Brothers and all of these like pop people.
So it's truly an honor that I am, for some
(20:11):
reason at this time in my life not just kind
of beholden to my own genre that people are kind
of using me for, you know, for you know, as
my own entity, and almost I'm being kind of a
representative of rock and metal, even when I'm the only
one on the list.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
So it's really amazing.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Yeah, it's a testament that I think what not only
you have Dono obviously, what Hailstorm has become and again
the last twenty years as sort of, you know, one
of the quintessential hard rock bands in the in the
genre and in the world.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Really, thank you. If you told my thirteen year old
self that in ninety seven, I would have been like,
no way, you're on something, buddy.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Oh trust me, I get If I would have told
my thirteen year old self that someday that radio station
your list too, You're going to be doing the morning show.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Goddamn mine, that's so beautiful. I'm so I'm so glad
that you that you have that and that you actually
like hold that and think about that, because it's truly
incredible when you think that, Like because like when you're
a kid, this is I'm gonna paraphrase kind of a
Joe Walsh quote, but like, but it's it's really true
because like when you're in it and you're hustling and everything,
(21:24):
it just seems like chaos. It seems like I don't
have the answers. I don't know what I'm doing, but
I'm gonna do it anyway. And then we're both at
this vantage point where we can kind of look back
and be like, wow, all that stuff is almost kind
of meant to be. Like all the plans that didn't
work out, I'm so glad they didn't work out because
it opened up these other opportunities and now here, you know.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
So that's something my wife.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
My wife and I were actually just talking about that
the other day because we're kind of laughing and we're
still newly weds, but we thank you.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
We were kind of laughing how our lives.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
She's in TV, she's in TV news, and you know,
radio and you sort of have the same kind of
whirled as far as you're in one place for a
couple of years and then you go to the next
place and the goal trying to you know, build your
career a little bit bigger. But myself also as a musician,
I was also always thinking about that, Okay, but where
do I get to play music?
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Too?
Speaker 3 (22:14):
And then also as a father, so you know, we
would do it my kids. So I ended up staying
here and it worked out because instead of going to
you know, Colorado Springs or going to Hell I get
a job off for a job off, or an Anchorage
once I'm like weird, but okay, you know, or I
almost took a job in in Vermont once, you know,
(22:34):
I'm like.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Oh wow, but I didn't.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
I end up staying in my hometown the entire time
and end up on this, yeah, on a radio station
you end up growing up with and still be able
to do, you know, the things that we all love
to do.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
You're right, You're right.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
It is interesting looking back at that vantage from that
vantage point and going okay, well I hated it then,
but this is pretty awesome.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Now, that's awesome. Anchorage. We've we've been up there a
couple times, and it's it's really awesome like that. The
rock shows are amazing because it feels like the entirety
of you know, Alaska is out there.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
But I was doing it so I do the syndicated
so the cutting Nose countdown of course, but I was
doing one back in the day for Classic Metal and
it was on a radio station in Anchorage, and that's
how they knew me and that's why they had reached out.
But I'm like I remember I'd watched tour dates and
it'd be like once or twice a year there's being
Anchorage date would show up. So I do wonder to
your point, if like there's only a handful of concerts
(23:28):
that really come through talent, So yeah, it becomes this
huge event.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Yeah, it's it's awesome. But like even with us, you know,
we played I think it's like three times we've been
up there and and it's it's it's wonderful. The people
are great, you know, the food is awesome. We always
go like fishing or hiking and somebody, you know, somebody
you know falls in the water a day that happens.
Usually argue, but but but yeah, it's it's tough. Like
(23:55):
I feel bad for people that live there because I'm like, man,
I couldn't I could go that long without seeing a concert.
You know. It's like I'm still kind, I'm still a
concert junkie. I'm like, I need a gig, even if
it's not mine.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Put it in the arm, you know, Yeah, exactly exactly
speaking of of of concerts and touring. Obviously, you know,
later this year going on tour with Volbeat and there
is a Hailstorm record gone.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yes, yes, it's literally we're getting mixes back as we speak, so.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Yeah, yeah, we'll have just just a little just a
little nugget, just a little nugget.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
So what does it sound like?
Speaker 3 (24:30):
What's because Back from the Dead was a pretty aggressive album.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
It's really hard to describe this one. We did the
record with Dave Cobb, which is a new producer for us. Uh.
His ADHD mixed very well with our ADHD. It was
like squirrel go, but we didn't. We did it. Uh,
we didn't do it traditionally the way we always do
these albums. First day, we walked in and I always
(24:57):
have like, whatever, you know, a ton of half written
songs or full written songs or here's a riff or whatever.
So I'm you know, you come in with your bag
of tricks and Dave co says, Oh, we're not gonna
do any of that, and I'm like, what do you mean.
He's like, we're not doing demos, Like I hate demos.
What we're gonna do is we're gonna start and we're
gonna write, and as we're writing, we're recording at the
same time. So that's what we did. We we first day, first,
(25:21):
the first day we actually ended up writing our first
single that'll be coming out soon. But we uh, you know, yeah,
we started okay, like who's who's got a line? So, oh,
I have this that I thought of yesterday. Cool, that'll work,
let's go. Uh, set up the drums, set up the guitar,
here's the vocals. And so we would be recording while
we were writing it, and then we would get done
(25:42):
and we would move on the next day and uh.
And so there are songs that don't even have a
click track to them or a guide because we forgot.
And then there are happy it's just a happy yeah.
And then there are there's so many different elements of
(26:02):
songs that we used to write when we were kids,
but obviously, like as adults, a lot of that feeling.
It was kind of an emotional roller coaster. There's also
I think some of the heaviest songs we've ever written
on there, some real like some really beautiful mid tempos,
a lot of personalities that I've always wanted to kind
(26:22):
of put on a record, but I never really had
the freedom or time too because usually usually when we
do a Hailstorm record, it's like, Okay, we have to
have all the songs picked, we have to have them rehearse.
We go in and kind of like do it like
an assembly line, like okay, you do you know, do
the bass, do the drums, guitar, do the vocals, and
and we're good. So there's no time to like really
like sit with things before they're like okay, we've already
(26:45):
decided we're going to do that. And so the freedom
and kind of the nerve racking kind of element of
the fact that there wasn't really a plan ended up
being the special sauce on this album because we were
just chasing every three three things excited and if it
(27:05):
wasn't a hell yeah, it was a hell no. You know,
So there was nothing. So there's nothing on there on
this album that we don't feel complete ownership over. There's
nothing on this album that anybody forced us to do.
There's nothing on this album that isn't part of our personalities.
And it was just, I don't know, it's kind of this.
(27:25):
My bass player said it yesterday. He's like, it's kind
of like this long road to the beginning, and it
because all of the guys at one point in time
said this really feels like we're back in our parents'
basement again, and we're hustling and we're trying to figure
out how to write songs on the radio. But we
have all this knowledge now, so everything ended up coming
together so incredibly well. But it was almost like the
(27:46):
reverse that the music was telling us what to do
and not us trying to like shoehorn anything in. So yeah,
I'm telling you, man, it's just it is the It
is the most hailstorm record we've ever done. It is
the first time in the twenty years we've been on
Atlantic records that I that we have not felt lorded
over and when regarding to making records, because usually it's
(28:09):
like time crunch. Somebody's always like there being like, oh
we can't do that, Oh you probably shouldn't say that,
Oh what about this thing? And you know that kind
of thing. So it usually becomes like a project, like
a group project. But for us, we were lot when
we didn't do it in Nashville. We did it in Savannah, Georgia,
locked in a house in the middle of nowhere, next
to a river, and I can't tell you, Like the
(28:32):
guys and I would wake up like around eleven thirty am.
We would start recording and we'd stop. Yeah, we wouldn't
stop until like four am, and then we would annoy
the hell out of the engineer who was trying to sleep,
you know, with like playing on like the profit keyboard
and coming up with weird stuff and and but like
we were unsupervised in the best way, you know. And
(28:53):
and it was all about how do we want? Who
are we now? Who were we then? What? This is
our story? This is our For me. When I listen
to this album, it's my personal opus, all the things
that I've gone through in my life, both you know,
dark and not. There's more questions than answers. You know,
it's not just me giving myself a pep talk like
(29:15):
I'm the fire and I'm back from the dead. It's
like I'm dealing with a lot of my reality and
a lot of the reality of the world and in
my own way. And then it's also our story as
a band, and you can really hear it in the
music and in the lyrics. So I'm so excited for
people to hear it. And you know, it's to the
point where it's like I don't even really care if
(29:36):
anybody likes it, because I think this is all four
of us are like, this is our favorite album we've
ever done.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
That's amazing, you know. So the name of it, I'm
just going to write that down. The name of the
new Hailstorm album is called Our Story. You know you
out in September. Kitty, I'm kidding, I'm kiddy. I'm kidding.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
I'm kidding.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
I'm kidding. I made that up. That's not true. I
don't even know, but we'll look forward to it.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
So I don't know.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
With Volbeat, I mentioned that before, really quick, before I
wrap up this conversation with you, Lizzie, Black Sabbath back
to the beginning. Yes, you are one of the myriad
of a million bands that are on this show that's
taking place in Birmingham, England, the birthplace of heavy metal.
I didn't make that up. I say that because Rob
Halford told me it was the birthplace of heavy metal.
(30:26):
And if Rob Halford tells me something, I'm going to
take it at its worth. And that is true. But
it is I mean to say, obviously, that's where Black
Sabbath came from. That's whe Judus Priest came from. But
Black Sabbath, back to the beginning, in Birmingham, England, this
July quick takeaway on the fact that you guys get
to be a part of this.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
So we got we got an email from Sharon Osborne herself, as.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
That's always nerve wracking.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Yeah, and I didn't answer it for two days because
I was like, what is this and is this real?
Speaker 2 (30:56):
And this scam? She asked, is she asking for one
hundred dollars in iTunes gift cards? In a minute?
Speaker 1 (31:03):
But uh uh so anyway, we we we we realized
that they wanted us on this, on this show, you know,
we're doing we're doing basically a set and then we're
also doing a Black Sabbath cover. Tom Morello is the
musical director for the entire event, so he and I
(31:24):
talked shortly after that email, which was nerve wracking in
itself as well, because I'm like, hey, Tom, you know,
even we've met before and everything, but it's like it's Tom.
He's amazing, and and he's like, hey girl, You're like,
you know, are like I'm I'm dealing with a lot
of crazy, like you know people in this in this
uh in this whole event, Like are you ready to
you know, just kind of take anything I throw at you?
(31:46):
And I'm like hell, yes, why I'm here for you, so,
you know, so we so we worked out a set
and then, uh, just a few months ago, I was
informed by Sharon that I am the only woman there
that was asked to be a part of this, which
I don't which I don't necessarily know if that's true,
(32:09):
because I I when I'm but I mean, I'll figure
out when I get there. There's got to be somebody
else but a little recon but but it's but that's
itself but for me. So when I first started getting
into rock and metal, my A b c's were Alice Cooper.
(32:33):
It was Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Cinderella, and Dio. That's
what I was listening to in in sixth and seventh grade,
much to the chagrin of all of my uh little girlfriends,
because they were listening to Backstreet Boys and all that
stuff at the time. So I was a little alien chick.
Nobody understood me. But this is like an unfathomable dream.
(32:54):
It's something that I would have never like, like like
nobody could ever tell me, like, oh, one day you
might be playing you know, nobody could ever tell me that,
because I'd be like, you're you're totally You're crazy. That
will never happen because it was just too impossible for
my brain to even like conceptualize this. So the fact
that this is a reality and I get to go
up there, you know, and not only play you know,
(33:16):
a few original songs, but then and then, but then
perform a Black Sabbath cover and uh, and hang out
with all these people and and I'm tom was talking
about something me doing a duet with somebody, and so
we're still working that out. But it's like it's crazy.
It's like it's almost like this is the year where
(33:38):
like I'm in the most respectable way, I'm killing my idols.
I'm I'm I'm not I'm now not just this fan
that that loves listening to these albums and was influenced
by Ozzie and influenced by these people. But now I
get to be part of them. I get to be
here's like almost famous, and now I'm one of them,
you know, And I'm sorry rock Dara, no you know, yeah,
(34:02):
posters of these guys on my wall and now you know.
But but it's, uh, it's really amazing. It's it's it's
one of those I don't know I'll never forget it,
you know, no matter what happens, even if you know, whatever,
I fall off the stage and something goes horribly wrong,
I'll never forget the fact that I'm actually able to
be there and to celebrate these men who literally there.
(34:26):
Would think about how many bands would not exist without
Black Sabbath, without their influence, you know.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
Our whole genre, I would not look the way it
was if it existed at all.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Yeah, So it's true. It's truly an honor and uh.
And the funny thing that the boys and I were
talking about this the other day is that this is
kind of a book ending situation for us because when
we in two thousand and nine, we opened up for
Heaven and Hell with with Ronnie James Dio when he
was in sat with you know, and and that ended
up being Ronnie's last show before he was diagnosed and
(34:59):
then he passed away. And so the fact that we're
able to kind of be there for Black Sabbaths last show,
for Ozzie's last show and celebrate, you know, in in
in the best way and and be surrounded by all
of these people that feel just like you you know
about this band is just is just incredible, you know,
against full circle events. Uh.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
Double checking the list of people announced performing, Lizzie Haile
is the only woman on this list.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Okay, I you know I was taken them for their word,
but you never know that's awesome. I mean, it's I'll
be I'll be there, ladies. I'm representing for all of
us because, uh, you know, all of my all of
my peers in this genre, on my my female my
sisters of scream. You know, we've all been influenced by
Sabbath and we were the girls that would come into
(35:51):
guitar lessons and be like, I want to learn you
know this or that, Oh, girls don't do that. Girls
don't learn Black Sabbath things. What about some goo goo dolls?
You know? And it's like that literally happened to me
and the time lesson when I was in But it's like,
you know, I know, like like women want to rage,
like if anything, you know, we have a lot to
(36:13):
rage about and this music has given us an outlet
to do so. So I will be very proud to
represent all of my my fellow sisters up there on
that stage.
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Lizzie, about let's see twenty twenty five, so about seven
years eight years ago, probably you took a bracelet off
your wrist and you gave it to my daughter during
your performance at Rocky Ussa. She still has that to
this day. She loses everything else, but she still has
that to this day. This weekend, I was chauffeuring her
and her friends around for her sweet sixteenth birthday party,
(36:48):
and we were listening to Ghost Faith No More and
mister Bungle. Oh my gosh, sixteen year old girls, that
is awesome. Some choir kids, band geeks, and that's what
we were listening to.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Love it.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
And that proves that proves that you know, music has
no age. You know, it's like it's all about when
you discover it. Because those girls are discovering that for
the first time, being like, this is amazing and it
doesn't matter whether it came out, you know, decades ago.
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
Now, don't get me wrong, they still love shapelone. I'm
just saying, oh yeah, that was Those were the requests
that were happening in the vehicle on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
That is I'm so proud. You'll have to tell her
I say hello, and I'm so I'm so happy she
didn't lose that bracelet.
Speaker 3 (37:33):
When when our when our friend ad Rock text me
on Friday afternoon and said, hey, can you talk to
Lizzy on Monday. I was sitting right next to my
kids and I go, oh, and I did voice to
text and you know, yes, of course I can talk
to Lizzy on Monday at any point. Actually, because it's
Lizzie Hale, I'm going to say yes, because it's gonna
be a great conversation.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
We're going to take the time to do it. But
both my kids went, are you going to talk to Hailstorm?
Speaker 3 (37:58):
That's cool, Lizzy. Awesome, Lizzie, thank you so much for this.
As always, You're always a pleasure to speak to. And
I can't wait to see you again soon.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Oh. I can't wait to see you too, Darlin. And
thank you so much for the time with me. This
is this has been quite soul feeling for me. So
I hope that I hope you have a great day
and I'll talk to you soon. If you need anything,
you know where to find me.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Absolutely tell the boys. I said, hello, I will, Darlin.
Thank you all right, Carters Rock Cast, don't forget to
tune in exactly
Attention please and no it cutters rock cast.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hey, Hey, how are you, honey? I'm good. How are you?
I'm great, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
We had like a crazy like tornado watch last night.
It was like nuts It missed us, but it was
like intense, just shut down the studio and everything. It
was nuts. Die.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
The weather's the weather's nutty. We had a nice storm,
so we got that going for us in spring, I know, right,
I don't know. Welcome to eleventh winter.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Yeah, welcome to you.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Yes, because it's loud, because it's louder than the other winters.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
So it's the eleventh winter.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
All right. Sorry, it's awesome.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
There you go. Lizzie, thank you so much, and it's
so good to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
You're very welcome. Thank you so much for having.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Me always always a woman you know who truly needs
no introduction if you've been listening to rock and roll
music over the course of the last two decades. Yes,
I said two decades, but I'm gonna introduce her anyway.
She's the lead singer of Hailstorm. She's sometimes the lead
singer of skid Oh. She's a guest singer on literally
everybody's albums. Country, hard rock, classic rock, new rock, heavy metal,
(01:06):
doesn't matter, all of it.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Her name is Lizzie Hale.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Lizzie, thank you, yeah, hello everybody, thank you so much
for you know, having me on this beautiful eleventh winter
second morning.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
I don't know, but you've been everywhere lately. It feels
like like every.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Time I open a news website, I go on YouTube,
I go anywhere, there's Lizzie Hale's wonderful face, in her
amazing voice, singing, performing, talking.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You're everywhere lately. Do you sleep?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
You know what I don't.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
You're a vampire.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I knew it pretty much, you know, I don't know.
I'm an odd shick. Like I'll have like a lot
of sleep, like one night, and then the next night
I'll be like just wired and doing stuff, and then
you know, the guys will be just like, why are
you still up at three in the morning. Yeah, so,
but but I don't know. I mean, it takes about
twenty years for an overnight success, I think. But just
(02:04):
you know, I'm so proud of the fact that I've
been doing it for so long. I've been in this
band since I was thirteen. We've been the same four
members since for twenty two years, you know.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Which which I'm gonna pause you just for one second. Yeah,
and I understand that your brother's the drummer and that helps,
but oh yeah, amazing, twenty two years is the same lineup.
We can't keep bands together for six months, let alone
twenty two years. I mean, like, what's the secret, Lizzie,
Like how.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You know I've been I've been trying actually to figure
that out. Because there's a couple different theories from our fans,
like like one is more cosmic there, you know, because
in all honesty, if anybody is interested in that stuff,
I go in and out of it because I have
a lot of friends that are interested in that. But
they pointed out to me a couple of years ago
that my birthday, Joe's birthday, Josh's birthday, and our Jay's
(02:55):
birthday is wind water, fire, Earth. So there's that. Maybe
there's some kind of cosmic but and.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
With the powers combined, Captain.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
But but really, I mean for us, it's it's a
the love of what we do and and and trust
in each other. Like we we truly do love each
other and and we trust each other that you know,
every time we go into a situation or we step
on stage. You know, we hold hands and we jump
(03:27):
off this proverbial cliff and we hope we packed our
parashutes right and we and we trust that we're all
in it for the right reasons. And there's something there's
something to that as well, because the longer that you
go as a band, the more beautiful it gets. It
gets harder too. But the beautiful thing about it is
that you realize that nobody on earth, nobody living right now,
(03:54):
will ever know you as much as your bandmates do.
Like my bandmates know me better than my own family,
does you know. It's almost like every time we like
go home for Christmas or like have a Thanksgiving thing,
I'm having to like reintroduce myself to my aunts and
my uncles. They're like like, oh, yeah, I'm still doing
that thing, you know, the music thing.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Are you still singing in that rock and roll band?
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Sweet? Still? Yeah? But but no, I love my guys.
And the craziest thing is that you live a couple
different lifetimes together. Like when we're in our twenties, it
was like everything was so new and we like freshly fine,
We're going on tour. We're opening for first of four bands.
You know, on whatever tour and then you know, we've
gotten some recognition and success and as the pressures of
(04:37):
that kind of come in. I know, for me in
my like mid thirties, I was like the fame happened
kind of in a way that it kind of snuck
up on me and I felt like I had to
be the hero all the time, and that got me
a little depressed. And the guys were like, hey, we're
here for you. You do not have to carry this weight
on your own. And it was like, oh my god,
(04:58):
thank you, you know, because it like things get messy,
but the fact that I have these boys and they
understand the big picture and I mean, the world could
burn and we would be fine because we have each other.
So I know that sounds cheesy, but it's like that's
that's truly kind of where we're at now. We're at
we're in this like midlife as a band, and we're
about to release an album and we're in rehearsals every
(05:21):
day going over everything, and it's just we're super excited
about that. It's like it's like oh, now, new things,
new things, new adventure. You know.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
I don't think it's cheesy. I think it's inspirational.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Oh thank you, you know, in all honesty, I mean,
it's it's to be able to hear that from people,
because yeah, sometimes people don't think it, don't get along, Okay,
it happens. But the fact that you've been able to
do that and make a career and do this thing.
We're yes, we hear it all the time. And you know,
and I've played in bands in and out all my
entire life. It is that's sort of you're in it.
(05:51):
It's a different relationship to be in a band, especially
an original band, especially a successful one. Who are you're
living together for you know, nine ten months out of
the year. That's that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, And it's like it's like we were talking about
it two days ago. We were in a we were
laughing our asses off because we were we've been recording
all of our rehearsals and Joe decided to record some
of his farts in rehearsal, and it was like, you know,
Martie's about to be thirty seven, we're all like forty
(06:24):
forty one, and I'm like, this is a combination of
you know, the Goonies and like Lord of the Flies
and like and like hook with the Lost Boys, Like
I swear to god, it's like we were all very
we are mature when we need to be, but sometimes
you need that, you know.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Absolutely, yeah, please please tell me that shows up on
an album somewhere.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I just like some sort of remix thing.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Just it just there's a drum breakdown and just you know.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I am sure, I am sure that will happen in
all honesty. But what was the album? It was our
last uh reimagined EP that we kind of reimagined some
of our some of our old songs and made them new.
And there is something I forget which track it was.
We'd put it into, like the drum groove or something
(07:15):
because Joe was playing acoustic and just like you know,
we like couldn't do anything about it, just got a
ripped one. It's yeah, and our engineer like started looping
it into the little tracks. Were like, okay, just as
I quote unquote easter Egg.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
You know, hey, speaking of that reimagined EP, this this
conversation has come up a lot recently because I you know,
I do a classic rock morning show now and then
I still have you know, my my new rock show
and the Cutting Edge Countdown. But what is classic rock?
For whatever reason that that conversation keeps coming up. You
did this reimagined EP, but Hailstorm has also done three
(07:52):
EPs of cover songs covering everything from uh What Dolly Parton?
To uh Skid Road to Metallica to Daft Punk and
everything in between.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
What is your take on that?
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Just just as a musician, as a singer who's done
classic rock songs, who's you know now been a part
of a classic rock band? Hailstorm has now been together
for over two decades. Like, what if somebody you are
ask you, well, what makes a song a classic a
classic rock song?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
What would what would your answer me? Out of curiosity?
Speaker 1 (08:31):
A classic rock song to me is more than like
you know, people call people call it dad rock, people
call it you know, oh, it's like you know that
time of music. But for me, classic rock is uh
is what's missing in a lot of what's happening in
today's rock. And you know, I'm not knocking anybody, you're
(08:52):
yucking anybody's young. But for us personally, classic rock is
that human element you know that you know, before the
or tracks, before everybody was miming, before everybody was striving
after perfection, you had to have the love of what
you do. You had to have the trust of your bandmates,
like we talked before, and then you had to kind
(09:12):
of jump off the cliff. You have to take the risk,
you know, either in the studio or live and say, okay,
we're going to be good as people, not just you know, hey,
we're gonna dance around to tape and make everything look amazing.
And and like I said, you know, I have a
lot of friends that do that and that's that's their
mo But for us, you know, when we end up
(09:34):
doing those covery piece, we're trying to not only recreate
a feeling that we got from listening to this song. Well,
like you know, when we were kids, we all grew
up on a lot of classic rock because our dads
are very much, very much into that. So so you know,
you almost are are trying to recreate this feeling that
you had when you first listened to it, but also
(09:55):
as a musician, by learning your favorite songs and by
trying to figure out how you're going to do your
twist on them, you a lot as a music and
you learned a lot about yourself. And then for us
as a hailstorm there's a little method to the madness
because usually one or two of those songs will be
like our favorite cover to do, and then we'll be like,
(10:15):
how do we write an original like this? How do
we make an original sound like this? For instance, when
we did the skid Roll cover Slave to the Grind,
I ended up you know, sitting down to guys and
being like, we need something with this tempo. We don't
have anything in our set list with this type of
you know, tempo, and we ended up writing love bites.
So so you know, it's it's I'm a firm believer
(10:39):
that like everything you do helps everything else you do. Like,
if you have a mission, it's it's going to like
leach its way into all these other things that make
you happy and then kind of become whatever your next
thing is. Because I like, I don't know if if
you're like me, but I have to constantly be like
searching for you know, new inspiration or just being wow,
(11:01):
buy something. I can't just keep doing the same thing
over and over again, which is a reason why we
switch up our set list every night. We don't do
the same set not just to you know, give back
to the fans and be like Okay, if you come
to this show, you're not going to see the same
show the next night, because we have people that come
and see eight shows in a row. But for us,
it's it doesn't become boring and it keeps us on
(11:24):
our toes. So yeah, I don't know, that's for me,
That's that's what it is about.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Yeah, No, I like that. I think you make a
lot of sense there.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
As you mentioned Slade to the grind, how did you
end up becoming the lead singer skid Row for men?
Speaker 1 (11:37):
You know what? It really wasn't that official. It was
I was at a birthday party. It was a Nick
Rascal and it's birthday party. Who has uh? He was
the producer of Vicious and Back in the Dead and
a couple of Peace of Ours and uh. And Rachel
is also a friend of Nick's and he's done a
bunch of skid Rows recordings as well. And so we're
(11:57):
I'm eating cake and we're talking. I'm talking to to
Bowling and you know, as you do, like hey, as
you do on a Saturday night, and and he turns
me he says, hey, how would you feel about performing
with skid Row sometime? And I, you know, I'm like,
I'm dumb. I'm like, wait, you mean like Hailstorm and
skid Row. That sounds like fun. He's like, no, that's
(12:17):
not what I'm talking about. He's like, would you actually
front the band for a couple of days? And I said, oh, well,
I mean i'd love to. What's happened? And he's like, well,
we're having some stuff going down with our lead singer
and we have these dates to fill. And so I said, well,
you know, let me call up my people and see
what your dates are and see if I can clear
the calendar and make that happen. Just because you know,
he's a friend, I want to I want to help
(12:39):
him out, and also like, man, that would be so
much fun. So so I did. I cleared the calendar,
I made sure that we could do it, and then
they announced it right and all of a sudden, it
became so much more than just a friend helping a
friend and us doing something together. It became this event.
I started hearing from people that I hadn't heard from
(12:59):
fifteen years back in the East Coast, like oh my god,
I'm bringing my daughter and uh, you know, and and
it was like and then I called my dad and
my dad's like, dude, I remember you blasting Slave to
the Girl on that album in like nineteen ninety six
when you were like eleven, how does this feel? And
I'm like, you know what before you said that, Dad,
I was not nervous at all, and now I'm real
and and but it was it was great. I mean,
(13:21):
I you know, it was like boot Camp. I you know,
I wanted to honor all the songs, make sure I'm
hitting all the notes. So I like put myself through that.
And then we got to the first gig and we
did four shows. And the amazing things that there were
two distinct crowds, like like the people that came to
the show. It was the die hard I've been seeing,
you know, Skid Rosin's nineteen eighty seven. And then it
(13:43):
was the Hailstorm girls, the Hailstorm fans, these gus from
young women that were coming in their Hailstorm shirts with
their dads. So it became like a daddy daughter dan.
So it was just like so amazing. And I was
on I was on stage, and I I had ation
because I'm like, man, the only thing I realized that
(14:05):
when I was a kid, the only thing that I
wanted to be was that dude dressed up like a
girl in the in the Skid Room music video, Like
I was like living out my teenage fantasy. So it
was it was really cool, and it was it was
kind of bittersweet because we ended it and we all
wanted to continue, but like, you know, I'm not going
(14:26):
to do two bands, and once we were about to
you know, finish up the record and all this stuff,
and so it was it was kind of sweet. Their
managemer was their manager was like, are you sure you
can't do both and you can't stay, Like we want
to just have you as the singer, and I'm like, oh,
I would love to, but I'm married, you know. So
it was really neat to just you know, have I
(14:48):
don't know, I was. I was nervous about pulling it
off and then to have that kind of recognition and
that kind of respect from these these men that literally
raised me inadvertently, Like I would not be the rocker
that I am today without them. So it was such
a wonderful experience.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
And the reviews were fantastic, as I think us as
fans knew they would be.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Yeah, yeah, And.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Then sir, I actually I don't think I've actually told
anybody in this. So then we were at after Shock
the festival, and I walked up to UH to Dimebang's
uh wife and she's like, hey, I heard from Sebastian Buck,
you know. And I'm like, oh, oh, you know, because
(15:32):
I haven't talked to Sebastian since then, you know, like
he and I have talked over the years that he's
always been great to me. But I was like worried that, like,
now I'm gonna be on like a naughty list because
I played with this band and and he's He's like,
I showed him the videos of you performing and it's
I guess what he said. I'm like, oh what and
he said apparently Box said oh I hate those guys,
(15:53):
but she's freaking great. I'm like, okay, you know, so
I'm keeping the peace between the two.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
You know, he's the best. I had Sebastian Bach on
the show they were doing. They were doing a Sebastian
was doing a Christmas concert for us of all things,
you know, rock and roll Christmas though, and at the
exact same time that you were doing that stuff, and
almost because obviously we have a very long history and
I've known Sebastian for a long time too, being in
(16:21):
and out of the classic rock world.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
I'm like I almost asked him, and I did. I
chickened out.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
I'm like, no, we got to sell tickets for this concert.
I'm not going to even go there right now, because
I don't know. That's the thing about him. I never
know how he's going to react on things. It's like, yeah,
one moment, it could be like, oh my god, he's
gonna hate that.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
He's like, dude, that's the greatest thing ever. And the
next moment is like click. You know. I don't know.
So anyway, that's just the.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Way he is. Though. My metaimhere in Japan and he
was talking about how like Atlantic Records never liked Slave
to the Grind, but but we're on Atlantic Records and
we got to cover their song, and he like pull
up the knife and he's like, oh, screw Atlantic Records,
and like his base was like put down the knife
and then he looks at my pants. And then immediately
afterwards he looks at my pants. I was wearing these like
latex leather pants and he snapping my pants. He's like,
(17:08):
are these in now? Because I got a parodies from
like nineteen eighty two. I can still sit in them too,
and I'm like, I just want to invite to any
party just what happened.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Oh yeah, he's that guy, there's no doubt about it.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Speaking of that just really quick, because I know you guys.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Are in Nashville and you've been there for a long time,
But how do you end up doing versions of boot
Scoot and Boogie?
Speaker 2 (17:31):
And now what?
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Earlier this month, Life is a Highway from Rascal Flats,
the cover of the old Tom Cochrane song from Cars
by the Way.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yes, absolutely, you know so Bootstoot and Boogie was awesome.
We literally got an email out of the blue from
Brooks and Done saying, Hey, we're putting together this thing.
There's no rules, don't just cover the song, make it
your own, and then uh, we'll see it in this
studio and so and so we we literally we spent
(18:04):
like I think like two days kind of figuring it
out because it was kind of like, you know, right
after the fact. And then we went to Blackbird Studio
here in Nashville, and we just thought we were going
to be with Dan Huff, the producer, Like you just
thought we were going to get in and like record
the song and go get launch or something. And we
walked in and not only was there Brooks and Done there,
(18:26):
but they had their uh their manager, this guy named
Juice that like make sure that uh Ronnie Dunn has
all his lyrics, and their like tour manager chick, and
uh so I didn't know we were gonna have an audience,
but we ended up so like we were like, oh
my god, okay, it's great to meet you. And then
the producer's like, okay, let's do this thing. And so
(18:48):
we literally were performing it for the first time ever,
like in front of them, and uh, you know, just
kind of ran through and like recording kind of a
live version and and they gave us like a standing
ovation and then Ronnie was like, oh my, He's like, dude,
I was high on mushrooms the other day and I
thought I was trying to imagine what you guys were
(19:09):
gonna do. And I swear I knew it was gonna
be some kind of like Janis Joplin meats Metallica thing.
He's like, you guys just nailed it. And then we
did this like interview afterward, and they're like, man if
you're gonna have to teach me how to sing like that.
That is not in my wheelhouse. It's like it was
just so beautiful. It was like I just love I
love those men so much. And h and as far
(19:29):
as the Life is Highway, I mean the same thing.
The weirdest thing is that at this point in time
in my life I'm no longer asking for things all
of a sudden, you all whatever, Like it's all of
a sudden, there's like, hey, you don't know me, but
would you ever do something with me? And so like
then I have to have like a meeting like is
(19:49):
this for real? And what's going on? And like do
you guys know this person? And so that was amazing too.
And and nobody told me after I recorded Life as
a Highway that I was going to be in the
company on this album of Kelly Clarkson and Backstreet Boys
and Jonas Brothers and all of these like pop people.
So it's truly an honor that I am, for some
(20:11):
reason at this time in my life not just kind
of beholden to my own genre that people are kind
of using me for, you know, for you know, as
my own entity, and almost I'm being kind of a
representative of rock and metal, even when I'm the only
one on the list.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
So it's really amazing.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Yeah, it's a testament that I think what not only
you have Dono obviously, what Hailstorm has become and again
the last twenty years as sort of, you know, one
of the quintessential hard rock bands in the in the
genre and in the world.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Really, thank you. If you told my thirteen year old
self that in ninety seven, I would have been like,
no way, you're on something, buddy.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Oh trust me, I get If I would have told
my thirteen year old self that someday that radio station
your list too, You're going to be doing the morning show.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Goddamn mine, that's so beautiful. I'm so I'm so glad
that you that you have that and that you actually
like hold that and think about that, because it's truly
incredible when you think that, Like because like when you're
a kid, this is I'm gonna paraphrase kind of a
Joe Walsh quote, but like, but it's it's really true
because like when you're in it and you're hustling and everything,
(21:24):
it just seems like chaos. It seems like I don't
have the answers. I don't know what I'm doing, but
I'm gonna do it anyway. And then we're both at
this vantage point where we can kind of look back
and be like, wow, all that stuff is almost kind
of meant to be. Like all the plans that didn't
work out, I'm so glad they didn't work out because
it opened up these other opportunities and now here, you know.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
So that's something my wife.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
My wife and I were actually just talking about that
the other day because we're kind of laughing and we're
still newly weds, but we thank you.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
We were kind of laughing how our lives.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
She's in TV, she's in TV news, and you know,
radio and you sort of have the same kind of
whirled as far as you're in one place for a
couple of years and then you go to the next
place and the goal trying to you know, build your
career a little bit bigger. But myself also as a musician,
I was also always thinking about that, Okay, but where
do I get to play music?
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Too?
Speaker 3 (22:14):
And then also as a father, so you know, we
would do it my kids. So I ended up staying
here and it worked out because instead of going to
you know, Colorado Springs or going to Hell I get
a job off for a job off, or an Anchorage
once I'm like weird, but okay, you know, or I
almost took a job in in Vermont once, you know,
(22:34):
I'm like.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Oh wow, but I didn't.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
I end up staying in my hometown the entire time
and end up on this, yeah, on a radio station
you end up growing up with and still be able
to do, you know, the things that we all love
to do.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
You're right, You're right.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
It is interesting looking back at that vantage from that
vantage point and going okay, well I hated it then,
but this is pretty awesome.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Now, that's awesome. Anchorage. We've we've been up there a
couple times, and it's it's really awesome like that. The
rock shows are amazing because it feels like the entirety
of you know, Alaska is out there.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
But I was doing it so I do the syndicated
so the cutting Nose countdown of course, but I was
doing one back in the day for Classic Metal and
it was on a radio station in Anchorage, and that's
how they knew me and that's why they had reached out.
But I'm like I remember I'd watched tour dates and
it'd be like once or twice a year there's being
Anchorage date would show up. So I do wonder to
your point, if like there's only a handful of concerts
(23:28):
that really come through talent, So yeah, it becomes this
huge event.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Yeah, it's it's awesome. But like even with us, you know,
we played I think it's like three times we've been
up there and and it's it's it's wonderful. The people
are great, you know, the food is awesome. We always
go like fishing or hiking and somebody, you know, somebody
you know falls in the water a day that happens.
Usually argue, but but but yeah, it's it's tough. Like
(23:55):
I feel bad for people that live there because I'm like, man,
I couldn't I could go that long without seeing a concert.
You know. It's like I'm still kind, I'm still a
concert junkie. I'm like, I need a gig, even if
it's not mine.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Put it in the arm, you know, Yeah, exactly exactly
speaking of of of concerts and touring. Obviously, you know,
later this year going on tour with Volbeat and there
is a Hailstorm record gone.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yes, yes, it's literally we're getting mixes back as we speak, so.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Yeah, yeah, we'll have just just a little just a
little nugget, just a little nugget.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
So what does it sound like?
Speaker 3 (24:30):
What's because Back from the Dead was a pretty aggressive album.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
It's really hard to describe this one. We did the
record with Dave Cobb, which is a new producer for us. Uh.
His ADHD mixed very well with our ADHD. It was
like squirrel go, but we didn't. We did it. Uh,
we didn't do it traditionally the way we always do
these albums. First day, we walked in and I always
(24:57):
have like, whatever, you know, a ton of half written
songs or full written songs or here's a riff or whatever.
So I'm you know, you come in with your bag
of tricks and Dave co says, Oh, we're not gonna
do any of that, and I'm like, what do you mean.
He's like, we're not doing demos, Like I hate demos.
What we're gonna do is we're gonna start and we're
gonna write, and as we're writing, we're recording at the
same time. So that's what we did. We we first day, first,
(25:21):
the first day we actually ended up writing our first
single that'll be coming out soon. But we uh, you know, yeah,
we started okay, like who's who's got a line? So, oh,
I have this that I thought of yesterday. Cool, that'll work,
let's go. Uh, set up the drums, set up the guitar,
here's the vocals. And so we would be recording while
we were writing it, and then we would get done
(25:42):
and we would move on the next day and uh.
And so there are songs that don't even have a
click track to them or a guide because we forgot.
And then there are happy it's just a happy yeah.
And then there are there's so many different elements of
(26:02):
songs that we used to write when we were kids,
but obviously, like as adults, a lot of that feeling.
It was kind of an emotional roller coaster. There's also
I think some of the heaviest songs we've ever written
on there, some real like some really beautiful mid tempos,
a lot of personalities that I've always wanted to kind
(26:22):
of put on a record, but I never really had
the freedom or time too because usually usually when we
do a Hailstorm record, it's like, Okay, we have to
have all the songs picked, we have to have them rehearse.
We go in and kind of like do it like
an assembly line, like okay, you do you know, do
the bass, do the drums, guitar, do the vocals, and
and we're good. So there's no time to like really
like sit with things before they're like okay, we've already
(26:45):
decided we're going to do that. And so the freedom
and kind of the nerve racking kind of element of
the fact that there wasn't really a plan ended up
being the special sauce on this album because we were
just chasing every three three things excited and if it
(27:05):
wasn't a hell yeah, it was a hell no. You know,
So there was nothing. So there's nothing on there on
this album that we don't feel complete ownership over. There's
nothing on this album that anybody forced us to do.
There's nothing on this album that isn't part of our personalities.
And it was just, I don't know, it's kind of this.
(27:25):
My bass player said it yesterday. He's like, it's kind
of like this long road to the beginning, and it
because all of the guys at one point in time
said this really feels like we're back in our parents'
basement again, and we're hustling and we're trying to figure
out how to write songs on the radio. But we
have all this knowledge now, so everything ended up coming
together so incredibly well. But it was almost like the
(27:46):
reverse that the music was telling us what to do
and not us trying to like shoehorn anything in. So yeah,
I'm telling you, man, it's just it is the It
is the most hailstorm record we've ever done. It is
the first time in the twenty years we've been on
Atlantic records that I that we have not felt lorded
over and when regarding to making records, because usually it's
(28:09):
like time crunch. Somebody's always like there being like, oh
we can't do that, Oh you probably shouldn't say that,
Oh what about this thing? And you know that kind
of thing. So it usually becomes like a project, like
a group project. But for us, we were lot when
we didn't do it in Nashville. We did it in Savannah, Georgia,
locked in a house in the middle of nowhere, next
to a river, and I can't tell you, Like the
(28:32):
guys and I would wake up like around eleven thirty am.
We would start recording and we'd stop. Yeah, we wouldn't
stop until like four am, and then we would annoy
the hell out of the engineer who was trying to sleep,
you know, with like playing on like the profit keyboard
and coming up with weird stuff and and but like
we were unsupervised in the best way, you know. And
(28:53):
and it was all about how do we want? Who
are we now? Who were we then? What? This is
our story? This is our For me. When I listen
to this album, it's my personal opus, all the things
that I've gone through in my life, both you know,
dark and not. There's more questions than answers. You know,
it's not just me giving myself a pep talk like
(29:15):
I'm the fire and I'm back from the dead. It's
like I'm dealing with a lot of my reality and
a lot of the reality of the world and in
my own way. And then it's also our story as
a band, and you can really hear it in the
music and in the lyrics. So I'm so excited for
people to hear it. And you know, it's to the
point where it's like I don't even really care if
(29:36):
anybody likes it, because I think this is all four
of us are like, this is our favorite album we've
ever done.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
That's amazing, you know. So the name of it, I'm
just going to write that down. The name of the
new Hailstorm album is called Our Story. You know you
out in September. Kitty, I'm kidding, I'm kiddy. I'm kidding.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
I'm kidding.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
I'm kidding. I made that up. That's not true. I
don't even know, but we'll look forward to it.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
So I don't know.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
With Volbeat, I mentioned that before, really quick, before I
wrap up this conversation with you, Lizzie, Black Sabbath back
to the beginning. Yes, you are one of the myriad
of a million bands that are on this show that's
taking place in Birmingham, England, the birthplace of heavy metal.
I didn't make that up. I say that because Rob
Halford told me it was the birthplace of heavy metal.
(30:26):
And if Rob Halford tells me something, I'm going to
take it at its worth. And that is true. But
it is I mean to say, obviously, that's where Black
Sabbath came from. That's whe Judus Priest came from. But
Black Sabbath, back to the beginning, in Birmingham, England, this
July quick takeaway on the fact that you guys get
to be a part of this.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
So we got we got an email from Sharon Osborne herself, as.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
That's always nerve wracking.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Yeah, and I didn't answer it for two days because
I was like, what is this and is this real?
Speaker 2 (30:56):
And this scam? She asked, is she asking for one
hundred dollars in iTunes gift cards? In a minute?
Speaker 1 (31:03):
But uh uh so anyway, we we we we realized
that they wanted us on this, on this show, you know,
we're doing we're doing basically a set and then we're
also doing a Black Sabbath cover. Tom Morello is the
musical director for the entire event, so he and I
(31:24):
talked shortly after that email, which was nerve wracking in
itself as well, because I'm like, hey, Tom, you know,
even we've met before and everything, but it's like it's Tom.
He's amazing, and and he's like, hey girl, You're like,
you know, are like I'm I'm dealing with a lot
of crazy, like you know people in this in this
uh in this whole event, Like are you ready to
you know, just kind of take anything I throw at you?
(31:46):
And I'm like hell, yes, why I'm here for you, so,
you know, so we so we worked out a set
and then, uh, just a few months ago, I was
informed by Sharon that I am the only woman there
that was asked to be a part of this, which
I don't which I don't necessarily know if that's true,
(32:09):
because I I when I'm but I mean, I'll figure
out when I get there. There's got to be somebody
else but a little recon but but it's but that's
itself but for me. So when I first started getting
into rock and metal, my A b c's were Alice Cooper.
(32:33):
It was Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Cinderella, and Dio. That's
what I was listening to in in sixth and seventh grade,
much to the chagrin of all of my uh little girlfriends,
because they were listening to Backstreet Boys and all that
stuff at the time. So I was a little alien chick.
Nobody understood me. But this is like an unfathomable dream.
(32:54):
It's something that I would have never like, like like
nobody could ever tell me, like, oh, one day you
might be playing you know, nobody could ever tell me that,
because I'd be like, you're you're totally You're crazy. That
will never happen because it was just too impossible for
my brain to even like conceptualize this. So the fact
that this is a reality and I get to go
up there, you know, and not only play you know,
(33:16):
a few original songs, but then and then, but then
perform a Black Sabbath cover and uh, and hang out
with all these people and and I'm tom was talking
about something me doing a duet with somebody, and so
we're still working that out. But it's like it's crazy.
It's like it's almost like this is the year where
(33:38):
like I'm in the most respectable way, I'm killing my idols.
I'm I'm I'm not I'm now not just this fan
that that loves listening to these albums and was influenced
by Ozzie and influenced by these people. But now I
get to be part of them. I get to be
here's like almost famous, and now I'm one of them,
you know, And I'm sorry rock Dara, no you know, yeah,
(34:02):
posters of these guys on my wall and now you know.
But but it's, uh, it's really amazing. It's it's it's
one of those I don't know I'll never forget it,
you know, no matter what happens, even if you know, whatever,
I fall off the stage and something goes horribly wrong,
I'll never forget the fact that I'm actually able to
be there and to celebrate these men who literally there.
(34:26):
Would think about how many bands would not exist without
Black Sabbath, without their influence, you know.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
Our whole genre, I would not look the way it
was if it existed at all.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Yeah, So it's true. It's truly an honor and uh.
And the funny thing that the boys and I were
talking about this the other day is that this is
kind of a book ending situation for us because when
we in two thousand and nine, we opened up for
Heaven and Hell with with Ronnie James Dio when he
was in sat with you know, and and that ended
up being Ronnie's last show before he was diagnosed and
(34:59):
then he passed away. And so the fact that we're
able to kind of be there for Black Sabbaths last show,
for Ozzie's last show and celebrate, you know, in in
in the best way and and be surrounded by all
of these people that feel just like you you know
about this band is just is just incredible, you know,
against full circle events. Uh.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
Double checking the list of people announced performing, Lizzie Haile
is the only woman on this list.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Okay, I you know I was taken them for their word,
but you never know that's awesome. I mean, it's I'll
be I'll be there, ladies. I'm representing for all of
us because, uh, you know, all of my all of
my peers in this genre, on my my female my
sisters of scream. You know, we've all been influenced by
Sabbath and we were the girls that would come into
(35:51):
guitar lessons and be like, I want to learn you
know this or that, Oh, girls don't do that. Girls
don't learn Black Sabbath things. What about some goo goo dolls?
You know? And it's like that literally happened to me
and the time lesson when I was in But it's like,
you know, I know, like like women want to rage,
like if anything, you know, we have a lot to
(36:13):
rage about and this music has given us an outlet
to do so. So I will be very proud to
represent all of my my fellow sisters up there on
that stage.
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Lizzie, about let's see twenty twenty five, so about seven
years eight years ago, probably you took a bracelet off
your wrist and you gave it to my daughter during
your performance at Rocky Ussa. She still has that to
this day. She loses everything else, but she still has
that to this day. This weekend, I was chauffeuring her
and her friends around for her sweet sixteenth birthday party,
(36:48):
and we were listening to Ghost Faith No More and
mister Bungle. Oh my gosh, sixteen year old girls, that
is awesome. Some choir kids, band geeks, and that's what
we were listening to.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Love it.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
And that proves that proves that you know, music has
no age. You know, it's like it's all about when
you discover it. Because those girls are discovering that for
the first time, being like, this is amazing and it
doesn't matter whether it came out, you know, decades ago.
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
Now, don't get me wrong, they still love shapelone. I'm
just saying, oh yeah, that was Those were the requests
that were happening in the vehicle on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
That is I'm so proud. You'll have to tell her
I say hello, and I'm so I'm so happy she
didn't lose that bracelet.
Speaker 3 (37:33):
When when our when our friend ad Rock text me
on Friday afternoon and said, hey, can you talk to
Lizzy on Monday. I was sitting right next to my
kids and I go, oh, and I did voice to
text and you know, yes, of course I can talk
to Lizzy on Monday at any point. Actually, because it's
Lizzie Hale, I'm going to say yes, because it's gonna
be a great conversation.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
We're going to take the time to do it. But
both my kids went, are you going to talk to Hailstorm?
Speaker 3 (37:58):
That's cool, Lizzy. Awesome, Lizzie, thank you so much for this.
As always, You're always a pleasure to speak to. And
I can't wait to see you again soon.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Oh. I can't wait to see you too, Darlin. And
thank you so much for the time with me. This
is this has been quite soul feeling for me. So
I hope that I hope you have a great day
and I'll talk to you soon. If you need anything,
you know where to find me.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Absolutely tell the boys. I said, hello, I will, Darlin.
Thank you all right, Carters Rock Cast, don't forget to
tune in exactly
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