{"id":35330,"date":"2018-07-27T07:00:57","date_gmt":"2018-07-26T21:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=35330"},"modified":"2018-07-25T11:49:36","modified_gmt":"2018-07-25T01:49:36","slug":"arejay-hale-of-halestorm-interview-vicious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2018\/07\/arejay-hale-of-halestorm-interview-vicious\/","title":{"rendered":"Arejay Hale of Halestorm"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u201c\u2026when we started this band we were just four huge dorks that cracked jokes and now here we are we\u2019ve been a band for so long now and we\u2019re still the same four dorks that we were *laughs* but I think the thing that\u2019s changed though is it leaks through more in our live show, we don\u2019t feel as inhibited to just be one and honestly ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Release: Widely acknowledged as one of the most vital and iconic bands in modern hard rock, Halestorm made a spectacular debut with their 2009 self-titled LP. This was followed by 2012\u2019s The Strange Case Of\u2026 \u2013 which featured the GRAMMY\u00ae Award-winning single, Love Bites (So Do I) \u2013 and 2015\u2019s Into The Wild Life. One of the hardest working bands in rock or any other musical genre, Halestorm has spent much of its lifetime on the road, performing thousands of live shows since their inception. The band has also made their mark on the Australian live circuit, with tours in December 2015 and January 2017. Now the GRAMMY\u00ae Award-winning band have announced the impending release of their fourth studio album, Vicious, out July 27. Vicious, which was recorded earlier this year in Nashville with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Rush).<\/p>\n

While at home in L.A. and enjoying the sunshine Arejay us a call to talk about Halestorm\u2019s new album \u2018Vicious\u2019, its creation, Australia, changes, anniversaries, and more\u2026<\/p>\n

Arejay it’s crazy to think it’s been six years since we chatted, so let’s catch up, how have the last six years been for you?<\/strong>
\nOh my god I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s been that long, it\u2019s crazy how everything just feels like it\u2019s longer than it is but at the same time it feels like time flies by so quickly so it\u2019s a very strange world that we live in *laughs* constantly travelling, constantly being on the go, it can be tiring but also time can just get away from you, so it\u2019s been a very busy six years I\u2019m sure that it\u2019s pretty obvious, it\u2019s been a wild ride.<\/p>\n

Of course we’re here because album number four is out next week and as it’s the fourth album so can you give me four words that you think sum it up perfectly?<\/strong>
\n*laughs* Well the number one word is probably the title, Vicious. It\u2019s vicious, it\u2019s meaty, it\u2019s just like meat and potatoes type record *laughs* no frills and nothing fancy just basically it\u2019s honest and straight up. So, vicious, meaty, honest and evolved *laughs* let\u2019s do that, just to throw in a fancy word.<\/p>\n

So did you set out to do anything differently this time around compared to your previous albums?<\/strong>
\nYou know every time we go in to make a record we always feel more experienced, we feel more confident going in, so we really didn\u2019t have too much pre-planned before we started working in the studio, we pretty much went in the studio and just started writing from the ground up. We got to work with one of our favourite producers Nick Raskulinecz who we\u2019ve been wanting to work with for a long, long time, he has just always been busy every time we were going out to make a record. So this time around we felt very confident because we were working with a producer that we\u2019ve always wanted to work with for a long time and vice versa, he has been wanting to work with us for a long time. So going into it we just thought with every record we feel a little bit stronger as songwriters and with this record we felt a little more confident to go into the studio with nothing pre written, nothing co-written and just start writing the four of us together in a room. So I think this is the most genuine and the most, we\u2019ve been calling it the most Halestorm sounding record to date probably *laughs*.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I\u2019ve listened through a few times and it\u2019s back to that big rock sound, it\u2019s so good.<\/strong>
\nThanks! When we made our last album \u2018Into The Wild Life\u2019 we experimented a lot more with different sounds and we had synths and keyboards and our producer Jay Joyce was very creative in that way but for this record we felt like after touring on the Wild Life record and performing the songs live and kind of realising that the songs translate better to our audience when we play them live and this time Nick wanted to capture that energy on record, so that\u2019s what we were going for.<\/p>\n

I always like to pick one song out that stands out above the rest for me, I’m a sucker for a big power ballad and ‘Killing Ourselves To Live’ sounds like an Iron Maiden power ballad at times, can you tell me the coolest thing about that song in your eyes?<\/strong>
\n*laughs* Well that song was written very honestly, I think that song is the most autobiographical song on the record lyrically, it basically sums up our entire journey, starting out and working our asses off to get to the point we\u2019re at now, it really feels like we\u2019re killing ourselves, we\u2019re breaking our necks so we can do what we love , we\u2019re killing ourselves to live. I think that one is just very, very blunt and very honest to our lives.<\/p>\n

When we last spoke you guys hadn’t yet been to Australia, you’ve now been twice! Question is, any idea when the third time may be?<\/strong>
\nYes! Oh my gosh I hope so soon, I was just talking to our booking agent yesterday and we\u2019re hoping to get back really soon, hopefully if not this year next year we\u2019re hoping in the next two years to get back over there because it\u2019s just become our favourite place to tour, we just love it so much, we love the people, we love the culture, it\u2019s just a beautiful country, and we also love Jim Jeffries and he is a total national treasure for you guys *laughs*. I love Jim Jeffries, he\u2019s become one of my favourite comedians of our modern day so thank you for making him *laughs*.<\/p>\n

I’ve followed you guys from the first album and it’s been so good watching you kick ass all over the world, but has there been a pinch me moment you’ve lived that you still shake your head about?<\/strong>
\nYeah I think one of them definitely is when we\u2019re travelling so much all over the world we\u2019ve been doing it for a while now, sometimes it\u2019s easy to focus more on the gruelling travel aspect of it and just kind of think \u2018oh my god it\u2019s just one airport after the next and then hotels and bus and then once we hit the stage and we\u2019re performing in front of an audience on the other side of the world from where we\u2019re from it\u2019s surreal, it really blows your mind to think you can go so far from home and people know who the heck we are. So yeah, every time in Australia for instance, our first tour in Australia was a headline tour we weren\u2019t even opening for anybody and it was just so shocking that we\u2019re so far from home and there\u2019s people there that want to come out and see us you know? It keeps you humble and it makes you appreciate what we do and makes it all worth it.<\/p>\n

What’s on your list of things to do that you haven’t yet had the chance to do?<\/strong>
\nOh gosh, so much, honestly, I feel like I\u2019ve never really grown past the age of seventeen, I feel like my ambition is just maximising with every year that goes by *laughs*. There\u2019s so much that I want to do, mostly musically, I love to sing, I love to write and I\u2019d love to experiment with that aspect I\u2019ve been playing drums for a long, long time and I feel like the more you grow the more you mature musically and the more you do it the more you like to kind of branch off into the other realms of the art of music, of all the aspects of it, not just what you bring to the table with your instrument but also everything behind it, producing and song-writing and singing and all that stuff. Yeah just a lot of musical horizons I would like to chase after so you know life is short, but the good thing is I don\u2019t know how to sit still, when we\u2019re not touring I\u2019m at home making music and doing all sorts of stuff but the list is quite long for the things that I still want to be able to do.<\/p>\n

So it’s sometimes easy to say what’s changed in your time in a band but what would you say is the one thing that’s stayed the same in your time together in Halestorm?<\/strong>
\nYou know the one thing that never changed\u00a0 is the dynamic between the four of us, when we started this band we were just four huge dorks that cracked jokes and now here we are we\u2019ve been a band for so long now and we\u2019re still the same four dorks that we were *laughs* but I think the thing that\u2019s changed though is it leaks through more in our live show, we don\u2019t feel as inhibited to just be one and honestly ourselves.<\/p>\n

Next year is the tenth anniversary of your brilliant debut album, are there any plans for something special to celebrate?<\/strong>
\nOh wow, we haven\u2019t really thought of anything but you\u2019re exactly right, 2019 will be ten years since the debut record, we don\u2019t really have any plans yet but I\u2019m sure that we will do something special. Keep an eye out.<\/p>\n

Lastly let’s look ahead to the future, finish this sentence for me, by the end of 2018 Halestorm will…<\/strong>
\nOh my gosh *laughs* by the end of 2018 Halestorm will, oh my gosh that\u2019s tough to say because we will\u2026 Halestorm will be at the next chapter of our career and of our lives, that\u2019s the only goal, to keep on going and keep on doing it, and keep on moving up and out. Just speaking to our team and seeing what\u2019s a head, we have a lot of touring ahead of us by 2018 Halestorm will have a lot more countries and a lot more miles under our belts *laughs*.<\/p>\n

Thanks Arejay, please send our love to the guys and we can\u2019t wait to see you back!<\/strong>
\nOh I\u2019ll definitely give your love to everybody in the band and everybody on our team, man, we really appreciate your support over the years, honestly if it wasn\u2019t for you guys I don\u2019t think that tour in Australia would\u2019ve ever happened so thank you guys for all the support and the love and allowing us and enabling us to get over there, and I can\u2019t wait to get over again, let\u2019s hang out we\u2019ll have a beer.<\/p>\n

Definitely! Thanks again and good luck with the record.<\/strong>
\nThank you so much, man, talk to you soon.<\/p>\n

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Essential Information<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong>\u00a0Pennsylvania, USA<\/p>\n

Band members:\u00a0<\/strong>Lzzy Hale \u2013 Vocals, Guitar, Arejay Hale \u2013 Drums, Josh Smith \u2013 Bass, Vocals, Joe Hottinger \u2013 Guitar, Vocals<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong>\u00a0http:\/\/www.halestormrocks.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Latest release: <\/strong>Vicious (Out now \u2013 Warner Music Australia)<\/p>\n

Check out our review of the ‘Vicious’ HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

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