Canfield Fair grandstand headliner Halestorm in the forecast


September 1, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

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By JOHN BENSON

entertainment@vindy.com

There are some bands that are just instantly recognizable. Now you can add the fiery Halestorm to that list.

Like a breath of fresh air, Halestorm emerged on the late ’00s rock scene with something to prove. While rock is still a male-dominated genre, singer Lzzy Hale and her band mates quickly received acceptance, touring upwards of 250 shows a year.

To date, the Grammy Award-winning outfit has released three albums and roughly a dozen charting songs.

Its other members are Joe Hottinger (lead guitar), Josh Smith (bass) and Arejay Hale (drums). The band, which is currently touring its latest effort “Into the Wild Life,” played Packard Music Hall in Warren last September, and will return to the Mahoning Valley tonight for a show at the Canfield Fair grandstand.

Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Halestorm:

  1. Elizabeth “Lzzy” Hale, who started playing piano at age 5, began writing songs with her brother Arejay while they were in middle school.

  2. In an early incarnation of Halestorm, the Hales’ dad, Roger, played bass.

  3. The group’s 2009 self-titled debut effort included lead single, “I Get Off,” which was a top 10 hit on the rock charts.

  4. An early EP, “ReAnimate,” included covers of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and Guns N’ Roses “Out Ta Get Me.”

  5. In 2012, the band’s track “Here’s To Us” went to No. 1 on iTunes’ Top Rock Songs after it was featured on Fox’s hit series “Glee.”

  6. That same year, Halestorm appeared in an episode of “Bar Rescue.” The band played at the grand opening of a Fairfield, Ohio, bar.

  7. In 2014, Halestorm contributed a cover of “Straight Through the Heart” to the Ronnie James Dio tribute album “This Is Your Life.”

  8. Halestorm’s latest effort, “Into the Wild Life,” includes No. 1 alt rock radio hits “Apocalyptic” and “Amen,” as well as the top 5 Active Rock tune “I Am the Fire.”

  9. “Into the Wild Life” went to No. 5 on the album charts, which is the band’s highest charting release to date. Highlights on the new album include the heavy “Mayhem,” the ballad “Dear Daughter” and the anthemic “Sick Individual.”

  10. Over the summer, Halestorm joined members of Megadeth, Shinedown and Dragonforce creating a video tribute to Lemmy Kilmister and Motorhead at the Hellfest Open Air Festival.