Hale Yeah!!!

[Jim Price]

It's now official, after being bounced around the rumor mill for the past several weeks: Halestorm has signed a major record deal! The press release:

PA BAND ‘HALESTORM’ SIGNED BY ATLANTIC RECORDS

Gwynedd Valley, PA – (July, 2005) York, PA original rock band Halestorm has signed a major record deal with prominent New York City based label, Atlantic Records.

Halestorm has been aggressively touring the mid-Atlantic circuit for several years moving upwards with each critical step in its career. This young band’s foundation is firmly set upon the distinctive and power-packed sibling duo of 21-year-old Lzzy Hale (vocals/guitar) and 18-year-old Arejay Hale (drums).

”We feel extremely humbled and lucky to now be a part of Atlantic records,” said Lzzy. “There were so many people involved over the past 7-1/2 years to get Halestorm to this point.”

Halestorm has been under a producer’s agreement with notable Grammy-nominated producer/engineer David Ivory (Silvertide, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Patti Labelle, etc.) since August 2003. For years Ivory has developed artists and discovered Lzzy shortly after Silvertide’s signing to J Records in the fall of 2002.

“When I first saw Lzzy perform I knew she had it,” David said. “It was a very unusual feeling since I was so sure of her potential even though she was still basically starting out in the original scene. After just finishing the Silvertide project, I didn’t think I was going to find any new fresh rock out there but then came Lzzy. After hanging with her, Arejay and her parents, I new there was something real going on. We started working right away and never looked back.”

Not only did David Ivory play a key role in getting Halestorm signed to Atlantic Records, he garnered his own deal with the label in the process. Ivory Productions has now become a sub-label of Atlantic Records and will sign qualified artists. David Ivory will develop, produce and record these artists as he did with Silvertide and Halestorm but now under the auspices of Atlantic for future signing consideration with Atlantic.

“David Ivory took a chance on us about 2 1/2 years ago when Arejay and I had just lost half of our band,” Lzzy reflected. “I learned more about myself as a songwriter and vocalist in those first 6 months than I could have on my own in 2 years. He really helped accelerate the process! Not to mention, providing a studio and producer at our fingertips. David is someone who believed so whole heartedly in what we can do and saw something in us, even in our rawest state.”

“Slowly a small team formed,” she continued. “Joe Lam (Love Revolution) is a seasoned veteran in the business, amazing songwriter and co-writer of "I Bleed". Joe really helped me to look outside of my own mind while writing. Also, Impact Artist Promotions (IAP) gave us our website and a credibility to our merchandise and promotional materials. They really helped us represent and hone our image.”

Lzzy Hale’s voice is often compared to having the grit and intensity of Crissy Hynde (The Pretenders) and the raw emotion of Ann Wilson (Heart).

“Not only does Lzzy Hale have an unparalleled set of rock-n-roll pipes, stunning rock appeal, and the PR savvy to ride them both through a long and lustrous career; she's a genuine sweetheart completely enamored with the career which she so fervently pursues” said Ron Schock, VP of IAP, a Gilbertsville, PA-based music marketing and promotions company serving emerging performing artists across the nation.

[Imgrimm01]

HUGE Congrats Lzzy & Are Jay, THE GRIMM has always had a large amount of respect for Halestorm and when we played with them they were never anything but kind, no one deserves this more, I wish you all the luck in the world and hopefully our paths will cross again someday.

[DMFJ03]

Amen!

[ERiC_AiXeLsyD]

Nice to see local hard working musicians get some recognition for their craft!

[Jones]

Wow, that's fantastic!!!!!!! Congrats! Hopefully now we can all say "I played with them when....."

[Hannibal]

Many congrats. We worked with Halestorm several years ago as their sound provider. Great group. They deserve a break like this one. The REALLY earned it!!!

[BDR]

I had the real privilege of opening for HALESTORM at PETER C's about three years ago with my previous band, and all I can say is, what an experience. It was the weekend with all the car trouble, JP, I'll never forget it.

LZZY and AreJay are two of the coolest, most down-to-earth people I've met in this scene and they deserve everything coming their way.

I'm proud to say I met them. Their talent and work ethic will take them to the top. Guaranteed.

r:>)

[DennySD]

No way, I remember playing at Denny Huber's Crazyfest in like a 16-and-under deal or something ... and I started talking to this girl who was just onstage with a bright red keytar... (which just reminded me I'm 6 years overdue for a trophy cup!)

So if any of them read Rockpage, my congratulations and don't forget the guy you talked to for 5 minutes 6 years ago haha!