How Lzzy Hale, Maria Brink + Ash Costello Became Rock Stars
Earlier this year, Halestorm, In This Moment and New Year’s Day embarked on a tour across the U.S. The run of dates focused on three of rock and metal’s hardest working frontwomen — Lzzy Hale, Maria Brink and Ash Costello — and before their gig in Asbury Park, N.J. we held a roundtable chat with the trio of rockers and Loudwire Nights host Toni Gonzalez.
During this chat, all three ladies explore the moments they realized music was their life’s purpose. Costello’s crystallizing moment came while watching the Used perform “The Taste of Ink” at 2003’s Warped Tour. For Maria Brink, it came from her mom taking her to shows from Stevie Nicks to Tina Turner and members of the Runaways.
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Lzzy Hale’s father was a dedicated musician himself, but the Hale family couldn’t always afford concert tickets. Instead, Lzzy watched VHS tapes of live shows from Ronnie James Dio, Vanilla Fudge, Cinderella and many others. “I was a very shy child; did not want to look at anybody, don’t want to volunteer to do anything,” Hale recalls. “It was fascinating to see these [musicians] do this. How do you do that? How does that happen?”
The ladies also discuss the difficulties of breaking into the music business during a time when frontwomen were considered a novelty. Costello’s band was rejected by labels numerous times because “we already have one girl, we don’t need another one,” whereas Brink only felt pigeonholed by some music fans. “There were incidents like Ozzfest — I remember there was like 300 people at the same time [chanting] ‘Show us your tits!’ It doesn’t happen to me anymore because I’ve grown into my confidence and my power, and I think they know that… but I’ll stop a show in a heartbeat.”
Check out the full roundtable in the clip above. The girl-powered tour will continue into November and December, so click here for all upcoming dates.
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