Rock guitarist and frontwoman of Hannah Wicklund & The Steppin’ Stones has been performing live gigs since she was nine years old. Putting a band together when she was eight, everything about rock ‘n roll always felt normal to Hannah. “It felt completely normal. I had essentially already been doing it. I was playing out every night after school, so when I got out on the road it just felt more fun.” Over the course of sixteen years, she’s played well over 3,000 shows with no plans to stop any time soon. Inspired by classic rock artists of the past such as Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, Tom Petty, etc. Hannah presents herself as a rock ‘n roll goddess of the 21st century.
On September 14, the Old Rockhouse felt a cool breeze as evening fell and night came to play. The stars in the sky were aligned perfectly and the venue was filled as fans gathered to watch a true rock queen bless the space with magical moments. At precisely 8:00 pm, Jenny Teator stormed the stage with guitarist Chandler Eggleston and badass female drummer Sammi Potts. Performing indie power hits and embracing the crowd, Jenny graces everyone with powerhouse vocals and alluring melodies.
A little past 9:00 pm (fashionably late in true rock ‘n roll style, of course) Hannah Wicklund approached the stage with bassist Adam Discipio and drummer Aaron Lawson, along with her signature Tom Anderson Cobra T. Ready to rock n roll, the band hopped into a quick jam session to get everything loose before officially starting the show. “Bomb Through The Breeze” also known as the opener for her self-titled 2018 album kicked the show off as guitar riffs blared throughout the venue. Leading into her hit single “Ghost”, Hannah’s exhilarating vocals echoed as the crowd matched her energy, chanting lyrics back to her.
“Psychobabble” provided catchy acoustics and delightful vocals, it’s almost like a sing-a-long to have fans fully engaged. Blasting through the air next was “Too Close To You” with echoing guitar riffs and screeching vocals. When Hannah asked, “Do you guys want to hear one from the new record?”, the crowd delightfully responded. “Songbird Sing” mellowed out the scene as Hannah redirected her grasp on the crowd into a more calming and soothing environment with swaying acoustics. I escaped my spot of the second row during the track to move back and capture the gaze of fans. Leading into “Shadowboxes and Porcelain Faces”, a song she wrote as a reminder to herself that social media doesn’t tell the whole story, my soul ascended. It’s my favorite Hannah Wicklund track. It shares the message that our imperfections and the ‘inbetween’ are where you truly get to know and learn to love yourself and others. After taking a few photos further back and video, I moved back to my spot, watching in awe as a song I cherish was performed live in front of me.
Traveling into a cover of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s “Ohio”, the heavy guitar riffs echoed through the venue and a jam session was called to order. Closing out the night was “Mama Said” with blazing guitar sounds and exhilarating vocals for one last hurrah before the stage went dark. The repetitive chorus - “Mama said you’d come around baby/Mama said you’d come around baby” - kept the crowd movin’ and dancin’ throughout the rest of the set, making it difficult to retain excitement. When the stage went dark and the house lights came on, I was brought back down to reality. Yet feeling extremely content and grateful to watch a badass rock n roll woman capture the hearts of the entire crowd. I can’t wait to watch Hannah Wicklund grow as an artist and see where the cosmos pull her next!
