Hometown heroes Halestorm have solidified their reputation as absolute road warriors, crisscrossing the globe in support of their massive new album, Everest. We recently traded the 215 for the high seas to catch the band on the ShipRocked Cruise, where they delivered an electric guest performance on the Deck Stage after boarding in Nassau. Secret Philly sat down with the band’s own Josh Smith—the pride of Pennsylvania—to talk about his local musical roots and the specific Philly hidden gems from his hometown.
What part of Pennsylvania did you grow up in and can you talk about the music scene there?
Yeah, I grew up on the city line, Northeast Philadelphia area, and the music scene was really good.
I was very fortunate in school, I took private lessons, but our school is very highly rated for music. We were in the upper Morland school district, we just had really great teachers. We would do competitions like jazz, and marching band and we were always very competitive.
What did you gravitate towards when you were in school and doing music?
I did everything. I started as a classical piano player, and then when I picked up the bass, it was like, well learn Jazz.
From sixth grade on I was just always in a band, with friends and moving around or played birthday parties for our friends, or our friend’s little brothers or sisters. [Laughs] It was never a question of “Should we start a band?” It was just like, this is what we do.
What is one show that you went to, in the Philly area that impacted you, where you knew this was going to be your career?
The radio station growing up that I listened to was Y100 and every year would have a festival – the Y100 FeZtival, and I went to a few of them. I just remember seeing a lot of bands that I really looked up to and listening to on the radio like, System of A Down, I saw Blink 182 there.
I’ve seen a lot of bands at that festival and then and then just other Philly shows, but that was when I was like ‘This is what I want to do.’ I wanted to be out there and I didn’t really know how that was going to happen.
What are your best cheesesteak spots?
Oh, that’s a no-brainer, the old-school answer, Pat’s is awesome. I’m vegetarian now. so no cheesesteaks for me, but I still think about them.
Then my brother still lives up there and they say, Steve’s Prince of Steaks on the boulevard, that I’ll take their word for it. Jim’s Steaks on South Street was always a solid go-to spot too.
You know the thing was, you get one from Pat’s and walk across the street and get one from Geno’s. But the last time I had Geno’s. I got really sick – now that could have been because I drank too much. But I’m a Pat’s guy through-and-through.