Letters from the Fire

Letters from the Fire, a hard rock outfit based in San Francisco, originated in 2007 when guitarist Mike Keller launched the project under the name Park Lane. A 2003 Candlestick Park bill headlined by Metallica, Linkin Park, Deftones, Mudvayne, and Limp Bizkit had ignited the idea. Keller joined forces with high school friend Grayson Hurd and cycled through additional musicians, sharpening the group’s live edge on regional bills alongside Fuel. Their first recorded statement arrived in 2009 as a Michael Rosen-produced, self-titled album released through CD Baby while the band still operated as Park Lane.

Bassist Clayton Wages had already locked into the core lineup by then. With the music growing denser, the members chose a fresh identity, Letters from the Fire, borrowed from the working title of an unfinished song. The new name debuted on the 2011 EP Rebirth, produced by Evanescence co-founder Ben Moody. Two years later the band returned with a 2014 release introduced by its hard-hitting cover of the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.”

Further turnover at lead vocals occurred before Alexa Kabazie settled into the role for the group’s 2016 debut album, Worth the Pain. Issued on Sand Hill, the record reached the Top Heatseekers chart and sent the band on the road, both headlining and supporting Art of Dying and Adelitas Way. Nina Bergman stepped in for vocalist duties on the 2017 self-titled album Letters from the Fire. Produced by Colin Brittain (One OK Rock, All Time Low, Papa Roach), the set’s lead single “Comfort You” was co-written by Rob Zombie guitarist John 5.