Sister Hazel

Blending folk, jangle pop, post-grunge, and south-of-the-Mason-Dixon-Line classic rock, Sister Hazel's earworm melodies, tight harmonies, and upbeat D.I.Y. aesthetic established the Florida-based group as a fixture on the alternative charts in the 1990s and early 2000s. The outfit surfaced in 1993 and achieved its breakthrough in 1997 via sophomore effort Somewhere More Familiar, which attained platinum status thanks to the single "All for You," Sister Hazel's biggest hit to date. Later LPs such as 2000's Fortress and 2009's Release registered limited chart traction, while 2016 brought the band's first country album, Lighter in the Dark. Further country-chart traction arrived via the EPs Water, Wind, and Fire, gathered together on 2020's full-length Elements.

Sister Hazel came together in 1993 in Gainesville, Florida, its five members each rooted in the city's local scene: vocalist/guitarist Ken Block and guitarist/vocalist Andrew Copeland had worked the coffee house circuit as a duo, lead guitarist Ryan Newell sharpened his skills in the local band Waterdog, bassist Jett Beres trained on his instrument while earning a degree in architecture, and drummer Mark Trojanowski performed with multiple Florida-based jazz ensembles before shifting toward pop music. The group forged an earthy, melodic sound that spotlighted its vocal harmonies, issuing an eponymous debut in 1994 before signing with a major label for the follow-up, 1997's Somewhere More Familiar.

"All for You" reached the top of the adult alternative charts in summer 1997 and nearly cracked the national Top Ten, driving the album to platinum certification. Following extensive touring and another studio session, Sister Hazel delivered Fortress in summer 2000. Issued by Universal Records, the set followed the same pop/rock approach as its predecessor, with "Change Your Mind" achieving modest single success. Fortress nonetheless fell short of the band's earlier commercial peak, and Sister Hazel had left Universal's roster by the arrival of 2003's Chasing Daylight. A return came the next year with Lift, and despite limited radio presence, Sister Hazel sustained a solid grassroots audience by leveraging the Internet and maintaining a rigorous touring schedule.

The band kept issuing albums for its dedicated listeners, among them 2006's Absolutely and the live studio set Before the Amplifiers: Live Acoustic. As the decade closed, seventh studio album Release appeared in 2009. Heartland Highway arrived in fall 2010. After an extended break, Sister Hazel revealed in 2015 that Chip Matthews-produced contemporary country album Lighter in the Dark, its ninth LP, would surface in February 2016. Reasserting a direct country identity, the group issued EPs Water and Wind in 2018, then completed the series with Fire in 2019. The three EPs were assembled on 2020's full-length Elements. The subsequent year brought Before the Amplifiers 2, a 16-track collection containing new songs alongside reinterpretations of radio hits and fan favorites.