A larger-than-life stage presence has long defined vocalist Storm Large, whose visibility surged after she joined the 2006 season of the CBS competition Rock Star: Supernova as one of several singers vying to front a new supergroup. Born Susan Storm Large in 1969 amid the countryside of Massachusetts, the statuesque blonde performer whose skin carries numerous tattoos showed an early inclination toward the stage. She later enrolled at New York City’s Academy of Dramatic Arts, completing an associate’s degree there in 1989 before relocating to San Francisco. In that city she lent her voice to the groups Storm & Her Dirty Mouth and Storm, Inc.
A subsequent chapter unfolded in Portland, Oregon, where she briefly trained as a chef at a local culinary school, only to return to music by assembling the band Storm & the Balls in 2002. That high-octane rock outfit juxtaposes punk drive with cabaret wit, delivering unexpected covers of material by ABBA, Olivia Newton-John, the Cramps, and Metallica that are frequently spliced into free-associative medleys.
During the second season of Rock Star: Supernova, Large competed for the chance to sing alongside Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and introduced audiences to her own song “Ladylike.” Once eliminated from the program, she issued a single version of the track that featured guitarist Dave Navarro, who also hosted the series. In 2007 she followed with the EP Ladylike Side One.
