"I just looked up some musicians and ended up with a group, and there’s only two of us that are still that group. Then people left for all kinds of reasons," Hale said. "We just started grabbing more people and we’ve just done that throughout the years."

Though having undergone a lot of change, the band has found a solid group. Lead vocalist and MSU graduate Rachel Helinski had joined Atomic Annie through an ad Hale placed on Craigslist. After meeting and getting to play with the rest of the group she knew Atomic Annie was a good choice.

"They’re all great guys. They’re all kind, they’re all caring they’re all funny. And we just have a great time together," Helinski said. "More than anything at this point, they’re kinda all like family."

Atomic Annie plays covers and travels throughout Michigan performing solo or open for larger national acts. This year their talent was recognized by being awarded second place in Lansing City Pulse’s Top of the Town best cover band and best rock band awards.

The recognition continues: Atomic Annie applied to open for long-running rock band Sister Hazel. After a deliberation process among agents, Atomic Annie was selected to open for the band’s performance at Grewal Hall in Lansing on Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. 

"Meeting the band I listened to as a kid is pretty cool," Hale said. "You know that’s a dream of a lot of people, to be a rock star, and we get to do it for a night."

Balancing daily work, families and jobs, Atomic Annie still made time to prep for the Sister Hazel show. Helinski worked to perfectly craft the set list to open for Sister Hazel, spending time picking out some hopeful crowd favorites and getting the audience excited.

That’s exactly what they did. An hour after doors opened the venue had already gathered a good crowd, many of whom hadn’t heard of Atomic Annie yet. Attendee Katie Morden was looking forward to what they had to offer.

"We’re just excited to see what they’re all about," Morden said. "It’s fun coming in not knowing, that can be a pleasant surprise."

When Atomic Annie came on, they proved to the audience that they are a band worthy of attention. "Blister in the Sun" by Violent Femmes and "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers kept the audience particularly excited. Throughout the room were bobbing heads and hands in the air. Concert-goer and longtime music lover Lee Pacific was impressed by their performance.

"They’re tight, it’s nice to see people actually having fun," Pacific said. "To be a tight band takes a lot of practice, and you can tell they’ve had a lot of practice. And opening up for Sister Hazel does them justice."

Pacific enjoyed seeing them play "Blister in the Sun." Having seen Violent Femmes live in August, he admitted that Atomic Annie did a better job than them. The audience was pleased with the performance and so was the band.

"It was great," Hale said. "The audience was active and anytime the audience is active, it’s a great show."

Used to much smaller bars or outdoor venues, this was a bigger audience for the band. Having had a great time and experience at Grewal, they hope they are able to come back. After having a great show there was no better way to celebrate than a full circle moment: getting to hang around and see Sister Hazel.

"Sister Hazel was a big band when I was a college student," Hale said. "My first job was a radio DJ, (and) I played them. So, it was cool to see them and say hi to them in the green room."