Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Hot Lava is now Allison Apperson (writer, vocals, guitar), Matt Deans (writer, keys, vocals), John Sizemore (lead guitar), Brian Wiltz (drums), and Gabe Lopez (bass, vocals).

The group originally formed as a wise-assed art school experiment, but to their surprise, the band had a knack for stringing words together with fun pop sensibilities. This had them quickly playing to huge crowds in galleries and underground venues around Richmond and the increasing popularity led to the release of the band’s critically acclaimed 2008 debut Lavalogy on Bar/None records.

After taking an indefinite hiatus in 2010, Hot Lava, not able to be contained forever, has returned with a brand-new record called Queen of Fools.

Queen of Fools is about breaking up with yourself. Founding member Allison Apperson “blew up” her life by getting divorced, coming out, and other decisions that didn’t make sense at the time. But in the end, she rediscovered her love of playing music and her community and decided to get Hot Lava back together. Queen of Fools is the result of this shakeup and provides a renewed outlook on life after being away for so long.