Gregg Hall has been a cornerstone of the western Wisconsin music scene for nearly half his life. At 41 years old, he’s played on a dozen albums, recorded over 100 songs, and performed countless shows as a sideman, frontman, and solo/duo act.

Think again.

With his new album, “Echoes in the Treetops,” Hall makes it clear that inside his chest beats the raging heart of a rocker. The seven-song collection has the fire, the effervescence of a debut album, but it’s seasoned with the soul and perspective of a high-mileage road warrior and the wisdom of a one-time party animal who saw the light and found sobriety five years ago.

A member of the Smokin’ Bandits from 2004-13, Hall also has played in the White Iron Band since 2009 and toured with Nicholas David from 2014-17.

In 2013, he formed Gregg Hall and the Wrecking Ball, recording three albums of his take on outlaw country backed by top-flight La Crosse bandmates: “This, That and the Land” in 2016, “The Mrs. Hippy Sessions, Vol. 1” in 2017 and “True Story” in 2020. Going country didn’t exactly go against Hall’s nature. His first concert, after all, was Johnny Cash, and he named his second son Waylon, age 7 (he also has a 14-year-old son, Shay).

Over the years  he’s shared bills with Todd Snider, Jackson Browne, Bill Miller, Shooter Jennings, Little Feat,  Dave Simonett,  Whey Jennings, Trampled by Turtles,  just to name a few.