LostAlone interview - Steven Battelle

e-Mo Magazine chatted to Steven Battelle, LostAlone vocalist and guitarist, about their second album

e-Mo: Your debut album Say No To The World was a masterpiece of epic rock. Can we expect more of the same from your second album or will you be going in a new direction?

SB: Ha thanks! We are a band that never wants to repeat themselves, so although the next record will share the same values as the first we will be taking them to new places. I would like to make the quiet songs more beautiful and the heavy songs more brutal. One thing for sure is that it will be EPIC!

e-Mo: How is the new album coming along? When do you think it'll be finished?

SB: Well we are planning to record in June and be back out on the road by the end of summer. At the moment I’m writing every day and rehearsing the songs with Tom and Mark. Before we record I would like 30 – 40 songs to choose from.

e-Mo: Who are your biggest musical influences?

SB: Queen are my all time favorite band and after them its an endless list Beach boys, Aretha Franklin, ABBA, Iron Maiden – the list goes on and on!  GO AND LISTEN TO QUEEN 2 – not greatest hits 2; it's the second album they made in 1974. It's AMAZING. Also Sheer Heart Attack is a CLASSIC!

e-Mo: You've recently toured with 30 Seconds to Mars and Paramore. That must have been a blast! Did you guys get up to any hijinks?

SB: Both tours were great. We have toured with Paramore three times now, so we knew we would have a great time on and off stage and 30 Seconds guys were all really nice. Hijinks mmm,  I guess we had to smuggle Mark across a few borders without his passport, risking arrest and foreign jail.

e-Mo: Are you planning on doing any more tours this year?

SB: As soon as the record is finished we will be everywhere forever!

e-Mo: If you could tour with one band for the rest of time, who would it be?

SB: QUEEN but that’s not possible so I’ll go with Paramore as they are a great band and are really good friends of ours, with a great crew around them.

e-Mo: What's been your most embarrassing moment on stage?

SB: I’ve fallen over many times but I quite enjoy that, I don’t really get embarrassed on stage. If I did I don’t think I’d be in a band

e-Mo: Which is your favourite song to perform live, and why?

SB: Its a good question. The song would be “Standing on the ruin of a beautiful empire”. The reason -  I’m able to channel all my lyrical and  musical prowess into one beast and it fills me with exhilaration beyond the normal human realm.

e-Mo: Where do you expect to see the band in 5 years time?
 
SB: Still climbing the mountain but with more support.

e-Mo: What tips would you give aspiring artists hoping to get their "big break" in the music business?

SB: Be true to yourself and only write what comes from the heart. TRUST NO ONE!

e-Mo: And finally, the burning question: Marmite - hate it or rate it?

SB: I love Marmite on toast with baked beans on top.

LostAlone's current album Say No To The World is available to buy online and in all good record stores. Find out more at www.lostalone.com