BatAAr is a rock band who was formed in Gothenburg - Sweden, in 2005.
They were so sweet to do this interview for us and the blog!
Members of the band:
Seb - Vocal - Twitter
Patrik - Guitar - Twitter
Simon - Guitar - Twitter
Felix - Bass - Twitter
Tobias - Drums - Twitter
Here you go:
1; When did you get into music?
Simon: We all got into music in different ways, I guess. Personally, as a child I had all this pent-up creativity with no means of expressing myself properly.
It was at age 11, when I got my first guitar that the journey began.
Patrik: I was raised on a lot of different music, and I think that shows in the variety of my own taste as well. I truly got into music quite early. My favorite artists were always discovered by myself and it kept going and changing with time. I guess the first thing I truly became a "fan" of was Spice Girls when I was like 6 years old!
Felix: I think I was about 13 when I started playing the bass during music class. Shortly after that I bought my own bass and taught myself how to play.
Tobias: Same as Felix, I started when I was 13 and got serious when I was asked to join BatAAr.
Seb: Not sure...
2; How do you guys know each other?
Simon: Felix and I are actually kind of related. I've known him since we were kids. Then me and Patrik met at the age of 13 when we went to school together. We didn't speak much at first but at around the age of 15 we were as close as humanly possible. It was then that we figured we should start a band together.
Patrik: Simon went on to suggest his relative Felix for bass duties...
Felix: ...and I in turn suggested Tobias for drums!
Patrik: It took a few years of trial and error, until Seb applied for the position of vocalist.
Seb: It felt really natural to join, since we had known each other in the underground music scene for a while.
3; When was the first time you were performing?
Felix: It was at a place called "Fängelset", wasn't it...?
Patrik: It was a disaster...
Tobias: It was the first time any of us stood on a stage in our entire lives. It was about 5 years ago... I think.
Simon: We bit off a bit more than we could chew for that show. Even though everything was terrible, we actually sold the place out because we asked everyone we knew to come!
Seb: I hadn't joined the band as vocalist at the time, so I can't answer this. My first show with BatAAr was a few years later!
Patrik: I think it's necessary to add that all of this was in a period of learning! We weren't at all serious with music in the same way that we are now.
4; What are your thoughts on music today and the music from the past?
Patrik: I think there's a lot of awesome aspects to music from "back then" and now. Every era has its pros and cons!
Simon: Music today is a mixed bag. It's easier to get famous due to better technology, giving bands a fair chance without a huge budget backing them. BUT, the bands that are terrible today are REALLY bad, no matter how famous they are. I don't listen to old music that much, but I realize it was needed at the time to push music and evolve it towards what we have today.
Felix: It's both bad and good though, because people without talent and sellouts keep increasing all the time.
5; Who are your influences?
Seb: I am my own influence.
Patrik: Good answer, a lot of the time we get influenced by things that happen in our lives or emotions we feel.
Simon: Yeah, we don't let other artists "show us the way" that much in terms of what we do ourselves, but there were of course people who made us want to make music to begin with!
Patrik: Also a good answer. I, for example, would have never picked up a guitar if it wasn't for Kaoru, the guitarist of Dir en grey. I saw one of their music videos as a kid and decided I wanted to be just as awesome as him. Nowadays I'm doing my best to be myself without forgetting all the valuable things his influence has given me.
Felix: I feel the same way about Justin Chancellor from TOOL and Flea
from Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Tobias: I enjoy having my own sound, but I really admire people like
Mike Portnoy, Thomas Haake, Daniel Svensson and Adam Gray.
6; What's your all time favorite album?
Seb: Soilwork - Stabbing the Drama
Patrik: DIR EN GREY - DUM SPIRO SPERO
Simon: Pass! I have yet to find the perfect album!
Felix: Veto - Everything Is Amplified
Tobias: In Flames - Soundtrack to Your Escape
7; Are there any books or movies that inspire you, both as a person
and as a band?
Seb: The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne
Felix: "The World's Fastest Indian" and "Into the Wild"
Patrik: The Harry Potter books and "Catcher In the Rye" by J.D. Salinger are the only books I've read in forever that really moved me. I'm also very inspired by video games. My favorite video game series is Final Fantasy. I've grown up with it. My favorite movie is OldBoy or Battle Royale... I have a lot of favorites!
Simon: Geez! I'm the opposite. I never read all that much, and movies and games have given me lots of inspiration through the years, but I can't pick favorites at all.
Tobias: I have no idea.
8; What is your favorite animal?
Simon: I would like to have a cat as a pet. But if you meant favorite
overall I'd say owl!
Patrik: I'm born in the year of the snake, so I'm always going to have an unexplainable love for snakes. Mine and Simon's favorite animals are a bit important, our fans should take note of this. They'll know why quite soon! I also love lizards, frogs... Scaly things! But cats are fine too. Oh, and corgi dogs! They're adorable, of course.
Seb: I'm not an animal person, but I guess I like dogs.
Felix: I guess I like dogs too.
Tobias: Cats, because they don't let anyone mess with them!
9; What is your absolutely favorite thing to do in the summer?
Patrik: Work on new music.
Simon: I enjoy traveling to different cities, I suppose.
Seb: Touring and working out!
Felix: Hanging out, just enjoying the season.
Tobias: Rehearsing and perfecting my drumming.
10; Do you have anything exciting coming up in the near future?
Patrik: We are working on new songs right now. We can't say when we'll have them released, but we're working hard every day.
Seb: Until then, we'll have our mini-tour with the Russian band Icon In Me. March 10th here in Gothenburg and March 11th in Stockholm! You don't want to miss it.
Simon: Keep your eyes peeled. You won't be disappointed!
11; Do you have any advice to people who want to make music but maybe
is unsure of it?
Patrik: Just do it.
Seb: It's not that hard, really. Just follow your heart and walk the path you want to walk.
Felix: ...and please, find a worth in what you're doing. Otherwise you're both kidding yourself and your listeners.
Tobias: If you're serious about it, take nothing for granted. Nothing!
Simon: You can't be unsure about making music if it's truly your passion. Music is a way of life. It's not for everyone. Don't let yourself be defined by others.
Simon: We all got into music in different ways, I guess. Personally, as a child I had all this pent-up creativity with no means of expressing myself properly.
It was at age 11, when I got my first guitar that the journey began.
Patrik: I was raised on a lot of different music, and I think that shows in the variety of my own taste as well. I truly got into music quite early. My favorite artists were always discovered by myself and it kept going and changing with time. I guess the first thing I truly became a "fan" of was Spice Girls when I was like 6 years old!
Felix: I think I was about 13 when I started playing the bass during music class. Shortly after that I bought my own bass and taught myself how to play.
Tobias: Same as Felix, I started when I was 13 and got serious when I was asked to join BatAAr.
Seb: Not sure...
2; How do you guys know each other?
Simon: Felix and I are actually kind of related. I've known him since we were kids. Then me and Patrik met at the age of 13 when we went to school together. We didn't speak much at first but at around the age of 15 we were as close as humanly possible. It was then that we figured we should start a band together.
Patrik: Simon went on to suggest his relative Felix for bass duties...
Felix: ...and I in turn suggested Tobias for drums!
Patrik: It took a few years of trial and error, until Seb applied for the position of vocalist.
Seb: It felt really natural to join, since we had known each other in the underground music scene for a while.
3; When was the first time you were performing?
Felix: It was at a place called "Fängelset", wasn't it...?
Patrik: It was a disaster...
Tobias: It was the first time any of us stood on a stage in our entire lives. It was about 5 years ago... I think.
Simon: We bit off a bit more than we could chew for that show. Even though everything was terrible, we actually sold the place out because we asked everyone we knew to come!
Seb: I hadn't joined the band as vocalist at the time, so I can't answer this. My first show with BatAAr was a few years later!
Patrik: I think it's necessary to add that all of this was in a period of learning! We weren't at all serious with music in the same way that we are now.
4; What are your thoughts on music today and the music from the past?
Patrik: I think there's a lot of awesome aspects to music from "back then" and now. Every era has its pros and cons!
Simon: Music today is a mixed bag. It's easier to get famous due to better technology, giving bands a fair chance without a huge budget backing them. BUT, the bands that are terrible today are REALLY bad, no matter how famous they are. I don't listen to old music that much, but I realize it was needed at the time to push music and evolve it towards what we have today.
Felix: It's both bad and good though, because people without talent and sellouts keep increasing all the time.
5; Who are your influences?
Seb: I am my own influence.
Patrik: Good answer, a lot of the time we get influenced by things that happen in our lives or emotions we feel.
Simon: Yeah, we don't let other artists "show us the way" that much in terms of what we do ourselves, but there were of course people who made us want to make music to begin with!
Patrik: Also a good answer. I, for example, would have never picked up a guitar if it wasn't for Kaoru, the guitarist of Dir en grey. I saw one of their music videos as a kid and decided I wanted to be just as awesome as him. Nowadays I'm doing my best to be myself without forgetting all the valuable things his influence has given me.
Felix: I feel the same way about Justin Chancellor from TOOL and Flea
from Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Tobias: I enjoy having my own sound, but I really admire people like
Mike Portnoy, Thomas Haake, Daniel Svensson and Adam Gray.
6; What's your all time favorite album?
Seb: Soilwork - Stabbing the Drama
Patrik: DIR EN GREY - DUM SPIRO SPERO
Simon: Pass! I have yet to find the perfect album!
Felix: Veto - Everything Is Amplified
Tobias: In Flames - Soundtrack to Your Escape
7; Are there any books or movies that inspire you, both as a person
and as a band?
Seb: The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne
Felix: "The World's Fastest Indian" and "Into the Wild"
Patrik: The Harry Potter books and "Catcher In the Rye" by J.D. Salinger are the only books I've read in forever that really moved me. I'm also very inspired by video games. My favorite video game series is Final Fantasy. I've grown up with it. My favorite movie is OldBoy or Battle Royale... I have a lot of favorites!
Simon: Geez! I'm the opposite. I never read all that much, and movies and games have given me lots of inspiration through the years, but I can't pick favorites at all.
Tobias: I have no idea.
8; What is your favorite animal?
Simon: I would like to have a cat as a pet. But if you meant favorite
overall I'd say owl!
Patrik: I'm born in the year of the snake, so I'm always going to have an unexplainable love for snakes. Mine and Simon's favorite animals are a bit important, our fans should take note of this. They'll know why quite soon! I also love lizards, frogs... Scaly things! But cats are fine too. Oh, and corgi dogs! They're adorable, of course.
Seb: I'm not an animal person, but I guess I like dogs.
Felix: I guess I like dogs too.
Tobias: Cats, because they don't let anyone mess with them!
9; What is your absolutely favorite thing to do in the summer?
Patrik: Work on new music.
Simon: I enjoy traveling to different cities, I suppose.
Seb: Touring and working out!
Felix: Hanging out, just enjoying the season.
Tobias: Rehearsing and perfecting my drumming.
10; Do you have anything exciting coming up in the near future?
Patrik: We are working on new songs right now. We can't say when we'll have them released, but we're working hard every day.
Seb: Until then, we'll have our mini-tour with the Russian band Icon In Me. March 10th here in Gothenburg and March 11th in Stockholm! You don't want to miss it.
Simon: Keep your eyes peeled. You won't be disappointed!
11; Do you have any advice to people who want to make music but maybe
is unsure of it?
Patrik: Just do it.
Seb: It's not that hard, really. Just follow your heart and walk the path you want to walk.
Felix: ...and please, find a worth in what you're doing. Otherwise you're both kidding yourself and your listeners.
Tobias: If you're serious about it, take nothing for granted. Nothing!
Simon: You can't be unsure about making music if it's truly your passion. Music is a way of life. It's not for everyone. Don't let yourself be defined by others.
BatAAr, facebook: www.facebook.com/BatAAr
BatAAr, twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/BatAArofficial
BatAAr, last.fm: http://www.last.fm/artist/bataar
BatAAr, youtube: http://youtube.com/user/bataarofficial
BatAAr, reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/bataar
