Today we’d like to introduce you to Lance Batton
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My parents both have a deep appreciation for music and performers that they passed on to my siblings and I, spanning a variety of genres and a plethora of musicians over time. Surely, these influences helped me develop my own appreciation for select musicians, as well as for music in general, early on in my life. Other adult figures and even my siblings were other early influences on my music taste.
My immersion into music included my own involvement in plays at school, which gave me a sense of singing and performing in front of an audience, as well as the school choir. My grandfather, who was an internationally-recognized public speaker, also gave me a legitimate scope of training and preparation for speaking to and performing in front of other people. These experiences, paired with my continually developing taste in music, would later prepare me for my time as a live musician. My skills with instruments would come to fruition as I began practicing and learning the bass guitar and drums in high school. I started a band that went on through most of my time in high school. We played about a dozen shows and even gained some experience recording in the studio with this band, though we never got the final product that we desired.
Nevertheless, I continued with music beyond high school, starting my band The Head Trips, which is still active today. I play bass guitar and sing lead vocals in The Head Trips. Playing in this band has given me so many opportunities to showcase my musicianship and appreciation for music, both onstage and in the studio; we have played dozens of shows over the past six years, including out-of-state gigs and local festivals, as well as recording an album and an EP, with another album in the works right now. These experiences and opportunities to perform with the band have helped me further develop my love of music, as well as the craft of being a musician itself. I have also played in several other bands since graduating high school that have allowed me to expand my awareness and skillsets as a musician, giving me even more opportunities to perform live and in the studio. I am currently in another band, the Riley Burke Band, which has achieved a decent level of local success, having released a studio album and several singles, and having performed at different local festivals and gaining some local radio play. I started off on bass guitar and backing vocals in the Riley Burke Band before moving to drums and percussion, and I even recorded my first drum tracks with the band.
I have made some great memories and met some truly wonderful people in every band that I have played with. As a musician, I have learned about the importance of community, teamwork, compromise, assertiveness, and empathy. I have challenged myself in different ways as both a musician and a performer, going out of my comfort zone and taking risks at different points in my musical career. I have also learned about failure and how to overcome hardships. Ultimately, all of these experiences, people, and lessons have helped me become the person I am today.
Along with continuing in both The Head Trips and the Riley Burke Band, I have written my own songs at different points over the last decade that I plan to release for a solo project of mine at some point in the future. Whatever the project is, however, I am hoping that the future will hold more opportunities for me to express myself, develop my craft, make more music, meet more people, make more amazing memories, and grow as a person.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been numerous key challenges that I have had to overcome during my time as a musician. Musically, there have been some hurdles to overcome in working with others, due to situational factors as well as artistic preferences and differences in said preferences between musicians. Money has been a constant struggle at different points in my musical career as well. This has made it a challenge at times to fund different projects at times. Dealing with time constraints is another matter that has manifested as a music-specific challenge that I have had to overcome. Finally, attempting to work with people who are simply unwilling to compromise or be reasonable in collaborative efforts has been an issue at times. This has taken form with other musicians as well as venue owners and show promoters, among other individuals/groups.
Surely, there have also been a variety of struggles and hardships in my personal life over the past decade. These have included people who were close to me passing away, losing friendships/relationships with others, my own financial struggles, some mental health-related matter, and a constant stream of academic and work-related stressors at different points in time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a musician, I play bass guitar, drums/percussion, and I sing. Bass guitar is my primary instrument, and this is the first instrument that I started playing over 11 years ago. I also started learning how to play drums a little bit after playing bass, though I only started seriously getting into the drums in the last 2 years or so. I have been singing for as long as I can remember.
I am also known as a performer. I am the frontman of my band, The Head Trips, and I have taken on other frontman-type duties in other projects that I have been involved with. “Performing” for me has been about giving the audience an experience that is meaningful and leaves a lasting impression in some way, whether this leans into a more serious tone or a more relaxed and even comical role. Regardless of the setting and context of any performance, I do my best to connect with the audience and give them a memorable experience through my performance onstage.
I am proud of my musicianship as well as the impact I have been able to have on others, and the reciprocal impact that the music scene has had on me. I have always valued the power and essence of community and communal unity in the past, and playing music has really validated these values for me and exemplified the importance of collective gatherings and unity. I feel that, as a musician, I have been able to adequately set myself apart by embracing my individuality through music and through my performances, while also immersing myself in the music community that I come from, as well as other communities that I have been grateful to engage with.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was very curious and friendly towards others. I was definitely quirky in my own ways, but I also found different ways to fit in with other people and groups who would accept me. Needless to say that all of these attributes are still alive and well today, and that they have helped me to embrace myself as an individual and a musician, while also connecting me to other musicians and the community at large.
I was interested in the world around me and my own perceptions and feelings, even as a young kid. I wondered about what it would be like to live life from different perspectives and at different points in history, and I thought about things that I was experiencing in my own life. These are general ideas that have surely shaped my lyricism and musicianship in different ways, along with my general though processes as an adult.
Pricing:
- The Head Trips: Band merchandise is available in-person (at shows and other events) AND made to order! Orders can be made in-person and through our social media and other contact information.
- Shirts: $20
- CDs: $5
- Stickers: $1 or Free with shirt/CD purchase
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/theheadtrips_band
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theheadtrips_band/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theheadtrips.band
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1jTBSrpCit4HGYdG7uHXg
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4T3Qj4qg4bIX7DgREpbdOu
