On The Record with Tomas Bateman from Kim Killspeed

My first album was Green Day’s American Idiot, I think when I was ten. It was the best thing I’d heard at the time and I had to get a copy. And for show and tell, of course.

2.The Last Record I Bought

Although it’s been out for a while, Bon Iver’s self-titled album was my latest purchase. I’m usually into heavier stuff, but I also like to mellow out when the vibe is right.

3.The First Thing I Recorded

I started drums when I was 13. After high school I studied music at JMC Academy, where I played with a tonne of great musicians and started expanding my influences. It was a massive step up from the high school garage bands that I did. My first recordings would have been back then at JMC.

4.The Last Thing I Recorded

For the past year I’ve been playing with Kim Killspeed. In January we headed to New Zealand for some shows around the North Island. We came back and did a support for Sarah McLeod. The band then had the opportunity to record in Byron Bay with Jeff Martin (The Tea Party) producing. And the result is our latest single, ‘Inside’, which we just released this week.

5.The Record That Changed My Life

Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite For Destruction is the album that shaped my style and attitude. I listen to it all the time, on shuffle and on vinyl. It’s the perfect balance of dark and dirty rock with disarming peaceful ballads that got me hooked on music.