After successfully opening for Russell Morris, one of Australia’s most iconic artists, at The Worker's Club in September, Melbourne based Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Joshua Batten is excited to announce he will be doing it again on November 5th at The Satellite Lounge in Wheeler’s Hill. 

Joshua Batten has a fire in his heart, a guitar in his hands and lyrics to be heard. Having recently released his debut album ‘Searching For Answers’ to critical acclaim, he is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. With a drive and passion for music since a young age, Joshua has combined self-taught skills with further education and is certainly one of the most exciting and inspiring new artists to come out of Melbourne. 

‘Searching For Answers’ contains six songs, and Joshua has ensured that each one stands up on its own with a unique sound and story. The main genre represented is Classic Blues Rock, but elements of Folk and Funk have been cunningly snuck in. The lyrics cover topics such as manipulation, betrayal, desires for human compassion and technology dependence. With a strong influence from Deep Purple, Jack White and Joe Bonamassa and hints of John Mayer, Jethro Tull and Rush, Joshua stands out with his individual sound. 

“The love of making music provides me with an escape from the stress of social and political turmoil” says Joshua. “It is extremely important for artists in the music industry today to use their microphones to tell us something. The result is that not only will people listen, but they might even want to explore the music further”. 

The album’s first single, ‘Homemade wine’ is a blues-rock anthem for people who struggle to find loyalty in friends as well as a critique of those who can’t accept the true colours of others. ‘Poetry’, an allegory for life after love and a tribute to the LA Poets Society, was released as the 2nd single from the album on Valentine’s Day. 

‘Searching For Answers’ is available digitally via BandCamp, iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music and physically through JB Hi-Fi, Sanity and BandCamp.

Tickets to Russell Morris & Band with special guest Joshua Batten available HERE 

Hey folks - you have no idea how hard it’s been to keep this a secret, but the news can be contained no longer - I am delighted to announce that on September 1st, I will be doing an acoustic set opening for Australian Rock icon Russell Morris at The Flying Saucer Club! 

I’m extremely excited and privileged to have the opportunity to open for Russell Morris and his band. I’ve had the pleasure of watching them perform on a couple of occasions, and while they do play the hits, they are also one of the most talented Blues Rock bands in Australia. If you ever want to check out some blues with more of an Australian vibe rather than American, do yourself a favour and check out Russell’s three latest albums, “Sharkmouth”, “Van Diemen’s Land” and “Red Dirt, Red Heart”. 

Unfortunately seated tickets are sold out, but there are limited general admission tix still available via The Flying Saucer Club website (See below). This is a great opportunity to play to a new audience, pick up some new fans, and see some familiar faces ahead of my headline gig at Elwood Lounge on September 8.  

Click HERE to book your tickets for The Flying Saucer Club - looking forward to seeing you there!

On May 6th 2017, I launched my debut mini-album "Searching For Answers" with a show at Revolver Bandroom. The show featured me and my Bandmates Sean Ahrbeck, Steven Reinhardt & Shane McMahon, as well as a couple of special guests. Thomas Overend, Tennille Mansell and Kieren Tucker from The Backline Project were on hand that night to record and film the show, and now I am delighted to announce that 8 songs performed that night will be made available for your viewing pleasure! 

For the next 8 weeks, a new song will be uploaded to YouTube on my channel (link below) on Tuesday night. The video will then get uploaded to Facebook on Friday night. If you have a Google/YouTube account, be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel and click on the bell to be notified of when the videos go live.  

I'm very happy with the quality of the videos and I can't wait to share them all with you. Click HERE to go to my YouTube Channel or click HERE to go to my Facebook page. Cheers!

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support me and the band on friday night. We had over 120 people in attendance, filling up the room and creating a great atmosphere. Here’s just one of the amazing comments I’ve been getting from my friends and fellow musicians; 

"Your compositions reminded me of music from my youth. Classic rock with a Batten edge! You have great energy, great focus but above all, great musicianship. Your arrangements are so well thought out and everything just works beautifully. Great musos in the band to support you as well.” 

For those of you that couldn’t make the massive band show, the team at The Backline Project are currently editing the show, and I will be uploading videos to my YouTube channel real soon! 

My next Melbourne gig will be an acoustic set opening for Mike Elrington at The Flying Saucer Club in Elsternwick on Saturday May 27th. Hope to see some familiar faces there! 

Also, for those of you who haven't had the opportunity to buy a CD, just click the link here to get your copy!

Joshua Batten has played music most of his life, working as a solo artist over the past five years before putting together a band to record his debut album Searching For Answers. 

"Blues singer/songwriter Mike Elrington reached out to me via Facebook and offered to produce the record with his friend Sean O'Sullivan at Highway 9 Studios," explains Batten. "As both Mike and Sean had real faith in the material, it seemed like a perfect match. The entire recording experience was new to me, so that in itself was pretty inspirational. Hearing the songs come to life in the studio was a dream come true... I am a perfectionist by nature, so I really wanted to make sure the songs sounded perfect. 

"The songs on the album don't follow a unified concept, but there is a very personal aspect to the lyrics. They reflect my unique perspective on topics such as social interaction and the changing landscape in which we communicate. Nobody Understands Me is a personal highlight for me, as it's the most autobiographical of all the songs, and I was particularly amazed with how well I was able to transfer the arrangement from a loop-heavy acoustic tune to a thumping band jam."

(Original article here)

I’m thrilled to tell you all that tickets for my album launch on May 6th are now available HERE! 

I have been working hard to ensure that this will be the definitive show of my career up to this point. I’ll be playing a full set of rock & roll originals with my band, and we’re also planning on bringing a couple of special guests up to fill in the extra sounds that have been missing from the last few shows. I’ll also throw in a couple of acoustic numbers to showcase my storytelling side. 

Early bird ticket prices are still available, but these are in short supply so hurry up if you want a discount! 

Can’t wait to share this experience with family, friends and new faces – see you there!

Melbourne-based Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Joshua Batten has released his debut album, “Searching For Answers”. 

Co-produced by MusicOz award winner Mike Elrington and Sean O’Sullivan, the album was recorded throughout 2016 and include Batten’s first recordings with his band, consisting of drummer Shane McMahon, bassist Sean Ahrbeck and keyboardist Steven Reinhardt. Aaron Gillett (Catfish Voodoo) also makes a guest appearance, playing Harmonica on two songs.
  
Containing 6 tracks and clocking in at just under 30 minutes, Batten has ensured that every song stands up on its own with a unique sound and story. While the main genre represented is Classic Blues Rock, elements of Folk, Prog and Funk have been represented as well. Topics covered in the lyrics include manipulation, betrayal, desires for human compassion and technology dependence. 
  
The album’s first single “Homemade Wine” is a blues-rock anthem for people who struggle to find loyal friends, as well as a criticism for people who can’t accept the true colours of others. “Poetry”, an allegory for life after love and a tribute to the Los Angeles Poets Society, was released as the second single from the album on February 14. 
  
"Searching For Answers" is available now via BandCamp, iTunes, Spotify and Apple Music.