INTERVIEW: Lost Kings

By Grace Lauson

Lost Kings have just kicked off “The So What Tour” in San Diego and will be playing at The Sinclair in Boston on Jan. 24. WTBU journalist Grace Lauson chatted with Lost Kings which consists of Robert Abisi and Nick Shanholtz.

GL (Grace Lauson): I know you guys are starting your tour tonight, congratulations on that.  I was wondering if you enjoy the process of constantly being busy while on tour or does it get overwhelming?

NS (Nick Shanholtz): Well first off, thank you. We are so passionate about doing music and being able to do this for a living that it never gets too overwhelming. It is a 24/7 thing but it is a 24/7 thing we enjoy. We love making music. It keeps us inspired and allows us to travel. We are also able to meet new people and play a ton of shows. It is really an exciting process and we really embrace it.

GL:  Do you notice a distinct difference between playing festivals versus playing your own shows? Do you have a preference?

RA (Robert Abisi): This tour is a bit different from what we have normally done. In the past, we played nightclubs. Yes, people want to come to see you but you also get people who are into bottle service and other interests which makes them not 100% involved in the show. However, this show, we are doing venues. The means essentially no one is stumbling into the shows. If they are there, they’re there for the music and want to see us. That’s also what’s good about festivals; they are there to experience the music. That’s what we love about playing festivals and that’s what makes us so excited about this tour. We will definitely be bringing more of that festival mentality into the show.

GL: Do you prefer touring or the process of making music more?

NS: I come from a music background and enjoy the music making process but they are pretty equal for both of us. They are so different. Making music is such a good outlet for what’s going on in life but to be able to play shows and experience the reactions first hand gives you a feeling that I can’t explain. It is such a good feeling. It’s hard to put into words. They are so enjoyable in different ways. The music process, as I said, is an outlet but a very lonely and tedious process. The show aspect allows you to see the reactions immediately and is such a cool thing that drives us to keep going.

GL: What is the process like for finding artists to sing on your tracks?

NS: we have a running list of people we want to work with. As we write our songs, we see what artist will fit that song. This is a huge process of seeing if that artist likes the song then taking the time to cut it; It can take months to get that done. Really each song is different. We have had songs, like the one coming out tomorrow, where the same artist has stuck with the song since the beginning; other times we already have the song written and then we have our team reach out to other artist’s teams.

GL: Can you notice a distinct difference between the various crowds you play?

RA: It varies so much. This tour is going to be our first experience where the people are there specifically for our music. This is why we are so excited about the tour. They are coming to the show for us without any of the outside influences that a nightclub may have had. That’s why we like festivals so much because everyone is there for the music. Moving to venues allows those fans who may not have wanted to go to a nightclub to see us and really just experience music. It’s such a better experience. Nightclubs are fun but experiencing our music altogether in a venue solely for our show is really the best thing. For me, Miami is one of my favorite places to play. I love that city. Also, Friday we play LA. That’s our hometown. To do a proper show in LA has been a dream of ours for a long time.

GL: Have you ever thought about doing anything other than music or did you know that was the goal since you were little?

NS: I always knew I wanted to play Music. I’ve been playing instruments since I was 7 year-olds. Then I started writing music and now I’ve been producing music for about 10 years. So, I always knew that was my only path. All my eggs were always in one basket.

RA: For me, music was always a huge passion of mine. I had some other things I explored first when I was younger but when I got to college, I saw the opportunity for me to pursue a career in what we do now.

GL: Do you have any hobbies that aren’t musically oriented?

NS: Most of our life is consumed by music, whether it is in the studio or on the road, but we do take breaks. We play Xbox and we are big sports guys so we watch whatever sports games are on. However, for the most part, we are consumed in what we do and kind of prefer it that way.

GL: Do you have any bad habits?

RA: I drink too much tequila. That’s a good bad habit.

GL: Who are your favorite artists currently?

NS: For me, definitely Swae Lee

RA: The 1975

GL: What’s next for you? What do we have to look forward to?

NS: This tour is something we wanted to do to really come out of the gate this year and set our value in the market. That was a major drive for us to come out with this EP. We really wanted to set us up with this tour and did collaborations that worked with that. Following the tour, we are looking forward to going into festival season with more new music. We plan on releasing a lot of new music this year beyond this EP. Hopefully, we will do another big tour in the fall. Ultimately, we just want to keep leveling up. That’s the goal. Keep leveling up till we are at the top. That has always been the goal and will keep being the goal.

Lost Kings will be playing at the Sinclair on Tuesday, Jan. 24. Tickets can be purchased here.