Lost Gravity is a heavy rock band based in London (UK) formed in summer 2007 by singer and guitarist Breno Val. Originally a four piece band, they went through many line-up changes and ended up being just a duo in the studio to record a whole record in the beginning of this year!
I’ve been following this band for over a year now, listening to the three previously recorded EP’s over and over again and love the new album! I’m really happy to finally get the opportunity to talk to Breno about his experience with the band and their new self-titled album which got released on October 13 and I’m excited to share this with you!
Hey Breno, Can you shortly describe the music of Lost Gravity to people who haven’t heard of you yet? What does it sound like?
Breno Val: Hi Carina, we are a rock’n’roll band. But to be more precise we are a heavy rock band with some metal and grunge influences.
How did you come up with the band name?
BV: I came up with the name Lost Gravity back in 2006 before I started looking for musicians to form the band. I thought about “gravity” as an analogy to what keeps people down and away from reaching what they want in life. So to go and get what you want, you have to lose this thing that keeps you down. “Lost Gravity” seemed like the perfect (and obvious) name to represent that idea.
What is your main influence and where do you get inspiration from?
BV: My main influences are AC/DC, 
Metallica and Alice in Chains. But in our music you can hear some influences from other bands that I listen to, like Led Zeppelin, Megadeth, Hendrix, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against The Machine, Maiden, etc.
The lyrics come from day to day experiences. Each song is a bit like a photograph of a certain situation or period in life. And the music usually starts from a riff or a vocal melody. Then after some work it becomes a song and eventually an album (laughs).
Was it planned to write an album with catchy simple songs that are radio-friendly or did that just happen by coincidence?
BV: Well, my favorite band is AC/DC. And I’ve always said Lost Gravity is my version of AC/DC but I’ve never found anyone who agrees with me on that one (laughs). So I think we ended up having this kind of vibe that you’ve mentioned on the album. We never planned on writing a radio friendly album though.
Why do you think the world needs Lost Gravity?
BV: What was the last big rock band? Nirvana? Foo Fighters? (which is somehow the continuation of Nirvana). We’re talking about 20 years ago. It’s about time to get some new rock band out there.
Do you have planned to go on as a duo [with Giuliano Kolling on drums] or do you fancy getting an official third band member?
BV: Chris K. (bass) is now our official third member. Our current line up with him and Giuliano on the drums is our strongest line up ever!
I can hear that over the last years your voice constantly improved! What did you do?
BV: I drank lots of Guinness (laughs). Seriously now, being in the studio recording the album helped me improve my vocals. Also, the more gigs we play the more comfortable I get doing the vocals.
What do you wanna achieve with Lost Gravity?
BV: I just wanna carry on writing some good rock songs, keep the fun of playing live and have a long career with the band. I hope people who’s bought the album tell their friends about the band and bring them to the shows so we can have more and more people getting into our music.
So you are a band that is writing, recording, financing, releasing and marketing all of your music yourself. How do you find time to do this all on your own?
BV: No idea (laughs). I guess it’s just the love that I have for the music and for Lost Gravity that gives me the energy to do it all. The other day someone asked me what super power I would have if I could choose one. My answer was: stretch the days to 30 hours and the weeks to 10 days (laughs).
If you would get offered a record deal from a famous label, would you still reject it and stay with your DIY method?
BV: It depends on the kind of deal. If it would be something financially good for the band and if we could still keep our musical and artistic freedom, then yes, I would probably go for it. Otherwise I’ll keep recording and releasing on my label Priston Records.
You played Castlefest a couple of weeks ago, how was it, and how did the crowd respond to your sound?
BV: It was awesome! Most bands there were much much heavier than us and I was a bit worried that we would sound like Coldplay compared to them (laughs). We played a short set (30 mins) but it was enough time for people to get into our music. They felt the energy I guess and the feedback we had after the show was very positive! Many people who had never heard of us bought our album and t-shirt after the show.
How was your album launch show at The Underworld last week?
BV: It was fantastic! We played our best gig ever and the crowd was amazing!! They were singing our songs, moshing and stage diving. The atmosphere was awesome and it felt good! That’s a night to remember!
What do you think of girls in rock and heavy metal? Do you have girls who come to your show?
BV: I think it’s cool because rock/metal is not for guys only. At our shows we have a good balance I think. We are not a prog band (laughs).
What do you expect from your fans?
BV: I hope our fans and friends keep supporting us and help us spread the word about Lost Gravity.
Back to the album: How long did the songwriting process take? Who was involved?
BV: It’s hard to tell how long the songwriting process took as we re-recorded a few songs from our EPs. When we got into the studio we knew how most of the songs should sound so that made the whole recording process easier. Only two songs were finished on the spot.
I wrote all the lyrics on the album apart from two songs which were written by me and our previous singer. As for the music, I wrote everything on the album. On the last track, Walk On, Giuliano came up with some ideas for the structure.
How was the vibe in the studio? And did you face any difficulties/trouble?
BV: The vibe was good – most of the time (laughs). Recording an album as a duo is not easy and it takes lots of energy. Giuliano recorded the drums and backing vocals. I recorded the guitars, bass and vocals plus some backing vocals too. The hardest thing for me was a day when I had a 19 hours session tracking guitars. I started at 9am and finished at 4am the next day. That’s something that I would never do again!
Is there any funny experience related to Lost Gravity that you wanna share with us?
BV: We have had our Spinal Tap moments. The most recent was at the album launch show. We have this cool stage banner. We put it up but we forgot to unfold it for the show (laughs).
What would you recommend young, ambitious bands and musicians out there?
BV: Make music for the music. Don’t play in a band because you want attention and money.
Any last words, anything you want to say?
BV: Thanks for having us here, Carina. And I would like take this opportunity to thank everyone who has bought our album and supported us all the way. We’ll see you soon. Rock’n’roll!
Thank you too for this interview and all the best for your band! Hope to see you play live again soon!
To discover Lost Gravity’s music check out the video below of the opening track “What comes around goes around” from the debut album. If you like it as much as I do support the band and buy their record on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon or any other online shop.
Also make sure to check out the bands website and give ’em a like on their facebook page!
