JENNIFER BATTEN
At least the air miles are stacking up. Jennifer Batten’s continent-hopping career means her diary is always full: a clinic tour here, her renowned solo show there and, recently, she’s even found herself in demand from Michael Jackson tribute acts, having toured with the man himself for 10 years back in the 80s and 90s.
“Yes, I’ve done so many different things,” she tells us as we settle down in the Guitarist studio. “It’s almost like you never know – when you wake up, there can be an email that just shows up and I go, ‘Okay. Well, that’s what I’m doing in March.’”
Spending so much time travelling has meant that she has refined her gear to be flight-friendly – we were impressed by the fact she knows the weight of everything she takes with her on tour. As an example she points to her Boss FV-50 volume pedal and says, “It weighs 1lb. It’s plastic and if it breaks I’ll just buy another one. Weight is everything when you travel.”
In clinics she’ll spend a while detailing to guitar joys of travel”. All the stresses and strains of the modern-day itinerant minstrel aside, the clinics bring together Jennifer’s vast and impressive experience.
