What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences and are they the same as when you started out?
The name, Picnic Lightning, comes from a brief moment towards the beginning of the novel,
Lolita; a simple description of the death of the main character’s mother. Thomas is an avid
reader and accomplished poet, and he suggested this to the group as an effective phrase to
capture an intense, immediate event forcing its way into the audience’s attention, and we felt
this captured the tone of our music.
As far as influences, musically, most directly, it would be Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Ty Segall,
The National and Queens of the Stone Age. For us, non-musical would be a variety of art,
literature, and film: Rene Magritte, Alex Ross, Francis Bacon, Harold Pinter, Roberto Bolaño,
Arthur C Clarke, Rainier Maria Rilke, and David Lynch.
How do you approach songwriting?
We have a collaborative approach to songwriting. The consistent inspiration for our music
would be Thomas’ poetry. Our surroundings can be an inspiration (a decaying mall for “Over
My Head’ is a good example) but we’re usually trying to evoke a feeling or a sense of being.
Raw and brooding desert punk, the sound of summer heat and dimly lit clubs. Dark,
post-everything wall of sound howls like a dust storm, delivering a spiritual stomp that dwells
in the shadowland of trenchant questions and orphic revelations. The fuel that sets your car
aflame or gets you home; the drug that puts you down or brings out the beast. You know,
that kind of thing.
How do you approach songwriting?
We have a collaborative approach to songwriting. The consistent inspiration for our music
would be Thomas’ poetry. Our surroundings can be an inspiration (a decaying mall for “Over
My Head’ is a good example) but we’re usually trying to evoke a feeling or a sense of being.
Raw and brooding desert punk, the sound of summer heat and dimly lit clubs. Dark,
post-everything wall of sound howls like a dust storm, delivering a spiritual stomp that dwells
in the shadowland of trenchant questions and orphic revelations. The fuel that sets your car
aflame or gets you home; the drug that puts you down or brings out the beast. You know,
that kind of thing.
Why do you write the sort of music that you do?
Mostly because it’s a fun, meaningful creative process and we like each other. Artistically,
the goal is to try and make sounds and songs that only we can make. To capture moods,
feelings, and a sense of being. At the end of the day, our guiding mantra is: let no one suffer.
How do you decide what to perform live?
We’re a bit of an anomaly in the current music landscape as we have very little electronic or
technological pieces to translate to stage. When writing, it’s just the four of us and our
instruments, so that no matter the studio production, we can still take our parts on the road
without too much hassle. As far as deciding what to play, we usually take the venue and bill
into account – we’ll lean more punk or psych depending on who else we’re playing with. In
short, we take Win Butler’s advice: shut up and play the hits
How do you decide what to perform live?
We’re a bit of an anomaly in the current music landscape as we have very little electronic or
technological pieces to translate to stage. When writing, it’s just the four of us and our
instruments, so that no matter the studio production, we can still take our parts on the road
without too much hassle. As far as deciding what to play, we usually take the venue and bill
into account – we’ll lean more punk or psych depending on who else we’re playing with. In
short, we take Win Butler’s advice: shut up and play the hits
What plans do you have for the future?
Our first single, Over My Head, is out May 6th. We’ve got a handful of singles being released
through the summer. From there, we’re starting to book shows, COVID-permitting. We’ve got
new merch out with more coming.