Punks PICNIC LIGHTNING have an EP out there along with a self-titled album. They even have quite a bit of new music coming soon, including an upcoming single out this early summer time! Tha band discloses all of these matters below.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Picnic Lightning formed in 2013 with Thomas Edmond Ketchersid on vocals, guitar, Cole Alvin Watkins on lead vocals and guitar, John Lenox Cope on bass and vocals and Cameron Joseph Navarro on drums and vocals. Thomas, Cole, & John had played music together since high school and Cameron joined them after hitting it off at a local Oktoberfest party. Their Gilded Youth EP (2014) and eponymous debut album (2016) were enthusiastically received by local press and blogs, earning them nominations for Best Rock Band, Best Rock EP, Best Rock Album in the Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
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 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.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Picnic Lightning is from Fort Worth, Texas. Tourism would have you think it’s all honky tonk and country, and as active as Billy Bob’s concert hall is, the music scene is a supportive place home to a variety of styles from Leon Bridges to Vincent Neil Emerson to the Van Cliburn Competition. There’s so many great local bands - our practice-space-mates, Mean Motor Scooter, singer-songwriter Gollay, hip-hop artist Lou Charle$, and pop ensemble Starfruit just to name a few. Check out Ampliry817.org for a great collection of local musicians.
4. How would you describe your style?
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. You can also find recent photos of our visual style on our Instagram @picniclghtnng.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We’ve released the Gilded Youth EP (2014) and followed up with our self-titled album in 2016. Our songs deftly touch the inexhaustible complexities of life and do so with sonics as singular as the individual human experience. They croon and holler, stomp and skip, wax thoughtful where vengeance belongs; and vice-versa. It’s the fuel that sets your car aflame or gets you home; the drug that puts you down or brings out the beast. The band’s mantra from day one has been: let no one suffer.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We’ve got quite a bit of new music coming soon, with our single “Over My Head” being released on all platforms on May 6th. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify, and our website to stay up to date on all the new releases over the next few months. This song, along with the others, were recorded pre-pandemic with Taylor Tatsch at his Audiostyles studio in the Texas Hill Country.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
Our next show is the Psychedelic Panther fest in Fort Worth from April 15-17th featuring 3 days of psych bands, food & drink, and local artists. We are on the outside stage on Saturday and have a few other shows coming up in the spring and summer - you can find them on our website and Facebook
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Our plans are to continue making music and playing shows for as long as possible. More immediately, we’re writing new songs and are working on touring possibilities as COVID allows.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can listen to us on all platforms:
Spotify
Bandcamp
Apple Music
YouTube
Tidal
Merch will be available on our website & socials in the next few weeks:
Website - picniclghtnng.com
Instagram.com/picniclghtnng
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