Midwestern Gothic/Avant Goth band thePicassos chose their name in recognition of the fact that the work of artists is often disregarded while they are alive and becomes more famous when they die. Band member Charles explains “I like to think it means something different to everyone and it has evolved over the years but ultimately it’s less of a credit to the artist by name and moreover artists in general.”
thePicassos are a four-member band with Charles on vocals and guitar, Dan on bass, Joe on keys and piano and Thorin on drums, accordion, banjo and production. Recently however a new band member in friend Justin has joined the band for live performances. The band says, “earlier this year drummer and producer Thorin suffered an injury in his arms rendering him unable to perform in the same way live -we have outsourced a drummer in friend of band Justin Dulecki.”
Each member of thePicassos has a different story about the ways in which they became interested in music. Charles revealed that for him it began with what he describes as “a very vivid early childhood memory of my parents blasting the phantom of the opera soundtrack over the home stereo system. I was very scared. I think it may have started there.” For drummer Thorin he remembers “as a baby I used to sing ode to my family by the cranberries my paediatrician always wanted to hear me sing, but I had very bad stage fright, so they never heard me. True story.” Dan, who was raised listening to Elvis says “I wanted nothing more than to be Elvis. Now I do this”. Joe found music inspiring at a young age and explains “there is a videotape of me sitting on Santa’s lap at 4 years old, and I asked him for a violin. Christmas came, I got my violin was 2” tall and not real. Just like Santa.” Justin credits an old Casio keyboard that belonged to his grandmother as sparking his interest in music saying “Whenever I’d go to her house I’d play with the button. It would play the Titanic theme and stuff.”
As far as musical influences go the band members have varied experiences. Charles, who is always trying to evolve his sound takes inspiration from artists like “David Bowie, Tom Waits, Björk, Smashing Pumpkins.” He likes artists that he describes as not being easily placed “ in any particular genre or box. Those that never did the same thing twice in my humble opinion. “ Thorin has spent a lot of his life listening to Modest Mouse and explains that “their recently deceased Drummer Jeremiah Green (R.I.P) was a huge influence on my drumming style.” With his bass playing influence starting with Greenday, Dan says “the first song I ever learned was “Long view” but I also listened to a lot of Cradle of Filth and Slipknot. Notably I think I take inspiration from Paul Gray ( R.I.P of Slipknot) who was also a left handed bassist and I try to apply that to thePicassos in my playing approach". Joe cites his musical inspirations as Elton John and Billy Joel and explains “I’m also a musical theater guy so Andrew Loyd Webber of course. “ With influences from Industrial to Grunge, Justin says “ I like off kilter genres. Nine in Nails was one of my first favorites. Nirvana, Foo Fighters - Dave Grohl as a drummer is a big inspiration. But also appreciate avant garde stuff like Sonic Youth. Music that breaks boundaries and isn’t always appealing to the ear. “
When explaining what drew thePicassos to their genre Charles clarifies that the band “have been collecting genres since the inception of this project. I think it starts with the concepts for songs and that dictates the kind of genres we can play with for any particular tracks.” Joe says that Dark Gothic music wasn’t something he was familiar with or listened to but he reveals that ”my ignorance of the gothic genre at large has led me to an unbiased approach to our material and allows me to add things that wouldn’t be considered “conventional” to the genre.” Dan states that “what makes thePicassos “thePicassos” is probably the fact that none of us listen to the same type of music. So, we all bring a different color and approach perception to a song. “
When asked about thePicassos approach to songwriting the band in unison say, “Remember You will die.” Usually starting in a dark room Charles says he is inspired by the motifs of “death, dying and the afterlife”. He uses this as what he describes as “metaphors but also to reflect on and stand in defiance of these absolutes. I think it’s hugely important to talk about our mortality at any stage of our lives. Death touches us all eventually and being able to look it in the face as opposed to the omnipresent specter in the distance is not only healthy, but I think necessary. “ Dan goes on to say ”thus, “Memento Mori” - we try to make sense of what Charles brings to us. He Usually has a lot of big ideas, and we help clean it up to the strongest version. Charles has the long novel version of the song, and we create the cinematic adaption.”
As far as involvement in the aesthetic of thePicassos go Charles explains that “as much as I possibly can! I have always gravitated to the dark, vintage theatrical aesthetics, so I do try to bring that to the band and our stage show to help illustrate the music in ways words don’t quite manage. I have drawn a lot from the silent films and 1920’s German expressionism for this album specifically. “
In order to stay creative and inspired Charles reveals that ” I’m constantly absorbing new media, movies, books, comics, TV shows. I tend to get hyper focused on an artist or a story and deep dive for weeks and try to bring something of that to my art and the project. Currently I’ve been deeply looking into the works of Guillermo Del Toro! ”
The band enjoy live performances and Dan describes them as “that’s my favorite part of being a musician. I wanna live in the moment.” For Joe his passion for live performances is matched by the joy he gets from writing songs. Thorin relishes the feedback from the audience when performing live. Charles believes “it’s always feels like a race to the finish line- lots to remember and things I hope go well - I try to find some time to be present and aware of the movement. But on stage when things go off perfectly and we feel like we have actually made contact with the dead) are the most special moments I could ever ask for. “
Apart from being very active on social media when building a relationship and connecting with fans Charles says thePicassos “take pride in our “seances” being inclusive and an opportunity to engage our audiences in joining in the ritual of holding hands or candles or sitting on the floor to really attempt to make a connection to the other side and take control of the energy you can only get in a live setting. We also have a FB group and a discord server for some more unique behind the scenes looks into our world! “
When asked what direction the band will be taking Charles says “I actually have a pretty good idea of what the next sounds we emulate will be. Hopefully it’s unexpected. “ Thorin believes the band should head “south”, Dan says “all the way to hell” and Joe says “east? I thought you said west.”
For new listener to thePicassos the band members have this to say. Dan explains “if you’re feeling moody it’s exactly what you’re looking for. “ Thorin reminds novices to the music of thePicassos “Remember you will die”. According to Joe ” if you don’t mind contemplating your own mortality this could be the band for you! “ Charles says “its decidedly spooky… but I think you’ll find it’s a lot more layered than your average haunted house. “
Links :
Facebook : ThePicassos | Detroit MI | Facebook
Tik Tok : thePicassos (@picassosseance) | TikTok
Youtube : thePicassos Offical - YouTube
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