One of the best things about writing the Annie’s Sound Waves blog is that I have some freedom to do things a little differently. I love that, because this piece is about a very special band. I have written about Weekend Picnic several times previously, and this will definitely not be the last. When a band seemingly does everything the right way, musically and professionally, and does it with humility, kindness, and compassion, it's so easy to work with them and want to support them. I’ve been following Weekend Picnic for several years now, and witnessing the progression in their music and videos and seeing their fan base keep growing has been an absolute pleasure.
Weekend Picnic members include: Ehren Thomas (lead vocals); Drew Morrisette (drums); Ben Valle (rhythm guitar); and Patrick Bangasser (lead guitar and screams). The band is from Minnesota, and was founded by Ben in 2019. Drew was the original drummer, and Ehren and Patrick were added later that year.
I realized that the previous times I wrote about Weekend Picnic, I never asked about the band’s name. Ehren explained it to me. “This is kind of a funny story. The name was already there when I joined. Legend says the previous lead singer before Patrick joined had a dream that told him to name the band Weekend Picnic.” Ehren admitted that when he auditioned he wasn’t so sure about the name, but then it really clicked with him. “It’s a name you don’t forget, and when you hear our music it makes you ask yourself where the Hell the name came from. And here we are!”
Weekend Picnic had an excellent 2024, releasing five awesome singles and several fantastic music videos as well. Now, 2025 is off to a great start for the band, with the release of a new song, “Echo Chamber”, and a video to accompany it. Some people who follow Weekend Picnic are saying this might be their best work yet, which is exciting considering there’s more to come from this extremely talented band.
Ehren wrote the lyrics to Echo Chamber and Ben wrote the instrumental. Like all of Weekend’s Picnic’s recent music, the song was produced by Jeremy Schaeffer of All Poetic Audio. Rachel Siteman again shot the entire video, as she did for “Follow Me Down” and “Running Out Of Time” in 2024, and as always, she did an amazing job. The man of many talents, Ben Valle (Ben Valle Productions), handled the lighting, producing, and editing of the video – as Ehren said, “he did his magic”. Ehren shared that he is thankful to work with people with talents that go beyond the music. The Weekend Picnic team is indeed strong, not only musically, but with the behind-the-scenes aspects as well.
Musically, I will say that “Echo Chamber” is stellar. The guitars and drums are in perfect cohesion. You can tell these guys have been playing together for years, because everything just comes together so nicely. Ben is also a talented songwriter and knows how to put all the instrumental pieces in place. Ehren’s voice, as always, shows no limit to his range. He hits every note with emotion – honestly, it’s breathtaking. That’s the best word to describe it.
My own interpretation of “Echo Chamber” is that it is a statement about how people in power are causing division – and from the video, which I’ll get into more later, I’m also getting out of it that it’s about the media, too. They don’t really help make things better. In fact, they often add fuel to the fire. We’re so obsessed with what we hear and see on the news (and social media as well), we don’t bother to research and find our own truths. Basically, we’re being manipulated and brainwashed.
Ehren told me when he heard the instrumental for the song Ben wrote, he could hear an aggression and he knew exactly what the song would be about. He wrote the lyrics of “Echo Chamber” to really drive home that we may be divided, but we don’t have to live this way. Ehren said he didn’t write it about any particular president or administration, but more towards the media and the divide and conquer tactics. It’s like someone wants us to hate each other, and it’s working.
Some of the key points can be found in the lyrics. In lines such as “Talking heads shake a hand preaching unity – in the end make a buck off a tragedy”, along with “You’re not a good person you just play one on TV” – listeners can clearly understand the message. As Ehren said, “These people pretend to care about their fellow humans and unity, while simultaneously telling, or rather tricking, people into hating others for their opinions or perceived differences.” Ehren believes we are so divided that “you’re with me or against me” has completely destroyed discourse. Another line, “You get high on the feeling but you’re not free – in a cage of what they make you believe”, again drives home the manipulation that is happening. Ehren said he’s sick of it and he believes the majority of the free world is, as well.
The concept of the “Echo Chamber” music video was a mix of ideas all of the band members had. The family is on the couch watching the news on TV, and the band is performing in the same room essentially yelling at them to wake up and see what’s happening around them. Something super cool about the video is that the children sitting on the couch happen to be Ehren’s two oldest sons, and the man with them is his brother-in-law. He said they did an amazing job “just chilling and watching the TV on the couch.” They almost appear to be in a trance, totally mesmerized by what’s on the TV. Ehren and Ben make a cameo appearance as the news anchors. The ambience of the video is striking, with the accents of red neon lighting in the otherwise mostly dark room Ehren said his boys are extremely proud to be in a video that had over 32,000 views in just ten days at the time of this review being posted.
Ehren told me 2025 will be a big year for Weekend Picnic. He sadly had a tremendous loss when his father passed away in 2024, and it took him out of the game for a while. But he said his father loved their music, and he knows he’s proud of what they have done as well as where they are heading. The band has more music coming, and are hoping to finish an album. To help with this, they are planning an Indiegogo campaign for the band’s biggest fans and friends to get exclusive perks and content while also contributing to the album completion.
Ehren shared that this upcoming Weekend Picnic album is going to be, as he put it, “insane, and easily our most impactful and ambitious work to date.” He does believe their first album in 2021, which was self-titled, was epic in its own right, but they have a lot to say with this new one. “I’m a firm believer that music and art are completely subjective and can be taken in many different contexts, but I always want to put words and emotions that have real, tangible meaning into our songs. Every song is written either for someone who has impacted me or from an experience that has actually taken place in my life. Each band member leaves his footprints in every song we write and perform together.”
Please make sure to follow Weekend Picnic on whatever music platform you use, as well as YouTube for their videos, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and the band’s website. If you have not checked out their songs and videos from last year yet, please do that as well. Those singles were: “I Will Remain” (official music video); “Follow Me Down” (official music video); “Crash Into Me”; “Running Out Of Time” (official music video); and “Paper To A Flame”. These songs were all so good and will give an insight into the amazing work this band has been doing leading up to this year.
Lastly, Ehren said, “Let’s just say there are plenty of surprises in store for Weekend Picnic in 2025 and beyond." I know that I don't just speak for myself when I say I can't wait to see what the future holds for this wonderful band!
PHOTO CREDIT: Trista Whitman, Rachel Siteman
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