Lightning strikes for St. Albert band

St. Albert rockers White Lightning are out to impress and astonish with the release of their third disc and first full-length album.

In the words of drummer Enoch Rottier, the threesome is pulling out all the stops for the See It All release extravaganza this coming Saturday at Avenue Theatre.

Not only will Rottier, Steve Bosch (lead vocals/guitar) and Jason Grilo (vocals/bass) sing the full 17-track release, but they’ve also invited additional singers and musicians to pump up the evening.

As Rottier explains it, “This will be even more epic than the last one. There’ll a 15-person choir singing a couple songs and a few strings. We have hilarious costumes and we’re going to try to recreate Stomp,” with a series of percussion instruments that include cymbals, kazoo, tambourine, garbage cans and Rubbermaid bins to name a few.

The band’s come a long way in a relatively short time since starting as a garage band in September 2007. Their charismatic showmanship and catchy tunes have earned them a nomination for the 2011 Edmonton Music Awards in the best live show category. White Lightning was also dubbed SONIC’s November 2010 band of the month and they came second in the 2010 Last Band Standing competition at the Taphouse.

Their hard work is paying off. But it’s also an innovative recording approach that sets them apart from others. For instance, three of the songs from See It All were recorded in a 1,600-sq.-foot, acoustically vibrant grain bin at Rottier’s parents’ farm.

Although now an apprentice electrician living in St. Albert, Rottier used to shoulder some of the work on the farm, cleaning out the granaries. “I’d end up singing and it sounded like you’re in a cathedral.”

But recording just three songs in the grain bin — Peace, Love and Hope — proved to be an exercise in gymnastics. With only a two-foot-by-two-foot opening about 10 feet off the ground, getting the musical instruments through the hole was tricky. “We couldn’t get any of the big drums, but the guitars fit beautifully.”

The album’s first single Satisfaction was instrumental in garnering SONIC’s band of the month title. “It’s one of our danciest songs. It’s fun, catchy and a good sing-along, and we included it because it completed the album,” explains Bosch.

Then there’s Comfort, a tune Bosch wrote for his wife to give her solace during difficult times. Rottier, who studied drums and composition at Grant MacEwan University, put his emotions into the title track. “I put it to music wrestling with the frustrations of life and why we did things and how we change from innocence.”

The band is in countdown mode just itching to party. “When you come to our concert, you will see the kind of ideal concert we’d like to entertain us.”

Zerbin, a four-piece Edmonton band, opens for White Lightning on Saturday.