Interviews By Uma: Speed of Light
The Sibling Band On Punk, Song Writing And Opening For The Warning
Sibling power punk trio Speed of Light is Reaching for New Heights on an Upcoming Tour with The Warning
The band chatted with us about performing with your siblings, being in a band so young and what 2025 holds for Speed of Light
The first thing we learned about Speed of Light when we discovered they had been tapped to open for the summer leg of The Warning’s tour was that they were also siblings, in this case two brothers and a sister. This immediately intrigued Uma!
Consisting of the siblings Christensen (Riley, bass and primary vocals, Tyler, drums and Cameron, lead guitar), the group is young, between 18-22. And like The Warning, they started the band when they were children. They also have enormous energy and stage presence.
We loved their music almost instantly, even though to me, at first, they didn’t seem like a perfect fit for The Warning. Punkish and grungy, with a harsh vocals, growling side to their music, to my ear they were more raw and straight ahead than The Warning. But Uma picked it up right away.
“They’re like a younger Warning,” she said.
Quite right! The trajectory of Speed of Light appears to be following that path. Family centered. Workaholics. A variety of influences ranging from Melvins and The Stooges punk, to 90s Throwing Muses and Breeders garage band sounds. Toss in a charismatic lead singer who gets better every time she steps up to the microphone, and the Santa Monica-based Speed of Light is starting to carve a pretty loud path for themselves.
They haven’t officially released an album or EP yet, but that’s right around the corner as they have plenty of original music up on YouTube and streaming.
Tomorrow, July 2, is a big day for the band. Riley told us that they begin driving east from California to Milwaukee where they will play - along with The Warning and dozens of other bands - in Summerfest on July 5. From there, they begin their official tour with The Warning. We’ll catch them and meet them for the first time in Nashville. Click here for the tour schedule: Speed of Light Tour.
The band will also release a newly recorded song tomorrow called “Pain on a Chain.” They’ve been playing the song in shows, but this will be an official recording.
For the interview, the whole band sat down to answer Uma’s question, but it was Riley who wrote it out and who we’ve been in contact with. So, the interview itself will read as though it’s just Riley, even though the whole band was involved.
Enjoy “Seance”, one of the songs talked about in the interview. And then let us know what you think about Speed of Light in Interviews By Uma!
Interviews By Uma: Speed of Light
Uma Szczesny (US): Where did you come up with the name of the band?
Riley Christensen: (RC): “Speed of Light” were lyrics from one of the first songs we wrote about nine years ago. We chose that name over Foolish Mortals and Filthy Casuals. I was nine then.
US: Since you’re all siblings, how do you all get along?
RC: We get along great!
US: For Riley, do your brothers ever annoy you?
RC: Most of the time, no. We get along. Everyone knows their lane. We honestly like each other.
US: For Riley and Tyler, how do you learn to scream? Is it hard?
RC: Tyler doesn’t scream anymore. Only in “Kill the Vibe” now. I do voice exercises daily, so now it’s a lot easier. I used to scream without technique a few years ago and it threw my voice out. But now, with technique, I can do it every day and I think my screams sound better.
US: Do any of you play any other instruments? How long have you been playing and why did you decide to form a band?
RC: No, we just play our own instruments. I also play guitar a little. I don’t think it was a decision to be a band. It was more like gravity. Because we’re a family, we played together long before we came up with the name Speed of Light. Cameron got a guitar at seven and was having so much fun Tyler joined him with drums a few years later. They had a band in Junior High without me. I joined them with guitar in the beginning, but we really needed a bass so I switched.
US: How did your band end up opening for The Warning?
RC: Our reps asked if we wanted to and we said “cool!” We start driving from LA to Milwaukee tomorrow (July 2) to play Summerfest. And then our tour with The Warning begins!
US: Most of your songs are short and fast. Do you do that on purpose? How do you put a song together?
RC: Our songs are around 3-4 minutes. Our earlier ‘Punk’ songs like “Feed” were only around 2 minutes. I think “Kill the Vibe” is 2:20. Those were written when I was 14 years old.
We write all our own songs. We start with Cameron, who has a ton of riffs. Then we jam on that riff until we carve out the sections of the song, verses, choruses, etc. Then I put my top line over that. The lyrics and vocal melody are usually the last. We’ve written probably 200 plus songs like that.
US: Do you have a practice space at home? Where do you hope to perform someday?
RC: We have a lockout we go to every day like an office. It’s a small space but we can be as loud as we want. Our goal has always been to play the Pyramid Stage in Glastonbury. We don’t have a good reason for that goal since we made it when I was 9, Tyler was 11, and Cameron was 13.
US: On your music videos, how long do they take to make and edit? Who came up with the idea for black and white on “Séance?”
RC: They’re all different. Cameron did the video for “Rise.” We all did the video for “Feed.” The other videos were done by directors and their crews.
“Séance” and our new video, “Pain On A Chain,” were done by this awesome director, Rizz. She’s also the lead singer of a band named Vowws. And I think she did the background visuals for Deftones on their last tour. She is amazing and creative.
US: Speaking of “Séance,” are you into ghost hunting because the video is spooky.
RC: We love “Séance” because it’s not about what everyone thinks it is. It’s about communication. Or lack of. Some people feel unheard and invisible, like a ghost. That’s for them.
US: Clothes questions for Tyler and Cameron. I like Cameron’s outfits, does he pick them out himself. For Tyler, do you always wear bandanas?
RC: Yeah, we’ve always picked out our own outfits. Tyler usually wears a bandana too. That’s how we started out anyway.
US: Do any of you have pets? What are their names?
RC: We have two cats. Gimli and Cleo. Gimli thinks he’s a dog.
US: For each band member: What is your favorite animals and favorite color and why?
RC: Cameron, cats and red. Tyler, cats and green. Riley, cats and yellow. Cats, probably because that’s all we can have where we live. I’m sure if we could have a dog or monkey we’d love them too.
US: Finally, will you be releasing any CDs? What’s the band’s plan for the next year?
RC: We’re releasing a song, “Pain On A Chain.” We hope to release a CD soon. We’ve written and recorded tons of music, and we’re just looking for the best songs for the first album. That process has taken us awhile, but we don’t want to settle.
Interviews By Uma is a monthly question and answer feature developed by ten-year-old Uma Szczesny and formatted and managed by her journalist dad. The column focuses on interviews between Uma and some of her favorite musicians, artists and teachers. Uma is also a kid reporter for Manchester Ink Link. Her interviews have been published in several media journals and newspapers in the United States and Canada. For more information on Interviews By Uma, to read her archive or to propose or suggest an interview, email interviewsbyuma@gmail.com. Check out Dan and Uma’s books here:
Tomorrow, Chapter Nine of “Where There’s Smoke” will drop! We hope you’ve been enjoying this hiking memoir so far, with a new chapter coming out each Wednesday. Can you guess what Fire Tower we’re hiking to tomorrow based on this picture?
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Once again, Uma does a great job with asking the questions! What an honor for these bands to share their thoughts, and aspirations with her!
I'm looking forward to seeing them live in person not once, but 7 times in July with the Warning! See you guys in Nashville! 🤘