our exit music

pi•lot – noun, a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths. However, the pilot is only an advisor, as the master remains in legal, overriding command of the vessel…

It seems as if the soil determines the beauty a region is destined to produce. Whether it be hops or vines, beans or stocks, hoof or paw – it only seems natural for beauty to be nurtured by, and reflect, its surroundings. Seattle may be the wellspring for indie and folk rock muses (not to mention an unmistakable source for grunge over the years), but Portland seems to naturally bear the most delicate acoustic harmonies ever to grace the lush western coasts. The folk scene in Portland begs for intricacy, delicacy and the most fragile of silences.

The story of Blind Pilot may begin in Oregon, but its first breaths truly took place in the laidback surfer town of Newquay, England, where two friends – Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski – spent a summer abroad. Nebeker says,

The first night we saw a musician playing on the street. A cop came up and we thought, ‘This guy’s going to get busted.’ But the cop stood and listened, then flipped a pound into the guy’s case and walked off. So we said, ‘Oh, we’re doing this!’

Nebeker strummed an acoustic guitar while Dobrowski, a fine art student, kept time on a makeshift percussion kit constructed out of a sketchpad and pencil tin. Upon returning to Oregan, Blind Pilot became a serious endeavor. The two took to the seclusion of an abandoned old cannery that overlooks where the Columbia River crashes into the Pacific. Between Nebeker’s honest delivery and Dobrowski’s steady, but somehow ecclectic, timekeeping percussion, a sincere sound was born amongst dust and broken sunbeam. Both impassioned cyclists, the two decided to take their band on the road – touring along the West Coast via bicycle. With custom trailers fashioned for hauling equipment, the two embarked without a map or any gigs scheduled.

If we rode all day and we couldn’t find a show, or we played for just ten people, we still felt good about our day.

I know, right?! In 2008, Blind Pilot grew to include Kati Claborn on banjo and dulcimer, Luke Ydstie on upright bass, Dave Jorgensen on trumpet and harmonium, and Ian Krist on vibraphone and toured from Vancouver to San Diego…on bike…again.

Their debut album, 3 Rounds and a Sound, reached number 13 on the Billboard Top Digital Albums chart and more than 2 million iTunes downloads – no small feat for such a humble, hardworking group of musicians. In the recordings, these songs are incredibly intimate, but on stage, they rise to the occasion, leading riotous celebratory chants throughout the crowd. They blew us away with a Gillian Welch cover, “Look At Miss Ohio,” which featured some of the more courageous vocal harmonies of the evening. The set’s climax, “We Are The Tide,” with its driving percussion, drove our hearts and stomps in unison as we shouted…

Everybody’s singing on the street like it’s Sunday.

For your listening pleasure:
Blind Pilot’s “One Red Thread”

And for your viewing pleasure:

WE ARE THE TIDE: blind pilot’s west coast bike tour (trailer) from IAVIDEO on Vimeo.

Artist Links:
Official Website
Last.fm
Myspace