Interview With Blind Pilot

Blind Pilot have smashed the international scene far beyond original expectations with their début album '3 Rounds and a Sound'.

The duo are also the first band to tour on bicycles, yes you read that correctly, bicycles: steel-framed locomotives powered by pedalling. Blind Pilot rode bikes from Vancouver to San Francisco, stopping off in towns that would not normally be visited by touring bands. Oh.. and they've done two such tours now, maybe it'll catch on.  Beats taking private jets to Live Earth at any rate.

They won't be riding their bikes to this weekend Sasquatch festival but we can expect to see them play an awesome set backed by three other members and a truck load of alternative pop. We talked to Israel this week who kindly gave us permission to give away Blind Pilots latest single "Go On, Say It" so go on, download it. 

SG: You're coming to the end of a tour with The Hold Steady and Counting Crows, how has the whole experience been for you?

Israel: It's been pretty great. We really couldn't ask for a better first tour in Europe.  We're getting to play for thousands of people each night and hopefully our music will stick with some of them. 

Ryan: It has been a pretty amazing and slightly weird experience. Not weird in a bad way, but much different than anything we have done before. We met a lot of great people and learned a lit about the inner workings of arena shows. 

SG: What was it like to play in such huge venues for the first time? 

Israel: The first couple of shows were very strange.  It's unlike any big hall or festival we've played and just the echo factor kind of got to me. But then, something changed and we found our groove.  It just took a while to make friends with that huge sound and space I think.

Ryan: These were by far the largest crowds we have played for. It was a liitle intimidating at first, but I think we got pretty comfortable with it. Some cities were amazing and some felt like we were put into a giant concrete room with small wooden instruments.

SG: You're also just about to support The Decemberists as well, how did all these huge tour buddies come around? Are there any more epic matches planed for the future? 

Israel: No more epic matches yet.  We're really fortunate to be on these tours and getting to play for people that our music is new to.  I'm really excited to go out on our own tour next.  But in the meantime, it's seriously a dream come true to be supporting The Decemberists.

Ryan: I'm really excited about the Decemberists tour. They are a fantastic band and are playing some amazing rooms on this tour. I am sure we will support other bands in the future, but we're going to be playing some of our own shows as summer moves on.

SG: Your début album '3 Rounds and a Sound' has been a huge success so far; the first single 'Go On, Say It' reached number one in the iTunes charts and the album itself has received a lot of appraisal. Are you happy with the outcome or were you expecting more?

Israel: Are you kidding?  I thought MAYBE I could get all or at least most of my friends to give the album a try and hopefully pass it on.  The amount that this all has exceeded our expectations is quite overwhelming to me at times.  We went into Skyler Norwood's studio in Portland with the intention of making a quick album that we could sell while we were touring by bicycle.  But by the end of recording we realized we had something we could be really proud of.  Everything since then has just been the biggest and nicest surprise I could dream of.

Ryan: When we first started recording this album, we were just wanting something to help fund a cross country bike tour. We were happy with the way it turned out, but would have never assumed some of the things that have happened. The amount of support we have gotten has been great. 

SG: Portland seems to be a current hot spot for new up and coming bands. Would you say the city has a flourishing music scene?  

Israel: No doubt about it.  It's hard to meet someone in Portland that isn't in one or three bands.  Of course it has its little pretensions and cliches like any music scene, but ultimately it's the best thing I know of going on right now.  I feel really lucky any time I go out to see music there.

Ryan: It is a pretty amazing city right now. There are so many types of music being made and so much of it is really good and really interesting. New bands are starting all the time and keeping things exciting.

SG: Sasquatch is fairly local to you as residents of Portland, have you ever attended the festival in its short but fruitful life? If so; what do you enjoy most about the event?

Israel: I wish I could say I've been to it before, but I haven't.  I think I was always busy or didn't have enough cash to spend.  But, I've been to some shows at The Gorge and it's one of the most beautiful places I can think of for music.  I can't wait.

Ryan: This is the first year that I have been to Sasquatch. I have seen shows at the gorge before and they are always amazing.

SG: Will you be watching any other performers over the weekend

Israel: Absolutely.  I'm excited about seeing too many bands to even list here.  Sadly, we can't stay for the whole thing because we start our tour with The Decemberists on Saturday night.  I guess you can't do everything all the time, but I wish we could be there for the whole thing.  Next time.

Ryan: Since I am answering this post festival, I can say that I did see some pretty amazing shows. Bon Iver and sun kil moon were probably my favourite shows.

SG: Are there any other festivals in particular that you've enjoyed and why?

Israel: I really, really liked SxSW.  It was crazy and loud and Austin is wonderful.  Because there are SO many bands playing at any given moment, it seems miraculous to even be heard by anyone there.  But it was a really good few days for us.

Ryan: We played the Great Escape festival in the UK and it was pretty great. SxSW was fun, but a little overwhelming with so many bands. For the same reason I love it though.

SG: What do you think about the current state of the music industry? Is there anything that worries you such as illegal downloading? 

Israel: Illegal downloading is by far the least concerning thing for almost all musicians.  If you respect the music and musician, you should show it by buying their album.  But really, downloading off the net now is like the new radio.  Most things that the music industry has set up are obviously changing and that's both scary and exciting.  Musicians have probably the least to be scared about since, ironically, they, of all people in the music industry, have the least to lose.  I think most musicians want to make music even if it doesn't pay.  That fact is probably the biggest reason why musicians get taken advantage of in a world of business.  But to me it's also a terrifically hopeful fact in the face of so much uncertainty and change right now.

Ryan: Illegal downloading doesn't really worry me. I don't know anyone that hasn't done it at least once. I think the speed at which independent music can spread us great. Although illegal downloading can hurt bands, I think it is one of the best times to be a musician and a music fan.

SG: You've come along way in the past year and you haven't done it in the most conventional manner (bicycle tours are pretty new to us!), are there any radical plans for Blind Pilot in the near future? 

Israel: We're a creative group of friends and we're not at all shy about trying out new or non-conventional ideas.  So who knows?  There's a couple of plans in the works for something better than our recent "big white van tour".  We'll see.

Ryan: I wouldn't say radical, but we do have a lot more touring to do and more albums to make. I am sure we will do another tour by bike at some point, but probably not for a little while. It has been a pretty exciting year, but I do think there is a lot more on it's way.  We always want to keep things fun and interesting to us even if they aren't the most conventional ways of doing them.

MP3: Blind Pilot - 'Go On, Say It'

STREAM:

• GoOnSayIt.mp3
  Download (Right click save as)

%s1 / %s2

DOWNLOAD (Right Click, Save As)