The band has performed on Carson Daly's show, opened arena shows in England and been selected as iTunes' Single of the Week. After a busy summer that included the Lollapalooza, Sasquatch!, and Outside Lands festivals and a high-profile slot opening for fellow Portlanders the Decemberists on select dates, Blind Pilot is embarking on a national headlining tour to support their magnanimous debut, 3 Rounds and a Sound, released last year on Expunged Records. Initially a duo of Nebeker and drummer Ryan Dobrowski, the group now includes Kati Claborn on banjo and dulcimer, Luke Ydstie on upright bass, Dave Jorgensen on trumpet and harmonium, and Ian Krist on vibraphone.
Nebeker and drummer Ryan Dobrowski first met as college students at the University of Oregon. They played together in the occasional band, but the roots of Blind Pilot didn't take hold until the two friends spent a summer abroad in Newquay, England, a laidback surfing town in the coastal county of Cornwall. 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. "I used that sketchpad more as an instrument than for artwork," laughs Dobrowski. "By the end of the summer, the tin was all flared out from me hitting it."
After that summer of busking by the English seaside, it was a couple more years before Blind Pilot became a serious endeavor, but when Nebeker and Dobrowski decided to focus on making music as a duo, they again sought the ocean air for inspiration. In2006, the pair relocated to the dramatic landscape of Oregon's Pacific coast, a few miles north of Gearhart, Oregon, where Nebeker grew up. His hometown memories are strung throughout the lyrics to 3 Rounds' "Things I Cannot Recall": "We took off sleeping by the river and the beaches in your car/Up where you taught me how to drive a stick and told me your family secret."
In the fishing town of neighboring Astoria, Oregon, the pair camped out on the top floor of an old cannery to prepare songs without outside distraction. The building jutted out into the water, not far from where the Columbia River's broad mouth collides with the Pacific Ocean. Against that tumultuous backdrop, the gentle songs took sturdy formation. Nebeker's honest delivery, accompanied by Dobrowski's uncluttered timekeeping, steered a batch of very personal songs to completion--much like the river's pilot boats, from which Blind Pilot derived their name, guide the mammoth, freight-laden barges up the Columbia.
Both avid cyclists, Nebeker and Dobrowski decided their next move would be a tour by bicycle. Once the songs were together, and a batch of CDRs was readied and hand-pressed, the two embarked without a map or any gigs scheduled. They biked down the West Coast, playing wherever they could along the way. The effort of touring by bicycle was reward in itself. "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," remembers Dobrowski.
The first Blind Pilot bike tour started in Vancouver and ended abruptly in San Francisco after their bikes were stolen. But when 3 Rounds and a Sound was finished in Portland last year, they toured again by bicycle, this time making it all the way down to San Diego with new members Claborn and Ydstie in tow--Ydstie's upright bass lumbering behind in a coffin-like trailer. Says Nebeker of touring by bike, "Ironically, the harder you worked, the more fun you had, as long as it's good work for a good reason. When you just sit all day in a van, that's not as much fun." Of course, for this upcoming national tour, Blind Pilot will be traveling by van--a circumstance borne out of practicality, and a necessary side effect of the group's remarkably quick success--but they hold future hopes to tour by bicycle again as soon as possible.
In the meantime, the songs of 3 Rounds and a Sound have stood up after countless miles of road- travel, and Blind Pilot has evolved into a live unit whose group dynamic elevates the music. On record, songs like "The Story I Heard," and "Go On, Say It" are intimately personal meditations, but in the live setting, they take on a communal, celebratory air. Nebeker's voice is buttressed by Claborn's and Ydstie's soaring harmonies, and the folk-spun, roots-inspired arrangements take on both the austere gorgeousness of classical chamber music, and the breathing, perspiring qualities of a great rock 'n' roll show.
"They're playing our song/Can you see the lights?" sings Nebeker in 3 Rounds' title track. "Can you hear the hum of our song? I hope they get it right/I hope we dance tonight before we get it wrong/And the seasons will change us new."
Those lyrics are of careful optimism--but Blind Pilot already has much to look forward to. Very near the start of their journey, they've reached a broader audience than they'd ever imagined, yet they're not willing to make themselves comfortable, even insisting that their first European tour will be via bicycle. "And one of the things I'm most excited about recording the next album is to see how different we can make it,"
Nebeker adds. "The sound that we have going is working really well right now, but I'm totally excited to mess it up."
Half Moon
Blind Pilot Lyrics
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So I left while you were sleeping, that's all it took
And I chalked a line south down the coast
Going where my thirst was open for the things that I don't know
Going where I wasn't paying for the hurt that I owe
One half moon sleeping by the creeks
And a woman put me under her barn roof for a week
I saw a grave dug by a preacher just to see what it would make
So hold high how faint your reasons
Boy, you'll never get on
Don't you forget you come from nothing
Boy, you'll never get on
That wind is calling my name and I won't wait, or I'll never get on
It's not hard to live like a ghost
I just haunt all that I've wanted and leave what I don't
I dreamt a trail up to the sky
And my brothers built propellers just to see how far they'd fly
So hold high how faint your reasons
Boy, you'll never get on
Your flashing sparrows chasing with them
Boy, you'll never get on
Don't you forget you come from nothing
Boy, you'll never get on
That wind is calling my name and I won't wait, or I'll never get on
The lyrics of Blind Pilot's song "Half Moon" seem to explore a sense of restlessness and a desire to leave behind the past hurt and explore new opportunities. The first verse reveals that the singer leaves while their partner is sleeping, drawn by the invitation of the morning sky. They set out on a journey down the coast with the intention of discovering the unknown and avoiding paying for the hurt they owe. The second verse introduces the idea of meeting new people and finding temporary refuge, slept under a barn roof by a woman, whilst the chorus brings the sense of not forgetting one's roots and to keep moving forward.
In the third verse, the lyrics express a sense of detachment, stating that it's not hard to live like a ghost - to move on from what one does not want to hold onto. The singer dreams of a trail leading up to the sky whilst their brothers build propellers to explore the limits of how far they can fly, in search of something greater. The chorus emphasizes the idea that the wind is calling for the singer to move on, reminding them that they come from nothing.
Overall, the song seems to evoke a sense of longing for exploration and the unknown, whilst recognizing the importance of one's past and roots, propelling them forward on their journey to new experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
That morning sky gave me a look
I woke up and noticed the beautiful sky that was calling to me to leave.
So I left while you were sleeping, that's all it took
I decided to leave without saying goodbye to escape the pain and start a new life.
And I chalked a line south down the coast
I mapped out my journey down the coast to explore the unknown and find new experiences.
Going where my thirst was open for the things that I don't know
I was seeking adventure and new experiences that I had never encountered before.
Going where I wasn't paying for the hurt that I owe
I wanted to start fresh where I did not have to confront or deal with any of the past pain or hurt that I had caused or experienced.
One half moon sleeping by the creeks
I passed through beautiful landscapes and nature along my journey, where I saw the half moon reflecting in the creeks.
And a woman put me under her barn roof for a week
I found shelter and safety in the barn of a kind woman, who took me in for a week.
I knew her voice before she spake
I had a sense of familiarity and comfort around this woman even before she spoke.
I saw a grave dug by a preacher just to see what it would make
I witnessed a preacher digging a grave without any immediate need for it, which made me reflect on the value and fragility of life.
So hold high how faint your reasons
One must strongly believe in their goals and aspirations, even if others see them as insignificant or unattainable.
Boy, you'll never get on
If you lack the confidence and determination to pursue your dreams, you will never succeed.
Don't you forget you come from nothing
No matter how far you go in life or what you achieve, it is essential to remember your humble beginnings.
That wind is calling my name and I won't wait, or I'll never get on
The opportunities and possibilities are endless, and one must not wait for them to come to them, but instead take action and seize them.
It's not hard to live like a ghost
It is easy to become disconnected and isolated from the world, living as if you don't exist, without any impact on others.
I just haunt all that I've wanted and leave what I don't
I focus solely on pursuing what I truly want in life and disregard those things that do not align with my aspirations.
I dreamt a trail up to the sky
I imagine and envision a path to success and greatness, leading me to new heights.
And my brothers built propellers just to see how far they'd fly
My siblings and I strive to push ourselves further and take risks to achieve our aspirations, even if we fail at times.
Your flashing sparrows chasing with them
Others may try to compete with and outdo you, but you must remain focused on your own goals and journey.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AARON NEBEKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind