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."
Oviedo
Blind Pilot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way some jet-lagged bar kept pouring the wine
From over their heads then sit back down again
Four times is once too much for luck
And that's how many times the clock struck
I wandered home saying your name
The arches here were built 'cause they don't fall
You might find your small soul
But leave the preaching to the president
The crowd cheers, his eyes get wet, I'm full as it is, I'm full as it is
So don't feed me more
You'll be having my head, big as a birthday
'Cause I left all my doubts on the airplane
I didn't know, I didn't know I'm not in control
I didn't know, I'm not invincible
Now maybe some things are better left unsaid
But if you wanted to test that out, well, yeah, I guess, I could've said
But there were nights in bars that I recall
Your breath was courage laced with alcohol
You leaned in, you said
"Make music with the chatter in here
And whisper all the notes in my ears"
I didn't know, I didn't know the weight of my tongue
I didn't know, I didn't know what I'd done
The lights here are softer than you'd think
The dim lit peacocks in the trees
Are hiding their eyes and their beauty, like me
But if my eyes were on my back
I know what I'd be looking at
Through every shade of browns and greens
I didn't know, I didn't know it was nothing new
I didn't know, I didn't know it was you
Blind Pilot's song "Oviedo" is a beautiful, poignant track that delves into the complexity of human relationships and our inability to control certain aspects of them. The song begins with the singer describing an experience in a bar where the thrill of the moment is unexpected and exhilarating. However, despite the rush of the moment, luck seems elusive, as indicated by the clock striking exactly four times. The singer wanders home, thinking of someone he loves, saying their name.
The second verse delves into the architecture of Oviedo, using the arches and cathedrals to represent the grandeur and majesty of the world around us. However, the singer warns against becoming too caught up in the preaching of others, urging us to find our own paths. The verse ends with the singer feeling full, not wanting to be fed any more from the world. The bridge then deals with the concept of control and our lack of it, with the singer realizing that he is not invincible and cannot always control his actions.
Line by Line Meaning
The thrill here is quicker than you'd think
The excitement in this place is unexpected and hits you immediately.
The way some jet-lagged bar kept pouring the wine
I observed a bar that kept individuals medicated with wine because of their jet lag.
From over their heads then sit back down again
The bartender would pour wine from above the customer's head and return the bottle back to rest.
Four times is once too much for luck
One should not rely on luck as the chances of success decrease with each try.
And that's how many times the clock struck
The clock struck four times, indicating time had passed.
I wandered home saying your name
As I departed, I spoke your name as I hoped to reminisce on the memories we had together.
The arches here were built 'cause they don't fall
The arches around here are sturdy and reliable, as they were made to never fall.
The cathedrals to make you feel small
The cathedrals were constructed to give a sense of humility and be in awe of a higher power.
You might find your small soul
Visitors can find themselves feeling insignificant in comparison to the grand structures that surround them.
But leave the preaching to the president
Preaching should be left to officials who are authorized to do so.
The crowd cheers, his eyes get wet, I'm full as it is, I'm full as it is
The audience cheers and becomes emotional while I am content with what I have.
So don't feed me more
I do not want to be given more than I already have in this moment.
You'll be having my head, big as a birthday
I anticipate receiving criticism and being punished for my actions.
'Cause I left all my doubts on the airplane
I left behind any uncertainties or doubts that I had on the airplane.
I didn't know, I didn't know I'm not in control
I was unaware that I lacked the ability to control everything.
I didn't know, I'm not invincible
I was ignorant of the fact that I am not indestructible.
Now maybe some things are better left unsaid
Perhaps certain information is best kept to oneself.
But if you wanted to test that out, well, yeah, I guess, I could've said
If one wanted to challenge this idea of secrecy, I would admit to what I was thinking.
But there were nights in bars that I recall
Although I do not normally reveal my inner thoughts, I recall situations where I did so.
Your breath was courage laced with alcohol
Your speech was confident but also fueled by alcohol.
You leaned in, you said
You approached me and spoke closely to my ears.
Make music with the chatter in here
Let's create music with the ambient noise from the surrounding environment.
And whisper all the notes in my ears
Let's exchange notes in hushed tones.
I didn't know, I didn't know the weight of my tongue
I was not aware of the impact that my words could have.
I didn't know, I didn't know what I'd done
I was oblivious to the consequences of my actions.
The lights here are softer than you'd think
The lighting around here is surprisingly gentle and subdued.
The dim lit peacocks in the trees
The trees have dimly lit peacocks roosting on their branches.
Are hiding their eyes and their beauty, like me
They are covering their eyes and beauty, much like I am hiding my true self from others.
But if my eyes were on my back
If my eyes could be relocated to my back...
I know what I'd be looking at
I know exactly what I would be observing through every shade of brown and green.
I didn't know, I didn't know it was nothing new
I was not aware that the place I was visiting was nothing groundbreaking or innovative.
I didn't know, I didn't know it was you
I was unaware until now that you were the subject of my thoughts and emotions.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AARON NEBEKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LincolnPower27
The thrill here is quicker than you'd think
The way some jet-lagged bar kept pouring the wine
From over their heads then sit back down again
Four times is once too much for luck
And that's how many times the clock struck
I wandered home saying your name
The arches here were built cause they don't fall
The cathedrals to make you feel small
That you might find your small soul
But leave the preaching to the president
The crowd cheers. His eyes get wet
I'm full as it is, I'm full as it is
So don't feed me more
You'll be having my head, big as a birthday
Cause I left all my doubts on the airplane
I didn't know, I didn't know I'm not in control
I didn't know, I'm not invincible
Now maybe some things are better left unsaid
But if you wanted to test that out, well, yeah, I guess, I could've said
But there were nights in bars that I recall
Your breath was courage laced with alcohol
You leaned in, you said
"Make music with the chatter in here
And whisper all the notes in my ears."
I didn't know, I didn't know the weight of my tongue
I didn't know, I didn't know what I'd done
The lights here are softer than you'd think
The dim lit peacocks in the trees
Are hiding their eyes and their beauty, like me
But if my eyes were on my back
I know what I'd be looking at
Through every shade of browns and greens
I didn't know, I didn't know it was nothing new
I didn't know, I didn't know it was you
aebrac
I can't figure out what about this song causes me to cry, but wow. It triggers something deep down inside.
Private_Ventures
I feel you. I'm the same way with American Pie.
Michael Domansky
Psychotropic Chord Syncopy ....
April Pemberton
Me too
Isaiah Perez
Same here. The way I see it is a self realization of problems, but seeing that are you getting out of it if that makes sense?
LincolnPower27
The thrill here is quicker than you'd think
The way some jet-lagged bar kept pouring the wine
From over their heads then sit back down again
Four times is once too much for luck
And that's how many times the clock struck
I wandered home saying your name
The arches here were built cause they don't fall
The cathedrals to make you feel small
That you might find your small soul
But leave the preaching to the president
The crowd cheers. His eyes get wet
I'm full as it is, I'm full as it is
So don't feed me more
You'll be having my head, big as a birthday
Cause I left all my doubts on the airplane
I didn't know, I didn't know I'm not in control
I didn't know, I'm not invincible
Now maybe some things are better left unsaid
But if you wanted to test that out, well, yeah, I guess, I could've said
But there were nights in bars that I recall
Your breath was courage laced with alcohol
You leaned in, you said
"Make music with the chatter in here
And whisper all the notes in my ears."
I didn't know, I didn't know the weight of my tongue
I didn't know, I didn't know what I'd done
The lights here are softer than you'd think
The dim lit peacocks in the trees
Are hiding their eyes and their beauty, like me
But if my eyes were on my back
I know what I'd be looking at
Through every shade of browns and greens
I didn't know, I didn't know it was nothing new
I didn't know, I didn't know it was you
Beacoro
I'm from Oviedo, Asturias, and I must say I'm really touched by this song, especially now that I'm studying in another city. I can really feel my hometown in the lyrics: the peacocks roaming free at the Campo San Francisco, the sidra being 'escanciada' (poured from over your head!) each time you want a glass, our small, peculiar cathedral, the shades of brown and green, the really late nights...
Patrick Vickery
I often listen to that part on repeat for about 30 minutes :P it gives me goosebumps cause its so beautiful
Dani M
I concur.
Dani M
The trapeze swinger is my mainstay on those same feelings. My departure song. Well...one of them.