As Heard in Wisconsin

(photo credit: Fuzz Martin Media)

Pilots is an electronic group, more specifically IDM (intelligent dance music)/downtempo, out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band consists of Andrew Wright and John McCoy. 

Andrew and his family moved to Wisconsin while he was in the second grade. His family has a diverse musical background that spans generations. Singing and playing instruments are a way of life for them. In high school, Andrew learned to play the tuba, and he has been playing it ever since (though he is yet to introduce it into Pilots' repertoire). 

John was raised in Louisiana. When he was ten years old, he learned how to play the piano. Eventually, John made the decision to move away from Louisiana. He had the choice of moving to Florida or Wisconsin. John resolved upon Wisconsin partially due to its diverse musical culture.  

After the move, a mutual friend introduced John to Andrew. The two shared a lot in common and began hanging out together. However, it would be a few years before either one of them knew that the other played music. 

One night, at two o'clock in the morning, the two were in Andrew's living room. Andrew and John began playing with glasses that contained various levels of water. The two sampled the sound that glasses made, and in turn, made an entire song out of those samples. 

From that point, on, Andrew and John started making music together any chance that they could sneak it into their busy, and sometimes opposite, schedules. 

Andrew refers to Pilots' sound as "somewhat guitar driven." The two list some of their influences as Meat Beat Manifesto, Mouse on Mars, and Daft Punk. While they have similar tastes in music, their preferences are not congruent. Their style relies heavily upon musical experimentation and improvisation, however, they do their best to work within their strict musical foundations and improv over the top those guidelines. They pride themselves on a "well-developed" sound and they include the use of chord progressions in their songs. Pilots wants people to walk away feeling as though what they just heard was well thought out. 

At times, John and Andrew will pick up their guitars and not touch any other instruments for months on end, and after that they will turn around and not use a guitar for a long while. Other times, John will manipulate various sound-making items in order to create a new sound. John even mentioned tweaking a Speak & Spell and a Speak & Math to create new Pilots sounds. In fact, in Andrew Wright's Bayview home, you'll find two rooms filled with gadgets, trinkets, and equipment that make sounds. Not just instruments, all sorts of sound-making equipment. 

While instruments and other sound making devices are integral in Pilots' sound, 65% of their music is software based. The band uses many different types of software, foot pedals, and other audio-manipulating hardware to create their unique sound. 

At the moment, most of Pilots' music can only be heard on the web. The group relies heavily on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/musicofpilots) and SoundCloud (SoundCloud.com/PilotsTheBand) to distribute their songs. 

On December 4th, 2009, Pilots will be playing their first live show at the Mitchell Domes on South 27th Street in Milwaukee. The group has been working to overcome the challenges of taking an electronic show live on the road without sounding like a regular club deejay. They are now prepared to take on that challenge and look forward to any opportunity that comes their way. Pilots is also considering releasing an EP or an LP in the future. 

As for the name, Pilots, it was a brainchild of John's. One day, after months of struggling to come up with a name for their band, John text-messaged the word "Pilots" to Andrew (a licensed pilot). John and Andrew have been known as Pilots ever since. 

Follow Pilots on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pilots.

Incidental Pulse by Pilots