I started listing to Blind Pilot a few months before the lineup was announced for Lollapalooza and was very excited see they made the bill. The reason I checked them out was because NPR rated their CD "3 rounds and a sound" the third best album of 2008.This is currently the only album under their belt. This is a great 2 piece band made up of Isreal Nebeker and drummer Ryan Dobrowski. First song "oviedo" was described from a reviewer as the soundtrack for when you land in a foreign country, I would agree. This is one of my favorite songs on the album and it describes lead singer Isreal's experience in Oviedo Spain. Some other solid tracks on the album are "the story I heard", "one red thread" and "go on, say it". This whole album is filled with catchy drum beats and clean, crisp acoustic guitar strumming. They also add in a few more elements like the violin in song "go on, say it". If I were to compare them to another band, I would say a bit more upbeat Damien Rice.
A interesting fact about them is they have had two bicycle tours. They literally put all their gear on a small bike trailer and ride bikes touring California. Their first tour ended earlier than expected when their bikes were stolen in San Fransisco. Isreal got his bike back when he saw it listed on Craigs list for $50. Since they have gotten a bit bigger, they tour in a van so they can bring more musicians to the shows to play violins, upright bass, and horns. I would suspect they are not done bicycle touring though. You can here an interview on NPR about the tours.
I would seriously suggest checking them out. This is one band I will not miss at Lolla.
I heard that NPR interview one day on my way to work. I meant to check them out, but totally forgot about them.
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