Nashvillecitypaper.com - February 2006
Title: Texas quintet's music merges '70s, contemporary elements

By Ron Wynn, rwynn@nashvillecitypaper.com
February 14, 2006

It would be easy to assume that the members of the Texas quintet Pilotdrift, currently on tour as the opening act for Supergrass and appearing Wednesday night at City Hall, are devoted followers of '60s and '70s music, particularly groups like The Who and Pink Floyd. But lead vocalist Kelly Carr cites many other, more unusual influences, among them soundtracks and jazz as well as rock.

What: Pilotdrift opening for Supergrass
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday

Where: City Hall, 405 12th Ave. S.
Cost: $15 in advance, $17 at the door

Info: 963-9998
"People hear what we're doing and tend to think that we are big fans of art-rock, but that's really not the case," Carr said. "We're trying more to create musical story songs that have the same type of dramatic elements and flourishes as the best soundtracks, or compositions with layers and movements. To be perfectly honest, I've never spent a lot time listening to many of the people that are associated with that sound, though I have a lot of respect for it. But it's not that connected with what we're doing musically."

Yet the band's debut release, Water Sphere, does evoke some memories of intricately conceived, adeptly executed works from that period. The 10-minute "Jekyll and Hyde Suite," for instance, blends increasingly bright orchestration with both swirling rhythms and energetic vocals, while "Rings of Symbols" has underlying Asian musical references mixed in with surging rock beats. "Elephant Island," a song constructed around recounting the tale of Shackleton's Antarctic expedition, is both vividly performed and elaborately constructed, while "Bubblecraft" walks the fine line between outside jazz experimentation and rock/pop expression.

A close-knit unit with several members that are lifelong friends, that unity is reflected in the smooth execution of complex musical passages and structures in several Pilotdrift songs. But the songs aren't so dense or edgy that they're too esoteric. Bassist Jay Budzilowski and drummer Ben Rice keep a tight rein on the bottom end, while guitarists Eric Russell and John David Blagg complement, interact with and occasionally counter Carr's rich, teeming vocals.

While often quite different from basic three-chord rock works or simple love songs, Pilotdrift's pieces still contain enough familiar riffs, appealing melodies, and catchy hooks and lines to attract fans with only a passing knowledge of Queen or King Crimson.

Although their compositional acumen and thematic variety can be impressive, the group's live skills helped land them their current deal with Good Records Recordings.

"We had a lot of appearances at the Good Records Store in Dallas," Carr recalled. "Tim DeLaughter and Julie Doyle (store and label owners and also members of the Polyphonic Spree) became big fans of ours and also sold a lot of copies of our self-released CD. That really helped get us some recognition outside of Texarkana, and they've continued the support with Good Records."