In June 2009 Milwaukee band I'm Not a Pilot released a marvelously melodic and accomplished EP and quickly became a favorite on the local scene. Now, the band's much-anticipated full-length debut is here.
Alongside a series of fine pop laced with strings are covers of Radiohead's "Creep" and The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind," which could serve a statements of intent. Because, like those groups, I'm Not A Pilot is already masterful at atmospheric, layered pop -- a la Radiohead -- and direct, soul-baring songwriting.
You can stream the record, "Need Money for Rocket Fuel," on the band's Web site and the band's CD release party, Friday, Nov. 12 at the Whiskey Bar, 788 N. Jackson St., is free. The show is at 8 p.m.
We talked cellist Peter Thomas and pianist and singer Mark Glatzel -- the band also includes bassist Adrian Esguerra and drummer Steve Vorass -- about "Need Money for Rocket Fuel" and what sets I'm Not A Pilot apart in a world full of bands.
OnMilwaukee.com: Can you tell me a bit about making the record?
Mark Glatzel: We recorded at Post Historic Studios with J Christopher Hughes in Bay View. His studio has a lot of open space so we used a lot of room sounds and tried to make things sound as natural as we could. We started recording in early June. It took all summer trying to find the time to get four members who have full time jobs and other commitments into the studio.
It was great working with Chris again and it was awesome to have a bit more time for this record considering we recorded the EP in literally one weekend. Of course, we wanted even more time for the full-length, but I think that's how it usually goes.
Peter Thomas: You always want more time with something so dear to your heart and creativity!
OMC: Also, tell me a bit about how it came to be in terms of songwriting. Do you write as a band or is the material more the result of one or two members?
MG: After releasing the EP in June 2009, I immediately started writing the songs for the full-length. All the skeletons of the songs, the basic chord structure and lyrics, are written by Mark. During rehearsals, I will often times say "Hey guys, I have a song to play for you" and present the initial skeleton. Then collectively as a band and we'll develop the ideas further from week to week.
PT: We'll add things, take things away, write transitions into different keys, etc. (I am a) classically trained cellist and tend to have a lot of suggestions in the songwriting process, some of which work, some of which are waaaay too complex. Less is more in many cases.
OMC:The EP got a great response. Did you expect it to be so well received here at home?
MG: I think we were all very proud of the response we got from the EP.
PT: We're actually sold out of them, all 1,000 copies.
MG: Being our first release, we promoted it heavily to our friends, family, and anyone who was curious to hear it. We played out in many Milwaukee clubs and festivals and tried to get the word out to others as well. We worked hard,very hard, and we still are.
PT: It's all the "behind the scenes" stuff like writing e-mails, creating events and Web sites, talking about the vision, promoting the music, that works into all of our lives as a 'second job' literally.
MG: But the benefits are huge. It's been really cool to see people slowly notice our name, our concept, and enjoy our music.
MG: It's definitely something people can grab on to immediately. "Wow, a band without a guitar, that's interesting." But I think it's the overall solid musicianship from each of us that addS to overall final product itself.
PT: Yes, the cello is different in a rock band, and yes, I'm in the MSO, but what I play doesn't differ much from what a guitar player would do melodically/harmonically. It just has a different sound and timbre.
OMC:What does that instrumentation allow I'm Not A Pilot to accomplish that's different than other band?
PT: We feel like our music can reach people of all ages. Of course we try to appeal to folks our age due to the social appeal, but it's really music for the masses. For example, we played a show for the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center for a retirement home called the Franciscan Villa. It was awesome to see 60-plus-year-olds literally getting out of their wheelchairs dancing to our tunes!
We've also tag teamed with the Arts in Community Education Program through the MSO and played kids concerts incorporating lesson plans that teach children of all ages how classical music and pop music can mesh together.
MG: We do more cordial events, too. I don't think I've ever heard of a indie-band performing for a fashion show (RunUp to the Runway) in the middle of the Milwaukee Art Museum while models are strutting down the runway! There's a large amount of versatility in our performances that we all really enjoy.
OMC:What are the plans for the record? Are you looking to get it picked up by another label or content to release it yourselves? Hitting the road?
PT: For the time being, we're content on releasing it ourselves, but who knows in the future? We believe we could hit a very large audience if we sent our music to movie/television scouts, so that's the plan
MG: It would also be great to promote to different college radio stations across the States. If the response for the full-length is great, look for us to be on tour this summer for sure.
PT: Know of anyone selling a tour van?
OMC:Can you also tell me a bit about the covers you chose to include?
PT: We didn't want to do these cover songs "identically" to the way the original artists performed them, so we changed some things about each of them.I originally came up with the idea perform a cover of Creep by incorporating J.S. Bach's "Prelude" to "Solo Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major." The opening four measures of the song are actually taken from the opening of the "Prelude" exactly, then it transfers over to the song itself with the Bach Prelude underlying the entire time. The vocals are also changed drastically and the guitar solo is now a wicked high cello solo. Aw, yeah!
"Where Is My Mind," so amazingly done by the Pixies, was a favorite song of former bass player, Matt Glatzel, who suggested this cover. We think that Matt just wanted to sing the high falsetto 'oooh oooooooh' part live in concerts but it stuck and we recorded it with many additional harmonies in the vocal chorus, and the obvious change from guitar to cello. Bottom line, we loved these cover songs so much in their original form that we just wanted to jam on the tunes. I guess they started to become our own after time.
OMC: Anything special on tap for the release gig at The Whiskey Bar?
PT: Absolutely. We're teaming up with Milwaukee-based rock band, Ikarus Down, who will also be releasing their first EP and it sounds amazing! The Whiskey Bar itself is a great venue with amazing sound, staff and enough space to rock your socks off! We'll have door prizes, special musician guest appearances, lights, stage props, video -- hopefully -- birthday celebrations, the "Rocket Man" on the album cover AND the Rocket Ship will be there.
MG: So yeah, it should be pretty cool. And the coolest part, it's all free!!
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
