Pilotdrift | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Texarkana, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Indie pop, Indie rock, Experimental rock |
| Years active | 2004 - present |
| Labels | Good Records |
| Members | Kelly Carr |
| Past members | Eric Russell John David Blagg Micah Dorsey Jay Budzilowski Ben Rice |
| Website | www.pilotdrift.com |
Pilotdrift is an American experimental rock band formed in Texarkana, Texas. Their sound has been described as "epic, orchestrated rock," [1] with influences from space rock, cinematic orchestral music, jazz, psychedelic rock, dark n' dusty westerns, future pop, spoken word, electro-indie, and folk. They have toured the U.S and Canada with The Polyphonic Spree, Supergrass, Eisley, Midlake, and Guster, as well as played shows with The Album Leaf, Jon Brion, Devotchka, Akron Family, Angels of Light, Dios (Malos), and more. Their music has been featured in TV shows like TLC's Deadliest Catch and The Messengers.
Pilotdrift was formed in 2004 by singer-songwriter Kelly Carr, singer-songwriter Micah Dorsey, and friends Ben Rice, Jay Budzilowski, Eric Russell, and John David Blagg. They played their first show with the self-released album titled Iter Facere, which was a mix of both Carr's and Dorsey's songs. Their fan base quickly grew, and thus they began playing more shows to larger crowds. Eventually, they crossed paths with Eisley, Midlake, and the staff of Good Records, forming close friendships. Soon they would play an in-store show at Good Records where the owner and leading visionary of The Polyphonic Spree (Tim DeLaughter) would be.
DeLaughter and his wife Julie Doyle ,were wanting to build an independent label called Good Records Recordings, and they wanted Pilotdrift to be the first signee. While Pilotdrift did agree to sign, Dorsey stepped aside ,fearing incompatibility with life on the road. It was Carr and the rest of the band that makd up "The Drift"..[2][better source needed] "The musical dots this band connects producesa visual journey worth it's [sic] weight in gold. This is truly a treasure. We at Good Records are all lucky we found it."[attribution needed]
On May 20, 2005, Pilotdrift released Water Sphere under Good Records Recordings, which is considered their debut album. Water Sphere was half a rerecorded and remastered collection of Kelly's songs from the self release Iter Facere and half brand new songs from Carr. The album received positive reception from critics and fans.[citation needed] Pilotdrift then went on tours with The Spree, Eisley, Guster and Supergrass.
In November 2011, Pilotdrift released the single "All These Things At One Time" from an upcoming album. The track features Micah Dorsey (now known as Moonstryder).
In 2018, former drummer Ben Rice was nominated for Record of the Year as producer of "Shallow" with Lady Gaga for the film A Star Is Born (2018 film).[3]
