Coming In For A Landing

Originally hailing from Astoria, Blind Pilot is a duo of indie-folkers that took a quick launch into the spotlight. It was all of three years before the band began garnering serious attention, touring successfully and playing to larger crowds like the one at 2009’s Sasquatch! Music Festival in George, Washington. Since forming in 2005, Blind Pilot worked hard to formulate a sound that uniquely fit, yet still maintained the familiar characteristics of an escalating Northwest indie-folk scene. There’s clear influence from pioneers of the genre here, too — the Shins, the Shaky Hands, etc. — but Blind Pilot safeguards originality with inimitable songwriting, so the lines of comparison blur.



In the past, Blind Pilot tours have found form on bicycles, with band members pedaling their hipster legs down the West Coast from Washington to California. Now Blind Pilot is touring again to back the release of its second full-length album, We Are the Tide. Although it’s kind of nice to imagine a group of plaid-ridden Portlanders biking all the way down the coast, it’s a safe bet that the band won’t be repeating the experience. Blind Pilot has grown since the early days and now contains six members. The band has embraced the bright sound that comes out of a big group, so it’s a fair assumption when it comes to playing live, everything is primed and ready for action.

As local music expert Cody Dean puts it, “Blind Pilot aren’t just a band, they’re an idea, an idea that you should not be tied down with the limits of sound. They prove that when you put your emotions through the music, it comes out perfectly.”

Blind Pilot plays 8 pm Monday, Sept. 26, at WOW Hall; $8 adv., $13 door.

EW 9/22

John Craig Comes Home

Ah, Portland, our colossal neighbor to the north. It’s got all of the things a big city needs: buildings, parks, rivers, bridges — and let’s not forget the artists. In fact, Portland has been home to a whole lot of great musicians in its time.

Here’s another that nobody should miss: John Craig, who started out his days as a musician right here in Eugene. As UO students, Craig and his friend Ryan Dobrowski — who now plays his part for Blind Pilot — created Tympanic, gaining mild success on the West Coast before graduation. Since then, Craig has pursued a solo career based on a touching blend of electro, rock and pop that is hard to categorize. At times, his voice is reminiscent of Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), while other times it’s just something completely different.



Craig’s music is mellow yet danceable, colorful yet gray, grounded yet spacey and everything in between. In each song, he achieves a rich framework of textures and sounds that aims to please. If you are in need of a reminder that Oregon still rocks ridiculously hard, this is your man. John Craig plays at 8:30 pm Sunday, Oct. 3, at Taylor’s Bar & Grille. 21+. Free.

[EW 9/30]
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