Home Indie Music Interview: Blind Pilot’s Israel Nebeker Discusses Two New Albums in 2024

Interview: Blind Pilot’s Israel Nebeker Discusses Two New Albums in 2024

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Interview: Blind Pilot’s Israel Nebeker Discusses Two New Albums in 2024

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Blind Pilot’s Israel Nebeker chats with Atwood Journal about his upcoming solo album, the band’s present mini-tour, and getting again into the studio to report their long-awaited fourth LP!


It’s been over seven years for the reason that final Blind Pilot studio album.

And for many followers of the indie people band, that’s completely advantageous; we’ve lengthy since realized to be affected person, understanding that there’s a way to Israel Nebeker and his bandmates’ insanity; that in taking their time to fastidiously write and report every report, the ensuing music won’t simply be stunning; it will likely be breathtaking.

This ideology (for those who can name it that) has served Blind Pilot properly by way of their first three studio albums, launched between 2008 and 2016. As I wrote in Atwood Journal‘s 2017 Blind Pilot interview, “every [record] captures honest moments in our better human expertise: Love, loss, hope, doubt, and extra fill a lovely repertoire with themes that aren’t solely relatable, but in addition deeply significant.”

Blind Pilot © Fawn DeViney, 2023
Blind Pilot © Fawn DeViney, 2023

Nonetheless, seven years seems like a very long time as a result of it is a very long time – and nobody is aware of that higher than Nebeker himself. Earlier this summer time, he recorded his first solo album with Josh Kaufman (of Bonny Mild Horseman) up in Woodstock, New York, and he and his bandmates are set to return to the identical studio, once more with Kaufman, in early December to report Blind Pilot’s fourth studio album as properly.

Forward of these classes, Blind Pilot are taking part in 4 exhibits at intimate venues within the Northeast: The Columbus Theatre in Windfall, RI, the State Theatre in Portland, ME, Stone Church in Bralleboro, VT, and Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock. Taking part in a set that’s equal elements launched and unreleased songs, the four-piece band of Nebeker, Ryan Dobrowski, Luke Ydstie, and Kati Claborn (Ian Krist and Dave Jorgensen couldn’t make it for this run) are primarily road-testing their new album’s materials earlier than they hit the studio the next week.

“We’re sort of utilizing the audiences as our rehearsal room,” Nebeker chuckles. “There’s a unique power that the entire band brings if you’re sharing music with different individuals, and it’s not simply in a rehearsal house or a recording studio. And that’s what I wish to collect on our manner into the studio.”

Fret not, Blind Pilot followers: The wait is nearly over.

Atwood Journal caught up with Israel Nebeker to talk about Blind Pilot’s mini tour, his solo materials, and his pleasure about getting again into the studio with the band. You should definitely catch Blind Pilot’s remaining exhibits in Vermont and New York (tickets can be found right here), and keep tuned for extra information from the band as Israel Nebeker prepares to launch each his personal first solo report, in addition to Blind Pilot’s long-awaited fourth studio album!

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:: join with Blind Pilot right here ::
Blind Pilot's Autumn 2023 tour poster
Blind Pilot’s Autumn 2023 tour poster

CATCHING UP WITH BLIND PILOT

Atwood Journal: Hey Israel, it’s nice to see you! How’s it been being again on the East Coast?

Israel Nebeker: Man, it feels good. Yeah, yeah. We simply bought in night time earlier than final. Final night time, we performed our first present in Windfall, and tonight we’re in Portland.

A number of months in the past again in Brooklyn, you advised me you’d simply completed some recordings of your personal – a full album of solo materials. How’s that coming alongside?

Israel Nebeker: So I completed that report, really, the night time that I noticed you, I simply completed that report that day. I used to be at Josh Kaufman’s studio in Kingston, and we simply completed after which bought within the automobile, put his amp and guitar in there, drove all the way down to Brooklyn along with his spouse, Annie. And in order that album is completed, and I’m actually enthusiastic about it. And I’m equally enthusiastic about this Blind Pilot one. And we’re recording it on the similar studio, so I do know what to anticipate. And yeah, we’re gonna report the entire thing in two weeks. After which subsequent yr can be two albums of Israel songs down on this planet. [laughs]

THE WARMTH OF CONNECTION WITH BLIND PILOT

:: INTERVIEW ::

Mainly what occurred is we had a six or seven yr drought, and then you definately’re going all in on 2024!

Israel Nebeker: [laughs] Precisely, sure!

What spurred this mini tour that Blind Pilot are doing this week?

Israel Nebeker: Oh, yeah, that’s the principle factor. It’s we’re recording with Josh up in Woodstock beginning on the 4th, so subsequent Monday. And I simply needed to do a brief run of exhibits to play all the brand new materials and get it… I’ve simply discovered up to now, like, we’ll rehearse for like two weeks stable, after which after we play them dwell, the songs simply tackle new life and new power, and I at all times want that we did that earlier than going into the studio. So we’re simply… We’re doing that.

So, that is the highway take a look at?

Israel Nebeker: Yeah, half the units are our outdated songs, half the set is our information materials. So we’re sort of utilizing the audiences as our rehearsal room. [laughs]

Whenever you’re taking part in a monitor dwell, it takes on a lifetime of its personal. You get to expertise what it is like for the viewers to listen to it, not simply so that you can be making it. What have been the takeaways from the primary present to date?

Israel Nebeker: Precisely. Nicely, fairly constructive responses to the brand new songs. I used to be actually happy. However laborious to inform. However it’s much less so about getting the suggestions and extra so identical to… There’s a unique power that the entire band brings if you’re sharing music with different individuals, and it’s not simply in a rehearsal house or a recording studio. And that’s what I wish to collect on our manner into the studio.

Why these cities? Why these venues?

Israel Nebeker: I advised our reserving agent that I’d wish to play smaller exhibits in like not the most important cities, simply because I didn’t wanna go to New York and play the most important present that we are able to and simply be like, “Nicely, now that I’ve you all right here, right here’s all the brand new materials.” It appeared like the higher factor to do at smaller venues, the place it’s the closer-up interplay with the viewers, and we are able to simply invite them in. That’s why these exhibits, these cities.

That makes a number of sense. You talked about you have been doing a little bit little bit of half outdated, half new. What can followers anticipate to listen to at these exhibits by way of outdated materials? What’s been actually enjoyable to revive?

Israel Nebeker: So, properly, one distinction about these exhibits is the touring band Blind Pilot has been six members since without end, properly, yeah, like, nearly for the reason that starting. However we’re simply with 4 of us on this tour, and we’re going into the studio with simply 4 of us as a result of Dave, our trumpet and keyboard participant, and Ian, our vibraphone participant, couldn’t make it within the studio. They’re gonna report remotely, and Dave’s gonna fly in a single weekend. However yeah, so it’s a little bit completely different taking part in the older tunes with out the vibraphone and the keyboard. And so we’ve modified some issues to make them work in a unique power sort of manner.

That is cool. What are essentially the most thrilling songs to play?

Israel Nebeker: There’s one which I wrote in regards to the timber in Mexico Metropolis, the Jacaranda timber. I’m actually enthusiastic about that one. There’s one other one, I don’t have a reputation for it but, I’m excited. [laughs] You already know, it’s a very good combine. It was enjoyable selecting which songs… Nicely, you already know, actually, I didn’t even select the songs. I simply wrote the final album, and it took me years to put in writing that album. And I believed it was gonna be ‘The Blind Pilot’ album, but it surely ended up being a solo one.

Mainly I bumped into some issues, and I noticed the answer can be, I ought to simply make a solo album, and that it must be these songs, after which I might simply write a Blind Pilot album in a summer time, and that’ll be nice. It’ll repair the whole lot. And it sounded loopy as a result of it took me so lengthy to put in writing one album, but it surely was actually enjoyable writing, simply having the intention of songs that possibly have been extra open house and fewer intricate and fewer… I don’t know. So an power that was extra particularly catered for this group of musicians, that’s what ended up being this summer time’s album. And it’s labored out very well! My band is a lot extra enthusiastic about it than recording the final album that ended up being the solo one.

So it took liberating your self, in a manner, of this bunch of songs – music that have been initially alleged to be for the following Blind Pilot album – by simply placing them out beneath your personal identify. And then you definately have been in a position to put a whole album collectively very quickly in any respect!

Israel Nebeker: Thanks. Yeah. It was a really completely different writing intention. Like with the final ones, I used to be identical to, with each music, “Okay, right here’s an thought. What do you wish to change into? What’s one of the simplest ways I can presumably make you?” I simply actually took my time with every music. And this time, this intention was identical to, “Okay, I’ve two and a half months. I can’t be delicate. I would like to complete. I would like to put in writing this music. And I’m gonna give myself 4 hours. And that’s… ” And it was simply with a unique power, and I believe it really works so much higher for Blind Pilot.

Do you see a differentiation between this upcoming solo work and the upcoming Blind Pilot work, by way of the stylistic contours of the music itself?

Israel Nebeker: Yeah, I do. Though I’m holding it nonetheless a thriller purposefully, so what is going to occur within the studio, ’trigger I don’t know. And the best way that Josh likes to work is absolutely identical to nothing’s off the desk. A number of of the songs on my solo report turned out utterly completely different than I used to be anticipating. And I really like that. So I’m unsure but, however I do know there’s a sure vibe and sound that occurs with this group of musicians with Blind Pilot, and that’ll be completely different. Like, there’s only a sure, I don’t know what to explain it as, but it surely’s like a communication factor, it’s a… Figuring out one another for 15 years and taking part in. It’s only a completely different factor that occurs. In order that’ll sound completely different.

That is so thrilling. What are you most wanting ahead to on the finish of this tour? Do you go straight into the studio primarily proper after if you guys end this spherical of exhibits?

Israel Nebeker: Yeah, that’s the thought. I used to be speaking with Josh about this. He gave me the thought as a result of his band, Bonny Mild Horseman, data dwell so much, and who’s he saying… Oh, it was his golden messenger. He recorded an album the place they did this. They did a tour that ended on the studio, after which they simply arrange and performed a set like they did each night time on that tour and recorded it simply dwell on the primary day. And so they had weeks booked, however at… Like, they got here again the following day and have been identical to, “That’s the album. That’s it.” I’m not anticipating that sort of fortuitous luck, however I undoubtedly wish to attempt recording dwell greater than we have now up to now this time round.

I want you all the very best on these dwell exhibits and on the recordings, and I am wanting ahead to the Woodstock present!

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