Dryvetyme Onlyne

Fresh Faces and Profound Performances
An Interview with Blind Pilot

There’s a lot to be mocked in contemporary folk music, what with the abundance of well-marketed, pretentious hacks and their three-chord, gag-me-with-a-spoon depressing love ballads. Then again, when any given genre reaches a certain level of popular acceptance, the core tenets of that style are going to be abducted by the mainstream for artistic exploitation. So how does a scene recover from such an occurrence? How does a folk act even attempt to make music without subjecting themselves to unfair criticism, comparisons, and quick dismissals? Well, if you’re the Portland, OR-based duo-turned-band Blind Pilot, you hitch up your pants like a big boy (or girl), compose some beautiful tunes that defy lazy associations, and present your sound to the world with an innocent strength that awes listeners and concertgoers. Thus, when presented with the opportunity to interview Israel Nebeker, the group’s primary songwriter, I jumped at the chance to do so.

APN: Blind Pilot seems to have turned the traditional folk singer/songwriter genre on its ear. Your music comes across as simple and sweet, yet so aware and world-weary, and you manage to accomplish this without sounding simpering or cynical. What does the songwriting process look like for you?

Israel Nebeker (IN): I’m glad that all those things come across to you. I’m not trying to make music that is turning anything on its ear. Songwriting is a really simple process for me, yet the hardest thing I try to do: I get an idea, and if it’s good enough I spend a day or two or three or four and live with it and work it and do nothing else ’til it’s done. It’s not plodding though; it’s fast with ideas. As far as intent, I really just want to make music that is honest enough to me that it moves me, so that it might move other people too. Continue reading “An Interview with Blind Pilot”