Devoted fans can certainly appreciate when artists take a creative pause. But for the musician whose songs uplift and unite, an unintended result might be the depression of listeners who cherish their work and even rely on it as sustenance.
Followers have been hoping for Blind Pilot to return to the studio since the Oregon-based band last released an album in 2016. As live shows became less frequent, those hopes turned to prayers and online pleas. Meanwhile, leader Israel Nebeker found himself seeking rejuvenation as a songwriter. More so, he needed a soul-changing experience to grant him a different perspective.
He found it exploring his family origins in Scandinavia, and shortly thereafter he was invited to perform in Mexico City alongside Blind Pilot co-founder and drummer Ryan Dobrowski as part of an inspiriting project put on by a humanitarian group working to help migrants.
These were jolting experiences and within a matter of weeks, Nebeker had written an entire album’s worth of material. In The Shadow Of The Holy Mountain is set to be released next month on ATO Records, and to the joy of fans far and wide, Blind Pilot is touring all over the continent this summer. The night of July 16, the group made its anticipated return to the nation’s capital, elating a sellout audience at The Atlantis and reestablishing itself as one of today’s most endearing and thoughtful indie folk bands.
“This is the first time we’ve been here in DC in a long time,” said Nebeker, who was gracious and moved by the enthusiastic crowd. “We appreciate you being here.”
Listen to “Jacaranda” and “Just A Bird,” the new singles from Blind Pilot, via Spotify:
Israel was joined by Dobrowski, upright and electric bassist Luke Ydstie and Kati Claborn, who impressed with a variety of instruments, including the banjo and mountain dulcimer. Nebeker’s warmhearted voice lifted every tune, but each member contributed to the gorgeous harmonies.
Many attendees recited lyrics word-for-word with the band, while others embraced a partner and absorbed the curative powers of each tune.
“Thanks so much for singing along,” Nebeker said.
Like his bandmates, Israel showed his pleasure in the form of a smile that rarely left his face. The plan, he said, was to play some old songs and some new ones, too, including fresh singles from the album on the way.
The assortment was a refreshing one featuring longtime favorites like “Packed Powder” from 2016’s And Then Like Lions and “One Red Thread” from the band’s 2008 premiere, 3 Rounds and a Sound. Unreleased tracks, like “Brave,” heard Israel’s newfound confidence and an evolved sound extending from the first three acclaimed records.
The group is joined on this tour by a face and sound familiar to many. Lauren Jacobson, violinist for The Lumineers, has also been a touring member of Blind Pilot since the last decade and is currently accompanying the band both on stage and off in filling numerous roles.
Nebeker praised his colleagues as he went but he gave a special welcome to Jacobson when she appeared for “Go on, Say It” from the first Blind Pilot record and later returned for “Half Moon,” an enduring hit from the band’s 2011 album We Are The Tide.
In an effort to preserve his voice — vital to this Blind Pilot mission — Israel said he’s been speaking less on tour than he would normally.
“Have you guys ever tried not talking? … It’s pretty cool because it becomes very apparent very fast how much you don’t need to talk about.”
The commentary was taken a bit sarcastically by some and manifested as a recurring theme of adamant “shushes” in between songs.
“You guys don’t have to shush,” the gentle Nebeker found it amusing and each shush drew louder laughs. While his intention was not to quiet the room, the crowd’s decision to limit its own chatter attested to a serious embrace of the music.
Though he struggled in recent years to find words for his songs, he opened up last Tuesday night and spoke genuinely about his efforts to overcome writer’s block and then bring the forthcoming album to life. To do so, Blind Pilot turned to Josh Kaufman, a member of Bonny Light Horseman and a red-hot producer in New York who’s worked with The National, The Hold Steady and other notable acts.
Watch the official live sessions take on Blind Pilot’s new single, “Jacaranda,” via the band’s official YouTube channel:
The stop in DC lined up with the release of the latest single from In The Shadow Of The Holy Mountain, and fans not only heard the radiant “Jacaranda” on the day of its premiere, but they learned of its genesis as well.
Performing the track in Washington was special, Israel said, because “it came out in the world today” and referred to it as a “kind of a thanks for waiting song.”
Nebeker’s been coached by label executives to introduce songs and talk about their backstory, but he admitted last week that he doesn’t necessarily understand what a song he’s written is truly about, even after he’s playing it.
“It could be about an unborn child I didn’t have with my former partner. … It could be about ancestral lines. We don’t know yet.”
Hearing each of these songs was special for those fortunate enough to be on hand last week at The Atlantis, a venue significantly smaller than Nebeker and his friends realized. They made the most of the intimate engagement, sharing another recent single — “Just A Bird” — and offering up emotional versions of “Don’t Doubt” and “Umpqua Rising” to close out the set.
Revisit Blind Pilot’s 2016 studio album, And Then Like Lions, via Spotify:
When the group returned to encore, the members positioned themselves close together at the very front of the stage. And with the audience within arm’s reach, Blind Pilot dug in with breathtaking acoustic takes on some of the most celebrated songs in the catalogue: a stirring trifecta of “Like Lions,” “Oviedo,” and the title track to the band’s premiere.
Good times are on the horizon for Blind Pilot, including more of the intense love of fans coast to coast and the chance to open for Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge Amphitheater in late August. It’s a well-deserved, timely restoration for this group and its precious sound.
Setlist
Packed Powder
One Red Thread
Brave
Go On, Say It
Jacaranda
White Apple
The Story I Heard
Just One
Don’t You Know
Just A Bird
Half Moon
We Are The Tide
Don’t Doubt
Umpqua Rushing
Encore
Like Lions
Oviedo
3 Rounds and a Sound
Below is a mix of digital images and home-made 35mm shots of Blind Pilot along with the night’s opening act, Angela Autumn, performing at The Atlantis on July 16, 2024. All photos copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
Blind Pilot
Angela Autumn
