1. The Stranger 2. Head Full of Lead 3. Warm Rush 4. Skeletons 5. Dear, Sweet NOLA 6. Candy Apple 7. The Greatest Mistake 8. Light On 9. Street Creature 10. Eating Your Words
Those haunting words ended Red Sky Pilot's 2007 album, "The Slow Down,"
and perhaps foreshadowed the band's place in the history of the Texas
music scene. Like a white hot star, the band burned brightly for a short
time, but collapsed under the gravity of it all once their creative fuel
and initial drive was spent. Some say that Red Sky Pilot was the greatest
band they had ever heard. Others said the project was doomed to fail from
the start. As to whether or not it was a "careless endeavor" in the first
place...well, you decide...
Red Sky Pilot began in the summer of 2006 as Nick Hutson and Levi Kitchen
were in the midst of their run with the instant sensation and
controversial Johnny Empire. The chaotic atmosphere and music of Johnny
Empire drove the two to want to play something new and different, and
their opportunity to do just that arrived with the return of high school
friend, Andy Wingfield, from post-Katrina New Orleans. Wingfield,
formerly of Afterglo and Stowaway, returned to East Texas with new song
ideas and began jamming with Kitchen and Hutson on the side.
In September of 2006, Johnny Empire played what was to be their last show
(with the founding members) in Dallas, Texas. The frustration and tension
between band members came to its inevitable conclusion as Kitchen threw
his guitar onto the stage and cast away his association with Johnny
Empire. Soon after that, Johnny Empire called it quits and Kitchen and
Hutson threw themselves into their new project with Wingfield.
In a garage at Wingfield's house, the three began writing song after song
and began spreading the word that their new project, christened Red Sky
Pilot, was in the works. In the cold, cramped, and dimly-lit garage, the
band worked feverishly to create new music, and in November, began the
search for a suitable recording studio and a permanent bass player.
The band auditioned several bass players, but were ultimately unsatisfied
until high school friend, Ethan Wood, formerly of Echelon, came to
audition over Thanksgiving. Wood impressed Wingfield, Kitchen and Hutson
with his intimate knowledge of their songs and playing style that fit the
music perfectly. Wood was offered the job shortly afterward.
With the addition of the fourth and final member, the band began recording
their music in Wood's studio in December of 2006. The band slaved away in
the studio for a month, working all hours of the night while several
members maintained full-time jobs. After five weeks, three head colds,
several broken guitar strings, and countless cups of coffee and Kahlua,
the album was finished. The promotion machine that was Kitchen and Hutson
then went to work, spreading the music of Red Sky Pilot to the masses.
As the band went into post-production, Hutson and Kitchen spent countless
hours promoting the band via myspace and within a few months, Red Sky
Pilot had over 10,000 friends and 40,000 plays. The band released their
much anticipated debut album, The Slowdown, in March of 2007 and began to
book shows across Texas and Louisiana. The band played their first show
on April 28, 2007 to a hometown crowd of hundreds. However, after a few more shows, things began to take a turn.
In May of 2007, Wood graduated from college and had to turn much of his
attention away from the band to find employment. Kitchen also had to
devote much of his time away from the band to get settled into a new job
and apartment. The band slowed down promotion and booking for a month or
two, much to the frustration of Hutson. In June of 2007, Hutson was
offered a position in the Brant Moore Band and in light of the lack of
activity in Red Sky Pilot, he left to go on tour.
After the departure of Hutson, the band decided to continue on without
him. The band searched for several weeks for a drummer, ultimately
deciding on Wood's former Echelon band mate, Danny Gutierrez. Red Sky
Pilot began promoting and booking shows again, although with considerably
less passion (especially for Kitchen, who felt the most betrayed by the
exit of Hutson).
As the summer of 2007 wore on, the band returned to the road in Texas and
Louisiana to support The Slowdown and began working on new material as
well. However, the progress on the new songs was slow and it seemed that
the chemistry from the early union of Wingfield and Kitchen was gone. In
fact, a new chemistry began to form between Wingfield, Wood, and
Gutierrez, and Kitchen began to distance himself from the rest of the band
(and vice-versa). One day, Kitchen decided he'd had enough of feeling
like an outsider, and packed up his things and left.
Thus, after the departure of the second founding member and one of the
major musical influences, Wingfield, Wood, and Gutierrez decided not to
keep the name, and the experiment that was Red Sky Pilot ended in
September of 2007. Wingfield, Wood, and Gutierrez went on to form The
Sugar Fire shortly thereafter. Kitchen began work on a reformed Johnny Empire and began to work on his own solo project. Hutson left the Brant More Band and pursued new music.
In the end, the legacy of Red Sky Pilot will forever be intertwined with
the band's only album release, The Slow Down. The album sold out in 2007
and will forever be remembered and loved by the fans of Red Sky Pilot in
Texas and all over the world. To our friends and loving fans, we leave
you with these parting words:
"Don't look when you touch down"
-Red Sky Pilot
2009 Update
In late 2008, Levi released his latest solo album, "Nothing Special"--an album combining the relaxed sound of Red Sky Pilot, the up-tempo pop-rock of Johnny Empire with a subtle influence of reggae, punk, and acoustic instrumentation. He is currently touring the area playing small acoustic gigs and the occasional full band show with his brothers, Lucas and Lance.
The Sugar Fire completed the recording of their debut album in late 2008 which is currently in post-production. The album (set for release in May 2009) explores the epic hard-rock sound heard in RSP songs "Head Full of Lead," "Eating Your Words" and "Street Creature" as well as the space-rock sound of Stowaway.
As the recording of The Sugar Fire wound down, Ethan decided to take a break from music and focus on his career. After a short break, he began writing music with his brother and former echelon band-mate, Josh, in a project called A Lighthearted Dive, which seeks to combine the space/hard rock sound of echelon with epic-prog rock and the alternative sound of bands like Radiohead.
Nick has recently joined forces with some Midland area musicians to form a pop-mosh band (pop/punk music with metal breakdowns).
Check in with everyone's profile (see our top friends) to keep track of their progress in their new musical endeavors!
are you excited for addy to move?i wasnt for keifer but i guess yesterday he went to go visit and refused to back to the 2s and stayed with sharen the hole day! i think addy will do fine because she is very sassy so the bigger kids wont pick on her:)she moves monday? you gonna be able to help her out? did you ever start on them online survey things i told you about? i hope you did, i just another check, this was for $237 from 2 weeks ago. if you didn't yet, pshhh, get on it; i guess you'll have to type the link into internet explorer or whatever, but here it is again:
Want to know some great things we have going on that you can take advantage of? :)
$25/hr special in studio b $30/hr special in studio a �We shop every band that records here to record labels!� �We have 17 record deals out of Chin Music Studios� ProTools HD, SSL, etc Free lodging!
are you excited for addy to move?i wasnt for keifer but i guess yesterday he went to go visit and refused to back to the 2s and stayed with sharen the hole day! i think addy will do fine because she is very sassy so the bigger kids wont pick on her:)she moves monday? you gonna be able to help her out? did you ever start on them online survey things i told you about? i hope you did, i just another check, this was for $237 from 2 weeks ago. if you didn't yet, pshhh, get on it; i guess you'll have to type the link into internet explorer or whatever, but here it is again:
The Best Indie and Unsigned Talent on the planet is at flashrock.com 100% free community services for Bands and their Fans! Hope you'll stop in and see us soon ;)
Hi Red Sky Pilot, I know I haven't commented you in forever but due to the face of the Swine Flu I have found a site that should Educate all my friends and family to help the prevention of the disease from spreading... www.flufeed.com
You should check out the site it updates on every new Flu that is approaching,,,
hi! iam wolfgang the guitarist of dreamscape. we should learn to be the best persons we can be and our world will change. i try. but it's not as easy as playing guitar in a high class band...
H. Jackson Brown: Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it, piece by piece -- by thought, choice, courage, and determination.
kind regards! DREAMSCAPE (progressive metal from germany) (new cd september 2009! - buy or let die!)
JEFFERSON, ....Texas.... (March 9, 2009) Rick Moran, Coordinator and Chairman of the Board of the A.S.U.P, Inc. (The Association for the Study of Unexplained Phenomenon) a 35 year old paranormal field research organization, has confirmed that The Pride House of Jefferson, Texas, a bed and breakfast, is in fact, a haunted location.
A team of researchers from the A.S.U.P, Inc. , who is a T.A.P.S. affiliate, was invited to conduct an overnight investigation of the Pride House by current owner, Jenny Lovelace-Elliott. Mrs. Elliott, who has recently purchased The Pride House, began to notice strange occurrences in the house shortly after she began renovating the property for the bed and breakfast.
The A.S.U.P., Inc. team of researchers arrived on site and proceeded to conduct its investigation of The Pride House, which included the grounds, main house, and the carriage house.
Several amazing photos and Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVPs) were captured, as well as personal experiences by the investigators. One photo in particular is of a ghostly presence on the staircase in the main house, which experts have not been able to explain as other than paranormal.
On April 25, 2009, beginning at 4 p.m., Mr. Moran will be giving a FREE presentation at The Pride House explaining the recent investigation by the A.S.U.P., Inc. A plaque will be presented to Mrs. Elliott confirming the haunted status of The Pride House, along with a copy of the now famous photo of the ghost on the staircase.
The Pride House will be hosting a wine and cheese event during the presentation for a donation of $5. 00, if one wishes to have a glass of wine. However, the A.S.U.P., Inc. presentation itself is FREE, and Rick will be on hand to answer any questions anyone might have about unexplained phenomenon and his long career as an investigator. Mr. Moran was recently nominated as t
