I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: March 11, 2024] Ex Pilots

I was not familiar with Ex Pilots before this show, but a guy behind me certainly was.  he was one of those guys who feels the need to talk loudly about whatever he thinks he knows a lot about.  He was pretty annoying, but he was right: people are going to come away from this show as Ex Pilot fans.  At the very least, I became a fan.

He also went on some crazy rant about Cherry Glazerr saying he’d never heard of them but thought they were some kind of 90s female grunge sound which he was never into (I was shocked that the the women around him didn’t pound him).  he also said he was surprised that there was only one opening band because most shows have like four.  Ugh, men.

But he was right about Ex Pilots.

I really enjoyed the way Hammer started as a fast rocking song and then after a minute it shifted gears to a slower, heavier rocking sound and then immediately shifted again into a lighter bouncier verse.  According to their recording, this song is only two minutes long.  It changed gears about five times and I was hooked.

“Exactly Like You” is a quieter song with echoing guitars.  It has very few words (only the title is sung) and at two minutes long, the vocals don’t come in until the half way part.

There were lots of fascinating things about this band.  There are six members in the band, including three guitarists!  And yet despite this, lead singer (and from what I can see, the main Pilot) Ethan Oliva played most of the lead guitar lines too.

After two new songs (I always think it’s funny bands ask if it’s okay if they play a new song, especially if hardly anyone has heard their older songs) they played “Nick Song” has a really catchy vocal melody.  “Bad Aibling” has a rocking shoegaze feel.  Most of the songs were about two minutes long but “Aibling” stretched out to 3!

Mary Komondy played keys at the front of the stage.  It’s not nice to say but it was odd that her expression virtually never changed while up there.  She looked so bored.  Which is a shame since everyone else seemed to be having fun.  She did sing lead on a couple of songs, (Summer 95) so that was something, but otherwise, I was a little sad for her up there.

I enjoy a song where the singer sings along with a guitar solo line, and “Too Far” included that, too.

The guitarist in the back (I’m assuming Nick Boston) sang lead on “1o Ft. Clarence” (this song title makes me laugh) a brief song, that was quieter than most.

Looking at Ex Pilots’ output, is very puzzling.  They have a new(ish) album out (came out in 2023), but it was originally released in 2019 and contains songs recorded in 2018 & 2019.  They also have cassettes of lo-fi recordings and other things that have been in the works since 2010.  Aha, so in doing my post-show research, I’ve discovered this fascinating tidbit

Oliva has been at it for a long while now, popularizing the genre in Pittsburgh’s music scene with his legendary DIY band Barlow, who just hit their 10-year mark in 2022—but his output doesn’t stop there. He’s also the drummer for grunge goons Gaadge, the front man in the hardcore speed demon trio Living World, and one half of the weirdo experimental rock duo turned six-piece band Sober Clones. While all these projects have their own unique sound and attitude, they’re all charmed by the washed out, lo-fi swirl of noise that has become signature to Oliva’s recording and production style.

“Poison Control” is a really pretty song, quieter and with a nice guitar melody which they followed with the rocking (and somewhat screaming) “Carriers.”

The rest of the live band was Andy Yadeski, Ralph DiLullo and Mitch DeLong who play in the various bands listed above as well as other Pittsburgh-area bands.  I’m not sure which one did what in our show as they all play different instruments in the different bands.

When they had a few minutes left, Oliva said they were going to play a Guided By Voices cover (“nice” says a different guy behind me).  But that explains a lot about the short songs and general vibe of Ex Pilots, I think.  They ended with “Live Forever,” another short catchy song with a ripping noisy ending that they jammed out for a few minutes and then left the stage.

I see that when they played Boston, they also played The Replacements “Bastards of Young,” which I would have really liked to see, but you can;t have everything, right?

I’m curious if Oliva is going to focus on this band more or if he’s content playing in all kinds of different projects.

1. Hammer ⊄
2. Exactly Like You ⊗
3. At the Side %
4. Motel %
5. Nick Song ⊗
6. Bad Aibling ⊗
7. Dog in the Yard %
8. Too Far ⊗
9. 10 ft Clarence ⊄
10. Summer 95 ∑
11. Thirty Days §
12. Poison Control ∑
13. Carriers ∑
14. Hannah ∑
15. If We Wait (Guided By Voices cover)
16. Live Forever ⊗

% new songs (2024)
⊗ Ex Pilots (2023/2019)
§ single 2022
⊄ Gaadge Split C-30 (2022)
∑ Findlay (2015)