Idiot Pilot
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2003 in Bellingham, Washington, United States |
| Headquarters | Bellingham , United States |
| Products | Music albums |
Idiot Pilot is a two-member alternative rock group hailing from Bellingham, Washington, composed of Michael Harris and Daniel Anderson.
History
Following the breakup of their former band Azero Cherry, Michael Harris and Daniel Anderson, then high school students, founded Idiot Pilot. Their first album, Strange We Should Meet Here, was originally independently released before being picked up and remastered by Reprise. The duo collaborated with Chino Moreno of Deftones on the B-Sides & Rarities project. Their touring history includes performances across the UK and US alongside groups such as Team Sleep, +44, The Smashing Pumpkins, and The Used.
Released on October 2, 2007, their sophomore album Wolves was co-produced by Mark Hoppus from +44 and Blink-182, together with Ross Robinson. The record features drumming contributions from Chris Pennie (Coheed and Cambria) and Travis Barker (+44, Blink-182). The track "Retina and the Sky" from this album was included on the Transformers soundtrack. A music video for this song was directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer. Starting in 2007, live performances incorporated Ryan Soukkala on drums with Michael Harris handling guitar duties.
In 2007, Idiot Pilot took part in Colorado-based post-hardcore band Drop Dead, Gorgeous's album Worse Than a Fairy Tale, which was produced by Ross Robinson. The following year, they joined the US leg of the Taste of Chaos tour alongside bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet for My Valentine, and Atreyu.
After the merger between Reprise Records and Warner Bros. in March 2009, Idiot Pilot parted ways with the label due to dissatisfaction with the promotion of Wolves. Subsequently, Michael Harris toured and recorded with Scooter Ward’s side project, The Killer and the Star, playing bass, and later supported Cold as an additional guitarist during tours.
In March 2010, the band offered "The Tail of a Jet Black Swan" as a pay-what-you-want download through their official website; its status regarding inclusion on a forthcoming album has not been confirmed.
By January 2011, after several months spent working on new material, Idiot Pilot announced an indefinite break. Soon after, plans were made to release a compilation featuring unreleased tracks collected throughout their career later that year.
In February 2019, the band ended their hiatus with news of their third studio album, Blue Blood, which they independently released on March 12, 2019.
Members
- Michael Harris – vocals, guitar, drums
- Daniel Anderson – guitar, bass, programming, keyboards, vocals
- Touring members
- Ryan Soukkala – drums (2007–2009)
- Chris Newton – drums (2010)
- Dimiter Yordanov – bass (2010)
Discography
- Strange We Should Meet Here (2004)
- Wolves (2007)
- Blue Blood (2019)