A Conversation with Blind Pilot's Israel Nebeker..

In a musical climate where the biggest tours roll around the country with dozens of massive buses, trucks and planes further blasting the environment to damnation, it’s refreshing to hear about an act like Blind Pilot. The acoustic folk band spent last summer on tour, just like countless other bands — but these guys did it all on their bikes.

“We went from Washington to San Diego. From just below Canada to just above Mexico,” said Blind Pilot’s singer Israel Nebeker. “And it wasn’t the first time. We’d planned a bike tour before but didn’t make it so far. We got our bikes stolen in San Francisco.”

Nebeker’s freewheeling, almost whimsical spirit carries through perfectly in his music. His high, airy voice taps out melodies like The Shins’ James Mercer over his own gently strummed guitar and college buddy turned bandmate Ryan Dobrowski’s lightly splashing drums.

The two Oregon natives began playing together amid the rush and stress of college, but never quite as much as Nebeker wanted. As it so often does, school simply got in the way.

“It was hard to do both — college takes a lot of time,” said Nebeker.

The two rejoined shortly after leaving college, and with no more pesky classes to worry about, Blind Pilot finally began to take shape. With only a handful of acoustic gems, instruments strapped to their backs and a pair of bicycles, Nebeker and Dobrowski set on the first Blind Pilot bike tour, albeit one stunted by theft.

But the first show wasn’t exactly what the two flighty folk post-grads could’ve ever expected.

“The first show on that tour — our first show ever — was booked with a punk band called, I think, F**k Me Dead. We found that out when we got to the venue and kids poured in with Mohawks, studs and leather. It was our first show, and I thought we’d be eaten alive,” said Nebeker.

Surprisingly, the punks had a soft spot for Nebeker’s utterly heartfelt folk.

“Our music didn’t fit in with the rest of the night at all, but it was cool. A guy with an orange Mohawk came up to me afterward and shook my hand. And he had the softest handshake ever,” said Nebeker.

After rebooting in Portland, Ore., getting new bikes and adding bassist Luke Ydstie and banjoist Kati Claborn, Blind Pilot was ready to head out for round two last summer. Dragging along a homemade upright bass trailer (“There are no companies making bass trailers. Luckily, Luke is a good woodworker,” said Nebeker) and a cache of instruments including a ukulele and dulcimer, the quartet biked through a lot of West Coast civilization.


“There were tons of small towns that we didn’t even know had music venues. We basically showed up and asked around where we could play. Those turned out to be some of the best shows,” said Nebeker.

With the band’s music gaining popularity through online avenues and consistent touring, Blind Pilot’s no longer traveling without a motor. Riding in style in a van nowadays, the band has even booked it’s biggest tour ever — with prog-folk heroes The Decemberists, a band whose humble sound on its first record wasn’t unlike the unassuming beauty of Blind Pilot.

Blind Pilot’s debut album, 3 Rounds and A Sound, collects the flowing vibe of life on the road, weaving in and out of ethereal melodies just like the band weaved in and out of California towns. Tracks like the nothing-short-of-lovely “The Story I Heard” find Nebeker’s voice soaring with melodies that’ll stick with you all day — and likely put a smile on your face.

Shades of Iron and Wine, Neutral Milk Hotel and even Simon & Garfunkel show up throughout 3 Rounds, all with a tinge more urgency and carried by steady shuffle beats and rhythmic guitar.

But if you hear something completely different, said Nebeker, that’s just fine. Much like his sentiment toward touring, Nebeker’s feelings on his fans are free and easy.

“I think it’s important to remember that when people are hearing my songs, it’s a two-part process. I’m writing the songs, but the process isn’t complete until they hear it,” said Nebeker. “So if they hear something there, it’s there.”

But whatever fans hear, only one thing matters to the Portland crew: Just hear it.