I'm Not A Pilot

The Chelsea House
(920 W Wilson St) hosted a preview of two up and comers last night, Rae Cassidy and the new band “I’m not a Pilot”.

I’m Not a Pilot followed Cassidy with two of the four band members present, two AWOL, and one stand in female vocalist, Ami Moss, who also makes a guest appearance in their self titled album.

Lead vocalist Mark Glazer, accompanied on the bass and guitar by brother Matt Glazer, led the evening off with a great song “No Heart” with a killer chorus – “I tried laughing when I got no heart, I tried feeling when I’ve got no love, I tried racing down an endless hall, cause when I get there there’ll be something more”. Their piano and vocal driven performances are reminiscent of the Fray, with a little less pop and a lot more of a classical influence. Case in point, their track “If You Want”, which is a plaintive cry to a loved one, is a great example of their style. Introduced with a classical lead in, and the perfect bass emphasis throughout, the song captures the imagination with poignant lyrics and a piano driven melody. With instruments never overpowering Mark’s solid, if not at times soft, vocals, the song is a perfect balance of story, piano, and light bass. Well done gents. This band will be playing heavily in the Milwaukee area, and would be worth a trip up north to catch them.

In Music

Gig roundup: I'm Not a Pilot takes off with fine EP
- Matt Curry

If access to the means of production and distribution has meant a nearly unmanageable explosion of music -- and it has; sure, anyone can do it, now, but how to be heard above the din? -- one definite upside is that there is more great music coming out of Milwaukee than ever before.
Witness I'm Not a Pilot, a quartet whose self-titled debut EP is officially released with a Miramar Theater gig on Friday, June 5.
The disc -- handsomely packaged and sonically sound -- features five melodic bursts that are notable (especially among local music) for its lack of guitars. Instead, these at times epic, at times tender, songs are constructed around frontman Mark Glatzel's piano and voice and Peter Thomas' cello work.
"Wait Here" has a lovely melody and "Mausoleum" conjures both Queen and Keane, thanks to an almost baroque arrangement and vocals that recall Freddie Mercury and Tom Chaplin.

"I'm Not a Pilot began as an outlet for ... (my brother) Mark to work out the melodies and songs in his head," says bassist Matt Glatzel, formerly a member of Stukenberg. "In November 2008, Mark recruited (me) to play bass and (my) old bandmate Steve Vorass to play drums.
"A month later, Mark invited Peter Thomas, a cellist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, to sit in on a few practices."
Then, says Glatzel, the band just clicked.
"The energy of the four (of us) together in one room was electric," he recalls. "The invitation to sit in turned into a invitation to join the band."
The EP was recorded and mixed by J. Christopher Hughes in spring and it was mastered by Wisconsin studio whiz kid Justin Perkins.
In addition to the CD release show at the Miramar I'm Not a Pilot also has gigs on the books in Chicago and at the Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Ill., at the end of June.

- Bobby Tanzilo Onmilwaukee.com

Milwaukee chamber-rock ensemble I’m Not a Pilot shows a huge amount of potential – but little range – on its self-titled EP. From the opening bass on curtain-raiser “No Heart” to the creeping piano outro of “Disappear,” the band moves through five tracks of heart-bare, disillusioned earnestness with elysian grace. Working within the confines of such a narrow emotional and musical palette – primarily minor keys and medium tempos – the band manages to keep things interesting with clever arrangements and dapples of polyrhythm, counterpoint and texture provided by Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra cellist Peter Thomas, a permanent member of the quartet (piano, bass, drums and cello). Chief songwriter, pianist and vocalist Mark Glatzel’s drowsy anthems (think Coldplay without bombast) hold up well on this autumnal EP. But an LP? We’ll see. (Mario Quadracci) - Mario Quadracci 'Milwaukee Magazine'

Ever since Milwaukee rock outfit I'm Not a Pilot released its debut CD back in June, the band has become more active than ever on the local club scene.
The band -- which includes Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra cellist Peter Thomas -- performs Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Y-Not III with Milwaukee's Jeanna Salzer Band and Identity Crises Inc. Showtime is 10 p.m. and the cover is $5.
I'm Not a Pilot was launched as a creative outlet for songwriter Mark Glatzel, who added his brother Matt -- late of Stukenberg -- on bass and Matt's former band-mate Steve Vorass on drums. Not long after, Thomas was invited to sit in and that's when everything clicked, Matt Glatzel told me back when the EP came out.
"The energy of the four (of us) together in one room was electric," he recalls. "The invitation to sit in turned into a invitation to join the band."
The resulting sound is full, almost orchestral. Add in vocals that recall Freddie Mercury and Tom Chaplin and it's no surprise that I'm Not a Pilot's sound often earns comparisons to Queen and Keane.
The show is a release party for Salzer's latest disc, "Breaking Point." One track, "Take it All," has been garnering some local airplay.
Identity Crises Inc. is another Windy City outfit with a Wisconsin pedigree -- keyboardist Jay Barbeaux is a Badger. His band-mates come from warmer climes like Bolivia, Florida and Puerto Rico (and Chicago, but that's not especially warmer). These diverse roots give the band a globetrotting, world music sound. --Bobby Tanzilo
- Bobby Tanzilo Onmilwaukee.com