"Never, no, never...what a careless endeavor..."
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 showon 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 feelinglike 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 reformed Johnny Empire in Januaray 2008 with his brothers and they are currently working on a new album. Hutson left the Brant More Band
and is currently working on a hip-hop project.
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
