"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
