Copilots are a five piece rock band from Vancouver, BC. Formed in 2005, their debut self-titled (2007) CD received glowing reviews across Canada. The band is Skye Brooks - guitar/vocals (Inhabitants, Fond of Tigers, Veda Hille, Ndidi Onukwulu), Pete Schmitt - bass/vocals (Inhabitants, Josh Martinez), Chad MacQuarrie - guitar/vocals (DarkBlueWorld, NOW Orchestra, Carol Pope), Karma Sohn - keys/vocals & Dylan Smith - drums. There is an interesting history to some of these Copilots as Skye Brooks is known for his explosive drumming skills with his JUNO nominated band Inhabitants and the genre-busting Fond of Tigers. Skye also regularly backs up unique songstresses such as Veda Hille, Ndidi Onukwulu & Jill Barber. With Copilots Skye picks up the guitar and steps in front of the mic. Chad MacQuarrie once led the critically acclaimed hardcore band Karen Foster that now backs up Carol Pope on her Western Canadian dates.
These musicians backgrounds are equally rooted in creative/improvised music as well as the many facets of rock and roll. Their adventurous spirit reveals itself in memorable melodies, propulsive and seamless odd time rhythms, and dream-like lyricism that explores the subconsious, human nature and the power of wilderness. A restrained intensity simmers throughout their performances, at times boiling over into ecstactic abandon.
"The tricky time changes, the loping rhythms, the heraldic trumpets all spell postrock, but beneath the surface of the Copilots' debut there's something stranger and wilder...not since the Meat Puppets came along has a modern rock record simmered with this kind of lysergic heat...always in fresh form...this is not retro psychedelia."
- The Georgia Straight
“...psychedelic, anthemic and fierce.â€
- The Province (Vancouver)
"...Copilots indulge a welcome combination of tightly structured songs and the urgency that arises when a group explores its sonic canvas without fear. They are that too rare type of band that knows the way around an instrument, but can compose an engaging song without sounding like the music is being over-thought..."
- Vue Weekly.
"Vancouver’s Copilots are an inventive math pop quartet that often come across as the West coast’s answer to the Wooden Stars. Led by Skye Brooks (Fond of Tigers, Inhabitants), the band’s quirky arrangements are bolstered by strong, dynamic guitar parts and a similarly impressive rhythm section. As songs like “Atavistic†and “In Your Heart†suggest, Brooks possesses a great gift for unique phrasing and can muster a cool pop lyric as easily as he can turn out a gutsy roots-rocker. For their part, drummer Dylan Smith and bassist Pete Schmitt adeptly lay strong foundations for multi-layered rockers like “Basic†and the building storm that is “What You Give,†which conjures a Pavement/Richard Buckner collaboration. Guitarist Chad MacQuarrie contributes one song here but his “The Pain Moves Across the Sky†is an excellent, gritty indie rocker reminiscent of Archers of Loaf. Copilots are too interesting a rock’n’roll band to ignore."
- Exclaim!
