Experimental Pilot

EXPERIMENTAL PILOT: Experimental Pilot consists of Rob and Stephen Vessenmeyer, two singer-songwriters with a long Bay area history (they were members of Men From Earth) that now make intimate, Americana-based music. (Dave's Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg) --ES - Creative Loafing

The Family Harvest Jubilee w/The Pilot Brothers/Ella Jet/Danny S & Alex The brothers who lead Experimental Pilot, Robert and Stephen Vessenmeyer, perform as an acoustic duo at this “family style rock show,” which also features solo sets by Ella Jet, the 12-year-old singing-songwriting daughter of Stephen, and soulful piano-rockers Danny & Alex (ages 12 and 13, respectively). 5 p.m., Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, $7. - Creative Loafing

Barely Pink/Bite Size/Rob Vessenmeyer I’ve said enough about Barely Pink recently. If you like the power-pop, they are your band, and they’re still blazing with the kind of vigor usually associated with a rookie outfit’s first eight months. Scene vets Bite Size ply an eclectic, garage-pop aesthetic that sends touches of everything from Twin-Tone Minneapolis to Guided By Voices blaring through the fuzz. Ex-Men From Earth and current Experimental Pilot principal Rob Vessenmeyer returns to performance with a solo acoustic set; expect country-tinged hooks with a bit of Jay Farrar’s redneck soul. (Sept. 29, Neptune Lounge) - Creative Loafing

Tom Petty turned 60 on Wednesday, which should give pause to those of us who remember him as a breath of fresh air in the late '70s. Er, the 1970s.

"It's tough when the new guys turn old," agrees Lee Courtney, music director for listener-supported radio station WMNF, 88.5 FM.

It is, however, fortuitous for the 17 bands paying tribute to Petty at Saturday's birthday celebration/tribute show, a benefit for WMNF.

The show will feature about 50 songs performed by the bands, who had more than two dozen albums of material to mine, from 1976's "Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers" through this year's "Mojo," as well as Petty solo works, a pair of Traveling Wilburys discs and 2008's "Mudcrutch," Petty's reunion with his pre-Heartbreakers outfit. "I think they're kind of the great American band," Courtney, better known by his DJ handle Flee, says. "And they are from Florida."

WMNF's playlist generally stays outside the mainstream. And despite a long string of hit singles and albums, ever-restrictive commercial radio formats mean Petty's outside the mainstream himself these days.

"His last three or four albums were sent to stations like WMNF and AAA (adult album alternative format) stations," Courtney says, noting that plenty of nonmainstream Americana bands are heavily influenced by Petty.

The show, like WMNF's previous tribute shows to The Beatles, Bob Dylan and other artists, gives local bands the freedom to play covers and have fun, Courtney says.

The Bay Area Arts and Music Alliance, or BAAMO, which Courtney heads, will run a merchandise table so the bands can sell T-shirts and CDs at Saturday's show.

WMNF features local bands playing their own material at other benefit shows such as Tropical Heatwave, Courtney says. Perhaps most importantly, the show should be a moneymaker for WMNF, which like almost everyone else, is feeling the economic pinch.

Bands scheduled to perform include The Baker Bruce Band, The Loving Thorns, Sandy Atkinson & the True Loves, Steve Vaclavik & the Woeful Ones, Briar Hill, Too Many Subplots, The Baker Act, MVP Band, Experimental Pilot, The Punctual Hippies, Hat Trick Heroes, Kore, Will Quinlan, Ricky Wilcox & the Moonsnakes, Steve Connelly & the Lesser Gods and Charming Devils. - The Tampa Tribune

Wilco hasn't played Tampa Bay since 2005, but in the mid and late '90s, it played a few fondly remembered shows at Jannus Landing, during and after which members jammed with local musicians like Will Quinlan, Robert Vessenmeyer and Ronny Elliott. - St Petersburg Times

JAY BENNETT
Jay Bennett, a former multi-instrumentalist for the band Wilco, died earlier this week. Among the many musicians mourning his loss is Robert Vessenmeyer of the Tampa band Experimental Pilot, who got to know Bennett, above, over the years. Vessenmeyer not only hung out with Bennett; they had talked about recording together. He offered up this tribute to Bennett.
Jay Bennett's contributions to the Wilco legacy are undeniable. He made them a complete and whole band where there was none. His rock guitar playing, song writing and production skills were groundbreaking in the evolution of the band and I personally feel that they made some of their best music ever with Jay Bennett.

My Brother Stephen and I have actually been in contact with Jay for quite a while now and were going to record with him and the old Wilco drummer Ken Coomer in Nashville last year, but sadly Jay wasn't up to the challenge at that time (with some personal issues), but seemed to be back on the rebound recently until his hip replacement problems developed. (I just talked to him a few weeks ago about us recording at his beautiful new studio, Pieholden, and he seemed to be upbeat about that possibility and genuinely into the music, but also bedridden with his health issues.)

One of my fondest memories of Jay Bennett was watching early Wilco on the Being There tour, f---ing rock Jannus landing on the song Misunderstood, with Jeff Tweedyscreaming in a punk rock voice "I want to thank you all for nothing at all!" and Jay providing scorching feedback on his guitar. They played all the early hits that night from Casino Queen, OuttaSite (Outta Mind), I Got You, Monday and even added earlyUncle Tupelo songs like We've Been Had and The Long Cut which drove the crowd to a frenzy. I was right down in the mosh pit, beer soaked and screaming for more!
After the show my brother and I ended up singing harmonies with Jeff Tweedy andWill Quinlan on Screen Door in the old Club Detroit (a great time capsule moment for us all), and then finally the Wilco guys (Jay Bennett, Ken Coomer and John Stirrat) all came over to my house and we drank beer, listened to music, laughed and partied until the early hours of the morning. We all had a great time and clicked as fast friends. I even vaguely remember that Jay was wearing a 12-pack carton as a hat, cracking us all up with his funny sense of humor. It was such a magical night of music and a great memory.

Jay Bennett was a beautiful human being and a very sweet man. Although he seemed to be a Misunderstood soul, so to speak, his musical genius will live on in his songs forever.


Read more: http://www.myspace.com/experimentalpilot/blog#ixzz13OMdqaPl - TBT Soundcheck

Musically, something is happening in Tampa.

The latest compilation of Tampa Bay area bands, Tales of Lust & Longing, documents the rising tide of talent in the area. It is a thoroughly enjoyable listen from BAAMO. (thanks, Duncan!).

Catching my ear on the first listen was "Milk & Gasoline" by St. Pete's Experimental Pilot, who consist of brothers Robert and Stephen Vessenmeyer. The acoustic duo and longtime area musicians team up with a kicking back-up band on this tale of a struggling couple searching for for a way out. With a driving rhythm section, the song is reminiscent of a Hayes Carll tune.

I've been replaying this song for a week - taking special pleasure when Stephen whispers "All it takes is a spark" as the band kicks it into another gear.

- After Hours Music Blog

DYNAMIC DUO: Robert and Stephen Vessenmeyer, vocals and guitars.

FORTHCOMING CD: Spark of Life, due out in early 2010. They also recorded a Steven Van Zandt single, I Am a Patriot, to commemorate 9/11.

FRONT PORCH ROCK: "We're rootsy and rural," Stephen says. "That's how I write, sometimes kind of spiritually. It's like redneck soul ... or acoustic soul."

HEADLINERS THEY SUPPORTED: John Hiatt, NRBQ and Hootie and the Blowfish.

Robert: "We opened for Hootie at jannus landing and it was a sold-out show, and they were really great people to work with"

Stephen: "Then there were some weird shows like Jesus Jones or EMF."

NEW BEGINNINGS: "It's difficult to start over once you get to a certain point," Robert says. "You get used to playing for a certain amount of people. Men From Earth was a big rock show, so we kind of went the opposite way with this act."

AUSTIN POWERS: After Men From Earth disbanded, the brothers went to Austin, Texas. They recorded Haywire and I Can't Find a Home with Josh Zarbo and Jim Eno of Spoon and producer John Croslin.

BESIDES THE MUSIC: Stephen co-owns Iris Photographic with his wife, Jody, and Robert works full time as an audio-visual tech.

IN THE GENES: Stephen's son, Noah, 13, plays piano and is learning bass. Ella Jet, 9, has formed the Little Whippersnappers with Uncle Robert, and they perform a song called Pinky Swear.

YANKEE HILLBILLIES: The brothers were born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised Roman Catholic but grew up in Reidsville, N.C., identifying more with Southern traditions. Robert: "There's some Catholic guilt in our songs."

- St Petersburg Times