Cue The Pilot
Written by: Cait Elizabeth - August 2019
Edited by: Travis Ryan
Introductions
Cue The Pilot blows listeners’ minds with their flawless blending of influences from far and wide. Featuring with uncontainable stage energy that frequently spills out into the audience, this band has been generating some serious buzz. The four-piece began after Tyler McLaughlin (guitar/vocals) and Chris Russo (piano/vocals) hit it off working together in a theater pit band. Jiving so well musically, it was obvious they had to pursue further collaboration. Kayden Doyle (drums/backing vocals), a friend of Tyler’s family, was brought in to provide a foundation for the new melodies being produced. Jake Sacken (bass/backing vocals), an old friend of Kayden’s who loved the then-trio’s existing songs and direction, signed on and rounded out the sound.
Cue The Pilot draws audible flavor from styles of all kinds, creating a rich, unique sound while maintaining heavy strokes of old school rock and roll. They released their eleven-track debut album Arrival, which is available across the internet. Some of their favorite songs are still exclusive to live shows though, which gives you a good reason to check out some upcoming gigs!
“Reflections of a Diamond Eye” is notably dear to their hearts, as it was the very first song they wrote together. It was written in a way to “give each of us a chance to shine,” the band explains. “Your Move” is another favorite, as the complexities of the composition demand each member rely on each other to get through it. The song is a journey of climbs and descents, twisting and turning throughout. “It’s a reflection of how we all keep moving on, life doesn’t stop for any one person,” Cue explains.
Tours & Shows
Entertainers to their core, Cue The Pilot’s music and movement spill off the stage and fill the venue. You can expect bomber jackets and Captain hats, crowd-friendly bass playing, and jaw-dropping vocals when you station yourself in front of the band. Part of the magic of this group is that they are all huge fans of each other—so forgive any on stage swooning when Tyler throws his guitar over his head mid-solo and continues melting faces.
Cue has hit many of the most popular venues across the island including 89 North in Patchogue, Katie’s of Smithtown, Amityville Music Hall, Still Partners of Sea Cliff, and Mr. Beery’s of Bethpage. They are planning a Boston takeover this autumn, so keep your eyes peeled for tour announcements. Find them playing The Delancey in Manhattan on August 31st, pick up one of their new shirts featuring “Q” (the pilot) to help support the band, or maybe stop by their website to download Arrival!
Inspirations & Influences
Cue The Pilot’s sound is so diversely inspired that it’s hard to imagine a style the band hasn’t pulled from. Each member’s music library is eclectic, so the combination really gives them a wide variety of ideas to play with. Queen, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Muse, Paramore, Jeff Buckley, and Daft Punk are a handful of the influences that can be found in all four band members’ libraries.
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We all thank our families and friends for their never-ending support and encouragement. We’re each so lucky to be in an environment that fosters our creativity and ambitions. Every new face in the crowd means so much, but every REPEAT face means the world. As we grow, so does our circle of love and support and it’s what we’re doing this all for.
It may seem cliché, but our lesson would be “be you”.
The four of us come from different backgrounds, carving four unique paths, side-by-side. At these shows that we are so lucky to perform, we’ve now met thousands of shining faces and no two are the same. “Be yourself” is thrown around a lot these days. But being yourself is hard! It takes work to be able to recognize and put aside all the outside influences in your life and really let “you” flourish.
Finding Myself Fatigue™ is real. But that’s what it’s about, the ongoing journey of self-exploration. How you process those influences IS a part of who you are. How you soak it in and let it out IS you being you.
So it helps to be reminded from time to time that this venture is worth it. There are no two “you”s. We love you, the beautiful you.”