For anyone who is not from the Upper Midwest, the first thing they will think about when it comes to the climate is how freaking cold it gets in the Winter. This is especially true when it comes to the frozen tundra of my home state of Minnesota. Hell, even Minneapolis won a Weather Channel countdown as the coldest city in America, easily beating out Chicago and Milwaukee.
However, no one ever think of the humid, mosquitoes as huge as cats, Summer in the land of 10,000 Lakes. Right now I'm sitting at work in an air conditioned office as the temperature outside soars to a rainforest sweatbox of 94 degrees. Yeah, it tends to get a little oppressive heat wise here in the Twin Cities. Although there may be days in the dog days of Summer where we may burst in a sweaty flame ball of gristle and State Fair food, it also when bands will venture here on their cross country tours of America. If the touring band is lucky enough they will get to play a show with new Minneapolis upstarts Banner Pilot at either The Triple Rock or probably in some shitty basement near the University of Minnesota.
Banner Pilot fits perfectly into the lexicon of modern Minnesota punk rock drawing influences from local booze hound heroes Dillinger Four as well taking hints from early Lookout! Records East Bay acts like Fifteen, Pinhead Gunpowder, and various Aaron Cometbus bands. Banner Pilot also adds some of the Midwestern emo sound of The Get Up Kids and then tops it off with gruff alcohol cigarette laced Blake Schwarzenbach vocals.
Pass the Poison is seven tracks of blazing melody fused punk rock that can be at times sloppy punk rock which only leads to Banner Pilot's overall charm. They even drop a few Twin Cities landmarks and street names which just makes Pass the Poison feel homey like a battered dirty Husker Du shirt worn inside a 7th Street Entry show after an afternoon walking through the walkways of the City Center.
Oddly enough I haven't seen Banner Pilot live even though they are only a stone's throw across the Mississippi from me. Hopefully some day I will be upfront singing along in some sweat drenched basement while the tiger sized mosquitoes suck the life out cattle and small children outside. I can imagine myself sharing a beer with the dudes in Banner Pilot as we all pray for a thunderstorm to cool us all off for one evening. Also, for those into covers, Pass the Poison has an excellent one of the Buzzcock's "Ever Fallen in Love."
