Banner Pilot

Banner Pilot
Banner Pilot in Chicago, 2011
Background information
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Genres	Punk rock, Pop-punk
Years active	2005-present
Labels	Fat Wreck Chords, Go-Kart Records, Kiss of Death Records
Associated acts	Rivethead, Off With Their Heads, The Pyongyang Metro, The Gateway District, The Manix, Green Day
Website	http://bannerpilot.net/
Members	Nick Johnson Nate Gangelhoff Danny Elston-Jones Jeff Matika
Past members	Mike Johnson Corey Ayd

Banner Pilot is a punk band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their music is heavily influenced by acts such as Jawbreaker, The Lawrence Arms, Screeching Weasel, and Hot Water Music.

History

The band was formed by Nate Gangelhoff and Nick Johnson in 2005 following the dissolution of their previous band, Rivethead. The two self-released a demo the same year, garnering positive reviews from both Punknews ^[1] and Razorcake.^[2] The following year they released the EP Pass the Poison and toured the East Coast, drawing the attention of Go-Kart Records.

In late 2007 and early 2008 the band recorded their Go-Kart Records debut full length, Resignation Day. Mike left the band to return to school and Corey was recruited as a replacement for their summer West Coast tour.

In April, 2009 Banner Pilot was signed to Fat Wreck Chords.^[3] Their first album for the label, titled Collapser was released on September 1, 2009.^[4] Shortly after they embarked on an East Coast tour in support of the album with labelmates Dead to Me and Teenage Bottlerocket that included an appearance at The Fest in Gainesville, Florida.

Fat Wreck Chords also released a remixed and remastered version of the band's first album, Resignation Day in 2010.

In April, 2010, the band did a European tour,^[5] which included a stop at Groezrock, an annual music festival in Belgium.

In July, 2013 it was announced that the band had written 13 new songs and were working on a 14th for an upcoming album, which would feature 11 or 12 of the best songs. The group's next album, Souvenir, was eventually released in April 2014.

Band Members

Current Members

• Nick Johnson - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar (2005–present)
• Nate Gangelhoff - Bass (2005–present)
• Danny Elston-Jones - Drums (2005–present)
• Jeff Matika - Lead Guitar (2014-present)

Past Members

• Mike Johnson - Lead Guitar (2005–2008)
• Corey Ayd - Lead Guitar (2008–2014)

Other projects

Nate is a guitarist in the punk band The Gateway District and occasionally plays with Off With Their Heads. He is also a writer, having recently released a book that is a compilation of his zines entitled You Idiot .^[6] Corey is the guitarist/vocalist for Minneapolis punk band The Manix.

Discography

Studio albums

• Resignation Day (2008)
• Collapser (2009)
• Heart Beats Pacific (2011)
• Souvenir (2014)

EPs

• Pass the Poison (2006)

Split releases

• Banner Pilot / Monikers (2007)

References