Three Mile Pilot is an indie rock band from San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

 formed by Armistead Burwell Smith IV (a.k.a. Zach Smith from Pinback

Pinback

Pinback is an indie rock band from San Diego, California, currently signed to Temporary Residence Ltd. The band was formed in 1998 by singers, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow. Tom Zinser, Chris Prescott, and Mario Rubalcaba have all contributed drums...

, Systems Officer, Neighborhood Watch (Chula Vista)) on bass and vocals, Pall Jenkins (The Black Heart Procession

The Black Heart Procession

The Black Heart Procession is an indie rock band from San Diego, California. The band was formed in 1997 by Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel...

, Dark Sarcasm, Mr. Tube) on vocals and guitar, and Thomas Zinser (Neighborhood Watch (CV), Pinback

Pinback

Pinback is an indie rock band from San Diego, California, currently signed to Temporary Residence Ltd. The band was formed in 1998 by singers, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow. Tom Zinser, Chris Prescott, and Mario Rubalcaba have all contributed drums...

) on drums.

The group released their first album, Nà Vuccà Dò Lupù in 1991. It was recorded and mixed in 3 days, composed only of bass, vocals, and drums, and released on Cargo/Headhunter. Their next record, The Chief Assassin to the Sinister, came out (also on Cargo/Headhunter) in 1993, with a vinyl version released by Negative Records and then later by Goldenrod Records

Goldenrod Records

Goldenrod Records was a record label formed by Tod Swank in 1991 in San Diego, California to release the first 7" record by Custom Floor, a band consisting of skateboarders Garry Davis, Phil Esbenshade, and Miki Vuckovich. After the release of the Custom Floor record, Swank's other project,...

. It was significantly darker and introduced Jenkins on guitar. Geffen Records

Geffen Records

Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...

 took an interest in them, re-issued Chief with 3 new tracks produced by Tchad Blake

Tchad Blake

Tchad Blake is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixer and musician.He has worked with numerous artists and musicians, including State Radio, Apartment 26, Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel, Pearl Jam, Tom Waits, Richard Thompson, Brazilian Girls, Sheryl Crow, November 2nd, Travis, Marike...

, backed 3 months of touring and set them up at Seattle's Bear Creek Studios to produce a new cd with Steve Fisk

Steve Fisk

Steve Fisk is a Washington-based audio engineer, record producer and musician.Fisk joined the instrumental rock band Pell Mell in 1982. With vocalist Shawn Smith, he formed Pigeonhed, which released its first album in 1993....

. Because of internal strife over the belabored new cd Another Desert, Another Sea, Geffen dropped 3MP, fortunately allowing them to keep their masters which were later released by Headhunter. They added Tobias Nathaniel (The Black Heart Procession

The Black Heart Procession

The Black Heart Procession is an indie rock band from San Diego, California. The band was formed in 1997 by Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel...

, The Young Destroyers, A Day Called Zero, Struggle) on piano/keyboard and released Another Desert, Another Sea in 1997. Several 7" releases followed on various labels, as well as a self-titled EP released on Gravity Records

Gravity Records

Gravity Records is an underground independent record label from San Diego. It was formed in 1991 by Matt Anderson, a member of the influential underground band Heroin. It has been central in developing and promoting the "San Diego sound" - an idiosyncratic form of post-hardcore with loose, chaotic...

 the following year. Songs from the 7" releases and other unreleased tracks were gathered in a 2-CD compilation titled Songs From an Old Town We Once Knew, released on Cargo/Headhunter in 1999.

3MP's early releases often referenced the cult sci-fi computer game series Star Control

Star Control

Star Control is a science fiction computer game that was developed by Toys for Bob and published by Accolade in the early 1990s. Star Control still enjoys a cult following...

, as evidenced by album and song titles such as Star Control Out, "Chenjesu," "The Ur-Quan Destroyer," "Androsyn Guardian," and "Ilwrath," simply because they liked the names.

After years on the backburner writing material intermittently, Three Mile Pilot partnered with indie major Touch and Go Records

Touch and Go Records

Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.After its genesis as a hand-made fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s alternative and underground rock scenes, Touch & Go carved out a reputation for releasing adventurous...

 working toward a new album http://www.touchandgorecords.com/bands/band.php?id=91 and played the uber-weekend extravaganza Touch and Go 25th anniversary festival in Chicago in 2007. Following the downsizing of Touch and Go the band moved on and is now partnered with Temporary Residence Limited

Temporary Residence Limited

Temporary Residence Limited is a Brooklyn, New York-based record label. TRL was started in Baltimore, Maryland in late 1995. The label's first release was The Concord Anthology Process/Nero split 7", released April 1, 1996. After moving the operation to Portland, Oregon, owner/operator Jeremy...

. Pinback and Blackheart have also both moved from Touch and Go Records

Touch and Go Records

Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.After its genesis as a hand-made fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s alternative and underground rock scenes, Touch & Go carved out a reputation for releasing adventurous...

 to Temporary Residence Limited

Temporary Residence Limited

Temporary Residence Limited is a Brooklyn, New York-based record label. TRL was started in Baltimore, Maryland in late 1995. The label's first release was The Concord Anthology Process/Nero split 7", released April 1, 1996. After moving the operation to Portland, Oregon, owner/operator Jeremy...

.

Three Mile Pilot played three sold-out shows at Tim Maze's The Casbah on January 18, 19, and 20th of 2009 as part of the venue's 20th anniversary celebration. The line-up included Pall Jenkins, Armistead Burwell Smith IV, and Tom Zinser, as well as Kenseth Thibideau (Sleeping People

Sleeping People

Sleeping People is an instrumental rock band from San Diego, California that formed in early 2002. They first started playing live at the end of that year as a trio consisting of Joileah Maddock , Kasey Boekholt and Brandon Relf . Bassist Kenseth Thibideau joined the group in 2003...

) on keyboards, and Brad Lee

Brad Lee

Brad Lee is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Palo Alto, California and currently resides in San Diego, California. He is currently a member of The Album Leaf and Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects...

(Mr. Tube, Comfortable for You) on Bass and Guitar.

The band toured the west coast in July 2009, their first tour in over ten years, and re-released their earlier work as a handmade six CD box set titled, "Three Mile Pilot: 1991 - 1999". They announced that a new album was nearly finished and that in October 2009, a 7" with two new songs ("Planets/Grey Clouds") would be available. Their latest album entitled "The Inevitable Past is the Future Forgotten" was released on September 28, 2010 to much critical acclaim. This was their first album in over a decade.

Nà Vuccà Dò Lupù (1991)

• Track listing on Nà Vuccà Dò Lupù

1. "One Step Ladder" - 5:33
2. "Sore Loser" - 5:51
3. "Slow Hand" - 5:52
4. "Pinhut" - 6:11
5. "Walking With Your Mother" - 4:33
6. "Ilwrath" - 4:24
7. "Unicycle Silencer" - 9:22
8. "Horse Sweat" - 4:18
9. "Paralyzed (Dressing the Kill)" - 7:32
10. "Feeling Bald" - 4:38
11. "Huvakraft" - 3:10
12. "Dirt on the Flag Mud on the Wheel" - 9:25

Chief Assassin to the Sinister (Cargo/Headhunter 1993)

• Track listing on Chief Assassin to the Sinister

1. "Shang vs. Hangar"
2. "Circumcised"
3. "Aqua-Magnetic"
4. "The Chief Assassin to the Sinister"
5. "97-MT"
6. "X-Miner"
7. "Vux Intruder"
8. "Androsyn Guardian"

Chief Assassin to the Sinister (Geffen 1995)

• Track listing on Chief Assassin to the Sinister

1. "Shang vs. Hangar"
2. "Circumcised"
3. "Inner Bishop"
4. "Aqua-Magnetic"
5. "The Chief Assassin to the Sinister"
6. "97-MT"
7. "X-Miner"
8. "Chenjesu"
9. "Midgaard Serpent"
10. "Androsyn Guardian"

Another Desert, Another Sea (1997)

• Track listing on Another Desert, Another Sea

1. "Way of the Ocean" - 3:09
2. "If You Cross" - 3:23
3. "The Year of No Light" - 4:27
4. "Bolivia" - 4:13
5. "Kill the Race Horse" - 5:21
6. "Eastern Wave" - 3:23
7. "Ruin" - 4:11
8. "Mending King" - 4:40
9. "City of Bones" - 4:07
10. "South" - 5:50
11. "Glitter Wave" - 3:36
12. "Longest Day" - 4:16
13. "One False Eye" - 7:18

Three Mile Pilot (Gravity EP) (1998)

• Track listing on Three Mile Pilot EP

1. "Wahn" - 6:28
2. "Tokyo Static (Son #8 Inc.)" - 4:26
3. "On A Ship To Bangladesh" - 3:42
4. "By This River (Brian Eno cover)" - 3:49
5. "Worry" - 4:57

Songs From an Old Town We Once Knew (1999, compilation)

• Track listing on Songs From an Old Town We Once Knew, disc 1

1. "Nussun" (released as a picture disc, 1993)
2. "The Silver Monkey Syndicate" (released on a 7" by Paralogy Records, 1998)
3. "The House Is Loss" (released on a 7" by Paralogy Records, 1998)
4. "Piano Plus" (released by Penny Farthing Records, 1997)
5. "Piano Minus" (released by Penny Farthing Records, 1997)
6. "Red Sensing" (recorded in 1996)
7. "Sewn To Our Side" (recorded in 1996)
8. "In This Town I Awaken" (recorded in 1998, released on a split 7" by Slowdance Records)
9. "The Approach" (recorded in 1996, released on a split 7" by Chrysanthemum Records)
10. "Tripoli" (recorded in 1998, unreleased)
    • Track listing on Songs From an Old Town We Once Knew, disc 2
11. "Jadulstan Requiem" (recorded in 1996, released on a 7" by Move Sounds)
12. "A Very Old Bass" (recorded in 1996, unreleased demo)
13. "This Divine Crown" (recorded in 1996, released on a 7" by Goldenrod Records)
14. "The Open Sided" (recorded in 1996, released on a 7" by Goldenrod Records)
15. "Terry D." (recorded in 1996, unreleased)
16. "Cyrus" (recorded in 1998, unreleased)
17. "Everything" (recorded in 1998, released on a 7" by Move Sounds)
18. "As All the Fish Go On Parade" (recorded in 1996)
19. "The Trail" (recorded in 1998, unreleased)
20. "Piano Titanic" (recorded in 1995, released on a compilation for Smile X Records)
21. "The Ur-Quan Destroyer" (recorded live at The Old Casbah in 1993, released on a Casbah Music compilation)

The Inevitable Past is the Future Forgotten (2010)

• Track listing on The Inevitable Past is the Future Forgotten

1. "Battle" - 4:33
2. "Still Alive" - 4:53
3. "Grey Clouds" - 4:52
4. "Same Mistake" - 4:05
5. "What I Lose" - 5:00
6. "Left In Vain" - 3:56
7. "The Threshold" - 4:44
8. "One Falls Away" - 4:12
9. "Days Of Wrath" - 4:06
10. "Planets" - 3:42
11. "What’s In The Air" - 5:46
12. "The Premonition" - 3:31

Singles

• Circumcised (1993)
• This Divine Crown (1997)
• Piano Plus/Piano Minus (1997)
• Red Sensing (1997)
• The Approach (1997, Split w/ A Minor Forest)
• Late Night in the City of Jodoolestan (1997)
• In This Town I Awaken (1998, Split w/ Boilermaker)
• The House Is Loss (1998)
• Planets/Grey Clouds (2009)

External links

• Official Site
• Temporary Residence Ltd.