Not too long ago, Lowell rock trio Currents were faced with a dilemma that’s common among bands: Some other group in New England had their name, and the other guys had it first. After dealing with the confusion that comes with two bands sharing the same name while playing in the same region, and not to mention a cease-and-desist that eventually showed up from the other band’s label, Currents decided to re-name themselves Idle Pilot.
And while there’s never really a good time for a two-year-old band to suddenly change its identity, this sudden change in course came at a rather inopportune time, as not only were Currents beginning to play more shows and gaining visibility, but also had just amassed a fresh run of band t-shirts that now appeared to be totally useless.
But Idle Pilot turned the sunken cost into a positive for others, especially those in need, by donating the shirts to Boston women’s shelter Rosie’s Place. The donation was mailed out this past weekend.
“Their name was passed on to us when we were trying to figure out what to do with our remaining t-shirts,” bassist/vocalist Alex Miller tells Vanyaland. “I took a look at their history/mission on their website and it seems like a perfect fit, we definitely wanted to donate to some sort of homeless shelter but to see they were specifically supporting women and LGBT community was a big plus. When we contacted them to discuss the donation they let us know they had just run out of shirts so the timing couldn’t have been more perfect!”
As for the new name, the story behind it is also a common anecdote among musicians: Idle Pilot was just something the three band members all disliked less than the other suggestions.
“I wish there was a cooler story other than it was the name the three of us hated the least and could all agree on,” Miller adds. “Our band is almost a little too democratic sometimes which makes some decisions a lot harder than they should be. However, I like applying meaning to things after the fact and I have a friend of mine who has his pilot’s license but hasn’t flown in a while so he’s most certainly an Idle Pilot.”
Back in December, Idle Pilot — as Currents, obviously — released the Mondegreen EP, and soon hope to re-release it under the new name. This week they head out on a short tour that hits Brooklyn, Baltimore, and New Jersey, their first batch of shows under the new name, before wrapping up with a gig this Sunday at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston.
Check out the video for Idle Pilot’s “Build Ups” below, as well as a photo collage of the band shipping off their shirts to Rosie’s.
