Pilot to Gunner

Forming in New York City around 1998, indie combo Pilot to Gunner centered on Scott V. Padden’s vocals and guitar, with Patrick Hegarty handling guitar, Martin McLoughlin on bass, and Kurt L. Herrman at the drums. Their first appearance on record arrived in 1999 through the Hit the Ground and Hum EP on Me Too!, which directly preceded the 2001 Gern Blandsten album Games at High Speeds. An exhaustive run of live shows followed, carrying Pilot to Gunner’s tightly wound emo-punk through America and Australia while drawing glowing notices from the press. That momentum produced a contract with Arena Rock Recording Company, which reissued Games with an additional bonus track in early 2003 and then issued Get Saved a year later.