Good things come to those who wait. Patience is a virtue. Success is a journey, not a destination... What a load of crap. When forming a band, the last thing any enthusiastic musician wants is to be pummelled by a stream of idioms telling them how it takes time to build merit and value. Artists desire creating with wanton abandon; throwing caution to the wind and revelling in the excesses of creativity, not buckling down with a plan. In the case of Winnipeg, Manitoba-based outfit Take Me To The Pilot (TMTTP) however, thanks to sage wisdom, patience and enjoying the venture towards their goal, guitarist/vocalist Mike Bilenki, guitarist Eric Grabowecky, bassist Adam Brown and drummer Jon Stanners have easily asserted just how those axioms can ring painfully true yet yield stellar, incomparable results. Initially just the working title for Bilenki's solo acoustic effort circa early 2009, Take Me To The Pilot has solidified into an enviably dominant and refined unit. Refusing to sacrifice integrity and ability for immediate gratification, Bilenki enduringly crafted Take Me To The Pilot over the course of months, hand-picking members based on ability and drive as well as their congenital passion for uniting pop, punk and bona fide rock. Finding those seeds of virtue in Brown, Stanners and Grabowecky, Take Me To The Pilot blossomed beyond an autonomous show into the virile, captivating and fetching experience exemplified on their awe-inspiring, dynamic and virulent independent eponymous debut EP. Diligent, passionate and pointed, Take Me To The Pilot is an effort which not only further amalgamates the worlds of pop-influenced punk and addictive barb-filled rock but overtake it completely. Assuring the quartet is making nothing less than incredible moves, the works that comprise TMTTP's EP--created under the supervision of Dale Penner's Paradise Alley Productions (Nickelback, Holly McNarland) who works with the band in a development/management capacity--are amassing a host of achievements despite their ephemeral existence. From sold-out shows during two successful tours to surviving everything the Great White North's roads can throw at them, rotation on major Canadian stations, revered national publications and more, TMTTP has quickly amassed thousands of ravenous fans across the nation. Regardless of such accomplishments, TMTTP refuse to relent, intent on razing audiences during their forthcoming Canadian Music Fest performance this March. Analyzing this explosive musical ascension, Bilenki chalks the band's attention and fervent appreciation up to their unique modus. "We straddle the line between pop/punk-based rock and pure pop music. Our songs have guitars you can rock out to but also feature beats you can dance to. There's no pretense and no worries: it's music with hooks you can sing, lyrics you'll remember and is simply a whole lot of fun. After being part of a classic rock band for four years, it was time for a change. I just write whatever comes out, no pretenses, no expectations. Those are the songs you hear on Take Me To The Pilot." While Take Me To The Pilot perfectly encapsulates TMTTP's inherent ability and indelible drive, the band is adamant that their music offers more than the mindlessly pedestrian entertainment most pop settles on. To that extent, Bilenki reveals humility and gratitude at Take Me To The Pilot's strength, ability and dedicated following, good fortune he recognizes could only have come about with the grace of that aforementioned patience. "We don't just want people to listen. We want them to care," Bilenki asserts. "Anybody can hear a song but if it can affect you on a level where it stirs something up, that's when it's truly powerful. 50 people will listen to one song and hear a million different things. If the song connects with all of them on any level, then through that song, those 50 people ultimately become the same person. Moments like that are why we do what we do and that's what Take Me To The Pilot is all about. I dare you to find four guys who are more stoked about doing what we do."