‘Airplane’ Musician Left Engineering for Band
By Ron Gonzales For the Journal
Given the choice between pursuing a degree in engineering at the University of Texas and playing guitar for a rock band, Lee Duck made the choice any smart young person with an eye on a prosperous future would: he put down the pencil and picked up the ax.
Already entrenched in studies, Duck and his friend Brack Cantrell slapped together a nine-song record (“Everything Perfect on the Wrong Day”) in 2004 that contained a raw mix of electronica and metal.
“It was a series of blips and bleeps,” Duck told the Journal about the album, which he and Cantrell posted online to rave reviews and many, many listens. Eventually, the folks at Equal Vision Records caught wind of it and set up a meeting with Duck, only he faced the troubling prospect of having to miss class to go.
“I said ‘OK,’ and ditched out on a music appreciation quiz to make the meeting,” Duck said. “By the way, I made a D in that class, but it’s not that I don’t appreciate music.”
By then, Cantrell had gone, not thinking that Sky Eats Airplane could evolve out of the basement, so Duck signed with Equal Vision and enlisted the help of fellow Fort Worth-area musicians to round out what would be the performing lineup of the project.
Today, with its sophomore, self-titled album on the shelves, Sky Eats Airplane has earned the respect of critics, fans and fellow musicians, all of whom seem to be mesmerized by the band’s atmospheric mixture of metal, swooping washes of lush orchestration and industrial noises that seem to be coming from frazzled wires.
“(Members of bands we play with) don’t usually say ‘Good set’ and walk off,” Duck said. “They actually really focus and analyze us and that’s what makes me feel good. We’re musicians, other musicians enjoy our music and that’s just the greatest feeling.”
As much respect as it has gained in such a short time, it can make for an interesting evening of music when Sky Eats Airplane is in town. The band has toured with all-out metal acts (Misery Index) and will soon tour with the lessmetal acts Senses Fail and Dance Gavin Dance, and these odd configurations often create confusion in the audience.
“We always get the hardcore kids that want to dance around, and they look at us with hatred because our singer actually sings,” Duck said. “We’re often the only band on the bill that has a singer. We’re not totally metal or totally rock, so sometimes it’s hard to fit in.”
Sky Eats Airplane
With August Burns Red and others
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29
WHERE: First Family Church, 4701 Wyoming NE
HOW MUCH: $12 at the door for the all-ages show
(c) 2008 Albuquerque Journal. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.