A chance encounter near the peak of Eiger in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland sparked an even less likely musical collaboration that is currently clothed as 'Pilgrims'. New Zealander art-school runaway Cary Furjwürd literally stumbled upon Sky Farquharson - a disowned heir to a Scottish distillery - on a trail up the west flank that nearly led to their death, but instead inspired an otherworldly realization that opened up a new spiritual path forward through music and imagination. In their poetic universe, only the surreal and silly survive.

"We had no business being on that mountain, or making it off alive for that matter. Trekking down from a formidable, unforgiving rock looking like two sticks of taffy made us think about the fragility of life itself. What a precious thing it is, and most of it wasted on making things harder on ourselves, on others. So we decided to devote the rest of our time in these bodies to making life lighter, easier, more like air and water and wind than rock," explains Farquharson. "Windie-Rock" chimes Furjwürd, with a distinct Kiwi chortle. Appropriately, their thread of music feels like it's cut from a more malleable element than just 'rock'. "What we make will always be in progress, and the integration of our music into the collective conscience is a conversation that happens simultaneously along with its disintegration," says Farquharson. "We'll always be amateurs. Anyone who says they're a professional is merely practiced at the art of pretense," says Furjwürd.

After a few train stops through Europe together, collecting instruments, records, films, and books, the fast friends embarked on a maiden journey to the U.S. in 2018, where they are still awaiting proper documentation to remain. "It's silly to consider yourself a citizen anywhere, really, when you can just stamp your feet and clap your hands and declare yourself a part of the earth... though I suppose it's easier for us to blend in here. Most people in the States don't seem to be scared of light-skinned folks with funny accents" quips Furjwürd. After brief stints in New York, Nashville, Asheville, Austin, and Los Angeles, the ambitious young craftsmen landed in a house in remote Sonoma County through the connections of a family friend. This is where they simultaneously wrote and performed the composite of their self-titled debut release, which is 7 minutes of intersecting nirvana, delirium, chaos, and lucid musing with a surprising lack of pretense. It was enough to spur the folks of new San Francisco label Orphan Records (founded by Tyson Vogel of Two Gallants) to make it their official unofficial first release - due on limited edition cassette tape October 19, 2018. Pilgrims' unofficial official premiere show will be Sunday, October 21 at El Rio with LA darlings Healing Gems.

- Walt Zing