Combine the imagery and decadence of mid-century air travel with the energetic excesses of new wave/punk music, and you come close to the roots of Pilot Scott Tracy. Started by Scott Causey Stanton and Tracy Cox, first as a duo, and later a six-piece, Pilot Scott Tracy emerged from the ashes of The Causey Way in 2001. The Causey Way, a sometimes-band, sometimes-religious-cult, converted Jello Biafra in 1997, and subsequently released two albums on Alternative Tentacles Records. Pilot Scott Tracy’s music and performances are animated by the same frenetic “Causey Way” energy, but their sound, with their line-up, has developed. The band now features Scott (former member of Plaid Girl, This Bike Is a Pipebomb, Man or Astroman, and The Causey Way) on vocals and guitar, Miss Tracy (Causey Way) on vocals and moog, Chris “Captain Kick Ass” Boland (Plaid Girl, Neutronic, Man or Astroman) on vocals and guitar, Miss Susan (Plaid Girl, Causey Way) on vocals and bass, Jody “Bayou Joe” Bilinski (Causey Way, Mooney Suzuki) on drums, and Lady Christa (Pink Panic) on organ.

Their music, described by one critic as “aggressively homo,” is sometimes raw, sometimes pretty, sometimes serious, sometimes silly. Their diverse fan base might best embody the musical trainwreck of early punk and new wave that is Pilot Scott Tracy: It all began when Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo gave Scott and Tracy a personal tour of the Devo headquarters, schooling them on vintage keyboards, equipment, and sounds. PST balances that clean, queer sense of sound with a raucous and dirty rock and roll that has attracted a growing legion of heavy metal fans. The singer from Pantera became a fan at a show in Chicago, and ended up loading out the band’s equipment. The bass player of White Zombie is among PST’s biggest fans. Punk icon Jello Biafra likes PST so much, he not only puts out their music, but schedules his own engagement calendar around PST’s performances. And of course, the legendary Wesley Willis, the band’s dear friend and artistic muse, even wrote a song for them, titled, appropriately, “Pilot Scott Tracy.” In short, if you like music, you’ll like Pilot Scott Tracy.