Boston Calling, this is your captain speaking. Not to alarm you, but festival performers Copilot have decided to change their well-rehearsed set while onstage with absolutely no warning. This will not impact the quality of their sun-dappled Americana-pop. You are free to move around Orange Stage area, and please refrain from smoking. Thank you.
Following their Sunday performance on the Orange Stage at this year’s Boston Calling, we chatted with Boston band Copilot about their skywards trajectory — both in terms of upping their set’s energy level with a sudden shakeup, and the joy of landing a coveted spot on the 2025 lineup. Not listed: Sublime in the background on the Green Stage, soundtracking the live chat with “Santeria.”
Victoria Wasylak: Of the folks who have been to Boston Calling before, what was the best moment you had as a guest, and how did you want to recreate that when you were on the stage?
Maggie Hall: The last time I was at Boston Calling was with Ry [McDonald] 10 years ago. We went to go see Alabama Shakes and The Avett Brothers, two of our favorite bands at that time, and still at this time. Watching her [Alabama Shakes vocalist Brittany Howard] perform — she preaches. As a guest, you get connected with a performer when they’re just really very soulful, as she is. The Avett Brothers is different, it’s very soulful too.
But again, as someone who loves to watch singers and performers, I think for me as a performer today, I just wanted to kinda just relax and enjoy the moment and just be myself. I think that’s what I love most about performers. So when I get to see someone just be themselves, I enjoy it no matter how they sound. I’m just so thrilled to be here with these guys.
Were you preaching? Is that your style?
Hall: I was trying. I would say I’m definitely on the soulful rock [vibe]. I tried to do my best version of that, I guess.
Ry McDonald: Our rule is “let Maggie cook.”
What went into preparing for this set?
Jake Machell: It was every Tuesday at The Record Co., getting in there and hammering out the set, top to bottom. And if we didn’t like the placement of a song, it was like, “Let’s pivot it around.” …We were making so many changes up until the point that our rehearsal on Tuesday, we flipped the whole set list. We had rehearsed it at least three times and then we were like, “We’re not really feeling it. Let’s adjust.” So we made some late game adjustments and it felt really awesome. But just a lot of rehearsal. A lot of rehearsal and a lot of time with people I frigging love, so not bad.
What clued you in to the fact that it didn’t feel right?
Dylan Allwine: We have a lot of things we might check in on. We have three lead singers, so if somebody’s singing too many times in a row — if the groove is the same groove over and over for songs, and the keys of songs are things we’re all thinking about. Or if it’s too solo-heavy. We’re trying to balance all these things. But at the end of the day, it comes down to the feeling in the moment, and we threw in a random song today that was not even on the list of songs in contention. It was just randomly added, I don’t think we’ve played it in months.
That was a decision made today?
[All members, in unison] Onstage.
You gotta walk me through this.
McDonald: Maggie walked up to me in the middle of playing “Right With You,” which is a song of ours, and she goes, “I don’t think we should do ‘Stoop Song,'” which was the planned song. Because she felt we wanted just a little bit more high energy. We have a list of alternatives of the setlist on the bottom of it that are possibilities, right? These feel like they could get thrown in. And then, you know, we let Maggie drive. We let her cook. And so she comes up and she says, “I think we need to do ‘Spending.'” And then it turns into telephone.
Can you tell me what it means to you to perform at Boston Calling?
Hall: What a surreal moment today has been. Again, I can look at the five of these guys and just be like, “these are some of my best friends.” And it just means so much more to me that I’m doing it with them. This is a goal that we set out [to accomplish] almost six years ago. I’m so proud, and I couldn’t be happier right now.
If you set out to do this six years ago, what was the reaction when you got the call or the email?
McDonald: We have a video of me telling the band at The Record Co. during one of our rehearsals. ‘Cause Jon, our manager, told me and was like, “How do you want to tell the band?” And I was like, “Well, I’m driving to rehearsal right now. I’ll film it and tell them.” It was a very explosive reaction, I would say.
Machell: I had a violent day at work that day. Not physically violent, but mentally violent. I had to just unload all this off my chest when I got to rehearsal. I was like, “This was terrible. My world is crashing down. Everything is awful.” And Ry — he let me go through a 15-minute monologue. And he’s like, “Well, I do have some news. We got Boston Calling.” And I was like, “All right, baby! So I can quit my job?”
As the modern vernacular says, “screaming, crying, throwing up.”
Machell: That’s exactly it. I kept it down.
Allwine: I remember it vividly. I was there, listening to Jake’s monologue and I was like, “Wow, this day really sucks for Jake” [everyone laughs]. I had a pretty normal day at work, but that’s never too high a peak, you know? And then Ry comes in with a big smile on his face. He’s sitting there holding something back. He’s like, “I got something to tell you.” “What?” Like dude, spit it out.
What song was most satisfying to play today?
Austin Beveridge: I think “I’m Not Worried.” . . It’s got a four on the floor kick, so it’s just really high energy and gets the crowd dancing a little bit.
McDonald: When Maggie does “Disappointment: In the Form of Love,” it just always hits. And to do that on these big stages — we did it at Levitate, we did it at the Boston Music Awards, and doing it here. It’s one of the oldest songs we have. Maggie sings the song, and it just has so much emotion in it, so it’s amazing to hear her do it and watch Boston Calling experience it. It was just really special.
What’s a song you’re excited to hear this weekend?
McDonald: I really wanted “Sexy Villain.”
Hall: “Sexy Villain” is a vibe. Remi Wolf is a vibe.
Machell: At 5:10, we’re all on stage, we just finished doing a quick line check, we’re all bummed about [missing] Remi, we step off the stage and I swear, at 5:10, “Liz” by Remi comes on and we got to listen to the whole song, top to bottom, until we went on stage. It was magic. But also last night, anything by The Black Crowes.
Allwine: If I don’t hear “Oxford Comma” [by Vampire Weekend] tonight, I’m going home.