SAN ANTONIO – In a bedroom studio in San Antonio, Chesca Umeno, the creative force behind mypilotis (pronounced “my-pilloh-TEA”), has been crafting infectious indie-pop gems that are now making waves across the city’s music scene. This solo project has blossomed into one of the most promising acts to emerge from this often-overlooked city.
Chesca’s YouTube page is a timeline of the path to mypilotis, with a collection of videos where she plays every instrument in a song — bass, lead and rhythm guitar, vocals, drums, keys, and in one video, she plays a roll of toilet paper.
Several covers of songs from her favorite artists paved the way to writing her own music, and brought a multi-instrumentalist skill set with her.
“I take a lot of influences musically from Dayglow and Ginger Root, Boy Pablo,” Chesca explains, alongside her bandmates. These bedroom-pop heroes serve as more than just sonic inspiration. They’ve provided a blueprint for mypilotis’ evolution from intimate home recordings to a must-see high-energy live act.
The project’s origin story reads like an independent film script: a last-minute birthday show rescue mission that turned into something bigger than anyone expected.
When Chesca planned to perform solo at a gig in December 2023, her future bandmates stepped in.
“She was gonna do a solo gig and we’re like, ‘That’s silly. We’ll be your backing band,’” mypilotis guitarist Joey Gonzales said.
The current lineup features Chesca on vocals and guitar, Joey Gonzales on guitar, Edgar Betancourt on drums, Sophia Kurihara on bass, and JJ Herron on keys. They bring an electric energy to Chesca’s compositions.
Their chemistry is palpable, even as they joke about Herron’s creative process.
“Chesca tells me what to play, so I do that,” Herron deadpanned. “That’s my biggest influence and inspiration.”
Mypilotis’ sound defies easy categorization, blending the intimate songwriting of her bedroom pop inspirations with the kinetic energy inspired by the Japanese band Atarashii Gakko, a group she’s traveled around the country and even the world to see.
This performance’s set list includes “The Kids Are Alright,” a meditation on embracing life’s uncertainties and “Limbo,” a poignant reflection on grief written during the pandemic’s darkest days.
But it’s their instrumental track “Playground” that best captures the band’s essence — a moment of pure musical freedom where Chesca, untethered from the microphone, weaves through the crowd with wireless guitar in hand.
The band’s name itself carries deeper meaning.
“‘Pilotis’ is actually a French architectural term that means support or foundation that hold up a structure,” Chesca said. “Everything in our lives is essentially what keeps us from our own self-destruction… climbing, pottery, bouldering, friends, food, family – that all becomes our life’s ‘pilotis.’”
In San Antonio’s tight-knit indie music scene, mypilotis represents a new wave of artists building something special from the ground up. While the city may lack the institutional support of Austin or Houston, the D.I.Y. spirit runs deep.
“The community is what’s really driving us,” Chesca said. “Everyone’s such a great hang. You see the same people at our shows, other bands supporting each other’s bands, wearing merch for each other.”
With two singles – “The Way I See You” and “Limbo” – already streaming on all platforms and more recordings in the works, mypilotis is poised for a breakthrough year. A recent show at Stable Hall was a perfect display of their dynamic live performance to one of their biggest audiences to date.
In a music landscape often fixated on overnight success, mypilotis is building something more sustainable – a foundation of community, creativity and genuine connection that, like their architectural namesake, promises to support something lasting and beautiful.
For this SA Vibes set, mypilotis performs “The Kids Are Alright,” “Limbo,” “The Way I See You,” and “Playgrounds.”
You can catch mypilotis on May 30 at HASH Vegan Eatery’s fundraiser, June 5 at Texas Public Radio’s Summer Night City and again on June 7 at The Starlighter with fellow SA Vibes band, The Lost Project.
You can follow mypilotis and find their music on their Instagram page and Spotify. For a full list of links, check out the Linktree.
After you check out this set, the band recommends you check out Brisbane, Roshii, HoneyBunny, Temachii and Powdered Wig Machine. Chesca provided a whole list of bands!
Special thanks to Jacob Guerrero at The Starlighter for hosting this SA Vibes!
About SA Vibes
San Antonio is well-known for its culture, but the local music scene has always seemed a bit hidden.
Unless someone takes you to a local show — at venues like The Lonesome Rose, Hi-Tones, The Mix, The Starlighter and 502 Bar — chances are you’ll never even know our music scene exists. That’s what made me decide to launch this passion project that we’re calling “SA Vibes.”
My name is Valerie, and I’m a video editor at KSAT. I’ve been attending local shows for over a decade, and I want to put a spotlight on the great talent that San Antonio has to offer.
Each month, we’ll be releasing a new “SA Vibes” video across all KSAT digital platforms and our YouTube channel, showcasing a local musician performing live versions of their songs from music venues around the city and the KSAT garden.
If you’re a San Antonio musician and would like to be a part of this project, please send information about your next show to our SA Vibes email. (We can only feature original music because of licensing.)
More episodes of SA Vibes on KSAT:
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