The Wire Pilots perform jazz music in the Kemper Museum (Mac Motz | Contributing Photographer)

The Kemper Art Museum recently hosted its first concert event of the semester as part of the series “Kemper Unplugged,” with a performance from local band The Wire Pilots. Last Friday at noon, the jazz trio played a quick, 45-minute set in the lobby of the museum — free for everyone. 

“Kemper Unplugged” is a monthly concert series hosted by Kemper in partnership with WashU’s Department of Music, providing free music for the St. Louis community in the presence of the beautiful art at the museum. In fact, this time, The Wire Pilots performed right in the lobby in front of the room’s main painting while audience members sat in rows of chairs facing the band. 

The 60 or so attendees listened to The Wire Pilots’ instrumental jazz while looking past the band at Ai Weiwei’s “Illumination,” a powerful art piece made entirely of Legos, and looking up to admire Tomás Saraceno’s hanging installation “Cosmic Filaments.” Sophomore TJ Cannistraro was among many in the audience and was impressed by the event.

“[Jazz] is not really something that I listen to a ton on my own, so it’s always good to listen to it in a live setting. I feel like you get a lot more of the human element of jazz music — the improvisation. I think there’s a different level to it when you listen to it live,” he said.

The Wire Pilots’ three members took turns improvising, whether it was Dan Rubright on the guitar, his brother Ted Rubright on percussion, or guest Ben Wheeler on the upright bass. 

The Rubright brothers started The Wire Pilots about 15 years ago, but they had been playing music together long before. Dan recalls that when he was in high school, the two would play music in their basement — Ted on the drums and Dan making up melodies on the guitar — continuing to write whatever came to them. Ted eventually went to classical school, and Dan to jazz school, separating their creative paths. Once they both returned to St. Louis and settled down, however, they quickly reunited, and The Wire Pilots were born.

In addition to The Wire Pilots, Dan teaches guitar in WashU’s music department and has played for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Still, his heart lies with jazz music. 

“I’ve always been a composer, since I started playing guitar. I just love making stuff up. I thought that was the coolest thing. … I just love the instrument. Just sitting, [thinking,] ‘What can I do that would be different?’ That’s kind of my genesis,” Dan said.

For Dan, composing a song sometimes takes years, but for “Wild Petunia,” the song came together almost immediately. The song was written in honor of a petunia in front of his house, and it was one of the few songs played that involved zero improvisation. The mellow and comforting leading melodies of the guitar, with the drums and bass providing an intricate sound behind it, resulted in a beautifully joyful sound that truly evoked the natural imagery of the petunia.

The band performed numbers originally composed by Dan, save “Money for the Man,” which Ted composed and performed solely on the handpan drum. There was a nice variety of upbeat songs, ballads, a country-influenced song, and the handpan drum song, along with their normal jazz, of course. They premiered a couple of new songs and played unreleased songs, including the song “Cowboy Coffee” that contained a unique twang. They also played other songs, such as the opener “Kaaterskill Falls,” that are released on streaming platforms and Bandcamp under the name Dan Rubright. 

Taylor Steinbruegge, the Marketing & Digital Initiatives Coordinator for the Kemper Art Museum, has been to many “Kemper Unplugged” events and appreciates the special experience of hearing live music.

“It’s always different genres, different performers. The Department of Music does a great job. The highlight of last semester was Kara Baldus. Each time is different, but it’s just a great way to spend a Friday afternoon on campus,” she said.

The Wire Pilots plan to still create new music together and perform more around St. Louis. Dan has also been promoting his book “The Musician’s Dilemma: A Guide for Integrating Your Passion for Music with Real Life,” a guide for artists about how to make their passion push through all of the obstacles of life.

The next “Kemper Unplugged” event is “The Great American Songbook” on Friday, Oct. 17. The concert will feature WashU jazz voice instructor and Grammy Award nominee Candice Ivory along with students in her studio. Come to the museum to sit down and watch the entire 45-minute event, or walk through the exhibits and have a live soundtrack provided for you in the background.