Instrumental Rock
Instrument: Producer, Drums, Guitar
Representative Albums: "As Performed By...," "Post Global Music," "Aerial M"
Biography
Aerial M was the alias of multi-instrumentalist David Pajo, a seminal figure in the development of the post-rock aesthetic whose tenures in bands including Slint and Tortoise set the stage for some of the most innovative and influential music of recent decades. He first surfaced in 1985 playing guitar in the legendary Louisville, KY, teen thrash band Squirrel Bait; following their 1987 breakup, Pajo joined Slint, a band whose revolutionary instrumental sound continues to resonate throughout the American underground scene. Slint proved short-lived as well, however, and after their 1991 dissolution, he joined the Palace Brothers, appearing on their early recordings; from there Pajo relocated to England, where he spent over a year studying at Norwich Arts College. Upon his return to the U.S. he rejoined the Palace Brothers, additionally playing guitar in the For Carnation and drumming in King Kong. Most important, however, was his tenure as one of two bassists in Tortoise, which began in 1996 with the landmark Millions Now Living Will Never Die; Pajo soon left the group, however, to focus on Aerial M, a solo project that he debuted with the single "Safeless." "Vol de Nuit," one half of a split single recorded with Monade, followed in late 1996, trailed a year later by Aerial M's self-titled debut LP, issued on the Drag City label. Post Global Music followed in 1999. Pajo also recorded and performed under the Papa M alias in the late '90s and early 2000s; performed as a member of Zwan; and used the Pajo moniker in the mid-2000s. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, he played with three Louisville hardcore and hardcore-inflected bands in his early career. He got his start as guitarist for Maurice, but he first recorded with Solution Unknown. He rose to prominence, however, for work with the post-rock band Slint. Since its breakup, he has seldom held positions in other bands for very long, moving from one to the other quite often. As a result he has contributed to many lineups, playing and recording with Will Oldham, The For Carnation, Tortoise, Stereolab, Royal Trux, King Kong, Bush League, Zwan, and Peggy Honeywell.
He has also released music as a solo artist using various monikers, as Aerial M, M, and most notably, Papa M. Among his many 7" and splits with various bands, he has released (as Aerial M) 1997's Aerial M, and (as Papa M) 1999's Live from a Shark Cage, 2001's Whatever, Mortal, and 2003's Hole of Burning Alms.
In February and March 2005 he joined his old bandmates from Slint, Britt Walford and Brian McMahan, for a reunion tour, and in April released his first solo album not bearing a pseudonym, simply entitled Pajo. The follow up to Pajo, entitled 1968, was released in August 2006.
Around the middle of 2005, he helped to form the band Dead Child, with Todd Cook (from Shipping News, Retsin, The For Carnation, and Aerial M—and who also played guitar on the 2005 Slint reunion tour), Michael McMahan (from The For Carnation, Starkiller, and Phantom Family Halo—and who also joined Slint on the reunion tour), and Tony Bailey (from Anomoanon, The Party Girls, Verktum, and Aerial M).
