By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The second Pink Floyd tribute show promises all the excitement, lighting effects and sound of a live concert – plus lava lamps.
“We may be the only show in Sitka calling for lava lamps,” laughed bass player Drew Sherman, who organized the show along with Joe Montagna, lead guitar player.
The two are part of an 11-piece rock band who will take the Performing Arts Center stage Friday and Saturday to perform two of Pink Floyd’s greatest albums, “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You were Here.” The concert is presented by the Sitka Fine Arts Camp and Smokestack Music Productions, a group of SFAC staff, campers, supporters and faculty.
The shows start 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and feature a live performance of both albums, start to finish, as they sound on the albums. The sound system at the Performing Arts Center, sound engineers, video projections and a light show will add to the live concert atmosphere.
“It’s the professionalism of the sound and the vocalism of it,” Montagna said. “You don’t have to be a Pink Floyd fan to enjoy the show.”
Saxophonist Mike Sullivan plays during last year’s Pink Floyd tribute. This year’s show runs Friday and Saturday at the Performing Arts Center. (Sentinel file Photo)
This weekend’s tribute shows are an expansion of the “Dark Side of the Moon” concert that played to sold-out houses, and includes many of the same performers. Musicians received comments that the audience felt the show was too short.
“Some people thought it was intermission when we were done,” Montagna said.
“Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here” came out in 1973 and 1975, and captured the imaginations of both Sherman and Montagna – but at different times. Montagna was a kid at the time of the albums’ releases but was firmly drawn to rock music. “Dark Side” was something different.
“I fell in love with it,” he said. “I was just a little boy – it was the spacey sounds. The songs are amazing, and it’s a very guitar-heavy record. To this day they’re my biggest influence.”
Sherman says he was “negative 13 years old” when “Dark Side” came out but also counts it as a favorite.
“It was the first band that ended up in my CD player as a kid,” Sherman said. “I enjoyed it because it takes its time. Normal pop music changes chords every bar – but Pink Floyd developed an idea of one chord for 16 bars. So when they changed, it sounded more dramatic to me. ... I’m an instrumentalist at heart.”
Despite the “instrument heavy” music the band is known for, Montagna and Sherman said the background vocals are another highlight of the band. Andrew Hames, Jen Reid, Abby Saiz and Montagna are among those you’ll hear in that section, with a special appearance by Sam Faustine, who starred as Freddie Mercury in last fall’s Queen tribute show.
Saiz, who is 18 and a student at Sitka High, will take a solo in “Have a Cigar” from “Wish You Were Here” and perform as a background vocalist. She performs in a band of young musicians, and writes her own songs in her free time.
Despite the fact Pink Floyd peaked in popularity long before she was born, Saiz said, “I’m very much a Pink Floyd fan – I wasn’t until last year, but ...” Like Sherman and Montagna, she noted the heavy emphasis on instruments, but added, “The singers do add a cool touch to it.”
The ages of performers spans six decades. Fellow Sitka High student Jake Falvey will play guitar on the “Wish You Were Here” portion of the show, and take some solos. He’s been playing guitar since he was 6, and started taking electric guitar seriously at age 14. He was familiar with Pink Floyd before being asked to perform. “It’s always been on the radio, it’s always been around,” he said.
An enthusiast of both jazz and classic rock, Falvey also performs with local bands.
One newcomer to the group – and to Sitka – Johnny Elliott said it’s his first time collaborating with a group of this size, and so far it has been a good experience. Elliott is a pianist from Juneau who grew up attending Sitka Fine Arts Camp, and moved here to work on the Outer Coast program after graduating from college last spring.
“I’ve enjoyed the process of getting to know other people’s ways of seeing the music, and interacting with the music, and creating something together,” he said.
SFAC Director Roger Schmidt brought up the idea of a live rock show at the PAC as another offering for the community.
“I was really interested in seeing big rock shows being successful,” he said. “My interest has always been to bring as many great shows to our community as possible and see many different varieties.”
When he consulted with two musicians to suggest something, Sherman and Montagna were quick to suggest Pink Floyd as an option. And the success of that show prompted the Queen tribute last fall, and the expanded Pink Floyd this weekend. Montagna said it’s the last time the group will perform “Dark Side” for some time.
Others in the band are Mike Sullivan, Bob Jacobs, Peter Apathy and Ed Littlefield.
Tickets for the show are available online at fineartscamp.org and at Old Harbor Books. They are $20 for general admission, and $15 for students.
