pink floyd resurrected

What’s the difference between a cover band and a tribute band? In the case of The Machine, the difference is a world tour, a twenty-plus year run and a light show. Cover bands do everything, or they specialize in a particular era or genre. Tribute bands are even more specialized; they play music from a single band. The Machine is the best known Pink Floyd tribute band in the world. The band members have earned their own fame, so much so that they’re even recognized on the street by fans. They’ve actually been featured in Rolling Stone and Spin Magazine for their stellar imitation.
EU got the chance to catch up with the lead singer of The Machine, Joe Pascarell, before their performance at Freebird.
The band began, according to Pascarell, as a casual cover venture that sort of fell into becoming a Pink Floyd experience.
“We were just musicians and were friends. We liked playing…clubs on weekends. We played a lot of Pink Floyd because we loved it. It just seemed to get a really good reaction. Our agent put it on us…to try to book us as a Pink Floyd band. Initially it was just playing music that we enjoyed a lot.”
Their roots as a cover band can still be experienced, from time to time. In some shows, if you’re lucky, you’ll also get the chance to hear some songs from other bands, such as the Dead. They generally stick to what they’re known for and what people pay for but they might play one or two other songs toward the end of the set.
“I grew up listening to this music,” says Pascarell, “It’s how I learned how to play the guitar, fingering these songs out.”
Pascarell wouldn’t choose a favorite when asked to pick which of the three lead singers he sounds like most—Syd Barrett, Roger Waters or Dave Gilmour. Rumor has it that Pascarell’s voice simply morphs to mimic whichever one of them sang the particular song he’s singing, sometimes even switching between Waters and Gilmour if they shared vocals in a piece.
“The whole magic of Pink Floyd was everybody together, I think, and I prefer when they’re together…What’s most important is the emotion and intent behind it—that’s what people hear…that’s what people latch onto.”
Fans shouldn’t expect a note-for-note imitation of cuts from Floyd albums. Instead, they capture the spirit of the songs and the spirit of the band, by doing improvisational riffs. That’s something that the original did during their own live performances and it’s something that keeps the music of The Machine fresh and surprising.
“Originally, [Pink Floyd was]… a very improvisational band and that’s where a lot of this music grew out of, so, we try to bring that element to our performance. It also serves to keep us entertained, when you have that potential of creation during the show. We’re not the kind of musicians that want to play the same music the same way every night…I’d like to think that we do it in a way that’s respectful of the original intent of the music…so it would sound almost like it was Pink Floyd that was jamming.”
The Machine’s appreciation of Floyd runs past the usual hit singles and into long forgotten (but still great) songs. If you don’t have the complete Floyd collection and you only have a passing knowledge of their music, The Machine’s performance will introduce you to some of their more obscure tunes.
Part of The Machine’s magic is in the light show. Lighting is a large portion of the show, with fog and colored lights adding to the psychedelic experience of Floyd. Devotees and audience members at their concerts range in age from sixteen to sixty. Old fans want to hear the music they grew up with and young fans are just discovering it.
Despite The Machine’s devotion to Floyd, Pascarell hasn’t met any member of Pink Floyd so far. Given the long shadow that Pink Floyd cast over many of their careers, perhaps it’s not surprising that they wouldn’t want to revisit their old stuff. But for many fans, revisiting those psychedelic days is exactly what they want to do.
The Machine will be playing January 16th at Freebird. It’s a live performance that Floyd fans shouldn’t miss.