FOLIO
Words by Carmen Macri and Ambar Ramirez
“We don’t hold ourselves out to be these rock stars we’re not. We’re just people. We’re just people that just happen to be able to play Pink Floyd really well.” – John Conrath, Floyd Nation
It’s unfortunate, really, that our generation did not have the luxury of living through the Pink Floyd era. That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to them; we just weren’t physically there. From 1965 to 1994 Pink Floyd, ruled radio stations and arenas across the globe with their psychedelic space-rock and blues-based progressive rock. As we mentioned, a lot of us weren’t living through Pink Floyd’s prime, but what we are living through is a generation of talented tribute bands. And one tribute band particularly stands out among the bunch — Floyd Nation.
You can’t just pluck a guitar and round up a couple of mates for a tribute band: It’s a tad more complicated than that. Unraveling the intricacies of Pink Floyd demands more than your run-of-the-mill band setup. So for Floyd Nation it was all about curating a band of 10 highly skilled musicians. Will Kaiser handles acoustic guitar, electric guitar and vocals, while Brendon McDonnell plays lead guitar and steel guitar and provides vocals. Ray Nesbit contributes with guitar and vocals, and Robert Harris showcases his skills on keyboard, synthesizer, Hammond B3 and vocals. Jason Collins holds down the bass, and Justin Pupillo commands the drums and percussion. John Conrath adds the saxophone, percussion and steel guitar to the mix. The ensemble is further complemented by the vocal talents of Shannon Robinson, Jenna Damiano and Kara Gorke. (Now say that 10 times fast)
“All of us have a very similar story in that we’re not just playing the music because we see there’s an opportunity to have a band like this. Tt’s because we just love the music,” Conrath said. “And when we all came together and played together for the very first time, we literally just had to stand there for a second in quiet and say, ‘You gotta be kidding me.’”
Floyd Nation had their debut concert in November 2021, and shortly after, they landed another gig in the following December. It didn’t take long for people to notice their talent because the band secured a record deal right after their second performance — which is not as common as we might think.
For devoted Pink Floyd enthusiasts, it’s common knowledge that the iconic band not only crafted captivating “off ‘The Wall’” music but also elevated their concerts with mesmerizing laser light displays. However, Floyd Nation seized a unique opportunity often overlooked by other tribute bands. Their emphasis lies not in replicating the visual spectacle, but rather in capturing the profound emotional essence evoked by the music. While it’s simple to acquire and stage a dazzling laser-light show, the indescribable sentiment stirred by the soulful sounds remains priceless.
“When you’re starting out like us, you have to make a critical decision. And our decision out of the gate wasn’t to focus as much on the big light and laser show, although we have a pretty decent one. Our goal was to focus on something that we felt was absent in the current marketplace of Pink Floyd,” Conrath shared. “We feel that there is a lack of a sense of soul or feeling. Maybe it’s there, but it’s not there to the level that we want it. It’s kind of like when you listen to music and your hair stands up on your arms. You feel it in your gut. That’s the feeling that I’m talking about. There’s a sorrowful, weeping, bluesy undertone that just makes you want to cry sometimes. And that’s what we really wanted to focus on from the very beginning.”
What Conrath wants to express is that Floyd Nation hones in on being able to portray this music with soul, depth, feel and accuracy. They built their band more on the music’s tone rather than the physicality of it: They went deeper. And the deeper they went, they found that to be true to Pink Floyd’s essence, they had to focus on connecting with their fan base. They are the beating heart of their shows.
“The cool thing about that is that we can touch multiple generations at our shows. It’s not like the band [Pink Floyd] was just popular in the ’70s or just popular in the ’60s. This literally spans multiple generations,” Conrath shared. “I’ve always loved — my entire life ever since I was a kid — to connect with people. And whether it’s helping them in their careers or in their finances or whatever it is, I just love to connect. So for me, this band allows me to connect with people who share a love of the music as much as I do.”
One thing that wasn’t around for the Pink Floyd era that Floyd Nation is taking advantage of is our advanced technology. Being on the other side of the stage, we usually don’t get to see what’s going on backstage. Conrath expressed how important the house sound engineer is. Especially with a 10-member band.
“We’re putting together all of these different parts onstage. It’s getting thrown through these electronic systems and then it’s shot through a copper wire out to him [sound engineer] in front of the house to where he takes this information, all this data that we’ve just created, and then he presents it to the audience,” Conrath said. “That’s where the magic comes in.”
Interestingly, amidst the intricate technological aspects backstage, Conrath highlights the significance of embracing the present and breaking away from our society’s obsession with social media. Strip away the dazzling lights and smartphones, and what remains is a group on stage passionately pursuing their craft, while an audience enjoys the music they cherish.
“You know, as people in this society, we have cell phones and we’ve got tablets and we’ve got this digital life that we’re all so disconnected from one another physically. I mean, just go to a coffee shop or to a library or go anywhere where people are congregating. You might have a room full of people, but there’s no connection — and everyone’s wanting that connection,” Conrath expressed. “We need that connection as humans. So for me, this platform, this band is a way to be able to connect people with people and to make them feel like they’re actually living again.”
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