I vividly remember the first time I heard the band Pink Floyd.  I was just a kid, and I used to sneak into my older sister’s room when she wasn’t home and ogle her album collection.  I was particularly fascinated by the cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon Album.  The first time I heard it, I was mesmerized by the layer upon layer of melodies blended with intriguing sound effects.  Every track on the record filled my youthful imagination, carrying me on endless journeys into worlds only a child can dream up.  Later in life, during my teenage years, I was obsessed with The Wall album when it came out in 1979.   It was my daily anthem. I listened to that double L.P. so often, I’m sure I deepened the vinyl  grooves by at least a full inch.

Suffice to say, I am a devout Pink Floyd fan.  In fact, their trademark British psychedelic art-rock has enticed generations of fans, like myself, throughout the years. They have also inspired the emergence of Pink Floyd tribute bands all around the globe.  Shine On is one of those tribute bands worth taking note of.  Originating from the west coast in 2005, Shine On gallantly and impressively replicate the Pink Floyd experience with their live shows.

Aaron Broering

I had the good fortune of attending a Shine On Livestream tribute concert presented by Alert The Globe at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. When I arrived at the venue, the eleven-member ensemble was in the middle of their soundcheck. My interest was peaked by many guitarists, multiple keyboardists, saxophone player, drummer, and several backup singers that filled the decent sized stage end to end.

The Livestream concert got underway, and almost as if I dropped the needle onto my one-inch grooved Wall Album, “In the Flesh?” flowed out of the concert amps and into my eager eardrums. I was immediately impressed with drummer Bill Lawrence, who took on the vocal role of Roger Waters.  Lawrence’s tone and infliction delivered the same kind of tonality and passion heard from Waters on the original track.

Then the band rolled out “Another Brick In The Wall (Part 1)” off the same album.  Their lead guitarist Aaron Broering seemed to channel the ethereal intonation of David Gilmore through the strings of his Stratocaster.  Shine On didn’t miss a beat. They included the helicopter sound effects that took them into the next song, “The Happiest Days of Our Lives,” and on into “Another Brick in The Wall (Part 2)”   Bassist Ray Brezden perfectly delivered the meaty baseline hook of the song.  Drummer Lawrence chanted the famous “….Stand still laddie,” with a spot-on British accent.   Then, keyboardist Barry Hovis pulled out a bullhorn and used it to inquire … “how can you have any pudding when you don’t eat your meat?” which genuinely demonstrated the band’s dedication to authenticity.     The song ended with a smooth transition into Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (Part 1-4). Shine On definitely nailed this one.  From the celestial synth intro to the iconic 4-note arpeggio of the guitar, they purely captured the character of the original.  Broering once again stepped effortlessly into the shoes of Gilmore, flawlessly playing every note and bend with perfect phrasing.  Background vocalists Dawn Pulido, Liz Bates, and Jonie Finkle were spot on and sonorous throughout the piece.   But the highlight of the song was the Saxophonist, Michael Forbes.  Armed with his brass arsenal, a Baritone, and a Tenor strapped across him like Wyatt Earp heading to the O.K. Corral, Forbes blew the Sax solo away.  He began with the smooth tempo on the Baritone Sax. Without missing a beat, he skillfully slid the Bari onto his back and dropped the Tenor into perfect position for the end of the solo, including the definitive altissimo finale.

Bill Lawrence

Next, the drummer stood up behind his kit and held the mic in both hands.  He belted out the first verse of “Welcome to the Machine.” It was uncanny how much he sounded like Waters.  Their rendition varied a little from the original.  It was intriguing hearing (pseudo-) Waters on lead vocals in place of Gilmore, but it absolutely worked.  Another nice touch was how the background vocalists were incorporated in such a unique way that it added opulence to the song.

To the delight of my inner child, the band played a few songs off the Dark Side of the Moon album.  “Speak to Me/Breath in the Air” featured guitarist Glen Hall’s perfectly executed lap steel guitar. Closing my eyes, I was transported back to my youthful dream world.   And then jolted by resounding alarm clocks as the band, complete with precise looped effects, began the song “Time.”  Lawrence did an excellent job on the intro with drum triggers and pads to create the same multi-tuned tom echoes heard on the album.  Again I must tip my hat to lead guitarist Broering for bringing the Gilmore passion to the song.  To wrap up their tribute to Dark Side, Forbes appeared again, this time on the Tenor alone, delivering an exquisite solo on the song “Money.”  The band then revisited The Wall album playing  “Young Lust.”  I  was impressed with keyboardist Robin Canada who did a stellar job laying down some bluesy piano riffs.

The band’s 16 song set spanned several decades of Pink Floyd’s career.  With the songs “Keep Talking” and “What Do You Want from Me from The Division Bell album and “Sorrow” off A Momentary Lapse of Reason.  The set was rounded out with “Have a Cigar,” and “Wish you Were Here,” which featured Mike Mac Lane on a 12 string Guild acoustic guitar and Broering’s scat singing accompaniment.  The band ended the show with a perfect rendition of “Comfortably Numb.”

It was a captivating show that I enjoyed in its entirety.  Shine on delivered in a big way, superbly  creating a genuine Pink Floyd experience

Michael Forbes

After the show, I reached out to founding members Aaron Broering ( lead vocals, guitar) and Bill Lawrence (lead vocals, drums) for an interview. They were graciously accommodating, and spent over an hour chatting with me.   During our conversing,  I was surprised to learn of the band’s dubious beginning.  In 2005 Bill and Aaron met at The Crossing, a progressive church in Costa Mesa that allows musicians to perform secular and worship music. One particular Sunday, Bill joined fellow musicians to perform Pink Floyd’s “On the Turning Away.”   This was the first time Bill heard Aaron, and he was blown away, referring to Aaron saying, ” He nailed the vocals and guitar.”   Bill was thinking of assembling a Steely Dan tribute band, but after hearing Aaron and finding out that Aaron knew how to play the entire Pink Floyd catalog, Bill said he couldn’t pass up this opportunity.  They started out as Night of the Living Floyd, a band put together for a one time two-hour show at a party.  Eventually they evolved into Shine On, The Live Pink Floyd Experience.  Aaron commented on the name of the band, “I hate the word tribute band….I call it Experience, and Bill graciously titled it Shine On Pink Floyd Experience because that’s what we’re doing we are creating an experience.”

Although the band has performed both Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, in their entirety for their live shows, mainly their performances focus on Pink Floyd as a live band. In fact, they model their shows with the same kind of line up as Pink Floyd’s P.U.L.S.E. concerts.

Both Aaron and Bill have extensive backgrounds in music.  Aaron studied music in college.  “I was a late bloomer,” Aaron said, “I didn’t start playing the guitar till I was nineteen, and I learned piano and guitar simultaneously when I was learning vocals at a four-year university.”  After college, Aaron got a gig with an Eagles tribute band called Hotel California.  However, he revealed, “I got tired of playing the versions they were doing, so I started my own band, Desperado, which we’re now into our twentieth year playing the Eagles, faithfully recreating them.”  Aaron’s musical path  includes a stint with a Beach Boys band with some members who had performed with the real Beach Boys. Also, Aaron has released a couple of C.D.s with original material.

Liz Bates, Dawn Pulido, Jonie Finkle, Robin Canada (Keyboard)

Bills resume’ is just as expansive, which is of no surprise considering he’s been playing drums for 50 years.  He studied at Dick Grove Music Workshop, and then, Bill revealed, “went to work for Capitol Records in the ’70s for their recording division, I did nothing but record country demos for a year.” During the ’80s, Bill played in a Christian band that recorded a couple of albums and toured all over.  Out of that, he started a band called Ghosts of the Open Road.  The band released a CD and then became the backup band for another up and coming country vocalist. (whose name he didn’t mention).  I asked Bill how he came to replicate the tone and accent of Roger Waters so accurately.  He attributed it to his experience in musical theatre, saying, “Growing up, I was in acting, and I was in musicals…I loved that.” He added, “…In doing musical theater, you’re in character, and I just approach this as the same thing.” “… I actually find great comfort in singing in character.”

It’s that character and the entire band’s talent that authentically replicates the Pink Floyd experience.   Aaron commented on the band, stating, “Your experience is only as good as the people you have around you that have raised the bar to get to that experience ultimately and optimally, and for that reason, I think everybody has done a fantastic job.” Aaron went on to say, “To be honest with you, I think we now have the finest collection of musicians and chemistry to do this.”  After hearing their performance, I have to say that Shine On, The Live Pink Floyd Experience, pays excellent homage to Pink Floyd by bringing to life, in an intricate and detailed way, one of my favorite bands.

Bill Lawrence

I highly recommend checking this band out on the internet. I believe you can still find the concert available on Facebook.  Again Backstage360 extends our gratitude to both the Coach House and Alert The Globe for keeping the live music going and inviting us to be a part of it as well.

JenB@BackStage360