Near Floyd Experience

I'm not typically much for cover bands - standard issue critic snootiness, I guess - but I pitched BW on a whim to cover Wish We Were Floyd, a Denver-based Pink Floyd cover band, comprised largely of members of Savage Henry members and a few (quite a few, actually) friends.

I saw Dave Herrera's Westword review of their Cervantes show from last year, and since he's an actual music critic, I was curious as to whether or not their alleged marksmanlike precision was the real deal or simply the unexpected gush of another Floyd fan getting a decent dose.

The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think...(couldn't resist)...but actually, they were pretty good. Note for note precision? Eh...mostly, I suppose. Singer Damon Guerrasio seemed more comfortable with the Waters numbers (he admitted in our interview that Gilmour's voice is very tough to really nail), but the guitar work (Stuart Miller and Glenn Esparza) absolutely slayed the guitar parts. Most of Dark Side, predictably, but for my money the highlights of the evening were a thunderous, triumphant "Mother" and a bruising, melt-the-walls rendition of "Sheep".

And a special mention for Kate Shoup, designated "Screamin' Diva", who sent chills through the Fox audience with a brilliant, mostly-but-not-completely textbook read of the "Great Gig in the Sky". Shockingly effective and utterly gorgeous.

See 'em, Denver area folks. Great stuff...fun show...