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Midweek News, DeKalb, IL
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Think Floyd
I have been enjoying the local talent along with the bigger named groups for more years then I care to mention at OTTO’s. The only thing that is missing is a review of the local talent that is presented. Every band I have seen at OTTO’s without exception has been entertaining. Some stand out as very well rehearsed and professional and some not so professional.
I have been an extreme fan of Pink Floyd since 1968 and have attended most of their live performances since they began touring. Their music has been called spaced out, stony, and many other things that are both complimentary and sometimes not so complimentary. However the one thing about Pink Floyd music is that no matter your taste someone likes at least one or two tunes that they do (especially off of Dark Side of the Moon, released in 1973 or The Wall) and most people who listen to Pink Floyd know what to expect. From the intense lead solo’s to the crushing bass lines, you know the next note that is going to be played and if it isn’t played you are disappointed. From the intense light show to the music Pink Floyd is a sensory experience that I have never seen duplicated live by any band. Many bands try, but all have fallen short simple because Pink Floyd is a complete show and an awesome experience.
Saturday February 10th I entered OTTO’s around 9 PM, paid the $8.00 cover charge and found a seat. The band I came to listen to was called Think Floyd. They are a relatively new local talent that covers the English rock group Pink Floyd. I have listened to many Pink Floyd cover bands only to come away disappointed.
As I got settled in my favorite place (just behind the sound board) I noticed a different atmosphere in the building. I also noticed that a computerized lighting system was in place as well as a number of sound men.
The usual chatter was also different. I was hearing comments from people who had heard the band before, telling their friends how much they would like “these guys” and how good the show was.
As the house lights dimmed 4 blue spot lights aimed toward the middle of the stage and smoke began to be pumped onto the stage creating a surreal haze as the band members took their places.
This performance was to be “The Wall” arguably the most complicated album (CD for you younger fans) that Pink Floyd ever did.
When the beginning restrains of “In the Flesh” started it got my attention, because the music was being played note perfect. Mentally I complimented the keyboard player but still didn’t expect much else. Then the first few cords were struck I did a sensory double take, when the singer, Mitch sang “So ya thought ya might like to go to the show” I was amazed by his ability not only to match the voice but also the English accent.
From “In the Flesh” they went right into “The Thin Ice” and continued song after song, note for note until they reached “Comfortably Numb”. At this point the lead player Tom matched perfectly the live version of David Gilmore, while walking through the audience, up across the balcony and then back onto the stage. From that point they finished the entire album including the sound effects, complete with a laser light show that was way beyond anything I have seen at a small club.
Their second set included cuts from Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon, and a cut from almost every album made by Pink Floyd and did it note perfect.
If you have any musical appreciation or have ever wanted to see Pink Floyd, do yourself a favor and see Think Floyd. They play OTTO’s a couple of time a year but don’t wait. The band tours year round and has their concert schedule listed on their website www.ThinkFloydLive.com.
Bye the way if you were to close your eyes you would Think that you were listening to Floyd, thus the name Think Floyd.
Thank,
Frank Riccardi
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Posted by Think Press on Saturday, February 24, 2007
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DeKALB LIVE VENUES
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By Tanisha Evans, Staff Writer
If you are tired of movie night on Fridays, bowling on Saturdays, and sleeping in on Sundays, here is some good news. For October, DeKalb's local nightclub, Otto's and bar and grill and Starbusters are bringing in local and Midwest bands for your entertainment pleasure. So pause that movie, hang up your bowling shoes, and boogie on down to these happening night spots for a real party experience.
If you prefer to mingle with fellow classmates in a club atmosphere, Otto's nightclub & Underground Bar has just that. This club located in downtown DeKalb is a multi-story building and the favorite live music club for the 21+ crowd for many years according to director of promotions, Nort Johnson. The club is divided into three levels. The first level consisting of the upstairs or “VIP”, the second level where the dance floor, a stage, and bar are all located at, and the underground which includes pool tables, arcade games and a stage for free performances. Otto's also has weekly promotions such as Sundays is the Big Daddy Pool tournament, Mondays is Open Mic, Tuesdays is $2 Tuesdays, Wednesdays is Hump Day, and Thursdays is Junk in the Trunk. As well as their monthly concerts of national and local touring bands such as, George Clinton & P-Funk, Snoop Dogg, Soul Asylum, Local H, Motorhead, and Mike & Joe. This month you can enjoy live concerts of Think Floyd USA (tribute to Pink Floyd), and Trippin Billies, along with many others.
“We chose Think Floyd USA because there is no real way to experience the live performance of Pink Floyd since they have not been on tour for years. This band truly brings an authentic Pink Floyd experience,” exclaimed Nort Johnson, Director of Promotions at Otto's.
This month will be Think Floyd's first appearance at Otto's and Northern Illinois University.
“The biggest reason for playing at NIU is to bring the music of Pink Floyd to the people of NIU,” said band member Mitch.
Think Floyd USA has been together since May of 2004 and have traveled all over the country performing. They are a band who lives to celebrate the music of Pink Floyd.
“We love to play Pink Floyd for our fans and for ourselves, because we are fans as well. For most of us in the band (there are 9 of us) music is our lives,” said Mitch.
Think Floyd is definitely one of a kind band whose members range from professional stage performers, Broadway, to world touring musicians who have all came together to do one thing, make music. All while celebrating the music made by Pink Floyd. Think Floyd not only brings an electrifying live performance but has one of the most spectacular monster ball light shows with laser lights and projection screens anywhere.
For those that may not be a fan of Pink Floyd another tribute band will also rock Otto's stage this month. If you are a die hard fan of the Dave Matthews Band then Trippin Billies is the band for you.
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Posted by Think Press on Tuesday, March 28, 2006
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PINK FLOYD TRIBUTE BAND TO BE AT SURF BALLROOM
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By Erik Ernst - Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa (March 23, 2006)
As a band, Pink Floyd was known for its introspective lyrics, experimental melodies and — perhaps more than anything - its exciting, visually stimulating live shows. However, after band strife in the early 1980s led to mix-ups in the group’s line-up, court battles, and watered-down albums, the chances of seeing a Pink Floyd show any time soon became slim to none.
Thanks to Think Floyd USA, a tribute group from Chicago, it’s still possible to relive the band’s visual and musical magic. The group will perform at the Surf Ballroom Saturday.
Drawn from an earlier local band, Igneous Biscuit, lead singer Mitch Blumfield described the birth of the tribute band in a phone conversation this week.
“In that group, we played a mix of covers and original material,” he said. “In the middle of the set we started playing a six minute Pink Floyd section each night. The crowds consistently loved it, so we watched the six minute deal grow into 30 minutes, then an hour or two.
“I enjoyed watching the crowd’s reaction when we played the Floyd music, because it wasn’t just the people who were in their 40s that were enjoying it. There were always a good number of kids that really grasped onto this music, too.”
After Igneous Biscuit split up, Blumfield said he started to research the tribute band marketplace. He knew that there was an overabundance of Beatles- and Elvis-related acts, but there weren’t many who had latched onto the music of Pink Floyd, which surprised him.
“They were a band who really seemed to nail what it’s like to be young and idealistic within their lyrics,” Blumfield said. “I remember the first time I heard their music, they were one of the first groups that I said, ‘Whoa, play that back, I need to hear what they just said in that song.’ ”
When he decided to take on the Pink Floyd tribute project, Blumfield grabbed a few former band mates along with other talented musicians in the Chicago area and created the now eight-piece Think Floyd USA which tours throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and elsewhere.
Even with shows in smaller venues that the arena-rocking Pink Floyd wouldn’t have played, the band has created a performance filled with the lights, colors and imagery that Pink Floyd incorporated in its over-the-top tours.
By recreating the experience of the live shows from various eras, spanning the the late 1960s all the way up to 1994’s “The Division Bell,” fans are able to experience the iconic band at a reasonable price in their own hometowns.
Blumfield said the band performs a nearly three-hour show, with portions that will please diehard Pink Floyd fans, as well as the hits that just about everybody can sing along with.
“There is so much material from the band to choose from each night,” Blumfield said. “If we go too far in the mainstream, we will definitely hear it from the old-school Floyd fans.”
For the Surf show, Blumfield promised that the band will perform two full Pink Floyd albums, but he didn’t want to say which ones. It’s more fun, he said, to watch the fans try to figure out where the show is going.
In addition to bringing together Pink Floyd fans at each show, the band’s Web site, thinkfloydlive.com, has become a hub for people to discuss the shows, their memories of Pink Floyd and their comparisons between the two groups.
“It’s a blast to listen to our fans after a show,” Blumfield said. “It’s great to know that what we are doing onstage can bring back something they fondly remember. And, when we get the chance to introduce someone younger in the audience to this music for the first time, that’s even better.”
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Posted by THINK PRESS on Monday, March 27, 2006
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TOUR PROS LIVE
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Brings you another great show featuring live interviews with DEVON ALLMAN, TINSLEY ELLIS, KIM PAYNE and a VERY SPECIAL GUEST. And of course great music from artists you know and love and those you should know about....... Tune in by going to www.KgKiRadio.com and click either high speed listen or dial up listen.... This is an interactive show and to be a part of the show be sure to log into the chat room from www.DickeyBetts.com to ask the guests questions or chat with other listeners. Tour Pros live has been gaining thousands of listeners and continues to grow weekly. Look for a new tourpros.net web site real soon with 24 hour music streams as well as weekly interactive shows. To advertise your band, venue or business contact Chris@TourPros.net to see what Tour Pros Live can do for you.....
Tour Pros Live is brought to by Tour Pros and the following sponsors
Dickey Betts
The Legendary Dickey Betts & Great Southern. Check their web site for live appearance news as well as cd’s, t-shirts and more….
www.DickeyBetts.com
Willie Perkins
Allman Brothers Band Former Tour manager Willie Perkins… His latest book “No Saints, No Saviors” “ No book on The Allman Brothers band would be complete without an account of Gregg Allman’s solo comeback of the eighties and the twentieth-anniversary reunion tour of The Allman Brothers Band. “No Saints, No Saviors” is a story of triumphs and heartbreaks, but ultimately it is a story about how the music of The Allman Brothers Band may well live forever.” This is the perfect holiday gift for any music lover….
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Pedro Arevalo
Pedro Arevalo’s anticipated release of “Pedro Arevalo & Friends” is out now. This is a must have for any music lovers collection.
Guest artists include Dickey Betts, Mike Kach, T.C. Carr, Thorson Moore and many others. The album is available online at
www.hittinthenote.comFriends and guests of Tour Pros Live
www.TinsleyEllis.com
www.HoneyTribe.com
www.Zentricksters.com
www.ThinkFloydLive.com
www.SpanishMossProductions.com
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Posted by Think Press on Monday, January 23, 2006
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CHICAGOGIGS.COM
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Think Floyd USA has reached number 3 in the Top 5 Chicago Band Pages on chicagogigs.com. We would like to thank you all for your support. Now let's see if we can reach even higher!!!!
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Posted by Think Press on Monday, January 23, 2006
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TOUR PROS LIVE
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our Pros LiveTonight @ 10:00pm eastern on KgkiRadio.com Tune in tonight to catch a great show. We will be discussing the Jam For Duane details. Who’s Going? Who’s Playing? Live discussions with Brent Sibley, Lefty Collins and more. There will be tour date information for Dickey Betts & Great Southern, Govt Mule, The Zen Tricksters, Think Floyd and more………
And of course we will be playing LIVE MUSIC from Dickey Betts & Great Southern, ABB, SRV, The Dead and much more…………Frankie Lombardi from Dickey Betts & Great Southern will be calling in to give an update as to what he has been up to as of late…………..Joe Bell from Hittin’ The Note will discuss merchandise and more…. This will be a great show so be sure to tune in on time to catch it all.
To participate in the show you can ask questions in the ‘Corral’ chat room found at either DickeyBetts.com or AllmanBrothers.com Tune in at Http://www.KGKIRadio.com and click listen near the top of the site.
Check out these links of interest.
www.DickeyBetts.com
www.AllmanBrothers.com
www.2ndstreetmusic.com
www.ZenTricksters.com
www.ThinkFloydLive.com
www.PedroArevalo.com
www.SpanishMossProductions.com
www.MagFest.com
Chris Musgrave
Tour Pros Inc.
www.TourPros.net
www.DickeyBetts.com
Tour Management, Event Coordination, Merchandising, F.O.H
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Posted by Think Press on Wednesday, January 11, 2006
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