BEING CAREFUL
WITH AXES: AN INTERVIEW WITH JASON SAWFORD
By Jeb Wright
Pink Floyd is a band like no other. They took over the world,
literally, with the release of 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon.
They continued to dominate the charts with the albums Animals
and Wish You Were Here before, once again, releasing a
timeless, iconic masterpiece in The Wall.
When Roger Waters left the band in the 1980’s no one figured
Floyd would dare continue, but they did. They also did the
unthinkable and had massive success under the lead of guitarist
David Gilmour. Floyd’s music will be around as long as there are
humans on the earth as they are destined to live on. They do
not, however, ever play live. That’s where The Australian Pink
Floyd show comes in.
Actually, this group of Aussies has been perfecting their
Floyd craft for over two decades. They are the best tribute band
in the world and when it comes to Floyd, they recreate it all,
the sights, the sounds, the vibe and the strange energy that
comes with a Pink Floyd concert. They have spent countess hours
and tens of thousands of dollars in order to perfect a Pink
Floyd concert that does not have any members of Pink Floyd on
stage.
It is too easy to call them a tribute band. This is much more
than a tribute; it’s more of a reincarnation. They have the
ability to channel the musical soul of the band. I suppose it is
no different than an orchestra playing note perfect renditions
of Bach or Beethoven yet there is something very eerie about
doing this with such an iconic band and doing it so fucking
well.
What follows is an interesting discussion on the music of
Pink Floyd with keyboard player Jason Sawford, a man who
probably knows Pink Floyd’s music, as well as, if not better
than the band members, themselves.
Jeb: I am blown away with how well this band plays Pink
Floyd’s music.
Jason: We’ve been doing this for many, many years now. We try
to get the sound right and the lighting right and it really is a
big show.
Jeb: There are a lot of bands where you can cheat and get
away with little things when playing their music. Floyd fans,
though, know every nuance and every note and would point out any
discrepancies.
Jason: We’ve perfected this over the years and it has been a
lot of work. I started this back in 1988 when the tribute band
scene was just starting out. You’ve got to understand the
equipment, and you’ve got to recreate the sounds, and learn how
to do the proper phrasing. Of course, you have the show and all
of the lights. It really is a lot of work.
Jeb: You must be huge Pink Floyd fans.
Jason: I didn’t expect to be doing this twenty-five years
later. When we started out, we were just Pink Floyd fans and we
loved the music. We were a group of guys that got together to
play Pink Floyd shows because that was the music that inspired
us. We still are inspired by that music and we still love it, to
this day.
Jeb: It must be outrageously expensive to tour with all of
the lights and equipment.
Jason: It is a very expensive show. We have got lasers,
special effects, a ten-piece band onstage and we have all the
crew to feed and to travel around. It’s a huge amount of money
to put this show on. It also takes a lot of work to get it all
together.
Jeb: Have you ever looked in the mirror and said, “Man, I
must be crazy to be doing all of this.”
Jason: [chuckles] Lots of times. People think it’s all about
being a rock star but its not; its lots and lots of hard work. I
started this thing many, many years ago and its grown to what it
is.
Jeb: You started back in 1988. That is just a year or two
after Waters left and Floyd came out with their first album
without him. Was Waters leaving the band part of the reason you
started this band?
Jason: I don’t really know how to answer that question. We
have our individual loves in the band. I love both versions as I
think they are all fantastic. We started when Momentary Lapse
of Reason came out. I answered an ad in a music shop and met
up with this absolute Pink Floyd fanatic, who had all the albums
and a bunch of bootlegs. Pink Floyd was the band they were at
the time and I think that did influence the style of this band.
Jeb: To me, there is three eras of Floyd. There is the Syd
Barret era, the classic era and then the David Gilmour era. Do
you, as a fan, have a favorite era of Floyd?
Jason: There is that classic period with Dark Side of the
Moon and Live at Pompey. I think that was fantastic
stuff. I think they were at t heir peak in my opinion. I think
they were very adventurous before Dark Side, and that is
really my favorite stuff. I think they may have hit their
creative peak before their commercial peak. Live at Pompey
is very atmospheric and iconic. It was fantastically surreal and
creative.
Jeb: How many songs deep is your Floyd repertoire?
Jason: I have never really counted. Pink Floyd wrote a lot of
songs and it has lasted so long. The song “Echoes” goes on for a
half an hour. We have covered all periods of Floyd music. There
is not much that we haven’t done. There may be some very obscure
stuff that we’ve never played in front of an audience. We have
pretty much played everything, from every album, over the years.
Jeb: The setlist has to cater to the Floyd casual fan but I
imagine you throw a few things out there for the hardcore fan.
Jason: At the moment we are playing “Careful with That Axe
Eugene.” We also do “Arnold Layne” from the Syd Barret era. We
put some brave stuff in the set. It is great music and a lot of
people do appreciate us putting in some of those songs. A lot of
people probably wonder what it is we’re playing when we do those
numbers. It is great music and it is great to be able to play it
live. The hardcore Floyd fans really appreciate us for playing
some of those songs.
Jeb: How does playing in America compare to playing to Floyd
fans in other countries?
Jason: Pink Floyd is surprising popular in some of the
strangest places. They are one of those bands that seem to have
a worldwide appeal. I have seen television shows in the Arab
world and you hear Pink Floyd music in the background. I think
Pink Floyd is one of those bands that transcend barriers.
We’ve always had a great time when we’ve played in the States.
It is really a fantastic place to play. We get great reactions
from people to some songs that don’t get as much enthusiasm
elsewhere in the world. When we play songs off of the Animals
album, America seems to cheer more than they do when we play
those songs in England.
Jeb: Is there an era that is more musically challenging era
of Floyd’s music to play?
Jason: If you look at a song like “Sheep” off of Animals,
for instance, for me, there is a lot going on. Pink Floyd music
is not virtuoso music. It’s more atmospheric and has more to do
with the phrasing, the sound and the feel. Pink Floyd have a
particular sound, and they don’t sound like any other band,
lyrically or musically.
Jeb: Do you ever tire of dropping the jaws of our audience?
They come knowing it’s a Pink Floyd show but you guys are
amazing.
Jason: I don’t get the nerves like I used too. I still love
playing this music and the impact it has on the audience. When I
see the amazement on their faces it is wonderful. I see familiar
faces that come back year after year and I see what this music
means to them. I feel a sense of obligation to continue because
of what it means to people to hear this music played live. I
find that immensely rewarding.
Jeb: Have you ever been tempted to write new music in the
Pink Floyd style?
Jason: We have written things in the past but we’ve put that
on the back burner, really. When we first moved from Australia
to the UK, we had albums worth of material. One of our original
members went back to Australia and it went on the back burner.
We have members who have original projects that have never seen
the light of day but one day we might release something.
Jeb: Why do you think Pink Floyd’s music has such a mass appeal?
Jason: That is a question that I really don’t know. It has
such a sound and a certain appeal that is mysterious. They sound
quite different than any other band. The music they create
evokes so many different emotions. You have the lyrical aspect,
the orchestrated aspect and the rock music aspect and that has
quiet an emotional aspect on people. Why that is, is one of the
mysteries of music. They obviously hit on some kind of chord
that touched so many people.
Jeb: Floyd also goes across generations.
Jason: Some of our fans are quite young. We have a younger
fan that is ten. He tries to play guitar like David Gilmour. He
is really into it in a big way. He lives in Poland.
Jeb: It sounds as if the band was a pebble rolling down hill,
all those years ago. It just kept getting bigger and gaining
momentum.
Jason: It really took on a life of its own and I have been
dragged along by it. We started out playing in a pub and now it
has changed my life. I was at University getting a science
degree and I joined this band for fun because I loved Pink
Floyd. It really changed my life. My life has been changed
forever by these guys and their music.
Jeb: If you could only pick one Pink Floyd album to listen to
the rest of your life, what would it be?
Jason: That is very difficult. I think the first album I
really loved was Atom Heart Mother but if I had to choose
one then it would be Animals.
Jeb: I would choose Animals but I would be close to
choosing Wish You Were Here.
Jason: I agree with you, as that would be my other choice. As
a keyboard player, that has some great keyboard parts on it. The
way it opens with “Shine On You Crazy Diamonds” is just
fantastic.
Jeb: “Welcome to the Machine” is my favorite on that record.
Jason: That one is fantastic as well. We actually do that one
in our show. I love playing that one, as it is a great keyboard
moment for a keyboard player.
Jeb: Richard Wright was an amazing player, especially during
that era of Floyd.
Jason: His playing has so much subtlety. His choice in many
of the chords he chose to play is very interesting. He wrote
some of the greatest music that they ever came out with like
“Great Gig in the Sky.” Each member contributed in their own
way, and they gelled together and came up with something totally
unique.
Jeb: Last one: Do you ever regret not doing your own music
and sacrificing that to do Pink Floyd?
Jason: There is always a passing where I think I would have
loved to have been in a creative band like Pink Floyd and write
music. I also find that having done this for so long that I have
a great respect for it. Classical musicians learn classical
music and develop their craft to keep that music alive. Pink
Floyd has become classic music, I suppose. I take it for what it
is and I take part in it.
