Pigs On The Wing - A tribute to Pink Floyd Tribute

"...once you’ve slaved over the Floyd and poured it masterfully from a stage, it’s in your blood — and your repertoire — forever...it’s no stretch whatsoever to imagine that this lineup... would feel right at home in the Pink Floyd catalog, with an emphasis on the group’s monumental ’70s output..." - Corvallis Gazette-Times

The words "tribute" and "cover" strike fear and loathing into the hearts of musicians everywhere. But what if a band discovers that the one or two covers they perform of the Rolling Stones, or the Beatles or, in the case of Pigs on the Wing, Pink Floyd, cause a little excitement and garner them some positive feedback from fans? Is it really so wrong of them to parlay that into a full show? The members of the Portland-based band, Oxcart don't think so.
I asked guitarist/vocalist Jason Baker why Oxcart would choose to do Pink Floyd covers instead of original tunes. "Well, not instead exactly," he said. "We're doing both now, but the Floyd thing ... it's a lot of work to learn the material, we've added a couple of members, so that's mostly what we're doing now. But Oxcart is still around. We play shows here and there. Sometimes we even open for ourselves. It's cool," he said. In response to my outburst of laughter, he added, "Weird, but cool. The Floyd thing has been a lot of fun and we've seen a larger audience draw than with the original stuff. Plus, it's good exposure for Oxcart. We started with Dark Side of the Moon. We did that as Oxcart thinking it would be a one-time thing. We do a lot of The Wall, some from Animals, some from Wish You Were Here, some really early Floyd," Baker said. "We can do a couple of long sets. We were up in Moscow recently at John's Alley and did a couple of long sets there. This time in Boise, we'll be sharing the bill with Farmdog, so we'll probably just do one long set."
Are their Portland fans responding well to the change? "We don't want to burn it out by playing [as Pigs on the Wing] over and over in Portland or in any one place. We're still trying to get into bigger markets, but in Portland, it's gone really, really well ... everywhere we've played, it's gone over well. We've gone from being one of literally thousands of rock bands in Portland to something people are interested in."
—Amy Atkins
August 4, with Farmdog performing a Grateful Dead tribute set, 8 p.m., $5. The Bouquet, 1010 W. Main St., 208-345-6605.
- Boise Weekly

• GRATEFUL FLOYD: Unless musicians playing Pink Floyd covers know exactly what they're doing, it's easy for listeners to go from comfortably numb to uncomfortably bummed.
"Don't I know it, man," laughs Jason Baker, guitarist-vocalist for Portland band Pigs on the Wing.
His tribute act — which grew out of an all-Floyd concert by Baker's space-rock band, Oxcart — will perform Saturday, Aug. 4, at The Bouquet (9 p.m., $6 ). It's part of a "Grateful-Floyd" show. Boise band Farmdog will rock nothing but Grateful Dead tunes to open. Pigs on the Wing will perform afterward.
Now, normally, I hate tribute bands …
"You're a rock critic!" Baker responds. "But the thing is, I pretty much share (that feeling) with you. It's funny to me to even be talking to you about a tribute band. Except here we are. And I'm really enjoying it."
After seeing a DVD of Pigs on the Wing, I think most Pink Floyd fans would enjoy it, too. The group plays the music note for note sometimes. Other times, they take it for a ride. (Watch a clip at myspace.com/pigwingmusic.)
"I don't take it too seriously," Baker says. "It's a good rock show, you know? I really think it is. I would appreciate seeing it, and almost everyone who has come out has had good things to say."
- Michael Deeds / Idaho Statesman
- Idaho Statesman

Pigs on the Wing: A high-energy Portland-based Pink Floyd tribute band, whose goal is simply to share the experience of their favorite music with fellow fans in an intimate rock show environment. 9 p.m. Sat, Fez Ballroom, 316 S.W. 11th. Ave.; $7; www.brownpapertickets.com.
- The Oregonian

A tribute band can allow one to hear music from a favorite band that may have broken up, had band members die or just been too expensive to see for real. For Pink Floyd fans, Saturday is their day to shine on, you crazy diamond.Pigs on the Wing, a Pink Floyd tribute band, will play at 9 p.m. Saturday at John’s Alley. A $5 cover will be charged.“This was intended as a one-time show,” he said. “We had so much fun doing it that we just kept doing it.”The “we” is Oxcart, an original-material rock band whose members make up the majority of Pigs on the Wing. Oxcart will open the Saturday night show. “We’ve played as Oxcart for three years,” Baker said. “With Pigs on the Wing, we have a chance to attract a larger audience than an original band would. People wouldn’t have heard of Pigs on the Wing but they’ve probably heard of Pink Floyd.”Playing Floyd songs isn’t new to the band members, either.“We’d always put Pink Floyd songs into our original sets,” Baker said. Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead have also found their way into Oxcart’s repertoire. In its hometown of Portland, Ore., Pigs on the Wing has shared the stage with Stairway Denied, a Led Zeppelin tribute band.Pigs on the Wing, however, is different from many tribute bands, in that the appearance of the group is not front and center.“We’re not trying to dress like them or look like them,” Baker said. “We’re just trying to play good rock songs. Someone who likes Pink Floyd will have a good time at the show, but it really is up to the audience to decide how well we do.”The one concession to appearances is in the lighting.“Seeing a Pink Floyd show without that production element wouldn’t seem right,” Baker said. “Dwight (Carlisle) is an integral part of the show. He’s a performing member, too.”Carlisle, who is also a member of the group Groundscore along with Pigs on the Wing ‘s female vocalist Courtney Sproule, is so important to the band that he is listed as lighting/production manager on the group’s MySpace page along with the other members of the band. “It’s great for us to have someone out front, telling us how things look. We can’t get that from the stage,” Baker said.As for the songs, Baker is partial to “Comfortably Numb.”“I’m a guitarist so that song is it for me with its great guitar solo,” he said. “If you ask Matt (Jones, the keyboardist) he’d say something different.”Pigs on the Wing specializes in playing “Dark Side of the Moon” in its entirety.“When we get to ‘Us and Them’ and ‘Any Colour You Like,’ those songs really seem to get people going,” Baker said. “There’s a real driving groove.”The nature of the album lends itself to Pigs on the Wing’s take on it.“‘Dark Side’ is like one long song and we play it all the way through,” Baker said. “It’s great. When you get to moments like ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ with its vocal solo, you feel like you are playing something really special.” - The Argonaut 4/4/07

Pink Floyd is one of the most legendary bands in rock and roll history. From its immensely successful album “The Dark Side of the Moon” to songs like “Wish You Were Here,” and “Comfortably Numb,” Pink Floyd has made its name in music with a dreamy, mysterious sound, and the live performances being both chilling and euphorically ambient.

The mystery and prestige of one of music’s most original and influential bands that once brought fans in droves to witness live concert experiences can now be witnessed once again without even buying tickets for the next Live Aid event.

Hailing from Portland, Ore., Pigs on the Wing, a Pink Floyd tribute band, covers Floyd’s classic tracks while maintaining its integrity and creativity. Members Jason Baker (guitar/vocals), Ben Carey (bass guitar/vocals), Matt Jones (keyboards/vocals), and Jason Rieve (drums/vocals) present a lineup similar to the original Pink Floyd formula, while incorporating their own jams and interpretations of the famous rock foursome.

In the band’s own words, “Rather than focusing on exact replication of Floyd albums or any sort of look-alike mimicry of band members, POTW seeks to capture the atmosphere and rock energy of Pink Floyd in as unpretentious a style as possible.”

While some music fans may doubt the ability of a group of guys from the Northwest to hold their own against the pure perfection and rock majesty of Pink Floyd, others will be pleasantly surprised at the Floyd-like brilliance of Pigs on the Wing.

Live audio recordings of Floyd classics “Breathe” and “Time” as well as video recordings of “Money” and “Time” can be streamed from both the band’s Website (www.pig-wing.com) and Myspace page (www.myspace.com/pigwingmusic).

The band’s live recordings impress even though the vocals of POTW lack the dreaminess and purity of David Gilmore and company. The band’s stage presence and retro groove, however, make Pigs on the Wing a worthwhile experience for any Pink Floyd fan.

As for the instrumental side of POTW, the structure of the band proves to be capable of reproducing some of progressive rock’s most famous songs.

Lone guitarist Jason Baker fills out the guitar sound in a way that is both unique and faithful to the rock idols, a daunting task for even the most skilled of musicians, while Carey, Jones and Rieve carry the flow of their esteem for rhythmic surges in tempo and movement.

Tribute bands of this quality are few and far between, so fans should be sure to mark their calendars for this event. Pigs on the Wing will be performing with Grateful Dead tribute band Farmdog on August 4 at The Bouquet, located on 1010 Main St. in Boise.

-Justin Newell / Boise Arbiter - The Arbiter, 7/11/07

ABOUT PIGS ON THE WING: In many ways, the story behind Pigs on the Wing is an unlikely one. Tracing its roots to a one-off performance in a now defunct Portland, Oregon venue in 2006, the original intentions behind the band never reached beyond a single performance. However, the ensuing 11 years have found Pigs on the Wing's regional fanbase growing exponentially alongside the band themselves as musicians and the scale of the show as an immersive audio-visual experience. Pigs on the Wing has steadily developed a reputation for delivering a high quality, high energy take on Pink Floyd's music steeped in the NW's own rich musical heritage. All of the members of the band are seasoned veterans of the NW's original rock scene and balance a decidedly un-tribute like attitude towards the music with a deep understanding of the precision and importance of Pink Floyd in many fans' lives. The result is a sound and experience both refreshing in delivery and yet true to the original – something the band believes sets it apart from other Pink Floyd tributes.
Pigs on the Wing has in recent years featured full album performances of Dark Side of the Moon; The Wall; Wish You Were Here, and Animals – and regularly performs music from all eras of Pink Floyd's career. The band has appeared at numerous festivals and events as well as the circuit of theaters, performing arts centers, and music venues throughout the Western United States. In December 2017, Pigs on the Wing released NW: Live, an album of live recordings from their 2016-17 tour showcasing the band's unique approach and high energy take on Pink Floyd. The band's 2018-2019 tour featured a chronological exploration of Pink Floyd's early material followed by a full performance of the Dark Side of the Moon album.
Pigs on the Wing is ( L toR): Eric Welder ( bass, vocals); Pete Galluzzo ( sax); David Lindenbaum ( guitar, vocals); Matt Jones ( keys, vocals); Bryan Fairfield ( drums); Holly Brooks ( vocals); Keeley St. Clair ( vocals, acoustic guitar); Jason Baker (guitar, vocals) - POTW