Set the Controls: Recreating the Music of Pink Floyd
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Music
Press
"They have only been together for a year, but Eclipse is taking the US by storm...A short year later, they are playing to sold out shows and the rave reviews just keep coming in." - Birmingham Music Examiner
"There are a lot of Pink Floyd tributes out there, but the seven-piece Eclipse out of Nashville must be the Lexus of the bunch." - The Capital Times
"Eclipse celebrates that diversity, playing not just the well known songs but also the more obscure tracks." - The Post and Courier
“Eclipse is no ordinary cover band. Whereas many cover bands see fit to simply play their subject matter as close to the source material as possible, Eclipse seeks to replicate the actual experience of hearing Floyd on record.” - UAB Kaleidoscope
"For now, however, Weidner’s own tunes are taking a backseat to the job at hand: growing Eclipse into one of the world’s most well-known and respected purveyors of Pink Floyd’s infamously complex and mind-bending prog-pop. So far, it would seem that plan is going swimmingly." - Connect Savannah
Discography
Pink Floyd
Photos
Bio
It's been a brief but bright and successful two years for Set the Controls (formerly Eclipse). The band performed a debut event in September 2008 in Nashville and immediately garnered praise from fans and critics for their spot on renditions of Pink Floyd's catalog. Within a few months, Set the Controls was touring extensively, playing large venues, college towns and theaters from coast to coast.
With eyes closed, one would swear they were listening to the real Pink Floyd, complete with lushly layered vocals and perfect fills of guitars, keyboards, saxophones and drums. Set the Controls uses both vintage and modern equipment to ensure as close a representation as possible of the sounds from Floyd's classic albums.
"I think reverence is more of a common denominator than a distinction among tribute bands." says guitarist Tod Weidner from his home in Ohio. "What casts Set the Controls apart is respect for the craftsmanship of the songs. We're a six-piece band. We utilize three guitarists, a 5-piece vintage and modern keyboard rig, multi-instrumental saxophonist and six accomplished vocalists to capture and recreate the dense textures that have made Pink Floyd's music so enduring. All the members of Set the Controls are professional musicians, all involved in original projects of their own, and it's precisely this energy and hunger associated with the creation of original music that helps us deliver Pink Floyd with such accuracy and passion."
And the fans response?
"It's beyond our wildest hopes." marvels Weidner. "Veterans who have seen Floyd dozens of times as well as younger fans who unfortunately never got to experience the band in concert have really taken Set the Controls to their hearts. For fans old and new, this music touches a nerve because it deals with universal themes and primal emotions. For the members of Set the Controls, the opportunity to perform such beautiful, classic music night after night to rooms full of fans-some crying, some smiling, all singing along-is simply and honor."
Weidner pauses, "And it's an honor we take very, very seriously."
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