March 13 2022 – Well here we go again! You know the world is back to normal when Brit Floyd returns to Toronto for a night of Pink Floyd that will satisfy pent up demand for live music and a glimpse of the new normal. All tour dates and booking info is here. Have a look at what this band can do:
In 2012 we first saw Brit Floyd and were blown away, please check out this review from 10 years ago to get the idea (read here) . Since then we have interviewed band members Edo Scordo, Ian Cattell, Eva Avila and Damian Darlington. Today we asked to talk once again to the extremely pleasant and thoughtful guitarist of the band, Edo Scordo (just because his first interview was so awesome). If you make it to the end of the article we will be giving away a pair of tickets to the show.
Brit Floyd triumphantly returns to Toronto’s Meridian Hall (the venue formerly known as Sony Centre) on Friday April 1st 2022 for a wonderful night of Floyd. This show is a 10 year celebration of Brit Floyd in Toronto and tickets are available here.
T-Mak World: Edo thanks for your time once again. It is almost exactly 5 years since we first interviewed you (reference interview can be found here), how have you be been in those 5 years?
Scordo: Hi Terry, thanks for having me, it’s a great pleasure to be back.
It is really hard to find words to express how thankful we are to be back on the road. These last two years have been very difficult for all of us, and I actually mean all of mankind. The world has changed so much, probably more than it has since I was born in 1984, and those were definitely times of change.
But along with Covid-19 we faced an unprecedented crisis that has had inimmaginabile impact and consequences on our society. We suddenly “discovered” that we weren’t prepared for what was coming; we suddenly “discovered” that what we used to take for granted, was actually something that could easily slip away from us, in a matter of just a few weeks. Our freedom as we knew it, the structure of our society as we thought we’ve built it, almost everything we relied on, all of it crumbled under the weight of something we weren’t expecting and didn’t see coming.
We found ourselves more divided and suspicious of one another than ever. And instead taking the opportunity to build a more united and stronger society, instead of standing together protecting the ones that need more protection, “humankind” as we like to call it, played the game of blaming one another, and attributing responsibility to this or that group of people for doing or not doing something.
And now, with this new crisis in Ukraine, it feels like we are jumping from a crisis to a new one. Maybe this one won’t directly affect our lives as the previous one did, or maybe it will, who knows, but it really feels like we just don’t want to learn… So after 5 years, it feels like we are in another dimension, a different world. We have a new awareness of our society, and very different priorities. It’s safe to say that everything has changed. But I definitely want these years to be a lesson, at least for me, and appreciate what I have even more.
Also, I’m now a married man, so that’s another big change! I tied the knot with Eva Avila, she is also part of the Brit Floyd Family. She is without a shadow of a doubt the most amazing person that I’ve ever known. She inspires me every day in everything I do, and I feel like the most fortunate and blessed person on the planet.
T-Mak World: Hey congratulations to both you and Eva! I wish you many happy years together, we actually did interview Eva 3 years ago (which you can check out here). How excited are you truly to get back on the road with Brit Floyd once again?
Super excited ! Last year we had a 6 week tour in the US, and that felt really good overall, but it was our first experience after 18 months of pause and we had to deal with all the restrictions, and the new regulations, so it really didn’t feel like we were 100% back to normal. Not even 70% actually. But still, it was great having the chance to be together on stage, in front of our wonderful crowds, giving them 2 and a half hours of “back to normal – experience”, giving our audience an opportunity to forget what has been going on in the world. Now it looks like this time could be different.
First of all because we have a whole year of gigs planned, while last year we didn’t really start performing until July. But also because our everyday lives are starting to look like the way it used to be. We have a chance to focus more on the music and the production, and less on restrictions, distancing, masks, protocols and all those aspects we weren’t really used to.
T-Mak World: We have not had much music in Toronto the last couple of years due to the pandemic. In fact the only show I have seen in those 2 years was Genesis last November. I cant think of a better show to get us back to musical normality here than Brit Floyd and plan to offer you guys many standing ovations on April 1st. Do you feed off that type of energy from the audience?
We absolutely need it. It’s crucial for us. The more the crowd supports us the more we feel like we can perform and give an amazing show. We missed that. So much. We missed the interaction, the electricity, the adrenaline. We missed everything.
I have to say, Canadian audiences are generally really fun to play for. You guys really don’t hide your excitement! And personally there’ s nothing like performing for people who show appreciation for what you do. It not only helps you have fun, but it also makes you prefer better, because it puts you in the perfect state of mind.
Also, Canadian venues are always very nice, and we love the opportunity to walk around your lovely cities and neighbourhoods.
T-Mak World: Hopefully the weather is nice so you can enjoy downtown Toronto for a few hours on April Fools Day. Hey, what can we expect in the 2022 version of the show? I anticipate a lot of pent up artistic energy in all the band members and an incredible night of music and visuals.
Well, last year we had fantastic feedback from the US audiences, and as much as we always get great appreciation, we weren’t expecting THAT amazing level of appreciation, so they really must have loved the setlist and the new layout of our new production. The crowds went completely crazy. So we thought it would have been a great idea to just perfect a few things and take care of a few details, and to change a couple of songs in the setlist and bring back the show that our crowds loved the most.
Also, in 2021 we only performed a handful of shows compared to what’s planned for this year, so for most people it will be a completely new show. 2019 was the last time we did an entire world tour.
So I’m really happy to reveal that Echoes is still in the set in its entirety, along with the usual suspects: Wish You Were Here, Comfortably Numb, Money, Time, and of course the Great Gig in the Sky and a couple of gems, dedicated to the most “aficionados” Pink Floyd fans.
Also our production got bigger and even more spectacular, with more lasers, more lights, and a bigger screen. And maybe a few … surprises :)
T-Mak World: Can’t wait to check it out and let you and the band take us on the musical voyage we desperately need. Edo, you mentioned 5 years ago that you were working on some solo material, did that ever happen?
Yes it did. Maybe not in the form I initially had in mind, since I was thinking about releasing an album, and so far I’ve only released a couple of singles, but yes. And I’m really proud of those two songs and really grateful for the amazing feedback I received.
My first single is called ‘On the Ferry through the North’, released on Nov.3rd 2020 and is available on every digital store.
The second and latest single is called ‘The theory of Everything’, and has been released in December 2021, as a Youtube Video as well as a single on iTunes, Spotify and all the other digital platforms.
I have so much material I want to publish, but I’m also really picky and I want things to be done a certain way, so it’s a process that requires a lot of time. But I‘m not in a rush, so I’m happy if the process takes the time it needs.
T-Mak World: I commend you on The Theory of Everything, I am listening to it right now as I am editing this article and totally getting into the musical journey it is taking me on. Highly recommend all our readers check it out! When I interviewed Roger Waters touring guitarist David Kilminster he surprised me by saying he was not a fan of Pink Floyd and owned none of their albums when he was young (can read the excellent interview here if interested). How about you? Were you a Pink Floyd fan growing up or were you like Kilminster and only got onto them later on in your career?
Well, that just proves how amazing Dave Kilminster is as a guitar player. I have read that interview and I clearly remember being absolutely shocked by that revelation. I almost could not believe it, given how well he performs this music and how much passion he shows playing. It has to be said, though, that I have seen him perform in a completely different context, alongside another guitar monster called Guthrie Govan, and I have to say that I was really impressed with David’s technical skills. He was playing effortlessly something extremely difficult and any fan of Guthrie Govan will understand and know what I’m talking about. So that gave me an idea of what a fantastic and talented guitar player he really is. Also, the night of that gig, I had the chance to meet him and have a drink with him, and I thought he was a very nice guy, humble, fun and easy to talk to. So I pay all my respects to him.
On the other hand, I have a complete different story. The reason I play guitar is because I discovered Pink Floyd when I was 15 years old, and I decided I wanted to learn to play. I was lucky enough to be spoiled by my family and I got a new guitar almost instantly as I asked for it. And so, from that moment onwards, my life has been immersed into Pink Floyd Music. It is something that never left me since, something that means a lot to me, something that has been the soundtrack to basically everything that happened in my life ever since. Also, it gave me the opportunity to be here today, playing in this band, living this amazing life, that eventually led me into my wife’s arms, and I really can’t think about anything else to be more grateful for.
I deeply love Pink Floyd’s music. I feel like I need it in my life in one way or another. It makes me feel good, it makes me think better, it relaxes me, it gives me strength when I need it. And having the opportunity to pay a tribute to this music for a living really is something that has no price.
T-Mak World: I totally understand and we share the common experience of having Pink Floyd as the musical sountrack of our lives. Final question – aside from the fact that Brit Floyd is THE best Pink Floyd experience in the planet, can you tell our readers why this show in Toronto on April 1 will be worth it for them to go to?
Well, because there is no better music in the world! There is nothing as deep, and as complete as the blend between Richard Wright’s Keyboards, David Gilmour’s Guitar, Nick Mason’s groove and Roger Water’s mind and Lyrics. And we really want to recreate that! The whole experience, something more than just music and visual. We want to take our audience to another dimension, for 2 and a half hours, we want them to forget where they are, what’s going on, and disconnect from everything else, and just enjoy the experience. That’s what we do. And that’s also what we can’t wait to do every day, because we are the first ones to enjoy the show. And I guess that’s really what makes the difference.
To celebrate the show Brit Floyd has given our readers a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Toronto show! To enter send an email to contests (at) tmakworld (dot) com and include BRIT FLOYD in the subject line and tell us your favorite Pink Floyd song and your name. Bonus entry for liking the T-Mak World Facebook page! Winners will be selected March 25 2022.
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