Shattering records in the music industry and in the realm of technology, the edgy, avant-guard project Think:EXP has been tantalizing enthusiasts of all ages and connecting them to a compelling, and live, wild, immersive journey through a believable, interactive and musical virtual reality experience engaging the mind, body and soul.
“Think:EXP strives to revolutionize the entertainment industry by bridging the gap between the human spirit and technological innovation with one of a kind life, immersive concert experiences.” Currently Think:EXP is featuring Beyond The Wall, a live, immersive exploration of the music of Pink Floyd at the LA Wisdome in Downtown LA. Performing in a 360 degree dome, their next concerts will be presented July 26thand 27th, 2019.
The fireworks on a dark, velvet sky who’s blaze threatens to light up the night, the core musicians of Think:EXP are some of the most creative and phenomenal artists on the planet. The architect of the vision, Pink Floyd’s saxophonist and rhythm guitarist, Scott Page joins iconic Jane’s Addiction drummer, Stephen Perkins, Fishbone’s bassist and Kid Rock’s guitarist Kenny Olson. Together they are the core foundation of Think:EXP.
Uniting with this phenomena are the supporting members of Think:Floyd:EXP including support vocalists Roberta Freeman, Yolanda Thomas and Melanie Taylor. Each amazing artists in their own rights.
How did each of you get involved with this very unique gig?
Roberta: I know Scott Page from Pink Floyd and I’ve worked with a lot of people. People know me mostly from Guns N Roses, but one of my first gigs in my professional career was Pink Floyd. Actually, Nile Rodgers got me the gig with Pink Floyd. I owe Nile the beginning of my career. From there it kind of steam rolled into all of the other gigs that I did. I met Scott and over the years we crossed paths here and there doing some gigs. I was also doing a Pink Floyd tribute band and I asked him to sit in with us for some of the local shows in Vegas. So, we really reconnected and when this came about he called me and that was it. He asked me to put the girls together and I hope I’m doing it justice because I know he didn’t want to do a Pink Floyd tribute. It’s our own expression of the music. Each band member is amazing.
Melanie: I really want to say this because I’ve been doing this for a really long time. I’ve had my own band and my own shows, and I love to sing chorally. I love to sing in harmony, and I don’t like to say back up singers. I like to say support singers because we are supporting each other and are supporting the music and we are supporting everyone who is playing. I just wanted to say that Roberta has made me feel so welcome and comfortable. Both of these women, Roberta and Yolanda, and I appreciate so much her dedication to this music and her rigorous dissecting of these parts. And this music is not easy. It’s not for the faint of heart. I appreciate having the tools that I needed personally to rehearse on my own and feeling completely supportive. I feel so prepared….we will see how I do. I’m really excited to do it and I don’t feel that there has not been any stone left unturned.
Yolanda: I’m just loving that. Roberta pushes and has a high standard. I mentally have jumped to another level so that for me is big internally for what I expect from myself. My confidence has jumped a level.
Melanie: We are vocal musicians. When I saw these guys a couple of weeks ago, I thought they were featured and they are spectacular. They sounded terrific and they looked confident. I just wanted to let them know that they were amazing and really beautiful to watch and great to listen to.
I know there is a story that goes with how you met Scott, Roberta?
Roberta: I was waitressing at a Mexican restaurant. This woman would come in with all these interesting characters. I was the one who would wait on them and they got to know me. One of them was really good friends with Nile. She approached me one day and said, “hey I work with Nile Rodgers and you’re a singer right?” She wanted me to meet Nile so I asked her how she knew I was a good singer. She said, “I can tell.” She asked me to come by the studio and drop my demo tape off. I was just starting out and I had a crappy demo tape, and I really didn’t believe that she knew Nile Rodgers, but I went. I went up the studio stairs, I knocked on the door, and Nile Rodgers answered. So, he sold myself and two other girls as a package to David Gilmour. David Gilmour loved us and we flew a few days later to meet him. I was learning the material on the plane. We watched the show the first night and performed the second night. That all snowballed and I ended up going on tours, doing videos, and making TV appearances. But I met Scott and we really hit it off. He was crazy then and he’s crazy now, and I love that man.
Melanie: First of all, I’m really happy to be doing this. It’s really a treat. I love Pink Floyd music and I love immersive experiences. This isn’t my first rodeo with that. One of my best friends is Carol Hatchet, and she is one of the other women who swings through this wonderful gig. She and I were Harlettes with Bette Midler for about 10 years. So that’s how Carol and I met. Carol is doing another fabulous tour now so I’m here. She told Roberta about me, and Roberta said “let’s give it a go.” I guess I passed the test because here I am and I’m so excited. This is my first show tonight. I have been rehearsing a lot. I’m just trying to hold onto it and I’m really excited to do the gig tonight.
Yolanda: Roberta had the gig and pulled me in. She saw me singing at The Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard and she said, “there is a Floyd gig in two days” and I told her I had done Floyd before. Then we had rehearsal and I jumped in and that was at the Peppermint Club. Then the Wisdome gigs came and I was part of that. She’s been great to work with and she is sort of the leader of the backing vocals. She does the choreography and vocal parts.
The official website for Think:Exp may be found at http://thinkexp.co
Photos by Billy Hess https://www.billyhess.com