A Dirty Dozen with ROBERT HARRIS from FLOYD NATION – June 2026

Photo credit: Jessica Brothers

According to a recent press release: “U.S.-based Pink Floyd tribute band Floyd Nation has released their debut album Inner Light. A bold, 9-track undertaking that pushes boundaries and viewpoints, Inner Light meticulously covers the entirety of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here before closing with a brand-new point of view, reimagining and furthering the album’s narrative with carefully crafted original tracks while retaining a powerful reverence for the multi-million-selling masterwork. Musically and emotionally connected, Floyd Nation and its nine members – Will Kaiser (vocals, guitars), Brendon McDonnell (vocals, guitars), Jason Collins (bass), John Conrath (saxophone), Robert Harris (keyboards, backing vocals), Ray Nesbit (vocals, guitars), Justin Pupillo (drums), Toneisha Harris (backing vocals), Shannon Robinson (backing vocals) – are larger than the sum of its parts and operate with hearts and minds as expansive as Pink Floyd’s music.” We get keyboardist and founding member Robert to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about Inner Light. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

What began as a project to record just the Wish You Were Here album grew into something much more. As we entered Studio 3 at Abbey Roads, the same studio where Pink Floyd had recorded Wish You Were Here 50 years earlier, we were overcome with inspiration. We began to consider if there was a way to extend the album and provide a musical response to its themes of isolation, loss, and longing. What resulted were several original songs that would close out the Wish You Were Here album with a new point of view based on its themes. This became the album Inner Light. We’ve got a few hidden nuggets. I was fortunate enough to see Pink Floyd on the Animals tour in 1977. They played an extended jam during “Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Pt. 8).” I thought it would be great for us to do the same thing for our album. It’s one of the ways we pay tribute to Pink Floyd. Another nugget is on “Have a Cigar.” I’m playing the Wurlitzer EP, the Moog synth, and the Solina strings, but a keen ear will also hear a clavinet and an upright piano. We also had a vintage EMS VCS3 synthesizer at Abbey Road Studios and it’s being used on both “Have a Cigar” and “Welcome to the Machine” to create some special effects. Another nugget is between “Have a Cigar” and “Wish You Were Here.” It’s the section where a transistor radio is being played while tuning to different stations, but we wanted to do something original. Rather than just using AM radio content, we’re using clips of original content from each member of the band. These include parts of original songs from each member and even an advertisement from a financial investment firm owned by our sax player.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I first started piano lessons at 7 years old. Although I continued to take lessons year after year, I just wasn’t a very serious student and didn’t practice very much. I did, however, develop a strong interest in film scores and would listen to those albums almost daily. I was attracted to the complex arrangements and long-form compositions that told a story. I was also interested in rock, pop, and Motown music, but nothing more than what was present on AM radio at the time. Then, during a pivotal week as a high school sophomore, I was introduced to bands such as Pink Floyd, Yes, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Camel, ELP, and other great bands. I realized that rock music could take on a similar form as film scores with the energetic vibe of rock and roll. That music had a profound effect on me, one that led me to an entirely new level of connection to the piano, to music, and to its expression through the technology of electronic keyboards and synthesizers. After that I became a serious student.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

There are countless songs, performers, and live shows that guided my musical tastes. One example is “The Gates of Delirium” by Yes. It was that period as a HS sophomore where I was exposed to this song and it blew me away entirely. The intense energy, the virtuoso musicianship, the complex arrangement… This song captures the essence of progressive rock and remains one of my favorite songs. I was fortunate enough to see the Yes tour of this album in 1975. It was my very first rock concert. Aside from the mesmerizing stage presence of Chris Squire, I watched in absolute fascination the brilliance of Patrick Moraz behind his imposing arsenal of keyboards. THAT was the moment I knew that I wanted to be on stage playing keyboards. Many years later I would meet Patrick on a music cruise (Cruise to the Edge) and found him to be friendly, charming, and engaging. A few months later, my wife and I ran into him and his wife at our local Costco. He remembered me and, in our discussion, found out that we both live in the same town! We eventually became good friends, and I’ve spent time in his studio helping him with some equipment issues as well as enjoying the occasional jam together. Unbelievable!

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

So many great choices here. I’d have to go with John Young from the band Lifesings. John is an amazing composer, keyboardist, and vocalist. He writes songs that are heartfelt with deep underlying meaning. The style is often considered “progressive rock,” and there are elements of that, but I’d say his music expands and extends the progressive rock style and could be considered a key musical direction for the 21st Century.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

I like to spend time reading and watching educational content. The topics are pretty spread out since I have broad interests. Chief among them are space science, AI and computing technology, history, investing, politics, and health and medical science. I also spend time watching SciFi movies, music documentaries, and films of all genres. A large part of my free time is consumed with learning the technology used in music production, like Logic Pro, along with the various keyboard instrument plug-ins. I’m relatively new to this technology and sometimes feel overwhelmed with how much I still need to learn. But it’s ultimately fun and helps on the creative side as well.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?

We are obviously influenced by Pink Floyd but we don’t believe our sound is derivative of them. Our music has a recognizable quality to it, perhaps an amalgamation of blues rock and pop with a flare of progressive rock at times. It’s an approachable style that doesn’t demand any allegiance to a particular genre.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

For cooking it would be Brendon, our lead guitarist, he’s quite good. I’d be his assistant since I enjoy cooking too. Justin, our drummer, would get the drinks. Will, our lead vocalist, would crack out the acoustic. Ray, our second lead guitarist, would be the first to convey the wise words of Carl Sagan. John, our sax player, is first to make the jokes. Jason, our bass player, is the first to lend a helping hand to anyone and everyone in need.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Definitely when I first met Patrick Moraz. Fortunately, by that time, I had learned not to get all “fan boy” with someone of that status. It’s always best to remain cool and matter of fact, and to talk about anything other than how wonderful they are.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician is performing in front of a live audience. There’s a lot of moving parts that go into putting our show on the road. We’re all “owners” of the band, so we have to manage all the pieces of the business. But there’s that moment when it’s about 3 minutes to show time and our walk-in music is playing in the background. Just as the house lights dim you hear the roar of excitement and anticipation in the crowd. It’s electric! And whether it’s the start of “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” or that first “ping” of “Echoes,” the crowd cheers with enthusiasm as I start the show. For most of my adult life, I haven’t been a professional musician. I worked in the Cable TV industry as a technologist developing advanced and emerging communications technologies. It was a load of fun and allowed me to travel around the world. But, having completed my graduate and undergraduate studies in Physics, my dream job would be in the field of astrophysics.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I’ve always wanted to be asked the question, “Why?. To which I’d answer, “Because.” The one question I am tired of answering is “does any member of Pink Floyd know who you are?” Of course, if I were to meet any one of the remaining members, I’d be pretty happy to answer that all the time.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I can think of plenty of missteps. Certainly, spending more focused time as a child developing my skills on the piano would be one. Ultimately, any “do over” I can think of comes down to several things. By having 10% more focus, 10% more confidence, and 10% more follow through, many of the do over situations could have been avoided.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

It would be the Wish You Were Here recording sessions. I think it’s the last time the band was truly working together as a single unit and their goals aligned in a common direction. As a big fan of the earlier music from Pink Floyd, it would be wonderful to see these musicians creating this masterpiece and working together as they had in their early days. I often consider Wish You Were Here as the pinnacle of their career. Yes, they created Animals, The Wall, and The Division Bell afterwards, but they were under pressure to create a follow up to perhaps the greatest album ever created. The music in Wish You Were Here is confident and relaxed and each of the band members are at the top of their game. There’s no sense of effort in the music as it just flows naturally. And what Rick Wright created in part 9 of “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” is perhaps the most melancholy composition and recording ever committed to tape.

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Category: Interviews