JIMI AND OREO BLUE Northwest Arkansas-based musicians and producers Douglas J. Haase and Brian Crowne plan to produce a DVD and CD tribute to the musical accomplishments of Jimi Hendrix. "The Oreo Blue Experience," featuring regional band Oreo Blue as well as the Tyrones, will be released nationally as a full-length concert DVD, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Save the Music Foundation. Live recording will take place at 9 p.m. Feb. 22 at Dave's on Dickson, 245 Powerhouse Ave. For details, call 571-3333.
Friday, February 21, 2003
BY WANDA FREEMAN
Northwest Arkansas Times
Saxophonists aren't exactly the first musicians we think of when we think of Jimi Hendrix fans. But what sax-man Brian Crowne lacks in guitar strings he makes up for in commitment to a long-held idea.
The idea -- to record a tribute to the psychedelic-era guitar legend, who died in 1970 at 27 -- occurred to Crowne about five years ago. It was roughly two years after "guitar monster" Gary Hutchison joined Oreo Blue, the local blues band Crowne co-founded in 1991. An estimable talent in his own right, Hutchison has often been compared to Hendrix, whose moves and stylings he emulates.
"Gary is the only guitarist I've ever worked with who personifies the music and the energy Jimi had," Crowne said.
Which might explain the popularity of Oreo Blue's many Hendrix covers, particularly "All Along the Watchtower," a Bob Dylan song Hendrix made his own.
Crowne recalled being nervous about playing 1960s music at a high school prom -- until the teen audience's reaction reassured him.
"We did 'Watchtower,' and 500 kids were dancing up and down. They came up to us after and said, 'Dave Matthews had our favorite version of that song, now you do.'"
The tribute project, "The Oreo Blue Experience," started coming together in November, when Crowne approached music producer and Tyrones drummer Douglas J. Haase about co-producing a live concert DVD. Haase produced two Tyrones CDs, including "The Midas Touch," which was named Album of the Year at the 2002 Ozark Music Awards.
And now it's finally happening: Oreo Blue will record its Hendrix concert -- with the focus largely on Hutchison -- Saturday night at Dave's on Dickson. The Tyrones will perform an opening set. Trey Marley will film the concert, and editing will be done at Network Video. Joe Cole will handle lighting, and Mel Wood, a drama-theater major at University of Arkansas, will design the set.
As for the venue, there was no question it would be Dave's.
"It's probably the only venue capable of having the caliber of concert we wanted," Crowne explained. "Their in-house production is the best in town."
The signals will be split to allow for separate audio mixing, said Crowne, who will mix the sound himself.
"I've produced all six of our CDs, and I love working in the studio almost as much as performing," he said.
The 80-minute concert will be edited into about 70 to 75 minutes of music for the DVD, which will be released nationally in late spring. Crowne expects an initial release of 1,000 copies.
A portion of the proceeds will go to Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit initiative that seeks to restore music education in public schools. Since its inception in 1997, the foundation has donated some $17 million in musical instruments to 750 schools in 70 cities.
"When I first approached (Haase) about this, I told him I'm not just interested in making money," Crowne said. "Save the Music is something I believe in because it keeps the music going."
The concert lineup will include Hendrix standards such as "Watchtower," "Hey Joe," "Star Spangled Banner," "Purple Haze" and "Voodoo Child," plus a couple of special numbers, Crowne said.
"There's an obscure bootleg instrumental, a rehearsal tape of Jimi's, called 'The Strato Boogie,'" he said. "And Gary will do a solo tribute that he wrote, called 'Us.'"
Crowne said audience members will be able to sign a guest book for inclusion in the credits as "co-producers."
"My main goal is to have a full house and a lot of fun. The energy of the audience really makes a big difference -- they make a concert what it is."