August 30th--Jose's Streetside--Fayetteville, AR--This was
supposed to be a duo gig with Brian and Gary, then it was Oreo Blue, and
then when Brian had something come up, it became the Gary Hutchison
Trifecta. Nevertheless, we had a rocking time on the street at
Jose's. Still one of my favorite places to eat in the whole world,
Neal and the crew there do it right. The salsa and queso cannot be
beat at Jose's. Saw a ton of familiar faces there as usual.
Too many to list, but it's nice to play for them under a different
auspice.
August 27th--Cheeseburger in Paradise--Kansas City, KS--Back to
the smallest stage in the country and the best cheeseburgers and fries
in the land. It is actually a ton of fun playing CIP despite the
small stage. The people are cool and the food is great.
Thanks to Patty and her friend for venturing out to see the band for the
first time. I think we are developing a small following up there.
If gas prices would ever come back down, it might be worth the trip more
often. It costs us over $150.00 in gas just to get up there and
back! Whew...
August 12-13th--Hog's Pizza--Hot Springs, AR--We have decided
that Hog's Pizza is our favorite place in the Spa City. So hard to
overcome the coolness of the old Ohio Club, but they are giving it a
good shot there at Hog's Pizza. After the Ohio Club
burned/melted/crashed to the ground, we had no cause to venture back to
Hot Springs except for the occasional private party or festival.
Having a cool club venue in town makes it much better. Keep your
eyes peeled for a return date to HP this fall.
August 9th--Home--Been busy. Sorry. Here's what we
missed: The Gully Park Summer Concert
Series was a huge success for Oreo Blue again. With a
huge crowd and superb (little hot) weather. We rocked the park and
had the kids hopping' in the pit, dancing' and having a great time.
On the 23rd of July, we played a great party for the
Gibson Foundation at the Town Center.
It was a great production. I think they auctioned off a guitar
donated by Joe Walsh and signed by the Eagles for over $10K. My
family and I took a vacation to Destin, FL,
and had a great time. Thanks to the band for letting me take some
needed time off...here are a few pictures:
...while I was away, the band performed at
Doe's Eat Place in Ft. Smith and
Chelsea's in Eureka Springs. My good friend, Michael
Allen, a drummer from the Austin, TX area filled in for me and
reportedly had a great time. When I got back, it was the four-day
run starting at the Fort Smith Parks Concert at
the Riverfront Amphitheater. The weather was great if
not a bit humid. The crowd was small, but appreciative. I
think the thought of rain held them off, but they missed a great setting
and a good time. The Parks folks took great care of the band and
we appreciate them greatly. Next, it was on to the
Kitchen Pass in Parsons, KS.
We always have a great show there as you know, but it was especially fun
this time around. The reason is probably like a watermelon seed
under a thumb, but it was fun nonetheless. We had a new waitress,
Nicole, who was extremely cool. Chris did his now famous routine
dancing to Kriss Kross and doing the worm, sprinkler head, lawn mower,
weed eater, shopping cart, etc...Ken was his usual self, and all the
other regulars rolled out as usual: DJ Darwin, Cowboy Steve,
Pawlus, the teacher, etc. Good times. Next up was the new
Jones Center for Families Summer Concert
in Springdale. We got all set up and the Lord unleashed those
great big rain drops that are capable of bruising your forehead if you
happen to look skyward. We scrapped the setup and took it indoors.
The crowd was probably relieved to take advantage of the
air-conditioning. We had a great long two sets and made some new
fans. The staff and crew at the Jones Center were expertly
accommodating. Thanks to them for treating us like stars.
Now...it was Sunday and time for the annual
Edgewood Bowl Battle of the Sexes in Neosho, MO, and more
importantly, the gig where Oreo Blue sets up on lane one and bowls on
lane two. Brian is clearly the only qualified bowler in the band
as he takes his third title in as many years rolling a 126. I was
second banana again with a 116 or something and Rod third with Ben and
Gary bringing up the rear. Fun times for all...
July 16th--Private Party at Rob Williams' home in Gainesville Texas--Rob
has been following Oreo Blue for years showing up at shows hundreds of
miles from his home. Always a pleasant suprise to look out and see him
in the audience. I'm like, man, I can't believe you drove this far to
see us perform. Flattering would be an understatement. Rob, thank you so
much for enjoying our music, and it was indeed a pleasure to come and
perform for you and your close friends last Saturday night. A unique and
amazing place you have, and we will look forward to seeing you again
soon. Also, thanks to all the great folks you invited, super, super
people.--Brian Crowne
July 16-17--Home--I played hooky this weekend from the drum chair
duties to put on a baseball tournament for Champions for Kids Charity.
My team, the Lowell White Sox (www.nwasox.com), won the championship
trophy going undefeated in four games in two days. Thanks, band
and Rob, for giving me the weekend off to play a little ball...
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photos by
Katherine Fillbeck |
July 8-9th--Hawgs Pizza--Hot Springs, Arkansas--Brian had
something come up and we decided we needed to go ahead as the power
trio. At the last moment, though, Gary invited along Jody Nally to
join us on rhythm guitar and vocals. Jody spiced things up with
her renditions of Chain of Fools, Ain't Know Sunshine, and
others. Best of all, the crafty dialogue to and from the spa city
was memorable. Jody is Gary's # 3, so things were interesting to
say the least, but she is good people, so all was well. As for
Hawgs Pizza, the place is really quite cool. The room was lively
and the staff was great. The food was excellent. Pizza the
first night and chicken parmesan the second (highly recommended).
We spent Saturday afternoon shopping at the mall like little grannies
and watched Dark Water (Jennifer Connelly) at the movie house.
Life on the road with a rock and roll band just ain't what it used to
be. Well...maybe we were just playing it soft with the chick on
board. ...and I knew where the mall was the whole time.
July 4th--Independence Day Celebration @ Baum Stadium--Fayetteviile,
Arkansas--What a great evening to celebrate our independence.
With perfect weather, family and friends all about, we were asked to
perform a short concert preceding the fireworks display at the #1 rated
university baseball stadium in the country. Our set was fun and
everybody seemed to have a great time. Afterward, we ventured into
the stadium to watch the firework extravaganza. Photos below.
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photos by Stephen Boudreaux |
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photos by Melissa Boudreaux |
July 1st--The Kitchen Pass--Joplin, Missouri--We figured it was
going to be down right hot this evening, but the weather was perfect.
A lot of friendly faces and a really good crowd overall.