June 28th--Chastain
Wedding--Stuttgart, Arkansas--Stuttgart is famous for many
things...primarily duck hunting and rice. But there are also
beautiful people there and tons of mosquitoes. This string of
performing for all the wonderful folks who hail from southeast Arkansas
has been more than grand. Their hospitality is always worth the
drive. However...next time, we are bringin' the deep woods Off.
June 21st--Gearheads--Neosho,
Missouri--Of course, the folks in Neosho are just cool.
Performing at Gearheads is much like performing in our own living
room. It is intimate and they serve great food that one might chow
on the couch in front of the TV. With that said, we perform some
of our finest work in front of these folks. The are so darned
appreciative that we often feel compelled not only to give them our
finest, but also to keep our show fresh and delivered with full-frontal
assaults. If you are in Neosho, go have a beer and a burger at
Gearheads. Tell them we sent ya...
June 20th--George's
Majestic Lounge--Fayetteville, Arkansas--Tonight was our
Fayetteville DVD release party
and no doubt the folks that showed up were chomping at the bit to get
their copy and be grooved into submission. Undeterred by the
conspicuous sparseness, the band packaged sharply hewn chunks of sound
and launched them directly into the blues-hungry listeners' ears.
The look of amazement on the faces of many OB virgins quelled any guilt
on our part that we might be playing a little too rough for them.
Those that missed out should wish they were there...
photo ©
Steve Biehn
June 15th--Party on the
Patio @ Powerhouse Seafood --Fayetteville, Arkansas--Gary and Rod
could not make the show tonight, so the Amanda Adams Band filled in
admirably under perfect weather conditions. We apologize to our
fans who expected Oreo Blue, but please come visit us at George's
Majestic this Friday, June 20th for our DVD Release Party.
photo ©
John Blair
June 13th--The ByPass--Joplin,
Missouri--Friday the 13th often conjures up thoughts of poor luck
and ill-fated mishaps. And at the ByPass, the transition from
indoor stage to outdoor stage is usually slow at Summer's nigh.
This year was quite different. The folks in Joplin busted out for
our DVD release party and the band played hard to reiterate our
commitment to work hard for every crowd. The food still rocks at
the Kitchen Passes in all locations. Cajun Chicken, The Sub, The
Chili, Steaks, and my personal fave...Chicken & Friends. The
song is coming. I just have to keep sampling the grub until I get
it right.
June 12th--Concert in the
Park--Siloam Springs, Arkansas--Siloam Springs is a quaint little
town with really nice folks. It is a great atmosphere for a
family-style concert outdoors in a park. The last time we
performed here, we played in a gazebo. This year, they moved the
venue to a pavilion further down town near the creek. John
Anderson provided a great sound system as always and proves with his
kind demeanor why he is a favorite sound engineer among musicians.
Oreo Blue would like to thank the City of Siloam Springs for having us
and for the nice folks that helped us enjoy a beautiful day.
June 8th--Sunfest--Bartlesville,
Oklahoma--An absolutely fabulous day. Clear skies, sun, about
70°, a great stage, a great sound-system, really cool production guys,
and some great music and camaraderie. Wes joined us again today
with his soulful blues guitar and powerful tone. Performing
without Gary always makes us nervous, but Wes is attentive and masterful
at his blues chops. John Blair (our authorized Midwest
photographer) made the trip from Chanute, KS, to snap the colorful
photos below. My brother and his family also made the trip up from
Broken Arrow because little Ray "loves Sunfest!" DJ
Darwin, from Parsons, KS also came out (We think he really digs the
band). Thanks
to Richard and the crew for a good show. Next time, we'll bring
the families to enjoy the day at Sunfest. Bartlesville puts on a
great little festival.
photo ©
John Blair
June 7th--Kansas Blues
Festival--The Roadhouse--Wichita, Kansas--We had fans drive nearly
200 miles to see the band tonight at the Kansas Blues Festival. That's
dedication. And, boy, do we appreciate that more than they
know. To all of our fans, you can trust that no matter how far and
wide you travel, we will perform EVERY night to our fullest just for you
(and in some cases, a little food and gas money:). Gary had family
duties (our families do come first) this weekend, so we invited Wes
Jeans to travel with us. Wes is a phenomenal player and an all
around great guy. He brought his buddy, Jimmy to help roadie,
too. Wes fit in nicely for our Jimi Hendrix Tribute sets as, I
think, he and Gary were cut from the same bizarre guitar phenomenon
mold. Also along for the ride was our "road manager",
Ben Harrison, and our other "road manager/guitar tech/funny
guy", Bryan Martin. Seven guys in the Rock and Roll Suburban
II and it was loads of fun. We were scheduled to perform on the
big stage that was nicely built, but due to the cool weather, we moved
inside he Roadhouse and rocked the night away. Thanks to
Holly and Chris for jeopardizing their early church plans to come see
Uncle Stephen.
photo ©
John Blair
June 6th--Numeier's Rib
Room--Ft. Smith, Arkansas--The food at the Rib Room absolutely
rules. Sometimes, it actually may overshadow a show...but not this
time. Our DVD release party here this night welcomed an enormous
crowd of itching fans. Alan had the PA booming over the capacity
crowd on a beautiful night in the garden. We rocked the folks in
the first set with our Hendrix Tribute and then slid into our party set
with special guests, Wes Jeans from Marshall (Jimi's middle name),
Texas, TJ Scarlett, Amanda Adams, and that cool guy who does an AC/DC
cover like nobody's business. What a great night. Thanks to
all those who rolled out tonight (the Yazetti's and friends, EW, John
and Jennifer, and so many more), and to Bill for such a cool sign of
hope for the Fort that live music is alive and well. ...er...and
for that surreal barbeque.
photo ©
John Blair
May 31st--Eureka Springs
Blues Festival--Eureka Live--Eureka Springs, Arkansas--The afternoon
show in Neosho was just a warm-up for one of the hottest nights on
record for Oreo Blue. Performing at Eureka Live is always a blast
(save for the load-in), but things were rocking particularly hard
tonight. Gina had the liquid encouragement flowing like a river
from behind the bar and the band unleashed a tidal-wave from the
stage. No doubt new fans were made this night. Some old fans
were present as well and agreed that the band was hitting on all
cylinders. All I know is that I am sore and voiceless after
Saturday night. The food at the BBQ shack outside Eureka Live was
actually excellent. So if you are in Eureka, I can think of no
other place to hang.
photo © Phillip Swearingin
May 31st--Neosho
Powersports Open House--Neosho, MO--For the second year in a row,
the fine folks at Neosho Powersports have invited us to entertain the
celebrants at their annual open house. Logistically placing
motorbikes and four-wheelers to create a stage for the band, serving up
hot-dogs, door-prizes, and the fine sounds of Oreo Blue make up the
day. If you are looking for a cool motorbike, a fancy helmet,
waterbike, or off-road bike, check these guys out in Neosho.
May 26th--Home--Some
reactions are already coming in regarding the show at Riverfest.
Here is what the promoter was saying:
"I thought that the show
was extremely well done. In the true spirit of a tribute, your
love of the music shined through without any semblance of attempting an
actual recreation, like the Elvis-impersonator syndrome. Gary was
fantastic -I love his solo instrumental- [Brian's] interplay was
dead-on, Rod was exactly in the groove, but Stephen (it is Stephen,
right?) was driving the m-f'in bus. It's a testament to a badass band
when two front guys are tearing it up and I can't stop listening to the
drummer's right foot. Holy s***, he was the right foot of God on that
sound system, and I ain't blowin' wind up yer skirt!"--Tim
Jones
photo © Phillip Swearingin
May 25th--Riverfest Main
Stage--Little Rock, Arkansas--The last time the band performed at
Riverfest, we opened up for .38 Special. It was fun, but there
were a litany of hiccups that day along with rain as is the norm on
Riverfest weekend. This time, we opened for Joan Jett & the
Blackhearts performing our Oreo Blue Experience set in tribute to Jimi
Hendrix. But our performance was injected with such energy and
intensity that no sort of equipment problems or acts of nature could
deny us of a powerful performance. Fortunately, the sound crew was
spot on and the weather was perfect. The crowd swelled to about
8,000 by guestimate and all were engulfed in Gary's theatrics, Brian's
fire, Rod's groove, and my bombasts. The pit in front of the stage
may as well have been watching the original Experience as they screamed
mercilessly and begged for any sort of Oreo Blue memorabilia we could
spare. Keep your eyes on the Tourdates
for upcoming showings of the Oreo Blue
Experience. The show grows stronger with every performance.
And...get your full-length DVD/CD of the original concert. It is
fantastic and a must for any Jimi Hendrix or Oreo Blue fan. Check
out the the Discography
page for ordering information.
photo ©
John Blair
May 17th--The Kitchen
Pass--Parsons, Kansas--Highly anticipated and always appreciated is
this venue in Kansas. We had not been here since New Years' Eve
and we were looking forward to a triumphant return. In addition,
this was the day of our first DVD Release Party for the Oreo Blue
Experience Project. Unfortunately, due to both foreseen and
unforeseen circumstances, the DVDs did not arrive. No
matter. We gave them our best anyway. We will be back soon
enough packin' product because I would never miss an opportunity to
gorge myself on the awesome Chicken & Friends Dinner...
photo ©
John Blair
May 10th--Pleasant Grove
High School Prom--Texarkana, Texas--Wow, three years in a row for
these great kids! We are very proud to have been invited back to
entertain the students for their big night. Each year we have been
blown away by the energy and class of these kids. They are just so
much fun, and have such a good time that it's infectious. I don't
know about other High Schools, but I think Pleasant Grove could be the
poster people for how to put on a first class dance. The
decorations are always amazing and this year was no exception with a
very cool New Orleans theme. They nailed it spot-on.
Hopefully we'll see you guys at one of our college concerts this fall.
Thanks again and good luck.--Brian Crowne
May 9th--Player's
Billiards--Texarkana, Arkansas--Finally our first club concert in
Texarkana and it was cool. We were excited to be contacted by the
good folks at Player's about performing a concert for em'. The
entire staff were most gracious and the crowd was strong and attentive.
There is always apprehension involved when you play somewhere for the
first time. This quickly dissolved into a "Kick ***
time" that was had by all. We will very much look forward to
seeing those folks again on July 18th, so make plans now to join us!--Brian
Crowne
photo ©
Kevin Hall
May 5th--Jose's Streetside--Fayetteville,
Arkansas-- Jose's Streetside is always a blast and this was no
exception. Thanks to Neal and Crew for having the band out for the
Cinco de Mayo celebration. Thanks to our good friends Amanda Adams
sitting in along with TJ Scarlett and David Snell. Watch for Amanda's
new band debuting in a few weeks. The new band lineup will include
yours truly along with Oreo Blue drummer Stephen Boudreaux.--Brian
Crowne
