June
30th--Two Frogs Grill--Ardmore, OK--I have to admit that I may be
running out of accolades for this venue as it is a mainstay of the Oreo
Blue favorite spots. The food, the people, the hospitality, and
(this time) the weather. This weekend, we put about 14 hours on
the road from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon and admittedly, we
were a bit tired by the time it was all over. However, nothing was
going to stop us from putting on the best show possible for the anxious
crowd at Two Frogs. We like the place so much, the band penned the
"Two Frogs Boogie" on the road from Texarkana to Ardmore due
for live delivery in the very near future. Needing to acknowledge
so many, thanks to Aubrey and Angela for their ever-unusual hospitality
(hope Angela gets to feeling better), to the gang from Bill & Barbs
for bringing a crowd, to the folks at Broadway Conoco for fixing up the
Expedition and the nice chit-chat, to the fine people of Ardmore, and to
that Apple Dumpling that topped off my supper (my belt seemed a little
tighter that night for some reason....)
June
29th--Private Party--Texarkana, AR--Being a high energy rocking
blues band, we often find it a creative challenge when performing in a
Southern-Style Country Club for dressed-up party goers. No sweat,
though. Oreo Blue is well equipped for moments such as these as it
becomes the party chameleons of renown in the region. Performances
in venues such as these may include jazz standards, soft rock,
classical, mellow mood music, 50's rock and roll, classic rock, blues,
and pop. Oreo Blue covers it all and often times may do whatever
it takes to please the crowd regardless of their listening
preference.
June
15-16th--George's Majestic Lounge--Fayetteville, AR--Back at home
base again. The weather was perfect for a show out at the
Garden. Friday night, although a bit sparse, was highlighted by a
chipper crowd and some fine dancing. Some new kids on the block
performed indoors for the first time, the TJ Scarlett Band and seemed
worthy and ready. Saturday night was a bit more intense with the
salty Jungle
Bush Beaters indoors and a bit larger crowd. The Oreo
Blue show rocked on as usual winning over at least a dozen new fans who
personally approached me with "I have never seen anything like you
guys! That was the best show I have ever seen. That sax
player is awesome! And your guitar player rules!"
Taking advantage of the JBB
performing indoors with Tommy Payton on bass, we knew we could get some
of that vocal healing from his wife and Oreo Blue family member, Chris
Payton. She was a captive audience and thus, so were we.
June
9th--Issac and Kelly's Wedding--Ft. Smith, AR-- Congratulations to
you both on your union and many wishes for your future from Oreo
Blue. Good luck, also, to Will King on your drumming career.
Thanks for the help on our second set...call me if you need some more
sticks!
June
9th (my birthday!)--Online--Once again, as a result of some very
enthusiastic reviews from Garageband.com members, another Oreo Blue
track, Long Gone, will be featured as Track of the Day at their
site on June 16th. You can find it here: http://www.garageband.com/genre/blues
June
8th--Rooster's Blues Bar--Ft. Smith, AR--After performing from 6-8pm
at the aforementioned concert, the band was admittedly tired and heat
exhausted. This was no deterrent to putting on a great show for
the small, but appreciative crowd at Rooster's. It was a
disappointment to see so few folks out at a club with such a bright
history as Rooster's. Maybe someday we will see it return to its
former glory...until then, let Karaoke have it....
Brian
kicking open Heaven's Door
June
8th--Concert at the Riverport Amphitheatre--Ft. Smith, AR--Despite
the heat, the show brought over a thousand folks out to see the band and
contribute to a worthy cause, the Children's Shelter of Ft. Smith.
What seemingly could have been a lackluster event with no one in
attendance, turned out to be a great show. Some 10 minutes
prior to show-time, there were no more than a dozen people in the new
amphitheatre sweltering in the late afternoon sun. However, five
minutes to show-time and the place was packed! The show was
highlighted by a few nice renditions of some Oreo Blue classics mixed in
well with some classic Gary solos and Brian tearing up the first ten
rows of people with solos on All Along the Watchtower and Knocking on
Heaven's Door.
June
7th--Gulley Park Summer Concert Series--Fayetteville, AR--The
weather was fantastic for the show this time and the turnout was better
than expected for the rain-date show at the park. Reiterating
statements made from last year's Gazebo Tour, this series allows Oreo
Blue to perform in front of new audiences of younger and older fans that
would normally not be patrons of the raucous and smoky night
clubs. It is a real blessing to see young children from two to 15
dancing their hearts out to our music. There is a real art to the
5-year-old's way of shaking to Wooly Bully and if Delbert McLinton were
dead, he would roll over in his grave after witnessing teenagers
slam-dancing to his music! Playing the CITP is reminiscent to some
of us of our younger days where we would set up in the living room and
practice rock-and-roll cover songs for your family and friends.
Yeah, the band would hit a clam or two, but it seemed so
forgiving. The audience was familiar and you could chit-chat with
them after the show and make excuses... Only the guys in the band
would have a problem with it and hope it wouldn't happen at the next
performance. So goes the Concert in the Park.
Stephen
and his shadows helping out...
Keep
your eyes peeled for new images to be added to the photos page. I
am awaiting some fan pics by folks who attended the show. If any
of you have photos you would like to see on this website, please just
e-mail or snail mail them to us at the contact information listed
elsewhere.
June
2nd--The Eureka House of Blues--Eureka Springs, AR--Blues Festival--Last
year, Oreo Blue was privy to a most memorable show to a packed house
during the early slot at HOB. This year, the band was invited back
to play the headline slot for the HOB during the Blues Festival.
No doubt, the show this year eclipsed even the high points of last
year's show. Some of the folks from last year's show had waited a
whole year just to see the band again at this venue. They were not
disappointed, and neither was Oreo Blue. Many of the entries in
this newsletter comment on the ability of the band to draw upon energies
from the crowd. This phenomenon which packages adrenaline, spirit,
soul, energy, passion, and about a dozen other emotions should have a
name. It is a phenomenon that transcends performances by
musicians, athletes, public speakers, actors, and lovers. Has
anyone seen Gladiator? Remember when the lead character was told
to "win the crowd and you cannot be defeated?" Like a
great athlete who can jump a little higher when the crowd is cheering,
like a preacher whose words become more powerful when he sees the
weakness in the eyes of his congregation, and like lovers who draw from
the stars, the spring flowers, and a soft candlelight to enhance their
moment. A musician generally enters into a performance because of
the joy of performing. However, as music was meant to be heard,
the musician will supplant this personal endeavor when exposed to an
appreciative listener. The listeners this night were more than
appreciative and Oreo Blue in turn is indebted to them for allowing us
to perform beyond our means.
June
1st--The Kitchen Pass--Parsons, KS--The weather was beautiful
driving to Kansas, but there are distinct reasons why I chose not to
reside in Kansas. A long time ago, 1939 I believe, there was a
movie that was released called The Wizard of Oz. The movie starts
off with a tornado that sweeps Dorothy into the land of Oz. A
tornado...a tornado! I mean, A TORNADO! Well, anyway, the
Southeast Kansas region was under tornado watches this evening, and I,
for one, was a bit nervous about having no where to run. Did
anybody see Twister? On to the show...
The
show went well once again aided in no small part by the wonderful folks
in Parsons. This place is like a second home for Oreo Blue and the
best part about performing at the Kitchen Pass under a tornado watch is
that the locals stay calm and assure us that everything will be
o.k. The show was highlighted by Gary's delightful
"solo" rendition of Dueling Banjos dubbed affectionately as
Dueling Morons...
June
1st--On-Line--Check this review of Nobody Knows from the
Prescription for the Blues CD...
May
31st--Gulley Park Concert--Fayetteville--Show
Cancelled Due to Rain--The make up show will be next
Thursday, June 7th at 7:00pm. Oreo Blue apologizes on behalf of
God for the inclement weather. We look forward to seeing you next
week. Remember the show is FREE and family oriented, so bring your
kids, your lawn chairs, your dog (no cats), your bucket of chicken,
sunscreen, and a big smile.
Special
Insert--May 24th--Home--On Tuesday, our dear friend, Chris
Payton, lost her father. Our sincerest condolences go out to her
and her family and rest assured that you are in our prayers.
May
19th--BB's Lawnside BBQ--Kansas City, MO--Show
Cancelled. After such a great night
in Joplin, we were looking forward to entertaining the folks in KC and
eating some of that scrumptious BBQ. We had not been to KC in a
while and we missed it. Unfortunately, the old Rock and Roll
Suburban hit the deck like Lennox Lewis and never answered the
bell. Oreo Blue apologizes to our fans who were looking forward to
the show and we hope to see you at a rescheduled show soon.
May
18th--The ByPass--Joplin, MO--Once again, one of our favorite venues
comes to high praises by the band. Always the attentive crowd, the
Joplinites witnessed, by our assessment, a strong show with strong
performances by all. The mix was sounding great and with high
emotional strain, every note seemed to flood out of our instruments as
if there was no tomorrow. Being hindered by a plethora of setbacks
earlier in the day ranging from missed phone calls to flat tires, it was
most likely a welcomed relief to hit the stage. The band was
joined on stage by Gary's old band-mate, Steve Duncan who jumped in with
a shuffling rendition of Honey Hush. Nice job, Steve.
Oh....and did I mention the Chicken and Friends dinner? Whew, I
love that stuff. You have to go to the ByPass and have the
food. Not only do they have the best entertainment north of the
border, but they also have the best food west of the Mississippi.
May
12th--Pleasant Grove High School Prom--Texarkana, TX--It had been
quite some time since any of the band members had performed at a high
school prom. After losing the air-conditioner in the rock-n-roll
suburban earlier in the day, the outlook was dim. The long, hot
trip down highway 71 drew visions of what might have been...a rock and
blues band performing at a high school prom in 2001? Would the
kids dig the mature sounds of Oreo Blue? Who knew? From the
first note, the well cultured high schoolers got down and absolutely
rocked to the band and to the music twenty years their senior.
They showed their mettle by singing along to classic rock tunes by BTO,
AC/DC, the Commodores, the Beatles, Wild Cherry, and Van Morrison
(thanks to a little help from Jordan out of the audience). Many of
the bands who originally performed these songs were disbanded years
before these kids were born. No matter...a great time was had by
all. The members of Oreo Blue wish all the best to the attendees
of this years' Prom and appreciate you letting us be a part of your
celebration. Good luck Hawks!
May
11th--On-Line--Home--I am beginning to like this garageband.com
stuff. It looks as if Oreo Blue is once again gaining accolades
from the site members. The song, Look At Me, was boosted in two
categories this week as Best Melody and Best Female Vocalist (see
below...didn't I tell you? There was not a category for
tambourinist, but I will write them and mention it.) The
attachments below show Oreo Blue's mention on garageband.com. Log
in and check it out. Review some music and you could win
CDs. When an Oreo Blue song comes on, give it up and drop us a
line to let us know you were there.
for Best Female Vocalist 
for Best Melody
May
5th--Cinco De Mayo @ Rio Bravo--Fayetteville, Arkansas--Without our
esteemed bandleader, Brian, at the helm (we in the band are terribly
sorry for your family emergency and hope all is well), we three in the
rhythm section pulled together a surprisingly energetic and fun-filled
set at the Cinco De Mayo celebration. Of course, we had a lot of
help from the best female vocalist on either side of the Mississippi,
Chris Payton. All of the standard renditions were covered and a
grand time was had by all. I am sure that damage was done to my
voice trying to bail out Chris on that AC/DC thing, but it was sure fun
trying. I knew all those years spent screaming along with the car
stereo had to lead to something productive. As usual, it was a
pleasure to have Chris grace us with her unmatched vocal skills (and she
can "work" that tambourine, if you know what I mean!).
Rod's solo on Brick House was killer! I think we have a new shtick
for the gig...10 minute bass solos on the funky stuff. My derriere
is still shakin'. Cool breeze on the patio, great eats, cool
people, great music, and an SVT case full of humor was had at the
show. Happy Cinco De Mayo! Yes, Cinco De Mayo! Gary...what
day was it?
