Alex DePue was "about 14 years old" when he had the opportunity to be concertmaster for a youth symphony performing at Carnegie Hall.
No one screamed.
FAQ
DePue De Hoyos
WHEN — 7:30 p.m. Monday
WHERE — The Blue Lion at UAFS Downtown, 101 N. Second St. in Fort Smith
COST — $25
INFO — 788-7300
And DePue, having also been getting his "feet wet in improvisational music -- or fiddling, if you will," came to a very teenage realization: If Carnegie Hall was the top of the classical food chain, "why not go into this new and exciting genre and see what happens?" Besides the applause, he adds, "musically speaking, it was much more satisfying to me to create the music as it was being made than reading it off the paper."
Since then, DePue has played almost every kind of music a fiddler can play -- bluegrass, jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll. In 2007, he joined up with legendary rock guitarist Steve Vai for a world tour, and it was everything he'd dreamed of, from "hardcore rock 'n' roll and even into heavy metal."
"After that tour, we received a Grammy nomination, and the project produced a gold record in both the U.S. and Canada. So that was a lot of fun. Rock 'n' roll violin is one of the top things I enjoy. And having had the experience in the fiddle contest circuit, I find that very attractive as well."
All of DePue's experiences have come together in a partnership with guitarist Miguel De Hoyos, with whom he recently released an album, "Twisted Strings," and will perform Monday as part of the University of Arkansas Fort Smith's Season at The Blue Lion.
Based in California, DePue De Hoyos has received rave reviews from critics across America, including one who said the two possess a musical prowess equal to "Santana, Hendrix, [and] Stevie Ray Vaughan," while the San Diego Union-Tribune called the duo's show "a heady mix of virtuosity and sophistication that is even more impressive live."
DePue says "with Miguel, we integrate that improv kind of music with classical overtones, so there's something in the program for everybody. No drums, and it's not electric. But we will have something for everybody from classical all the way to acoustic rock."
-- Becca Martin-Brown
NAN What's Up on 10/14/2016