What drew you to be involved in the project?
Basically, I just returned from 6 months overseas with my family, travelling round
western Europe, and received a call from the project organisers. I was just starting to
consider what I wanted to do next, my music drive was returning and I thought this
sounded like a fun, one off gig to be involved in, so here I am.

What were your early experiences of hearing and learning Hendrix like?
A friend put me onto Hendrix when I was around 18 years old. We had been listening
to Zappa, Angus Young, and then he put on some Hendrix, and we both just
went…..’wow’ He was playing blues basically, but in a way neither of us had heard, or
could barely grasp. There was just so much passion, tension and beauty in his
playing, and it just leaps out of the speakers still.

Did his playing influence your own?
A little, more his philosophy on music and guitar. It was his voice, his form of self
expression. He wanted to push boundaries, push himself and that has always been a
driving point for me. He just did it so bloody well.

Do you believe a Hendrix track is to be mastered or simply interpreted?
There’s a fine line there, but I think the answer lies in a blend of both those ideas.
When someone has been such an influence on blues rock guitar like Hendrix was, you
should play a little homage to that, but also, the point is to express yourself, so you
need to bring a little of that to the table….

What tracks will you be playing and what was the process like of learning them?
I’ll be playing ‘Crosstown Traffic’, ‘Can You See Me’, and ‘Hey Joe’ with a partner. I
actually hadn’t listened to the songs for a number of years, so for me, it is relearning
the song, the lyrics, and some solo parts, then applying a few small changes to the
structure…..and hoping it all comes together on the night!!!

Which artists are you most looking forward to performing with on the bill?
Pretty much all of them. I have seen a few play in their respective bands, but not
outside their bands, so much like myself, we are in for an interesting night.

What is your amp, pedal and guitar set up for the night?
Guitar….not sure yet, sadly my 74’ Strat is deep in storage in Brisbane, so I’m either
going to use my Tele, or hopefully borrow a friends guitar. Amp will be my usual Vox,
but I’ll also combine it with a Marshall if I can on the night….Effects, I use a Line 6
M13 these days for all digital delays, combined with a Option 5-destination rotation,
Moollon compressor, Luxury Drive boost pedal, BlueBoy overdrive and a Crybaby
Wah pedal.

Do you have fond memories of playing the Enmore in the past?
Love playing the Enmore, have done a few times. It’s a great sounding room with
plenty of vibe to it. You can’t beat those old rooms, they ooze history.

What’s your ultimate Hendrix record and why?
Well, it has to be spread over Are You Experienced? and Axis, Bold as Love, because
the first record has 2 of the songs I first fell in love with….’Purple Haze’ and ‘Foxy
Lady’, and then Axis because of ‘Little Wing’, and pretty much the rest of it… Beautiful
records, both of them.
Of course, I’m playing ‘Crosstown Traffic’ on the night which is off Electric
Ladyland. All in all, the ultimate Hendrix album really is all of them, I only wish
there could have been more…

Catch Darren Middleton and the who’s who of our greatest home grown guitarists pay homage to the legend at The Enmore Theatre on Saturday 29th of October. For more information on Experience Jimi Hendrix, go to empiretouring.com.au