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>> VIRGINIA INTERPRETERS TURN, TURN, TURN INTO '60s FOLK-ROCK SUPERGROUP BYRDS TRIBUTE IS A TIME TO REMEMBER

September 11, 2008 3:18 am

If you think you're listening to yet another lineup change of The Byrds, you are forgiven. From Gene Clark to David Crosby to Gram Parsons, the pioneering '60s rock band had a revolving-door cast of legendary musicians during its seven-year existence.

What you might be listening to, however, is Second Flyte, a Byrds tribute band that is spinning that door once more. The group will play tomorrow at the Riverside Dinner Theater.

This time, dedicated musicians are using their talent to re-create the entire Byrds concert experience--from the tone of frontman Roger McGuinn's genuine 1965 Rickenbacker 360 12-string guitar to an exact replica of David Crosby's moleskin cape.

"We're nuts," Ed Embrey, who portrays McGuinn, said. "We're almost like Trekkies. It's hard enough to find two people like that, much less five."

That must make Embrey, a native of Sumerduck in Fau-quier County, doubly nuts--he also spent seven years pretending to be George Harrison in a formidable Beatles tribute act.

It's too easy to dismiss tribute artists like Embrey as unoriginal opportunists. Certainly, some are. But at their best, groups like Second Flyte offer interpretive art that is impressive in its precision and attention to detail. As when watching a great actor or spending the Benjamins of an expert counterfeiter, you force a smile of disbelief.

Embrey dropped The Beatles in favor of The Byrds for a few reasons: One, he grew up playing bluegrass and folk music with his family. Two, the music of The Byrds grabbed him at a young age and didn't let go.

"I was a big McGuinn fan," he said. "Some bluegrass and folk roots were in the Byrds' sound."

His experience paying tribute to The Beatles, while successful, convinced him to follow his heart.

"I realized that nobody was telling the American side of what happened after the British Invasion," he said. "The Byrds were the first real, incredibly talented, organic, American rock band--and nobody has done it as well since."

Embrey joined forces with Steve Arrington (Crosby), Will Newman (Clark), drummer Mark Moehlenkamp (Michael Clarke) and bassist John Johnston (Chris Hillman) to interpret the original Byrds lineup.

The group went into the studio for more than a month, picking songs apart, watching video and working on their vocal styles. The five Virginians even learned to modify their accents to match those of midwesterner Clark and Californian Crosby.

The signature Byrds harmonies were the most difficult piece to master.

"It took several months to get the vocals right," Embrey said.

"We listened to interviews, songs, solo recordings. It was almost like being Rich Little--we spent hours trying to get it to sound like them and really re-create their personalities."

Second Flyte has a repertoire of 75 Byrds tunes to choose from, including material from members' side projects and covers the band played live but never recorded. They might get to 25 of them in a typical set.

In some ways, a tribute act like Second Flyte can have a more challenging job than a band playing originals. Not only does acting come into play, but the band has to make sure they are being respectful of another artist's legacy. So far, they've managed to make it work--original Byrd Chris Hillman has praised their efforts.

"We don't claim to be The Byrds," Embrey said. "We want people to walk away from our show with vivid memories of that time and that music. It might even encourage people to go out and buy a Byrds CD, rediscover some of that music.

"Basically, I wanted to re-live the most creative and best music that was ever made. I got stuck in that era and never got out of it."

Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com