Nadir Omowale Archives - Page 5 of 25

November 17, 2014

Big & Bigger on CaveRadio with Nadir, Volcano, Chris Spooner, and DJ Ray 7

Friday, November 14 was a night full of surprises as Nadir, Christopher Spooner, DJ Ray 7, and Volcano visited the CaveRadio studios and appeared on the show Big and Bigger.

The fellas talked about Nadir’s Electric Lounge, discussed their favorite war movies, and played a few funky tunes including an unexpected and highly unorthodox rap battle between Volcano and some random dude from the bar next door. Hilarity ensues…

Click HERE to LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE SHOW ON PODCAST

Or check out a clip of the guys’ performance below.

Post by Alan Isaacson.<

January 31, 2014

Nadir Omowale: ‘Detroit Can Teach The World How To Succeed As An Independent Artist’

It’s difficult to pigeonhole Detroit musician and producer Nadir Omowale into a specific genre. Jazz, funk, soul, rock and many other genres influence in his music. Out of that eclectic mix, Nadir has successfully crafted full-time career in the industry.

You’re originally from Elizabethton, Tennessee, went to Nashville for college and moved to Detroit in 1999. How has it been different living and working in the Detroit scene?

I was in Nashville playing my original music, which is funk-rock-soul based. Unfortunately at that particular time, it was really difficult to gain any traction in Nashville with that kind of music. I happened to meet a young lady who worked at the Nashville Ford plant. We took a liking to each other and she became my wife, Akanke. Before we made that decision she said, “You know, at some point I’m going to have to move to Detroit,” and I said, “Well I can make music in Detroit.” Moving here actually has turned out to be fantastic for my music career. I was raised on that Detroit sound, and it really was an opportunity to come home musically. As people in Detroit heard me play, they really embraced me and my music.

Read the full article HERE

July 2, 2013

LIVE RADIO PERFORMANCE: Nadir Live on WDET for Ann Delisi’s Essential Music, June 2013

In early June, Nadir and the band converged on the legendary Studio A at WDET radio in Detroit for a live recording and interview on Ann Delisi’s Essential Music. The band fired off smoking versions of “Daddy’s Cane” (from Nadir’s award-winning debut Distorted Soul 2.0) and “Go It Alone” (from 2012’s critically acclaimed disc The Book of Jonah). Click the player below to hear, share or download the performance and interview.

Players:
Nadir – vocals, guitar, interviewee
Tasha Lord – vocals
Steve Caldwell – guitar, vocals
Christopher Spooner – bass, vocals
Jeff Rebrovich – keyboards
Raphael Merriweathers, Jr. – percussion, vocals
Jason Bonaquist – drums

Ann Delisi – host
Alex Trajano – engineer
Nicole Fritz – 2nd engineer, editor

October 4, 2012

Detroit Free Press: Nadir sees life looking up

Rachel May: Nadir sees life looking up
Originally published October 4, 2012 in
The Detroit Free Press

His music is a harmonious blend of R&B, funk, jazz, hip-hop, rock and soul. On his latest album, “The Book of Jonah,” Nadir reveals a fantastic collection of songs with a positive message about everyday life.

” ‘Belly of the Whale‘ really sums up the record,” says Nadir. “It gives us the message that it may feel like the end of the world but it’s not. It’s just another day in the belly of the whale.”

“The Book of Jonah” is Nadir’s third full-length solo CD, and he’ll celebrate its release with a performance Friday at PJ’s Lager House.

“A lot of the songs are really inspired by some of the things we’ve been going through here in Detroit and Michigan,” says Nadir, whose full name is Jonah Nadir Omowale.

“It’s not as overtly political as my 2008 record when I was mad at George Bush and angry all the time. This one is a little more hopeful, and even with all of the turmoil that we and the rest of the nation — and the rest of the world, really — have been going through, I see a lot of positive signs and a lot of positive things happening.”

Click HERE to Read the Entire Article at Freep.com

October 3, 2012

VIDEO: Nadir & The Band Live on Fox 2 Detroit Morning Show – October 3, 2012

Nadir and the band lay down the early morning funk with this performance of “Go It Alone” on Detroit’s Fox 2 Morning Show. The incredible band is (left to right): Jeff Rebrovich on Keyboard, Steve Caldwell on guitar, Jason Bonaquist on drums, Tasha Valdez Lord on vocals, Nadir on vocals and guitar, Ray 7 on percussion, and Christopher Spooner on bass.

Special thanks to Taqqee Khabir for manning the mixing desk; to Steve Caldwell and Nextwave Media Lab for going above and beyond the call of duty with the audio assist; to Nancy Schoenheide-Phares for being the best publicist in Michigan; to the folks at Fox 2 for having us on, and for Toast Ferndale for the great post show victory breakfast.

Be sure to check out the full set at The Book of Jonah Album Release Party on Friday, October 5, at PJ’s Lager House.

September 30, 2012

WDET-FM Detroit: The Book of Jonah is Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music CD Pick of the Week

No one knows more about popular music and the magic of radio than Rob Reinhart. “Good radio is now one of the only media that isn’t designed to simply reflect the taste of the user. It’s still a community that brings together lots of different people.”

Rob’s version of Essential Music on WDET FM in Detroit is a three-hour creative mix of old and new, rock and soul, folk and a bit of jazz, thematic elements, humor, exclusive/rare material, from local and national artists alike.

It’s quite a feat which Rob pulls off seamlessly.

On Saturday, September 29, Rob selected Nadir’s new album The Book of Jonah as his Essential Music CD Pick of the Week.

Big thanks to Rob and WDET for their unwavering support of the Detroit music scene!

September 26, 2012

Saving Commercial Radio From Itself

ATTENTION COMMERCIAL RADIO PROGRAMMERS AND MUSIC DIRECTORS:

If you’re looking for a surefire way to bolster your sagging ratings and stave off the full frontal assault on your medium by the Pandoras and Spotifys of the world, ADD MY NEW RECORD TO YOUR PLAYLISTS NOW!

No, I’m not arrogant enough to believe that my album alone could save us from commercial radio’s otherwise eminent demise. But it seems clear that a potent injection of fresh sounds would help lure back listeners who have turned to programming their own iPods or wandered down the dial to community radio in an effort to escape the monotonous repetition of mainstream terrestrial radio.

Two decades of mercurial technological advances are inspiring more great artists to create incredible music in their homes, on their laptops and (gasp!) on their cellphones. Still commercial radio playlists get shorter and shorter. Why?

Consider the tweet below as shared on Facebook by Steve Heath of Alma Artist Booking and Management:

And after the recent decision by US and EU regulators, we’re down to three major record labels. That means a shrinking number of corporate executives will exercise greater control over the music we’re force-fed by mainstream media outlets. As our information and entertainment pie grows, a few mega-companies are slicing up ever larger slices with the intent of stuffing consumer faces with more junk food media.

That’s bad news for those of us who turn on the news because we want to know what’s happening in the world, and who turn on the radio when we want to hear music that satisfies our souls.

September 21, 2012

Funk Gumbo Radio Video of the Day: Nadir – “95 Miles Down The Road” feat. Mayaeni

FUNK GUMBO RADIO is your ticket to great funk/rock music, playing all your favorites of today and yesterday: Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Betty Davis, TVOTR, Lenny Kravitz, Janelle Monae, and many others. Good luck finding this great collection of artists on PANDORA or anywhere else. It happens 24/7 only on FUNK GUMBO RADIO and the Live365 Network.

The good folks at Funk Gumbo named Nadir & Mayaeni’s “95 Miles Down The Road” as their Video of the Day on Sept. 21, 2012.

By the way, have you picked up your copy of “95 Miles Down the Road” on vinyl? Get Yours NOW!

September 17, 2012

“95 Miles Down The Road”: The Sonic Soul Review in Deutsch

Jörg Michael Schmit of SonicSoulReviews.com is always in the forefront when introducing the best new soul and jazz music to Germany and the rest of Europe. Here’s what he had to say about “95 Miles Down The Road“, the blistering single by Nadir and Mayaeni:

Der Mann für den kräftigen Ton. Wieder da. Und er hat eine Frau an seine Saite gestellt. Die nennt sich Mayaeni und versteht sich ebenfalls mittels einer rauen Gitarre in Szene zu setzen. Jenseits jedweder Marketing-Strategie pustet das dynamische Duo allzu wohltönende Schwarz-Musikanten aus den Abspielgeräten und schafft Platz für schwerblütigen Rock´n´Soul. “95 Miles Down The Road” ist eine erste Ansage aus dem neuen Nadir Album “The Book Of Jonah”. Übrigens, ich mag´das so, wie es ist.

Click HERE to Read More at SonicSoulReviews.com

August 18, 2012

Songs From Studio East: With Detroit-based musician Nadir

By Mercedes Mejia and Jennifer White
Originally Published at MichiganRadio.org

The Book of Jonah is the new album from Nadir Omowale. It’s a blend of soul music, rock, funk and blues. While there are songs about love and relationships, themes of social and political consciousness carry through the album.

“I never felt like I had to fashion myself into one particular style. I grew up on Prince and The Time and Cameo and all that good stuff, and so funk is all deep within my soul. And I grew up in a small town in east Tennessee, so there were country music influences, there was a lot of Van Halen and rock and roll and so I love all of that music,” Nadir told Michigan Radio’s Jennifer White.

CLICK HERE to LISTEN to the full interview, and to hear more about Nadir’s newest album The Book of Jonah, including the song he wrote with guitarist and singer Mayaeni, titled 95 Miles Down the Road.

And click on the video below to see Nadir performing in our studio: