Get Off Mark Cuban’s Back
Post by Nadir Omowale.
With a Heavy Heart…
Post by Nadir Omowale.
Years After a Bitter Fight, Prince and Warner Bros. Make a New Deal
Wow… The slave has freed his masters…
Post by Nadir Omowale.
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.
Urban Innovation Exchange Detroit: Nadir Omowale Profile
Nadir Omowale’s recording studio and rehearsal space is nestled in a nondescript building on Grand Boulevard west of New Center. You wouldn’t know it from looking at it, but inside houses some of the most important techno artifacts and memorabilia in the world. Rare record pressings hang on the same wall as the original machines Detroit’s architects of techno used to create a whole new genre of music. There’s a by-appointment-only record store underground, too.
The fact that Nadir’s musical operation is based here may strike some as odd, seeing as Nadir – a songwriter, bassist, and bandleader among other things – describes his own music as a fusion of soul, funk, and rock. After all, what does electronic music and live music have in common?
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
Metro Times Detroit: For Nadir, a Mélange of Sounds Leads to New Highs
By Brett Callwood
Originally Published: January 30, 2013
Metro Times Detroit
There’s an irony,or perhaps a simple contradiction, in the fact that the word “nadir” refers to the lowest point reached by a celestial body, and yet the man who bears that name (pronounced NAY-deer) is an incredibly positive, upbeat and enthusiastic soul. On the day of our interview, which takes place at MTtowers, Nadir bounds in like a puppy in a park, all smiles and overt warmth. It’s fucking freezing outside, so his naturally emitted merriment is particularly welcome.
That joy for life is nothing new, according to the man himself. At just 18 months old, Nadir Omowale was belting out the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” in the back yard, and that was only the beginning.
Black Grooves: The Book of Jonah is a ‘funk workout’
Black Grooves is a music review site hosted by the Archives of African American Music & Culture (AAAMC) at Indiana University. Their goal is to promote black music by providing readers with monthly updates on interesting new releases and quality reissues in all genres?including gospel, blues, jazz, funk, soul, R&B, world music, and hip-hop—as well as classical music composed or performed by black artists. An extra effort is made to track down releases by indie, underground, foreign, and other small labels that don’t get covered in the mainstream media. They interviewed Nadir’s album, The Book of Jonah, for their November 2012 issue.
Originally Published at BlackGrooves.org
November 1, 2012
Nadir Omowale, an eleven-time Detroit Music Award winner, has also been garnering recognition outside of his hometown through recent tours across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. His unique style reflects his upbringing: he was weaned in Tennessee on recordings by Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and James Cleveland; was immersed in his brother’s P-Funk, Kiss and Van Halen collection during adolescence; then moved to the Motor City where he soaked up the vibes of Motown and the Funk Brothers. Blend these influences together and you get old-school funk and soul with a dash of jazz and blues on a solid foundation of rock ‘n’ roll.
Detroit Bass Player Interview with Christopher Spooner
Christopher Spooner is a bad mother shut-yo-mouf! If you need proof, check out his playing all over Nadir’s new album The Book of Jonah. Here he sits down for his Detroit Bass Player interview.
Go Spoon!!