Originally Published in Ambassador Magazine May/June 2010

Next time you travel beyond Michigan’s mitten, stop a stranger and ask what he thinks about when you say “Detroit.” Most likely, you’ll get one of two answers: “The Motor City” or “Motown.”

The traditions run deep. This is an industry town, and its two most celebrated commodities are cars and music.

While the automotive business has taken a beating over the past few years, Detroit’s music industry is celebrating something of a creative renaissance. Armed with an arsenal of new technology and girded with Detroit’s trademark, “never say die” spirit, area musicians are lighting the path through uncertain economic times and succeeding on their own terms.

Young artists like Invincible, My Dear Disco, One Be Lo, Hot Club of Detroit, and Monica Blaire carry a longstanding tradition into the new millennium. They follow icons like Kid Rock, Amp Fiddler, Carl Craig, J Dilla, and The Dirt Bombs. Before them it was The Romantics, Awesome Dre, Alice Cooper, and Anita Baker.

What is it about this town? How does Detroit produce so many amazing artists with the same clockwork precision that new model cars roll off Big Three assembly lines?

For this month’s edition of Ambassador’s roundtable, we assembled a group of Detroit music industry veterans whose careers were molded in the city’s clubs and studios. The gathering took place at Harmonie Park Studios, where since 1996, partners and brothers Mark and Brian Pastoria have hosted music royalty – Aretha Franklin, George Clinton, Eminem, Grand Funk Railroad – and some of the region’s most powerful brands – DTE, The Tigers, The Red Wings, and Rock Financial. In fact, Mark picked up a couple of Grammys along the way for his work with Queen Aretha.

Ambassador publisher Denise Ilitch kicked off our discussion by invoking the most hallowed of Detroit music legends, Motown. 2009 witnessed the 50th anniversary of the music empire that began on West Grand Boulevard, and went on to change popular culture throughout the world. “How has Motown influenced your music, your aspirations?” Ilitch asked.

“I don’t think you can get away from the tradition of Motown, and I don’t think you want to,” replied noted blue-eyed soul singer/songwriter Stewart Francke, who so reveres the label’s sound that he hired The Funk Brothers, members of Motown’s house band, to record several songs on his 2005 album Motor City Serenade. “I think the tradition is so powerful and so enduring, that you want to remain within the influence of it musically, traditionally, historically.”

Although Jimmie Bones spends much of his time playing rock and roll keyboards for Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker, he says, “not only Motown, but all of the soul labels, Stax, Volt, whatever… It’s religion to me.” Bones confesses that when he isn’t playing music or learning new songs, he listens to old soul music and rock bands like The Faces and The Rolling Stones who were inspired by it.

Harmonie Park partner, Brian Pastoria, notes that The Beatles so loved the label that they recorded three Motown hits for one of their earliest albums. Pastoria is not only impressed with the music created at Hitsville, but also with how Berry Gordy structured his hit making assembly line.

“The focus was on the producers and writers,” Pastoria says. “I think they felt like they could make stars out of anybody if they had the right songs and the right records.”

Jim Edwards, who has done everything on the Detroit music scene from being a roadie, to running his own label, is currently lead singer for Detroit rockers, The Hell Drivers. He stresses that great songwriting was an important part of the Motown system, and he studies the label’s hits to understand the finer points of song structure. “It’s like going to school every time you listen to those records.”

Another Hell Driver, drummer Johnny Bee, witnessed that Motown artistry first hand. Bee provided the backbeat for Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, a band that scored a top five hit of their own in 1966 with “Devil With A Blue Dress On.” The Wheels often shared the bill with their Motown heroes, and Bee took it all in.

“We started off as little kids, 12 or 13, playing on TV shows with Stevie Wonder, and the Temptations,” Bee recalls. “They kind of took us under their wings.“

Bee remembers playing college shows where Ryder and The Wheels would open for a red-suited Marvin Gaye. “Everything was learning, just watching his every move, and how they were schooling everybody at Motown. It was everything – the songwriting, the music, the choreography… You’ll never see anything like that again, EVER!”

So perhaps what makes Detroit music so great is both learning from the best and the pressure of living up to the legacy. And though Hitsville affected the entire city, the heritage reaches beyond Motown.

Francke explains that there were twin traditions that grew up side by side in Detroit – black soul music, with Motown and the other labels that sprang up in Gordy’s wake, and white rock and roll, epitomized by Mitch Ryder, and the MC5. The musicians would watch and learn, compliment and comment on each other.

Francke cites the MC5 classic, “Kick Out The Jams.” “The end of that [lyric] is, ‘or we’ll find someone who will.’ ”He says there’s a certain way you do things. Do it till you drop. Don’t fake it. Look and dress sharp. “There’s a certain ethos to this place, and it affected the world. It still does.”

Detroit music is high quality. In the past, excellent music programs in the public schools bred world-class musicians. With the current state of area school budgets, this truth is now debatable. But it is certain that Detroit audiences expect a lot from the city’s entertainers.

“Detroit’s a town of hard-working people,” Johnny Bee says. “They work hard and they party hard. When they go out they want to see good music.”

“It’s almost like the DNA that was set by Motown is culturally embedded in the community of Detroit,” says Bill Evo, who isn’t a musician, but an attorney, former pro hockey player, past president of the Detroit Red Wings, and a strategic consultant for Harmonie Park. He believes that non-musicians in Detroit – the fans – don’t understand how sophisticated their musical taste is. There is so much stellar music around the city, it can be easily taken for granted.

Artist manager Steven Sowers used to own a nightclub that represented all that was great about Detroit. The Motor Lounge took its name from Detroit’s other famous industry, but on any given night, patrons at the Hamtramck bar would hear the city’s best sounds in its many varied genres. Sowers says that music is such a part of the spirit and culture of the city, that whenever a young Detroiter demonstrates a spark of talent, someone is there to help. “That’s one thing I’ve seen,” Sowers says. “When somebody shows an interest, there’s always someone there to grab them, help them along, and encourage them. I don’t know if that happens in other cities, but it sure does here.”

Juan Atkins emphasizes another important aspect of Detroit’s musical community. Atkins is the “Godfather of Techno,” a title he earned as the first to develop the Detroit-born sound that bangs from speakers in dance clubs all over the world. Juan Atkins, along with his Belleville High School friends, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, is one of “the Belleville Three,” the holy trinity credited with founding what later came to be known as techno music.

“Detroit is not a really big city like New York or LA, so all the musicians know each other, and it’s a close knit community,” says Atkins whose independent label, Metroplex Records, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

“There’s a friendly competition.” Because all the artists compete with each other in a friendly way, the quality of the music is raised to a higher level. “It’s a respectful competitiveness,” Brian Pastoria explains. He saw it at Harmonie Park while recording Christmas in Detroit, an annual all-star holiday album the studio produces to benefit S.A.Y. Detroit (Super All Year Detroit), a non-profit charity that improves the lives of homeless people.

There were many artists who donated their time and talent for the cause, but the friendly competition pushed each of them to greater heights. “Somebody would come in to do a song, and hear what the guy did the night before,” Brian says. “And it was like, ‘Wow! That was really killer!’ This set the bar higher forcing each artist to step his or her game up.“

In addition to the competition, Detroit musicians are not only willing, but are enthusiastic about collaborating with one another. “Everybody mixes together,” Bones says, “and we all kind of add our own little flavors to everybody else’s thing.”

All of these elements meld with Detroit’s blue-collar work ethic to inspire boundless creativity and originality.“It makes you want to try something new, build something from the ground up, and make it the best it can be,” Bones says.

“There’s a lot of soul here,” Johnny Bee interjects. “Buckets and trucks full of soul.”    – Nadir Omowale

Located at 32293 Ford Road (between Venoy and Merriman) in Garden City, Michigan, M’s Gathering Place delivers a unique menu highlighting tasty, family recipes, made with the freshest fixings at surprisingly affordable prices. “I felt the community needed a place where we could come and listen to great music, and enjoy a good meal in a nice, clean, family atmosphere,” says owner Mary Hauk, a lifelong Michigander.

Nadir thanks the fantastic musicians who have made him sound so good over the past few years: Joe Abrams, James “Jamalot Indeed” Anderson, Yaminah Brock, Alesha Brown, Phred Brown, Derek Buford, Chef, LaMont Davis, Duane Dawkins, Dan Eichinger, Jason Gaddies, GT, The Reverend Dr. Brandon Holland, Kamau Inaede, Tammy Jones, Kris Kurzawa, Niko Marks, Topher Mohr, Earl Orr, Jr., Chris Sego, Freeman Spells, Jr., Ping Spells, Joey Spina, Chris Spooner, Mia Treadwell, and Rudy Washington.

Special thanks to publicist Nancy J. Phares and Spark Art Marketing, manager Cornelius Harris and Alter Ego Management, Michele Bateman of Decent Exposure, Hubert Moser of Miracle Dread Productions, Corbin Dooley of Bikiniwax Records, DJ Butterface, Reavis Mitchell, Neal Cappellino, Daniel Lee, Michael Bohannon, and all the other talented producers who have contributed to Nadir’s albums, Emily Rogers for being (as Yorg says) “the Tawny Kitaen” of Nadir videos, Ryan Myers, Jason Schultz, Landmine Design, Zeina by Design, Lisa Luevanos, Ron Harper, Bob Davis & Soul-Patrol.com, Chris Rizik & SoulTracks.com, Pierre Dumas, the 1440 Collective, Change::The Music, the EAPro Family, Mom, Kevin, all other family and friends, and most importantly, the Queen of Sheba, Akanke Rashad-Omowale. All praise be to the One Most High.

Check out this live performance video of “Workin’ For The Man” by Nadir from the 2010 St. Michael’s We Care Telethon in Monroe, Michigan. The video was produced by WUPW – Fox Toledo.

St. Michael’s We Care offers monetary and other assistance to individuals residing in Monroe County, Michigan with a life-threatening illness to be paid after the use of insurance (if any), other organizations, and/or money derived from other sources is exhausted.

This performance happened at the height of the US health care reform debate. We felt it was important to do this benefit in support of a great organization that offers aid to families and individuals in their time of greatest need.

The band is Alesha Brown (keyboards & vocals), Mia Treadwell (drums & vocals), Chris Spooner (bass & vocals), Nadir Omowale (vocals, guitar). “Workin’ For The Man” was written by Daniel Lee (aka The Invisible Kid) and Nadir Omowale. It’s the title track of the Workin’ For The Man album.

EAPro’s Nadir Omowale is a featured music columnist for BLAC Detroit magazine (formerly African American Family). Since January 2009 he has written about some of the Motor City’s most notable veterans and its most promising up and comers. He’s also penned features about the unsung heroes of Motown and Grammy winner John Legend.

Click below for a sampling of Nadir’s writings (in PDF format).

FEBRUARY 2010 Cover Story:
John Legend – “Star Light”

JANUARY 2010 SOUND:
David Blair  – “Blairing Urban Folk”

SEPTEMBER 2009 SOUND:
Lola Morales – “The Melange of Lola Morales”

OCTOBER 2009 SOUND:
Pathe Jassi – “Son of Senegal”

This urban theater project is a collaboration between 4TheatrSake, the 1440 Collective, the Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center, the Cedi Collection, Detroit film-maker Ryan Myers and Plowshares Theater Company. Directed by Wyldchild L. Chemist, the soundtrack for this staging features original music by EAPro’s Nadir Omowale.

Written like final round slam poetry, In the Blood keeps it real in the “here and now.” Hester is a homeless single mother who is devoted to her five children, and struggles to find ways to feed them. Five actors play her five young treasures. The same actors also play the adults who help or hinder Hester in her quest to “get a leg up”. Lovingly comical moments are juxtaposed by the harsh world of poverty in this modern masterpiece.

The idea for the Detroit staging is to provide an all-inclusive social theater experience where audiences will witness compelling performances by 4Theatrsake’s actors as they illustrate the challenges faced by Hester, and the characters that surround her. Following the performance, the actors will remain on-stage (in character) to allow the audience a chance to react to and ask questions about the story they’ve just witnessed. Moderated by Oneita Jackson of O Street, this after-drama forum will focus on poverty, disease, human trafficking, race in a post-racial society, and what we can do to bring change.

The cast and crew of In The Blood represent Detroit artists from diverse backgrounds. Actor, director, writer Wyldchild L. Chemist was recently invited to join Plowshares Theatre Company’s new ensemble as an artistic associate. He will be participating in The Kennedy Center’s fellowship program for Theater Capacity Building in Culturally-Specific Organizations.

Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Innovators for the Next New Wave,” Suzan-Lori Parks is one of the most exciting and acclaimed playwrights in American drama today. She is the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for the Broadway hit Topdog/Underdog and is a MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient, among her many other honors.

In The Blood by Suzan Lori-Parks
Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center
311. E. Grand River
Detroit, Michigan

Performance Times:
Friday, January 8, 2010 – 8pm
Saturday, January 9, 2010 – 4pm & 8pm
Sunday, January 10, 2010 – 4pm
$40 admission
BUY TICKETS NOW

(Your treat for reading the post all the way through: Use promo code “A” to save $15 off the ticket price!)

Distinctive vocals, creative rhymes, and personality are ingredients that make Detroit’s Maceo Tha GrammarGod one to watch. But truth be told, ‘rapping’ isn’t the hard part. If you have enough soul, a poetic spirit, and can rhyme to a beat, blessing the mic is easy.

His skills as an MC are undoubtedly a result of his longtime devotion to his craft, and he has no intention of putting the mic down.  Back in 2001 he joined the Scribe Tribe Syndicate, a group that started as an online crew in 1999 (in the Throw Down Temple forum of Hip-Hop legend Davey D’s Website).  Throughout this excursion, he’s showcased his skills as one of Hip-Hop’s best-kept secrets. And despite the lack of promotional backing and support upcoming artists receive from Detroit’s media outlets and mainstream music venues, Maceo refuses to give up.

His sophomore album, Return of Tha GrammarGod, is a bit different from most of today’s hip hop because it is a concept record.  Each song relates to a different movie.  “Reflections (Boyz in the Hood)” recalls Maceo’s younger days on the streets of Detroit.  “Primal Instinct (Planet of the Apes)” uses gorilla samples that invokes the mood that Maceo creates as he is stomping other MCs in battle.

But make no mistake.  It’s the lyrical approach that separates Maceo from the multitude of rap artists. He believes in staying true to the roots of hip-hop, when rocking the microphone was more boasting about your skills as an MC, than your materialistic possessions.

When asked about his style of rap, and how it fits into the genre, he simply states, “My style is a style that’s not a style. I’m too versatile to be classified as a certain type of MC.”

Return of tha GrammarGod was mixed and mastered by EAPro’s Nadir Omowale at the 1440 Collective Studio.  Maceo will return to the 1440 for the album’s launch party.

“Yo, I’ve been plugged in with the 1440 Collective for almost three years now…they’re like family,” Maceo says.  “Whenever I have a project or a promotion in mind, the first place I think of using as a resource is the 1440.

“And I’ll tell you this – if you’re an independent artist, the 1440 is your ‘one stop shop’!  There’s nothing that they can’t accommodate.  I mean, I’ve done everything from record release parties to photo shoots there.

“Besides that,” he continues, “I’ve recorded music, completed post production for songs, and I’ve gotten 2 albums mixed and mastered by Nadir, who in my opinion is one of the illest engineers in the game.  If you don’t know, then you better ask somebody…”

Thing is, between the versatility and lyricism, and the self proclaimed title of “Grammar God”, Maceo does come down to earth.  And from time to time he feels the need to exorcise the demons of discourse and contempt, and explain his love/hate relationship with fans, the Detroit Hip-Hop scene, and the music industry.  But regardless of what mood he’s in at any given moment, Maceo’s a cat who’s impossible to ignore.

September 19, 2009
Maceo Tha GrammarGod
Return of Tha GrammarGod Hip-Hop Showcase/Launch Party
The 1440 Collective
1440 Gratiot 1-B
Detroit, Michigan 48207
8pm to 12am
FREE!!

MOTOR DETROIT MAGAZINE will work as an extension to the world to spotlight the careers of both, the up-and-coming, as well as the established artist and talent, in all mediums and forms. The MOTOR DETROIT MAGAZINE reader is as diverse and cerebral as what the magazine represents.

The publishers of MOTOR DETROIT MAGAZINE chose EAPro’s J. Nadir Omowale to create its first feature story and video profile of Detroit rockers Ingray.

Click HERE to visit Motor Detroit Magazine

Great questions, and Nadir helps clear up the confusion in a series of articles for GrokMusic.com.

Anthony Hamilton – “Charlene”

GrokMusic.com guides you to new music by bringing together the best of technology and human driven content filtering, with the help of:

1. The GrokMusic GPS. With either the GrokMusicMap or SuggestArtists both built on the preferences of hundreds of thousands of users like you – users are able to chart their own course to find music they love.
2. Reviews and articles from experienced music fans and industry insiders.
3. Hand-selected, recommended samples by genre, immediately available for purchase via Amazon.com or iTunes.

Nadir is an award winning Funk and Soul musician with one heck of a live show.

He’s a champion for the entertainment industry, and the best part is, he calls Detroit home. Learn more in CW50Detroit.com’s Q&A with Nadir.

Click HERE to Read the Interview