In this exclusive interview by Chariti Joi Ntuk, Nadir talks about his forthcoming album The Book of Jonah, about why Detroit is the world’s number one music city, and about why organizing artists is like herding cats.

Nadir Omowale: Diary of a Distorted Soul

TheDetroiter.com

Somewhere in Detroit sits an anonymous building on a nondescript block. Throughout any given day, a steady stream of conspicuously awesome people carrying guitars, keyboards, etc. flow in and out of this seemingly forgettable building on a seemingly forgotten block of a city whose demise some people seem to think is a foregone conclusion.

If music is indeed the soundtrack to life, then Detroit and more specifically, this building, is very much alive thanks to its long list of strong-winded musicians who blow life into it daily. One of the musicians you can find in this building, and who is most responsible for the city’s current musical pulse is none other than 11-time Detroit Music Award winner, Nadir Omowale.

Read the full article HERE

Note from Nadir: Earlier this week I posted about the passing of bass master Donald “Duck” Dunn of Booker T and the MGs. Well, wouldn’t you know it, before the virtual ink of my blog had dried, we heard that Detroit’s own, P-Funk and Brainstorm vocalist Belita Woods also left us. The very next day we got the news that Chuck Brown, 

Our good friend, Bob Davis of Soul-Patrol.com, by virtue of his esteemed role as connector between artists and fans in the worlds of soul and funk, sometimes holds the unenviable position as bearer of bad news. He laments that too often his weekly Soul-Patrol newsletters function as a black music obituary column. As you could expect, this has been a trying week for him in that regard. Yet, in his late night email, he comments on these deaths with his usual eloquence and poise. I can’t say it any better, so we’ll let Bob do the talking.

This has been one heck of a week (if you are a F-U-N-K-A-T-E-E-R)
Originally posted by Bob Davis of Soul-Patrol.com
May 17, 2012

There has certainly been a whole lot going on in my world and the world around me over the past week, that has absolutely nothing to do with music. I won’t bore you all with the details, but I will tell you that it has all been quite good.

All of that good stuff is somewhat tempered by all of the bad stuff that has been happening in the neighborhood of the world that Soul-Patrol lives in.

This has been one of the worst weeks that I can recall. (and the week is not yet even 1/2 over yet)

We lost 3 soldiers this week. FUNK soldiers that is:

–Donald “Duck” Dunn of Booker T & the MG’s.

I’m all but certain that at this very second, there is some white radio station in the United States of Amerika that is playing the music of Booker T & the MG’s.

However I am just as certain that at this very second that there are NO Black (knee-gro) Radio stations in the United States playing the music of Booker T. & the MG’s.

–Belita Woods of Funkadelic.

Hers is the sweet voice of estrogen that we heard at all of those acid drenched concerts for so many years, that neutralized the testosterone of the P.

–Chuck Brown of the Soul Searchers.

They called it “gogo,” but I don’t really even know what that is supposed to mean. Whenever I heard Chuck Brown I heard the RAW FUNK, straight outta deepest darkest Washington DC, by way of Timbuktu. First it was hit singles in the early 70′s like “We The People” and “Blow Your Whistle.”

Then in the mid 70′s it was just the Stone Cold Funk of albums like “Salt of the Earth” (which contains the immortal “Ashley’s Roachclip,” a song so STANK that it has it’s very own Wikipedia entry!!!) Then in 1979 the monster hit song that is today a BBQ classic in the Black community, “Bustin Loose.” Check out the album “Any Other Way to Go?” from the 1980′s, which is one of the top 5 FUNK albums I have ever heard, the damn drummer NEVER STOPS for the whole album!!! ITS RAW MONSTER BURNING GONORRHEA FUNK WITH THE SCAB RIPPED OFF!

This has NOT been a good week to be a F-U-N-K-A-T-E-E-R
(and the week is only 1/2 over)

UPDATE: Sad News: Donna Summer Passes of Cancer @ age 63. MZ is reporting this.

The week of 5/13/2012 is now officially the saddest week in Black Music History.
—————–
Bob Davis
www.Soul-Patrol.com

What? You haven’t seen the video for “Go It Alone”? Click HERE to watch it. Wait… What?? You haven’t purchased your copy of “Go It Alone” and “Love Thang” on vinyl?? Really? Where have you been?
Click HERE to buy the 7-inch, 45rpm vinyl single or to Download the tracks from iTunes RIGHT NOW!!!

On May 13, 2012 the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer passed away in his sleep after a hit at the Blue Note in Tokyo. His music, like the two classic cuts below, will live on forever. Rest in the Funk, Duck Dunn.

Beastie Boys filmed an unreleased musical performance of “The New Style” for the aborted 3rd season of “Chappelle’s Show” in late fall 2004. It was on a boat in the East River, NYC. Rest in the Funk, Adam Yauch…