Inobe

For the last say 5 years now, Atlanta's soul music scene has really stood up on it's own two feet and made people take notice that down south you don't just get sunny weather but quality soul music as well.

Acts such as Seek and Donnie are getting the attention and recognition they truely deserve and the latest talent to emerge from the 'Hotlanta' scene who's also getting a lot of attention is newcomer Ebonie Johnson aka Inobe.

Although she's origally from St. Petersberg, FL, the self proclaimed singer makes Atlanta home and is a voice to be reckon with as she has opened for the likes of Musiq and Donnell Jones. A spiritual woman by nature, Inobe carries the message of God through her music, ''I can get God's point across in my music'' said Inobe ''I write about what I've gone through, what I've experienced''. She started singing at an early age and wrote and performed her first song at the age of 8. From there she then went onto do modelling, pagents and talent shows before as a teenager deciding that music would be her path.

The debut single 'Sister, Sister ' is a compelling tale of the strong bond between women forming. Driven by a thumping baseline and light guitar riffs, Sister, Sister is an absolute winner. Taken off the EP 'I am Inobe' (in stores now) this is one that you should have in your current playlist listening to over and over. A TY-D Pick indeed. 
- Tydmusic.com

Published on: March 7, 2006

Musical acts enlist for U.S. military service
BY: Ray Waddell, Reuters News Service

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Regardless of their political convictions, few in the music business would deny U.S. troops "over there" the right to rock.

Marine Corps Capt. Jesse Davidson is circuit manager for Southwest Asia, one of six different circuits through which Armed Forces Entertainment routes tours by entertainers from every genre.

AFE is an Air Force command operation and the lead agency providing transportation and logistical support for the United Services Organization in bringing entertainers to troops. In 2005, AFE conducted 136 tours that totaled 1,268 shows at some 270 military installations worldwide.

Special consideration is given to dangerous, remote and isolated locations. "Our priorities for the program are Iraq, Afghanistan and Djbouti," Davidson says. "But just to get to those areas we have to pass through all these other countries we have bases in, so we make sure the shows hit as many of those places as they can."

Davidson says it is surprisingly easy to recruit acts to play these regions. "There are a lot of acts that, mostly for patriotic reasons, want to go play for the troops," he says. "Sometimes they're a little wary. Some groups are not so big on going into Iraq and Afghanistan because of the security situation."

But the tours are enough in demand that AFE can be selective. Artists apply to the AFE program by submitting promotional materials including CDs and DVDs. The circuit managers review the acts to determine which, if any, circuit would be appropriate for them.

"Basically, we're looking for talent; that's the primary thing," Davidson says. "And, as best we can, we try to gauge how we think they will do out on tour in terms of organization. These tours last for up to a month, going around the world, traveling the whole time."

The program focuses on up-and-coming, recently signed and unsigned acts. "We prefer to have groups that have released CDs and have regional and maybe a little bit of national attention," Davidson says. "Most of the celebrity stuff is handled by the USO, and we coordinate the military side of it."

AFE covers expenses, and artists volunteer their time and talent. "Commercial airline travel, which is how we get them into the area where they're going to be touring, is probably the biggest expense we have," Davidson says. Once they are in the region, the groups generally travel by military aircraft.

"In the last year in (my) circuit we had 24 tours, about 300 shows total," Davidson says. Artists play for audiences as few as 250 people to more than 1,000 at the larger bases.

Davidson says the audience in his circuit is generally in the 18- to 25-year-old range. "Some of the other circuits, specifically in Europe, have families they're dealing with they may want to entertain; sometimes it's an older crowd," he says. "Each of the circuits is different."

Acts that have recently toured via AFE include Las Tres Divas, Niki Barr, Carly Goodwin, Inobe, Plunge, SR-71 and Waking Norman. 2005 USO tours coordinated with AFE included Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, Toby Keith and Tito Puente Jr.

Davidson says he does not have any aspirations to work in the concert business as a civilian. "I fell into this job kind of randomly," he says. "I don't know if this is something I'm going to pursue after my military career, but I'm definitely gaining a lot of experience in marketing and just putting tours together. It dovetails with my military specialty, which is logistics, transportation."


- Reuters News Service

Ebonie & Inobe ...

BY RONDA RACHA PENRICE

"You can say it's 'Billie Holiday meets funk-jazz,'" says cocoa beauty Inobe of her musical style. "Which everybody always says, because my music has that funk edge to it."

Within a year of performing with her own band, the latest musical diva on Atlanta's "neo-soul" scene has already appeared on "Good Day Atlanta" and played the V103 stage at Music Midtown. But instead of waiting on a major label to scoop her up, she and manager Marcus Xavier decided to go the independent route for her debut album, I Am Inobe, now in stores.

The St. Petersburg, Fla., native got her start in her grandfather's church, where she wrote her first song. Later, she headed to Atlanta because "at the time, LaFace was here [and] So So Def .... it just seemed like it was blossoming as far as the music industry [went], and it wasn't far from home." Her stage name doesn't stray far either. "It's my name backward," she explains. "My [real] name's Ebonie, and it's like you guys are seeing a reflection of who I am."

These days, Inobe says that her "relationship with the Lord has grown so much" that her sound has taken a new direction, into what she calls "spiritual soul." As for singers she admires, she cites Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan. "I love the emotion that they have when they sing. I can relate to that," she says, "because I'm an emotional singer."

Inobe performs at the Cotton Club, Thurs., July 10. Call for ticket price.

07.10.03


 

- Creative Loafing - Atlanta

Marcus Thomas, Sound Engineer for Inobe, Takes Mackie Gear to Entertain Troops in the Middle East

Woodinville, WA— March 8, 2005: Atlanta-based artist Inobe is quickly becoming one of the premier acts on the local Atlanta club scene with her unique blend of neo-classical soul music. So it was no surprise when Marcus Thomas, Inobe’s Manager and Sound Engineer, took advantage of an ideal opportunity that presented itself early this year- a 12 date morale building tour for the troops throughout the Middle East, starting February 10th and finishing March 3rd.

"This was a great chance to showcase a wonderful up-and-coming talent such as Inobe, and show our support for the troops fighting the war on terror," stated Thomas.

Having experienced endless technical difficulties with his current audio gear, Thomas immediately started researching other manufacturers. "Once I found out about this tour, my first priority was to replace our gear that had been giving us major problems throughout the past year. For a tour of this amplitude, we were going to need reliable equipment that would be loud but most importantly, be intelligible for both indoor and outdoor venues."

Durability was also a very important qualifier for Thomas’ new equipment. "Since we were going to be traveling to 6 countries, performing a total of 12 shows, all in about 22 days, one of my top priorities was finding equipment that would be completely portable and able to stand up to our extensive travel schedule," said Thomas.

Thomas turned to Mackie and picked up a pair of SRM 450’s, 2-way active PA speakers, a SWA1501 15" subwoofer, and a DFXo12, a 12-channel digital effects mixer with EMAC. "I remembered I had listened to some Mackie equipment a few months back and it had sounded so good. I knew Mackie was what I wanted to take on this tour." Thomas continued, "Our system was pretty much exactly what we have replaced with the Mackie equipment. The old gear was attractive because of the price point, but no matter how attractive the price point is, if your amp is overheating in the middle of every show you realize that price doesn’t matter. To perform at a level everyone is satisfied with, you need the best stuff out there," declared Thomas.

The ‘best stuff out there’ is ultimately the best sounding. "The tour was fabulous! The Mackie system was so much better than our old system," marveled Thomas. "The clarity and fullness of the SRM 450’s was so rich and the SWA1501 was super powerful. It was like we were traveling with a mini club system. It sounded that good," exclaimed Thomas.

Overall, Inobe and her band performed for 1,000 soldiers currently on duty in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Qatar, Djibouti, Bahrain, and Kuwait. "We just got back last week and the gear held up perfectly for the entire trip. It still looks like we just got it out of the box," stated Thomas. "I will definitely be using Mackie gear for a long time."

For more information please contact: Mackie o 16220 Wood-Red Road N.E. Woodinville, WA 98072
Internet: www.mackie.com


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- mackie.com

Ebonie & Inobe ...

BY RONDA RACHA PENRICE

"You can say it's 'Billie Holiday meets funk-jazz,'" says cocoa beauty Inobe of her musical style. "Which everybody always says, because my music has that funk edge to it."

Within a year of performing with her own band, the latest musical diva on Atlanta's "neo-soul" scene has already appeared on "Good Day Atlanta" and played the V103 stage at Music Midtown. But instead of waiting on a major label to scoop her up, she and manager Marcus Xavier decided to go the independent route for her debut album, I Am Inobe, now in stores.

The St. Petersburg, Fla., native got her start in her grandfather's church, where she wrote her first song. Later, she headed to Atlanta because "at the time, LaFace was here [and] So So Def .... it just seemed like it was blossoming as far as the music industry [went], and it wasn't far from home." Her stage name doesn't stray far either. "It's my name backward," she explains. "My [real] name's Ebonie, and it's like you guys are seeing a reflection of who I am."

These days, Inobe says that her "relationship with the Lord has grown so much" that her sound has taken a new direction, into what she calls "spiritual soul." As for singers she admires, she cites Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan. "I love the emotion that they have when they sing. I can relate to that," she says, "because I'm an emotional singer."

Inobe performs at the Cotton Club, Thurs., July 10. Call for ticket price.

07.10.03


 

- Creative Loafing - Atlanta