Nomaddz hopes to hit home with debut album

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Diverting from the regular studio setting, Nomaddz will be recording a live album that will captivate audiences with dub poetry, theatrics and music.

The album, which is the first for the 10-year-old group, will be recorded live at Finnigans Winery, 5 Cranbourne Avenue, this Saturday.

Sheldon Sheppard said all the members of the group (Everaldo Creary, Chris Gordon, Oneil Peart and himself) thought a live show was the best medium for the album.

"We think that's the best avenue to see ourselves (as we're) so much in touch with all aspects of the performing arts," Sheppard said, noting that the album will be available in audio and audio-visual formats.

Sheppard said preparation for the show took about a month.

"It took us about a month to prepare the band. We hand-picked musicians - bass, keyboard, drums and percussion," Sheppard told The Sunday Gleaner.

Whereas he plays percussion instruments and Peart plays the guitar, Sheppard said the instruments for the recording would be played by a band, giving the members the opportunity to focus on performing.

While the album is mainly dub poetry, Sheppard said other aspects of creative arts would be included.

"We prize ourselves on doing dub poetry. It is the category we started with, but music is a thing that will evolve on you and get its own little thing," he said.

Sheppard also promised the album would be something worth listening to and seeing.

"Oh, my word, this album is going to be eclectic. Although it is a scripted project, we still have a lot of spontaneous dynamics. It will bring out the theatrics. It will make our show a cut above the rest," Sheppard said.

He noted that the quality of the music is also of a reputable standard that can stand strong on any market.

Produced by The Reggae News Corporation and Difamili Entertainment, the event will be recorded by Willy and Slim and mastered by Kevin Levy of Appletree Studios in Kingston. Sheppard said the right environment will be set for the show, as there will be proper lighting, several cameras and live sound feed, as well as other equipment.

"It promises to be a great event. I hope when they use all these fancy equipment, they capture us very well," he said.

"This is what we hope to use to stamp our presence on the local music scene. We want to carve our own niche. We want to capitalise on this sound."

Bigger picture

While there is a decline in album sales worldwide, Sheppard hopes Nomaddz's live album will be successful.

"We want the album to do well. We want sales but the bigger picture is greater than selling some albums," he said.

Sheppard said he hopes the album will warm its way into people's hearts, leading to gigs at major festivals worldwide.

"It's also about getting tours and making people feel and hear Jamaica for the paradise that it is. We don't produce hate music. The message that we preach is love," he said, noting that he expects the album to be packaged by May.

Sheppard added that he hopes the album would help to propel a concert that the group will host in the summer.