Jrod Indigo

Jrod Indigo performing live @ The Legionnaire Saloon
Thursday May 14 2015.
Showtime @ 8pm.
2272 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, CA 94612

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At a time when styles are rehashed and substance a myth, the business of music is mostly business and very little music..computers do most of what passes for composing. Auto-Tune is the standard, not the alternative—it seems harder than ever to find artists who write and play for their own muse; infusing their creations with soul, life, and blood.

Jrod Indigo - an old soul in a heavily modified world is one such artist..

Inspired by his deep knowledge of black music—especially ’60s jazz, ’70s funk, the Minneapolis synth heavy ’80s, the neo-soul ’90s, and all the way to the new-millennium grooves of artists such as D'Angelo, Van Hunt, and Blue Six, Jrod has created a tantalizing hybrid that succeeds equally well on headphones, through club speakers, and in bedrooms.

Though it may appear effortless, Jrod’s aesthetic is grounded in a lifetime of experience. Born in Chicago and raised in Atlanta, Jrod embodies more than a little bit of those cities swagger. Listen closely and you’ll hear his midwest influenced soul, his native love of house music, a predilection for raucous guitars, and the 808-heavy southern flavor he picked up hanging out in the ATL back in the day. A brief stint in Seattle opened his eyes to classic rock and that city’s underground hip-hop scene. By the time he moved to San Francisco in 1999, he was primed and ready to write his own music and lead an ensemble.

The city’s funk and soul fans were ready for Jrod too. It’s no wonder he’s a regular at San Francisco’s best studios and venues; often alongside top-tier Bay Area talent. His discography so far—including the Koyla featuring Jrod Indigo 12-inch “Promise Land” (Bombay Records) and the 7-inch Stevie Wonder cover “Go Home” (on Bobbito Garcia’s Alala Records) have won him a loyal international following (both tracks - which were produced by St. Petersburg, Russia-based producer Koyla are on the Jrod Indigo EP.) His search for new flavors and experiences has taken him to Canada, Switzerland, and to the UK whose contributions to the soul canon (Sade, Loose Ends, George Michael, Swing Out Sister, Soul II Soul, etc.,) have had a particularly poignant effect on his style.

In fact, as Jrod prepares to unleash his full-length lp in the coming year - he’s gearing up to globalize his sound and take his music across new borders. At a time when the Billboard charts groan under the weight of over-produced R&B that relies more on technology than real musicianship, Jrod will be pushing the envelope by writing, performing, and producing fresh music with live drums, bass, guitar, and keys, doing it as his heroes did it and do it to this day; making organic music one soulful note at a time..