D-Madness Doing Shanghai, China!
R&B / Funk / Soul
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"Funkstramentalist"
AUSTIN, Texas
United States
Profile Views:
5959
Last Login:
12/2/2008
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| D-Madness Doing Shanghai, China!: General Info
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| Member Since | 1/2/2008 | | Band Members | Arms, Hands, Legs, Feet, Voice, Cheeks, Gifts, Talents | | Influences | Lorenzo Dwayne Jackson's lifelong mission to bring the noise began at the tender age of three. He marched into a church choir rehearsal in his living room, sat himself down at the drum kit and insisted he be allowed to play. His father surrendered a pair of drum sticks, young D refused to put them down, and so it began. By age five, D had earned a spot in the drummers' rotation at Full Gospel Holy Temple Church in Dallas, Texas. When Dwayne relocated to Austin at age eight to attend the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, his early talent was recognized and he was accelerated into a music program with older children. Soon D was playing violin in orchestra, baritone and trombone in marching band, bass in jazz band and keyboards on the side. When he was just 13, D and a few upperclassmen formed a soul band. Armed with a set list full of Stevie Wonder and Sly and the Family Stone covers, they landed a happy hour gig at Trudy's, a campus watering hole just south of their school. By the time D graduated from high school in 1993, his capacity for true musical mastery was already established. He had traveled with a youth jazz band to Vienna, Austria to take top honors in an international competition, and performed at several prestigious jazz festivals including those in Montreux, Switzerland, and Montreal, Quebec. Throughout the early 1990's, the bulk of Dwayne's musical work centered around the positive vibrations of reggae music. He played bass, drums and sang with Austin-based reggae powerhouses such as Tribal Nation and Root One. He toured the Western U.S. and opened for massive Jamaican acts including the Maytals, the Wailers and Culture. Still playing reggae in 1995, D felt a need to return to his soulful roots and began playing in a funk band called Biscuit. D complemented his regular gig schedule with cameo appearances with all sorts of Austin artists, from Tunji and Larry to Carl Settles and Hairy Apes BMX. Around the turn of the millennium, hip hop began to rage through the clubs in Austin. Dwayne found himself in the center of the storm as a rhythm player for Hip Hop Humpday, a weekly event that ran for three years and hosted some of the finest DJs and MCs in Texas. Backed by a core of solid instrumentalists, D played whatever the improv gigs called for -- drums, keys, bass, vocal percussion, etc. D became a regular contributor to many hip hop artists' recordings, including Nicknack and Bavu Blakes. His playing also received international attention as he collaborated on an instrumental track called "Life Goes On" with premier Japanese DJ and hip hop producer DJ Krush. A lifetime of playing various instruments and styles of music synthesized for D in 1999 with the quiet launch of his solo project, D-Madness. Dwayne astounded audiences as he appeared as a one-man band, singing soulful love songs while playing bass, drums and keyboards simultaneously. In 2001, Dwayne began a lengthy recording process to capture his true voice. In the studio, with the freedom to focus on each instrument individually and layer vocal tracks to create desired effects, D was able to fully realize the culmination of his years as a musician. The result is a rich collection of original tracks. D's first solo effort, "Vex Dem", is a mature soulful EP that blends lush vocal harmonies with smooth jazz and funk. In the tradition of soul artists like Angie Stone and D'Angelo and Avant Jazz greats such as Karl Denson, "Vex Dem" offers introverted love songs sung with the depth that will touch anyone who has ever had the courage to care. "Vex Dem" includes wide-ranging instrumental tracks that move with grooves so accessible they almost betray their inner complexity. With a unique sensibility and driving energy, the debut of D's solo work is certain to earn him a well-deserved place among the new generation of outstanding artists who are shaping the future of music. **Profile by Deborah Sengupta | | Sounds Like | Thousands of musicians of all sorts and genres... | | Record Label | Independent | | Type of Label | Indie |
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| About D-Madness Doing Shanghai, China! |
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D-Madness aka Dwayne Jackson is the baddest musician in this world! He's played in studios, bars and clubs since his teenage years. He was playing in orchestras overseas by his teens as well. In the studio, he basically plays everything but horns (and he's working on that!). If you need ANYTHING--between cello parts and vocal percussion, D-Madness can help you. He is the ultimate session musician. On stage, the normal D-Madness set up is bass or electric guitar, drums, his ASR-10 production keyboard and a vocal mic. He might also play a cheek solo, a nearby beer bottle, or double-time his bass drum with the sticks (even Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun was baffled). When Japan's DJ Krush first saw him play, he asked him to play bass guitar and drums on his next record. When Krush saw him play again, he insisted that D-Madness be added to the next day's show in the next town. When Erykah Badu saw him soundcheckin' at her Black Forest Theater (near their native Oak Cliff, Texas), she pushed him later in the schedule so Prince could see him. When Bernie Worrell saw him play in Austin in 2005, he demanded that D-Madness be added to the bill as opening act for him at the next day's show. In June, 2006, D-Madness took pleasure in opening for Anthony Hamilton at Stubb's in Austin. A well-deserved honor came on February 14, 2008, when Mayor Will Wynn proclaimed "D-Madness Day" in Austin. Get the picture? At home and in the studio, D-Madness writes and arranges dozens of songs every week. From soul to jazz to funk to reggae to hip-hop to whatever, he's an expert. He sings love ballads, inspirational songs, reggae tunes and may even drop a flow. He plays the sickest bass lines, guitar riffs, synths or strings. D-Madness has a cellular musical memory, so when he hears a song even once, his understanding grows in dog years. His recent effort is the D-Madness Project, in which he invites long-time and newly-found musician friends to share the stage with him in presenting the grooviest improv this side of the Mississippi. At any given time, you can find Andrae Van Buren and Melvin Wilborn on alto, tenor and soprano saxes, Wallace Hawkins on trombone, Rolf Ordahl on the Hammond, Andrew Moorehead on Nord keyboard, Carter Arrington on guitar and Ed Miles on drums. Dwayne is immune to arrogance and willingly lends his drumming skills to local reggae band Tribal Nation, blues icon Matthew Robinson and the Central East Band, and multi-genre band Diasporic; his bass skills to neo-soul band NeckBone, New Orleans' Cyril Neville and Tribe 13, the Brannen Temple Quartet, and San Antonio's Mojoe when they cruise through Austin for a gig; and his guitar skills to local reggae band Shantytown. D-Madness has been summoned by local MCs Bavu Blakes, Mike and Ike, D.O.S. and Houston's Devin the Dude to arrange tracks for live performances. D currently serves as music director/bass guitarist for Bavu Blakes' Extra Plairs (Brannen Temple-drums, Carter Arrington-guitar, John Deas-keys, Chris "Shorti Cee" Edwards, Yashi Vaughn, and Willette Wallace-vocals). This gifted group, led by Bavu and hand-picked by D, along with DJ Kurupt and Gary Clark, Jr., took the 2008 Austin City Limits Music Festival to the next level! Local DJs Rapid Ric and Diamond Tip can also attest to the pure D-Madness when they're 'trading fours' during gigs. He has graced the stages of many Austin Warehouse District venues such as 219 West, Cedar Street, The Light Bar and Speakeasy, as well as, The Firehouse Lounge, The Elephant Room, One 2 One Bar, and Besos Cantina. 6th Street has also been blessed with D-Madness, finding him at Maggie Mae's and Roux Restaurant. D is planning his double-CD release in February 2009. To witness D-Madness in his zone is an emotional and unforgettable experience. He is truly an amazing one-of-a kind individual. Observe his gifts. Enjoy and share his music. Join the D-Madness movement.
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