Tag Archives: Eric Roberson

Zo! – ‘SkyBreak’ (2016)

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The third +FE Music release from producer, multi-instrumentalist, and musical director of The Foreign Exchange, Zo!.

The 10 song collection features guest appearances from Eric Roberson, Phonte, Muhsinah, innovative UK soul wonder Dornik, and longtime Dungeon Family affiliate and funk/rock veteran Joi.

01. Lake Erie feat. Sy Smith
02. Starlight feat. Phonte
03. Packing For Chicago feat. Muhsinah
04. I Don’t Mind feat. Shana Tucker
05. Wishing You Well feat. Carmen Rodgers
06. A Season feat. Eric Roberson
07. Just Whatcha Like feat. Joi
08. Lifelines feat. Dornik
09. For Pops
10. Steal My Joy feat. Tamisha Waden

Purchase SkyBreak
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Listen to SkyBreak
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2014 in Pictures

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2014 was a year I spent on the ROAD. Shall I even attempt to list all of the cities?! ….Hell, why not. This year I hit up Amsterdam, Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham (Alabama and United Kingdom), Boston, Brooklyn, Cape Town, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Cologne, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Durham, Fresno, Houston, Johannesburg, Kansas City, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Oakland, Paris, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Richmond, Rotterdam, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Ana, Seattle, St. Louis and right down the street…. Washington D.C.

I got to hear music that I worked on every single week on Adult Swim’s animated series, Black Dynamite, saw myself on TV one day and decided to make a change by dropping off 35 lbs in the first few months of the year, traveled and saw some of the world with The Foreign Exchange and solo with Carmen Rodgers, started working on an EP with 1/2 of +FE, Nicolay, rocked an NPR Tiny Desk with +FE, began scoring a documentary, began a storytelling series, “Studio Campfire Stories: LIVE” that started on the right foot with a sold out show in Atlanta, and released one of the more talked about videos of the year (in my eyes anyway haha)..

Here’s to a helluva 2015 and much love to everyone riding with me throughout this musical journey… *raises glass of brown likkuh* Cheers!!

In Seattle
Rockin’ Boston |Photo by Dart Adams
In Sacramento
Photo by Abby O. Photography
Photo by Jon Crisp
With Algebra Blessett
Tiny Desk with +FE
Tiny Desk featuring +FE
Photo by Nikki at Infinite Ink
Photo by Dominique Easton for KÏNGDØM Photography
Encore at the +FE show • Magic Stick in Detroit, MI (05.09.14)
Photo by Dominique Easton for KÏNGDØM Photography
Me and Phonte in San Diego
The Charlotte crowd
Studio Campfire Stories in Atlanta… Sold Out Show!
San Francisco crowd shot
Rockin’ Pittsburgh
Photo by Nikki at Infinite Ink
Chicago!
Crew photo in Paris
Photo by Dominique Easton for KÏNGDØM Photography
in Jo’burg | Photo by Ernest Sefolo
We Are On The Move
Photo by Omni StudioPhotography
Pictures after the show
Photo by Dominique Easton for KÏNGDØM Photography
Photo by Dominique Easton for KÏNGDØM Photography
With Dam-Funk and 14KT in LA
Nashville!
Love to the Brooklyn crowd | Photo by Nick Baglio
Photo by Nikki at Infinite Ink
Photo by Abby O. Photography
Photo by Molex Photography
Me and Nicolay setting up to take a crowd pic in LA | Photo by Nick Baglio
StL crowd | Photo by Nick Baglio
Photo by Dominique Easton for KÏNGDØM Photography
Sacramento crowd shot
In Vegas
Yep, I’m ready to smash this stage too, Carmen Rodgers…
Rockin’ in NYC
Taking Pictures of Cape Town
Me and Algebra in London
Riding through Soweto
Rockin’ in NOLA | Photo by Nikki at Infinite Ink
Photo by Ćrís Mércádó
With Frank McComb in Alexandria, VA
Normal IG picture…
Poppin’ through your IG
With Carmen Rodgers and Sy Smith after our show in LA
Photo by Dominique Easton for KÏNGDØM Photography
After our Paris Show
Photo by Abby O. Photography
Streets of London
Carmen rockin’ her Zo! tee
Photo by Nikki at Infinite Ink
Some ink in Minneapolis, MN
NOLA | Photo by Nikki at Infinite Ink
With Sy Smith and Joi in LA
Photo by Abby O. Photography
Landing in London
Visiting Zana at Spectacles in Detroit
Photo by Nikki at Infinite Ink
In the studio with Carlitta Durand
Black Van In Paris
Carmen and Erro saingin’ in …..”Harmonism”
Detroit vs. The Eiffel Tower
Photo by Abby O. Photography
Photo by Abby O. Photography
Me and Jeanne Jolly at The Howard Theatre in DC
Ran into Robin S. on the plane from Amsterdam to Atlanta
Photo by Dominique Easton for KÏNGDØM Photography
Photo by Dominique Easton for KÏNGDØM Photography
Sacramento
Rockin’ Minneapolis, MN
‘We Are On The Move’ in Jo’Burg
Clowning in Nashville
Back on stage with Sy Smith in DC
Black Van landing in South Africa
Me and Carmen Rodgers
Posing with the worst tasting chips I have EVER eaten
With Monica Blaire in Alexandria, VA
Cape Town
Photo by Abby O. Photography
With Waajeed in Detroit
Photo by Nikki at Infinite Ink
Photo by Abby O. Photography
Riding the train in Paris
+FE on Fox5 News in Vegas
Not so normal IG picture…
Photo by Abby O. Photography
Seattle crowd shot

Visuals from the Zo! featuring Carmen Rodgers at the 2nd Annual Pink Alive Concert for Breast Cancer Awareness in NYC – (10.28.14)

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Visuals from…

Zo!
featuring Carmen Rodgers
at Joe’s Pub in New York City, NY
October 28, 2014

Personnel:
Zo! – Grand Pie-Anna
Carmen Rodgers – Lead Saingin’
Eric Roberson – Guest Saingin’ on “We Are On The Move”
Zach Cutler – Gee-tar
Dennis Turner – The 6-string Low End Theory
Jon Laine – Skins

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Zo! featuring Carmen Rodgers – Performing at 2nd Annual Pink Alive Concert for Breast Cancer Awareness in New York City, NY – October 28, 2014

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2nd Annual Pink Alive Concert for Breast Cancer Awareness

Zo!
featuring Carmen Rodgers

Tuesday, October 28, 2014 – New York City, NY
(ManMade Tour)
Joe’s Pub
425 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003 | (212) 539-8778
Doors: 9p | 18+
BUY TICKETS

“We Are On The Move” Debuts on Vh1 Soul!!

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It feels pretty good to now have two videos from ManMade in rotation on VH1 Soul now (“Count To Five” being the first)… “We Are On The Move” is definitely my most popular video to date and I’m happy to see that it’s finally getting a bit of television shine… Click the picture to see the video.

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Zo! Interview on Music Emissions

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Author: Carlita
Source: Music Emissions

INTERVIEW: Zo!

Remember when video channels actually played videos and you came across a new one that made you want to know more about the artist and the album attached? Yeah, me too. A few weeks ago, I encountered R&B artist Zo’s new video ” We Are On The Move” featuring Phonte (who I’d interviewed a few months ago with with his partner, Nicolay, in FE), Eric Roberson and Darion Alexander that lifted spirits, brought the funk, made me want to get down via the underground interweb (which has great taste, btw) and I needed to know more. I discovered a talented (music and baseball wise) producer, composer and musician from the D that delivered a 2013 album , “ManMade” combining with other R&B singing talents, that deserves all the accolades it’s received.

LISTEN TO FULL INTERVIEW

Scoring A New Documentary “Undeniable – The Story of The Independent Soul Music Movement”

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Undeniable

I’m honored to have been selected to score a new documentary that is currently in production entitled Undeniable – The Story of The Independent Soul Music Movement. The film’s director and producer, John Jointer contacted me a few months ago to ask me about being a part of the project, to which I was completely down to do. He said that he would be at our Indianapolis show (back in October) to sit down with Carmen Rodgers and I for interviews and to get some show footage. He then asked me if I would be interested in scoring the film as well. Hell YEAH I’d be interested! So there you have it… Between the Vegas Documentary, doing the music for the second season of Black Dynamite – The Animated Series and now this project, I’m really happy with the expansion to television and film. The new year has gotten off to a pretty wonderful start…

Watch the Undeniable Film TRAILER

Support the film HERE

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Zo! – “We Are On The Move” featuring Eric Roberson and Phonte (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

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There are only two rules I have for watching this new video:
1. Leave your cool at the door…
2. HAVE SOME FUN.

The day before this video shoot, I was catching up with Eric Roberson in the car where we had the heat blasting as it was cold as shit outside (of course with today’s ‘Polar Vortex’, it probably seems like nothing now). Anyway, as we were talking… almost in mid-sentence Erro stops and said, “Hol’lup, we’re shooting (the video) outside tomorrow?” …To which I responded, “Yeah.” It was supposed to be 30-35 degrees (F) in the morning and top off at about 40 in the afternoon. We all met up at around 7:30a the next morning, threw a couple of dance moves together, looked at each other like, “It’s cold as hell, but we’re out here… Let’s have some damn fun.” And that is EXACTLY what happened…. Enjoy!!!

Zo! “We Are On The Move” featuring Eric Roberson & Phonte (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Directed by: Kenneth Price

Purchase ManMade HERE • Or on iTunes

Eric Roberson, Darion Alexander, Phonte, and I on set in NC (Dec. 2013)

Eric Roberson, Darion Alexander, Phonte, and I on set in NC (Dec. 2013)

2013 In Pictures

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With 2013 being the most successful year in my music career, it’s only right that I share the pictures that documented it. Looking back, I released my newest album, ManMade, and had the pleasure of visiting Brooklyn, Baltimore, D.C., Chicago, Richmond, Philly, Pittsburgh, LA, Tucson, Detroit, Vegas, Seattle, Austin, Durham, Atlanta, Charlotte, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Cleveland in support of it – I was even asked to perform on the eight-day Capital Jazz Cruise at the beginning of November. I contributed to the new The Foreign Exchange album Love In Flying Colors with “Listen To The Rain,” and The Reworks with a remix for Phonte’s “Gonna Be A Beautiful Night”. I hung out with Bobbito and Crazy Legs of Rock Steady in NYC, began endorsing Lewitt Audio, released an ode to Sesame Street in the form of the “Count To Five” video, was the subject of my FIRST documentary, and even had a day named after me in Las Vegas.

Things to look out for in 2014…
• Making the music for Black Dynamite – The Animated Series (Season 2) with Fatin “10” Horton
• My very first trip to South Africa with The Foreign Exchange at the end of March + a world tour with +FE
• A brand new single + video from ManMade + more solo dates
• New, original music… Including a collaborative EP with…………………………

…….anyway, thank you, 2013… Here’s to one helluva productive and positive new year in 2014. Cheers!!

Eric Roberson, Darion Alexander, Phonte, and I on set in NC (Dec. 2013)
Setup at Indianapolis’ Jazz Kitchen (Oct. 2013)
Photo shoot in NC with Creative Silence
Zo! shirt sighting!
Me and my brother, Waajeed in Detroit (june 2013)
A view from the keys at the +FE show in Columbia, SC (Oct. 2013)
Sy Smith and I rockin’ out in Seattle (July 2013)
Live painting of me by Demont “Peekaso” Pinder on the Capital Jazz Cruise (Nov. 2013)
@Hicksont77 rockin’ a Zo! shirt
@Ms_Toni with the Zo! Shirt
The sun shining on Detroit (June 2013)
Me with Michael Coylar (Nov. 2013)
Durand Bernarr and I after the Cleveland shows (Dec. 2013)
ManMade – Released on May 21st
Another Zo! shirt sighting!!
On the keys in L.A.
Me with Saxappeal, Zach Cutler, Tim Scott Jr., Carmen Rodgers and Darion Alexander after smashing the Las Vegas show (July 2013)
Carmen and I after +FE’s Atlanta show (Oct. 2013)
Autographed pre-orders! (May 2013)
The Island of Curaçao (Nov. 2013)
In Detroit (June 2013) • Photo by Norvell Molex
Anthony David, Carmen Rodgers and I after our show in Atlanta (Aug. 2013)
Contributed to The Reworks album this year with “Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” Remix
Lewitt Audio LCT 540 condenser microphone looking nice in East Wing Studios
Rocked with Original Blackbyrds member Allan Barnes at my boy Tate McBroom’s wedding in September.
Keys • Photo by Creative Silence (July 2013)
Gwen Luh De Keeeds (May 2013)
One of my FAVORITE spots in Detroit… Bucharest Grill. (June 2013)
Full House in Atlanta for +FE (Oct. 2013)
@Cocoa_Cheeks_ rockin’ a Zo! shirt
On keys for The Foreign Exchange in Raleigh, NC (Oct. 2013)
Eric Roberson, me and my stank face that made a few appearances during the show. (Nov. 2013)
Rockin’ on the Capital Jazz Cruise (Nov. 2013)
Brand new interface in the studio (Oct. 2013)
Ideeyah, Monica Blaire, Sy Smith, Darius Mitchell, Me, Kristopher Crosby, Brandon Williams, and Saxappeal after a helluva homecoming show in Detroit. (June 2013)
“Count To Five” got some love in July on “Numbers Never Lie” (July 2013)
Me and Carmen rockin’ out in Cleveland (Dec. 2013)
Video Shoot in NC (Dec. 2013)
Signing a fan’s keytar in Houston (Sept. 2013)
First single from ManMade… “The Train”
The L.A. Crowd (June 2013)
Me and Larry Graham (Nov. 2013)
Phonte on stage in Durham • Photo by Meri Hyöky Photography
@Eclectic1914 rockin’ the Zo! shirt
Rehearsal in Atlanta (Aug. 2013)
On keys in Vegas (July 2013)
Atlanta Skyline (Oct. 2013)
The Pittsburgh crowd awaits… (June 2013)
Zach Cutler, Deborah Bond and I in NYC (June 2013)
Ursula Rucker and I in Philly (June 2013)
Twin Motif set-up in Tucson (July 2013)
On the bass in the Gibson Showroom – Vegas (July (2013)
in Seattle (July 2013)
Rockin out in Dallas with Carmen Rodgers, Lock Johnson on the drums (Sept. 2013)
@Sophia1922 with de Zo! shirt
“Count To Five” video (May 2013)
Me and Bobbito at the D.C. showing of his street ball documentary, “Doin’ It In The Park” (May 2013)
Bobbito, Me and Crazy Legs in NYC (July 2013)
Stevie at NAMM (Jan. 2013)
First stop on the ManMade Tour was…. Brooklyn on its release date.
Zo! shirt spotted in these skreets!!
Deborah Bond going IN (July 2013) • Photo by Meri Hyöky Photography
Me and Carmen in Houston, Gary Mayes on drums (Sept. 2013)
Contributed “Listen To The Rain” on The Foreign Exchange’s ‘Love In Flying Colors’ (Sept. 2013)
Zo! + Carmen Rodgers (Sept. 2013)
Me and Gwen Bunn after shooting the “Count To Five” video in NC (May 2013)
Me and Deborah Bond after rockin’ in Philly (June 2013)
In Southfield, MI recording with Collective Peace (Oct. 2013)
Chuck Anderson, Richard Williams, Nate Mitchell, Me, and Dennis Garner
Chicago Show (June 2013)
+FE Soundcheck in Raleigh, NC (Oct. 2013)
Show love after EVERY show. In Dallas (Sept. 2013)
Looks like I’m singing… But I’m really just talkin’ shit.
At the Gibson Showroom @ Fox 5 Vegas going over the gameplan…
Live interview/meet and greet at Moods Music in Atlanta (Aug. 2013)
@LifeOfALibra rockin’ a Zo! shirt
Another one added to the wall…
Richmond showed up… (June 2013)
Deborah Bond and I in Durham (July 2013)
…just visiting vinyl sold out this year.
Photo by Meri Hyöky Photography
Still can’t believe I have my own day in Vegas. (July 2013)
Having fun on stage in Durham (July 2013) • Photo by FroLab
Carmen Rodgers and Phonte going in on a game of Operation (Oct. 2013)
On the Road to NC (Dec. 2013)
Jarrard Anthony, Me, Jon Bibbs, and AB
Soundchecking in Pittsburgh (June 2013)
With Sy Smith performing at NAMM (Jan 2013)
Me and Phonte before the “Count To Five” video shoot
Me + Sy Smith rockin’ twin Motifs at NAMM (Jan. 2013)
Helluva year for +FE Music
After rocking our Charlotte Show (Aug. 2013)
Tucson, AZ (July 2013)
The crown…
ZoTif, Nord Lead 2X, and the Moog Little Phatty… D.C. set up (May 2013)
Final touch of fatassedness on the Capital Jazz Cruise (Nov. 2013)
Carmen Rodgers and I after our Atlanta Show (Aug. 2013)
On bass at the Detroit Show (June 2013)
ManMade held it’s own on iTunes at #2 on the R&B charts the first couple of days out…
Chantae Cann and I before performing on the Capital Jazz Cruise (Nov. 2013)
Me and Carmen in St. Louis (Oct. 2013)
All day… • Photo by Creative Silence
Showing Sy some key parts in Detroit (June 2013)
My first visit to Biscuitville in Raleigh, NC (Oct. 2013)
Fall in Michigan (Oct. 2013)
The Zo!Tif in Richmond (June 2013)
Made it to CentricTV’s “13 Best Indie R&B Artists of 2013” (Dec 2013)
Durham Crowd Participation • Photo by Meri Hyöky Photography
Yep, that’s a ManMade cake, bruh. Made by @TheCakeLadyNY
Rockin’ out at Fox 5 Vegas in the Gibson Showroom
Lewitt Audio Microphone for the road…
Dr. Lonnie Smith MURDERING on organ at NAMM (Jan. 2013)
On the bass for “We Are On The Move” in Pittsburgh (June 2013)