Your eyes are not deceiving you! Continuing Hampton Roads' House music Renaissance, The Usual Suspects proudly bring you another installment of HEAT. We were forced to postpone the December edition of HEAT, but we are back with the original line-up from the December date...with one major addition - Grammy Award nominee Eric Roberson (AKA - Erro) Purchase advance tickets here __________________ About Eric Roberson If there is a face to the independent soul music movement, it is probably Eric Roberson. The respect he receives from other artists has been driven by his uncompromising success as well as from the unselfishness he has shown in support of other up-and-coming singers and musicians. That peer love appears to only be exceeded by the near fanatical following he has among a surprisingly large fanbase, making him a sort of indie soul royalty.
Born and raised in a musical family in Rahway, New Jersey, some of Roberson's earliest memories were of his father singing and playing guitar. Eric was singing even as a child, and began performing in earnest as a teenager. He attended Howard University on a Musical Theatre scholarship and performed frequently on campus, while also landing a recording contract with Warner Brothers, for which he recording the R&B hit "The Moon" in 1994.
Following graduation, Roberson gathered a reputation as singer, songwriter and producer, and over the past decade he has worked with a virtual "who's who" of adult soul artists including Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Vivian Green, Dwele and Will Downing.
The desire for creative freedom led Roberson to shun major labels and work as an independent for his solo career, beginning with 2001's The Esoteric Movement. Over the next half decade he violated virtually every tenet of conventional wisdom in fashioning one of the most successful independent recording careers. He's released albums when he felt like it, and sometimes reworked and reissued them. He's also sold his CDs principally through his concerts, small retail outlets and CD Baby, resulting in over 100,000 copies sold of his four critically acclaimed albums, The Esoteric Movement, The Vault, Vol 1, The Vault, Vol 1.5, and 2005's The Appetizer. The latter album won for Roberson two SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards for best album and best male artist.
Roberson followed in 2007 with Left, another solid album that continued his winning streak and topped the indie soul charts. And in 2009, he released his most ambitious disc yet, Music Fan First.
A tirelessly touring artist, Roberson plays 8-10 sold out concerts each month and is a guest vocalist on countless albums by other artists. The success of Eric Roberson's activity outside the mainstream has made him a role model for other independent artists and has resulted in a career that continues to build momentum, completely on Roberson's own terms. View Erro's site here
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About Louie "Lou" Gorbea
Anyone who knows Louie "Lou" Gorbea probably knows his roots are in dance (danced with Alvin Ailey and American Ballet Theatre). Those who love his work will probably agree that his excellence as a DJ and producer spring from his dancer's intuitive understanding of how music moves people, both body and spirit. Lou's focus on audience response makes each of his sets unique and infuses his production work with an essence that simply cannot be faked.
There are very few DJs that can capture the imagination so thoroughly, and this man Lou is certainly one of those few. There are few who can cross genres fearlessly,Lou is most certainly one of them. Louie "Lou" Gorbea is known as a DJ's DJ. Lil' Louie Vega introduced him during The Vega Family Get Together at Water Taxi Beach (2010) as his own personal favorite. If you haven't had a chance to be on a dance floor where Louie "Lou" is spinning, check him out on http://www.podomatic.com/lgorbea . This veteran DJ brings the soulful heat with a touch of Latin flavor, and a deep knowledge of music across genres and eras, incorporating diverse sounds, classic rock, disco & R&B through Latin and House styles. He is famous for spinning electrifying old school sets and burning up the dance floor with a blend of the classic and the new. Lou Gorbea has been broadcast on NY stations like KISS FM & WBAI, on the internet via outlets like Cyberjamz, Downshiftradio/UMFM, UM Radio Web, as well as on the popular satellite radio broadcasts via XM Radio. A true veteran of the New York scene, Lou has graced the decks alongside some of the royalty of the House scene, including Little Louie Vega, Jellybean Benitez, Victor Simonelli, Bobby & Steve, and Antonio Ocasio. He has played in such famous NY venues as Discoth�que, Pacha, Shelter, Copacabana, Cielo, Union Square Ballroom, and Water Taxi Beach. His travels have included gigs in places like the Winter Music Conference (Miami, FL), and overseas in places like "Il Ciclope" (Marina de Camerota, Italy), Egg (U.K.), Ministry of Sound (UK), One Happy Cloud (Athens), and Cava Paradiso (Mykonos, Greece).
Lou's production work is a testimony to the depth of his knowledge about music and what moves people's minds and spirits. His DJ resum� speaks for itself, as does the body of his production work, from his amazing collaboration with The Temple Dynasty & Chris Perez on "Keep Rising" through his work with Anan� on her cover of Yoko Ono's "Walking on Thin Ice," "Feeling Good" (Jannae Jordon), "We Are One" (Manchildblack), "Babaluaye y Yemaya" (Lou Gorbea & Chris Perez feat. Nina) "Something's Gotta Give" (Queen Aaminah) and "Free Man 2010" (with Duce Martinez). Full discography available at http://www.louielougorbea.com/discography.php
Lou Gorbea & Kat Ayala's Ash� party ran successfully, on both sides of the Hudson River, for six years. Lou's boat ride parties have included the annually anticipated "River/Ocean" (with Little Louie Vega), "Luv Dancin'" (with Ruben Toro). Currently, you can catch Lou the last Friday of every month at his monthly residency with Antonio Ocasio (Tribal Winds), called "Wepa!" at Bar 13 in New York City. Check "Wepa!" out on FaceBook &YouTube (click here)
For further information on Louie "Lou" Gorbea, please visit www.louielougorbea.com |
