Feature Article...

IT'S TIME TO "DISCOVER"...
ROBERT BRADLEY'S BLACKWATER SURPRISE!

by Ernie Thomas

     The success story for this hard-working Detroit quintet who blend equal 
parts of rock and soul into their music began back in 1996, when MTV jumped 
all over their video for the song, “Once Upon A Time.”  

     That landmark song was something of a juke joint throwback to the days 
when the likes of Otis Redding, Al Green and Solomon Burke were doing their 
thing.  The vocals on that track had a lot of grit and groove, but also a 
smoothness that sometimes recalled a Marvin Gaye cut.    

     Those profound elements of classic soul are all reflected in the 
indelible voice of the group’s namesake and frontman, Robert Bradley, a 
51-year-old blind street singer who feels he is one of the unlikeliest 
success stories in the history of popular music.

      “It’s just like our name says,” muses the gravelly-voiced singer, 
“it’s a surprise!  I’m surprised and everything that’s happened to us over 
the past few years.  To get to this point...to be on MTV, to have fans and 
people who want to get to know me...it’s really pretty nice when you think 
about where I’ve been and the long distance I’ve traveled to get here.”

     For two decades, Bradley tells of how he made his living on the streets. 
  Leaving behind a wife and five children when a wanderlust stole his soul, 
the Alabama native took to traveling.  “My life was simple,” he said.  “I’d 
come into a town on a Greyhound and spend a little time look for what I’d 
call the ‘sweet spot,’ which is a place, usually between buildings that 
amplifies your voice naturally.  That’s were you make the real money because 
your voice sounds so good.  I know where to find the ‘sweet spots’ in most 
cities you could name.”

      When a town began to dry up, Bradley moved on to the next one.  He 
lived as a musical bohemian, in much the same fashion as Woody Guthrie and 
other Americana folk singers of the Dust bowl era.

      Somehow he always seemed to migrate back to the streets of Detroit and 
it was there in 1991, that he was discovered by a songwriting team of 
brothers, Michael and Andrew Nehra.  Through an open window in the office of 
their recording studio, the pair heard Bradley’s voice wafting through  the 
air from a park just outside.  They were riveted by his soulfulness and 
invited him to come and record with them.

     Although he declined at first, Bradley eventually took them up on the 
offer and within a few weeks, the Nehras had built around him the full-blown 
ensemble now known as the Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise and their 
self-titled debut album for RCA Records was released to critical acclaim if 
not commercial success. 

       Their sophomore release, Time To Discover, has been out for about a 
year and finds the group’s old-school sound getting a swift kick in the pants 
from the Motor City’s new school icon, Kid Rock.  The rapper/rocker offers up 
a guest slot on two cuts here – “Higher” (which kicks off the disc) and 
“Tramp 2” (which Rock also co-wrote and co-produced) – and surprisingly the 
odd union of styles works surprisingly well. 

      Kid Rock’s involvement with the album is something of a pay back to 
people he considers “brothers.”   It seems the Nehras lent Rock the use of 
their White Room Studio facilities when he was a struggling young Detroit 
musician.  In addition, both Nehra brothers and Robert Bradley appeared on 
Rock’s multi-platinum album, Devil Without A Cause.   Grateful for their 
collective support and assistance in his early career, Rock was only too 
happy to lend a helping hand to the RBBS on their second effort.

      Playboy Magazine defines Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise as 
“modern blues,” but there is a lot more to it than just the blues. While the 
ghosts of Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters definitely haunt some of Bradley’s 
material, there are also strong traces of Clinton-esque P-Funk and hip-hop in 
the mix here as well.  
 

       Sadly, in this bland era of pre-programmed radio where men in 
three-piece suits who live for the “bottom line” and are seemingly devoid of 
any musical taste rule the air waves, Bradley’s refreshing new hybrid sound 
that has no natural radio home.

     To their credit, the adventurous troupe have not allowed the 
close-mindedness of commercial radio to hinder their success.  They have 
built a rock solid reputation through non-stop touring, both on their own and 
as a support act on dates with such disparate acts as – Sonic Youth, the Dave 
Matthews Band, The Brian Setzer Orchestra and Maceo Parker.

      Bradley said he truly loves the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. Being a gypsy 
traveler is second nature to him and the paychecks are a lot better when 
there is a major record label behind you, opposed to singing for pocket 
change and braving the elements as he did just a few years ago.

      The timing for his good fortune was just right, he reflects.  “The 
streets today are not what they were,” he says recounting how he was once 
mugged for his only possession in the world – his old guitar – while waiting 
for a bus.   “It’s much more dangerous out there now and I’m happy to have 
some company out there on the road these days.”   

Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise will perform at Navy Pier on Dec.r 31 as 
part of WXRT’s New Year’s Eve Gala with Cheap Trick and Poi Dog Pondering at 
Navy Pier.

FRESH FACE NATIONAL PROFILE:

     Our monthly "Fresh Face" feature spotlights a rising new national talent 
you need to be on the look out for in the months to come...

MOODROOM

    Moodroom is one of the rare bands emerging from today’s alternative scene 
with their own hybrid of alt-rock, pop, and trip hop.  Their sound merges 
these influences with beautifully evocative vocals to convey something 
between the mechanical and the organic – something pervasively their own.  

      Formed in 1997 from the ashes of Washington D.C. favorites Duraglow, 
Power Lloyd and Government Issue, Moodroom moved beyond sell-out shows in the 
local D.C. scene to perform nationally and in Europe.  Heavy radio airplay 
their first independent self-titled 1998 EP landed the band a 10-day stint 
headlining the Chesterfield Café in Paris, France.  

    Performances like these prompted Music Biz Magazine to write: “Moodroom 
has been wowing fans and the industry alike with their smoky blend of pop and 
trip hop.”  In 1999, the release of their second CD, EP2, generated glowing 
reviews in The Washington Post and Alternative Press.  Sold-out shows and 
label interest led to supporting dates for Buck Cherry, Gene Loves Jezebel, 
The Getaway People and Agents of Good Roots, among others.

     With  a line-up of Stef Magro (vocals/guitar), Jay Hardin (keys/synth), 
Mike Wolpe (bass), Sean Saley (drums), and Gene Diotalevi (guitar), Moodroom 
has transcended comparisons to bands like Garbage and Portishead.  Their 
sound, described by The Washington Post as “smart and slightly skewed rock 
from The Pixies/Belly side of the musical spectrum,” is the result of an 
interesting collaboration.  

     Vocalist Magro, who passed on an opportunity to play professional soccer 
to pursue music, has resisted several label advances to work on “invented, 
female-fronted” projects.  Guitarist Diotalevi brought in his friend Don 
Depew, former bassist from Guided By Voices and producer/engineer on GBV’s 
record, Mag Earwhig, to produce many of the tracks on Moodroom’s upcoming 
full-length CD.  Bassist and “sample slave” Wolpe is an award-winning 
composer for film and television whose projects include “Jack The Ripper” 
for The History Channel.   And drummer Saley has played with punk giants 
Starvation Army and underground heavies Government Issue. 
 

      Keys player Hardin brings another element to the band: a graduate 
student working on his Masters in Social Work, he frequently involves 
Moodroom in benefits for outreach programs such as assisting HIV positive 
youth.

   Moodroom recently completed recording their full-length debut CD, Hung Up 
On Breathing, and are currently distributing a four-track sampler EP which 
features the cuts “Loving,” “Open Minded,” “E-Song,” and “Safe In The 
Sound.”

     In addition to Depew (Guided By Voices, New Bomb Turks), producers 
involved in Hung Up On Breathing include: J. Robbins (Promise Ring, Jets To 
Brazil) and Don Zeintara (Fugazi, Dismemberment Plan).  The CD represents 
some of the band’s best work produced with equally independent talent.

     Singer Magro’s move to the New York City area this year has allowed the 
band to play more shows at famed venues such as Arlene Grocery, The 
Continental, Mercury Lounge and Elbow Room.      

     Plans now for Moodroom to tour in support of the CD include showcases at 
New York City’s CMJ Music Festival and Nashville’s New Music Conference.  

     For more information on Moodroom, check their website:  
www.moodroom.net.