No-Maddz trod Europe on own power - Poetry quartet plans theatre run in January

It is easy to make connections between the Jamaican and European trods of No-Maddz, the poetry quartet which augments its sound with song and is accompanied by a band in full musical performance.

For one, Sheldon Shepherd (who does the bulk of The Sunday Gleaner interview while O'neil Peart, Everaldo Creary and Christopher Gordon chip in from time to time) said the band bought seven bicycles during their stay in Essen, Germany, where they rented a flat and also chipped in for studio time.

A Gleaner story published January 4, 2009, about their New Year's Eve 2008 event at The Pantry in New Kingston, reported that "The four, from the old-boys club, (Kingston College, that is) rode bicycles along the walkway, through the audience."

Then last year, No-Maddz lived up to the name of their live recording, The Trod, with an extensive cross-country trek that closed off at the Bob Marley Museum in St Andrew. They duly spent almost one-third of 2011 outside the country, taking the Trod to Europe from their Essen base, bicycles, mattresses and all.

They intend to use those bicycles again, when they go back to Germany in 2012. "We left the bicycles with the people at the studio and told them we want them when we come back," Shepherd said.

Personal power

No-Maddz high-pitched "poo puku poo puku" introduction to Rise Above Profanity has carried their images worldwide on the Puma Faas campaign, the advertisements also featuring sprinter Usain Bolt. However, No-Maddz emphasise that they took the Trod to Europe on the power of their own finances, earned from the campaign.

The poetry quartet, along with their manager, left Jamaica in mid-May for a Puma appearance at Athletes World in Rome, Italy, one of a number of such engagements specified by their contract. "What they wanted us to do was show up, vibe with the audience, hold a vibe in Rome for Usain Bolt's appearance. We did that," Shepherd said.

However, they had additional plans - No Maddic Movement plans, not Puma plans, which they were willing and able, through the Puma earnings, to carry through from their own pockets. "We were supposed to come back after that, but we decided we going to use this as the Trod Live, European tour," Shepherd said.

So the musicians, DiHaadhaadban, and engineer were added to the contingent from Jamaica, the keyboard player having to play the bassline for the first two shows until the bass player arrived. Through the manager's father's contacts (Gordon points out that as a booking contact "he has a good name, not really a business") they hit the phone lines and knocked on a few doors to seek shows and also put on a few themselves.

The No-Maddz website lists Zeche Carle in Essen on June 11, Kreativdork, also in Essen, on June 18 and 25, the Ruhr Reggae Sumer Festival in Mulheim, Germany, on July 24, the Bus Palladium in Paris, France, on July 27, Reggae Jam in Bersenbruk, Germany, on August 6, the ACUD Session Club in Berlin, Germany, on September 9, and the U-Club in Wuppertal, Germany, on September 10.

Outside Europe was a trip to Daegu, South Korea, for the track and field World Championships, that was done through Puma at the Hyundai Department Building.

And in-between the shows was living. "Every day we play music, go to grocery shopping, do per diem for the man them. Nothing too major, but nothing too much under the per diem," Shepherd said. "Live here man!" Creary intoned, capturing the group's attitude. "Is a phrase - how you inhabit the place where you live. You relax and you make it your home," Creary said.

The shows were done for free, with some of the promoters who agreed to have No-Maddz paying the standard daily allowance. But there was one large festival organiser which would have none of the unannounced No-Maddz. After a six-hour drive to Stuttgart, they were met with a dismissal that the organisers were busy, a closed door and a large, grey barking dog.

"We say alright," Shepherd said.

While that reception was decidedly frosty, there was another kind of chill to deal with as well. Peart saying that at one concert "my fingers were frozen".

Still, there were the warm times - at the second Kretivdork show, Shepherd said, a big yellow orb was used to represent the sun and the venue owners brought in sand. "It was the No-Maddz live on the beach," Shepherd said.

So, after over 100 days outside Jamaica in 2011, funded mainly out of pocket ("Puma budget was the fuel," Gordon said), the No-Maddz intend to continue their wandering poetic ways in March 2012, after a run in the Theatre Place, New Kingston, early in the new year.

"We live for touring. We have a three-hour set. We can scale it down to two hours," Shepherd said.

Poetry quartet plans theatre run in January
'Every day we play music, go to grocery shopping, do per diem for the man them. Nothing too major, but nothing too much under the per diem,' Shepherd said. 'Live here man!'
After a six-hour drive to Stuttgart, they were met with a dismissal that the organisers were busy, a closed door and a large, grey barking dog.