YOUNG UP AND COMING BAND I.R.E. BLAZING THE TRAIL WITH THEIR OWN SOUND

Posted by Kimberly on Dec 2, 2010 in Bold Spicy News, Kimberly James Report, Music |

Intello Rhythm Eclectic taking the town with their own sound

I manage artists of many genres, and Reggae is not excluded in these, so as one of my bands and I made our way through Ga, then to Tennessee to some land way out in the woods called Camp Reggae to play the show that weekend, we had no idea we would come back with some cool young pals and such a high impression of them at that. I remember as we pulled up, it had been raining, and there was red mud all over. I got out of the car, and we loaded our equipment in and got ready for the usual wait, this time outside in the mud, to be able to play. We made our ways to a huge circus tent one of our pals had up and were touching base with other music friends when this tall guy in a headband came up with his bands T-shirts, stickers, and Cds and started handing them out to us. I thought to myself “Wow, this cat is pretty young and driven!”. I was impressed, and intrigued as to just who this young bands was.

We got to the stage later that night, and I noticed that the young man that came up to us was also running sound, so as my guys played, I spent some time saying hello and talked to him about his band. He was excited about their project, and highly driven, so I decided that although I had another band playing in Atlanta the next day I had to get to, I would stay the weather, check them out, then race back to Ga early the next morning.

I had some hello’s that I had to do as they sound checked, so I went off to talk to some other pals that were playing that weekend. I was running a little behind, and as I was making the hike back down the mountain, I hear this incredible female voice with soul carry through the woods. “Wow, who is that?” I said to my friend. My friend that was walking with me had heard this phenomenon before I guess and answered back “Oh man, that’s Amy Middleton of I.R.E.”. I was excited as I had already met their keyboardist Lee Taylor earlier and he was awesome, so we raced down the trail to get to the stage to check these guys and gal out.

I come upon, this very young band, all having to be just out of their teens, with an on stage energy I haven’t seen since the show performances of the late 80′s and early 90′s. Handsome young men, shirtless, dancing and grooving about and a sexy soul-stress leading the way with a voice so powerful it blew my mind. How in the world had I not heard of this band before? It was awesome! The best part was their fans, all grooving with them, having a blast, and I could tell they had a connection with their fans I hadn’t see in a while. I was entranced. The show was amazing, energetic, eclectic as their name promised. I had to put them on some of my shows.

Since that day, I have stayed in touch with the band as well as my friend Lee, and have had them on several shows. People have loved them. Every single person I have introduced to the band have been wowed. I.R.E. (Intello Rhythm Eclectic, as they are called) is a band currently based out of Atlanta, Ga. With members from Ohio, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia.They have been together for about two and a half years and are also currently recording their first album, which is scheduled to be released at the end of December. With Amy Middleton and Troy Richmond on Vocals, Lee Taylor on the Keyboard, Taylor Craig on Drums and Percussion, and Daniel Taylor and Matt McEnery switching off on Bass and Guitar. There is so much raw talent and many different styles being thrown into the equation that they touch it on many different levels.

This band is a must see! I will be out at their next show on December 8th for their show at Masquerade in Atlanta, and I highly suggest you see this show. These young artists are really doing something different with music and Reggae in general. You likely couldn’t just label them Reggae. They honestly have thier own sound and design. A little of this and that pulled from everywhere and molded into a funky groove that will have you dancing and having a blast. You can check out I.R.E. at their website, or their Facebook page. I highly suggest you get out to their show at Masquerade on December 9th though! Look for my interview with the band from their show soon.

By Hannah Huber

Published: February 05 2010 12:04 AMupdated:: February 15 2010 10:50 AM

WUTK sponsored Bob Marley's Bday Bash at the Cider House, a new addition to The Valarium, Friday night. I.R.E and The Natti Love Joys rocked some reggae in celebration of Bob Marley's birthday.

Although they didn't start their show until around midnight, The Natti Love Joys gave an awesome performance, covering all of Bob Marley's greatest hits as well as throwing in a little musical mixture of their own.

The Natti Love Joys, a local East Tennessee band, enjoy bringing Tennesseans the gift of reggae. Husband and wife, Marla and Jatti Allen, created the band and are also lead vocalists.

Marla opened the show with a word of advice and showed her affection for the crowd. "Love family. Love friends. You know what it's about: freedom. Bob Marley, like he told you, don't let them rule you. The Natti Love Joys love you."

Laura Massengall, a local music lover, attended the show and is a big fan of the Natti Love Joys. "I heard a couple of the band members play at a battle of the bands. They won. They were really good." She also said that the band was a great representation of Bob Marley's legacy. "It's reggae. They're down with [Bob Marley's] style."

I.R.E opened for the Natti Love Joys and brought a modern feel to the reggae genre. Three of the band members pitched in with vocals, offering a wide variety of sounds and blending rap, reggae and soul.

Lead vocalist, Amy Middleton, explained to the audience the band's excitement about performing for the celebration of Bob Marley's birthday. "Mr. Robert Nesta Marley: Thank you for all the inspiration you have provided us. Happy birthday, Bob Marley!”

The last festival stop on the second half of the Summer of 2011 tour of Leisure & Erisian Pleasure was UNITUS.

This festival is located a few hours north of Atlanta, GA, so it was on our way back from Blacksburg, VA.

After attending 7 of the largest music festivals in the country this summer, we needed a break from the overwhelming energy of these large gatherings. We found that respite at Jaceland, located in the town of Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee. It’s beautiful and secluded, with lots of trails on which the weekend warrior from Atlanta can ride a four wheeler or dirtbike.

After arriving at the festival grounds, I ventured downhill into the valley of the main stage. I sat down and was instantly entranced by the sounds of Dixon’s Violin. Dixon is a violin Shaman. This means that he has the ability to transport you through multiple dimensions of space using his electric violin, a looper and a sound system. This performance was foreshadowing for the next evening’s ceremony.

After hiding behind drizzling rainclouds for most of the day, the sun shown for a couple hours before the sky lantern ceremony on Saturday night.

As the sun went down, the entire festival gathered in the main stage valley to unfold their Chinese sky lanterns. I have seen many of these ignited and launched throughout the summer, especially during Saturday night at the All Good Music Festival; however, this was he first sky lantern ceremony in which I was able to play a part.


From the main stage, Dixon the violin shaman instructed the crowd to feel our emotions and direct our negative energy into the fire as we ignited our sky lanterns. I could feel the stress of 2 months of non-stop traveling flow through my fingertips as I held the paper lantern above my head, waiting for it to fill with enough hot air to float freely into the Tennessee night sky. As the lantern left my fingertips I let go of any remnant of negativity still coursing through my veins, and then I sat down for the most intense psychedelic violin journey yet.

After Dixon’s healing session, we were entertained by all-night psytrance in the enchanted forest. This included an intimate display of fire arts by all the flow artists in attendance, such as my traveling companion Queso, the cosmic cheese. I got to observe and participate in some of the best fire spinning I had seen all summer (more on this in the next update: Atlanta flow jams).

Queso the cosmic cheese spinning fire at UNITUS

The last act on the main stage was Atlanta’s own I.R.E. (Intello Rhythm Eclectic). This band was well worthy of their headlining position, specifically the vocal stylings of Amy Middleton. After this soul-filled performance I.R.E. has a lifelong fan in me.

UNITUS was the perfect capstone to the second half of the Temple’s first summer tour, and I can’t thank the organizers enough (!Hao & Jordan!) for designing a festival with such a positive intention. ALL OF MY LOVE goes out to everybody involved with UNITUS. Please don’t miss this festival in 2012.

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Thanks for reading my first post for the Temple of Leisurism (& Holy Discord!)

A more cogent explanation of the temple is soon to follow. Check back for stories about this summer’s major music festivals, like Wanee, Wakarusa, Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Camp Bisco, All Good, Gathering of the Vibes, & Floydfest!


Also tune in for updates about the current travelings of the temple. Connect with us on Facebook!