Jeremiah Hosea-
Few young bassists can claim credentials as extensive or as diverse as Jeremiah Hosea.
After making his professional debut recording and performing with life-long friend and musical mentor Olu, Jeremiah went on to found earthdriver. Since the inception of the project, Jeremiah has toured with Grammy-nominated blues/jazz legend James Blood Ulmer (who "discovered" both Jeremiah and drummer Swiss Chris at earthdriver's third gig), first as part of his "Raw Blues Experience" and then as part of "Memphis Blood", a project co-starring black rock pioneer Vernon Reid.
Jeremiah has also toured with: Ethiopian vocal sensation Ejigayayu Shawbabaw (Gigi) as part of her electric and acoustic ensembles; tabla beat master Karsh Kale; The Gee-Chee Goddess of Warrior Hardcore Soul, Tamarkali; violin virtuoso Lili Haydn, in support of her Arista release, "Light Blue Sun" and Peter Prince (along with Swiss Chris) as the fifth edition of Moon Boot Lover.
Jeremiah's adroit technique and mutant approach to sound, his commitment to the ethos of love, his radical politics and his emerging vocal talent, all coalesce to make him a singular force to be reckoned with.
Oja-
Oja is a turntablist/producer extraordinaire.
The missing link, the secret weapon of earthdriver, Oja joined the project after the release of "No One's Slave". He brings to the table wicked cutz and scratches, along with ambient sounds and textures, sampled text and the ability to filter the other band members through his apparatus.
O began his musical career as a teenager DJing in the St. Louis area, where he DJed parties and trained himself in turntable performance techniques. Concurrently, he began producing hip-hop beats on other people's equipment before purchasing his own MPC-2000. His work has been featured on "Poverty's Cry," the second album from the St Louis-based hip-hop crew Bits n' Pieces; "The Echoeffect", the debut release from earthdriver's "Def" poet Sharrif Simmons; and numerous independent movies and tv programs.
Oja also has a background in radio, having produced, Djed (with Blessed Productive & Ron Paisley, and for "The Home Cookin' Show", a Luv 4 Art online radio production), and hosted "The Subterrain" on 89.1FM. His experience in broadcasting helped him to expand his musical vocabulary even further by compelling him to dig deeper into the crates for more obscure tunes, adding to his already diverse creative palette.
Swiss Chris-
Swiss Chris is a force of nature behind the drum kit.
Many people who recognize Swiss from the Hip-Hop scene know him as a human drum machine or a break beat encyclopedia, which he is, but he is also a consummate rhythmist versed in a multitude of styles.
As a jazz player, Swiss has performed with bop, big band and fusion ensembles. He is a veteran of the NYC funk and R&B scene. He has toured with Grammy nominated blues/jazz legend James Blood Ulmer and Chicago born blues prodigy Ladell Mclin. He has performed with Ejigayayu Shawbabaw (Gigi), a pre-eminent name in the history of Ethiopian music. Swiss has performed with renowned Iranian vocalist Halle. His hip-hop credentials, which include working with artists such as Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Mos Def, Dead Prez, are too extensive to list.
Swiss is currently on tour with rising R&B star John Legend.
Imani Uzuri-
Imani Uzuri is an icon of the NYC indie-scene.
In addition to leading multiple projects of her own (Imani Uzuri, "Her Holy Water" A Black Girl's Rock Opera, and Imani Uzuri's Church of the Universe, a project dedicated to exploring spiritual music from around the world), Imani has worked with a legion of leading artists spanning far and wide across genre lines. Her rich, soulful voice has appeared on the albums of: Jazz great Herbie Hancock; legendary Dub-Reggae duo Sly & Robbie; Drum n' Bass pioneers 4 Hero; Ethiopian vocal sensation Ejigayayu Shawbabaw (Gigi); Hip Hop master Talib-Kweli and Jazz guitar virtuoso David Gilmore, to list only a few of her credits. Imani has performed abroad with legendary bassist/producer Bill Laswell, and she has appeared on David Letterman with the one and only Peter Gabriel.
It was Imani who booked the very first earthdriver gig on Feb 6th, 1999 at CBGB's Gallery.
Ryan Waters-
Ryan Waters made his professional music debut at the age of twelve, on the Portland Oregon music scene. He was a man-child, playing burning lead guitar in groups that otherwise consisted entirely of adults.
In his teenage years he fronted Tom Foolery, one of the hottest bands in the northwest. In 1997, Ryan moved to NYC, where he met Jeremiah Hosea and multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Olu and joined their band, Sacred Circus. It was shortly thereafter that Ryan began touring with Olu in support of Olu's Gee Street Records debut release "Soul Catcher". It was during this period that Ryan co-founded earthdriver with Jeremiah Hosea.
It was also during this period that Ryan met Sade?s guitarist / saxophonist / producer Stuart Mathewman, a man who would later invite Ryan to tour the world with Sade on her "Lover's Rock" tour. Since the completion of that tour Ryan has resided in Atlanta, where he performs regularly with his own band and is an active member of the local music scene.
Bemshi-
Bemshi is one of the most distinctive vocalists you'll ever come across.
Make no mistake, she is definitely good for delivering a blazing soul, rock or jazz vocal, but she brings to earthdriver an element of improvisation in which her voice ventures into a sonic territory reminiscent of sounds one might more customarily encounter in nature, summoned from the alternate dimension of our ancestral unconscious.
earthdriver as a band always incorporates improvisational elements, but it is usually with Bemshi taking the lead that the band takes a break from its rehearsed repertoire and takes off into pure sound exploration.
Bemshi has recorded with Jazz great Robert Moses, Malian vocal and guitar virtuoso Salif Kieta and has performed with her own band on BET and David Letterman, as an artist for Capitol Records.
After dedicating the past few years to diligent research and training, Bemshi has recently begun a career as a Vibrational Healer.
Mark Lesseraux-
Mark Lesseraux is an artist who combines exceptional vocal ability with extraordinary and prolific creativity. He's gifted with golden pipes, golden ears and the ability to write an entire song- verses, chorus, bridge, the works?on the spot.
Since co-producing earthdriver's debut album, "No One's Slave" (released in 2000), Mark has completed numerous full-length album projects including: "Boy Band" a rebellious (and rather hilarious) response to the "ultra-pop" scene produced with earthdriver bandmate Ryan Waters; Ghost Pulse, a compilation of songs featuring Mark on acoustic piano; "Little Steel-Toed Willie", a limited edition cassette release featuring Mark on acoustic guitar in display of another of his many alter egos; "Slow Novocaine Mercy Resuscitation", a masterful demonstration of sparse vocals, break beats, trippy, ambient sounds, loops and FX; and "Are We There Yet?" the debut release of Mark's critically acclaimed band, The Citizens (also featuring earthdriver guitarist Thom Loubet).
He is currently in the studio again, working on The Citizens eagerly awaited second album.
