WERS 88.9 fm - Artist Interview: John Browns Body

February 10, 2009

“You can’t really be a reggae artist and not be touched by the music of Bob, especially. I really believe he never wrote a bad song; he just transcends genres and decades.” That statement was made by Tommy Benedetti of John Brown’s Body who stopped by the WERS studio during Rockers' Black History Month tribute to Bob Marley. It's something most reggae artists would agree with. Tommy believes that Bob Marley is, “everything to the genre [reggae] in a lot of ways,” but also notes Peter Tosh and the original vocal trio of The Wailers, Sly & Robbie, Burning Spear, and Culture as his other musical influences.

John Brown’s Body as a whole is influenced by modern international reggae artists such as Midnight, Gentlemen, and the Marley’s. They really focus on bands that stick to a “roots edge,” and yet still bring something new to the table, which is what the band has been doing for the past few years. “We love roots reggae but we’re trying to forward the genre and forward what we do and challenge ourselves and put out a new flavor in the world.”

John Brown’s Body creates progressive roots reggae that has been out to influence the scene since the mid-1990s. Coming out of Boston, this 8-piece band also includes Elliot Martin (Vocals), Nate Edgar (Bass), Matthew Kofi Goodwin (Hammond B3, Clavinet, Synths) Mike Keenan (Guitar), Alex Toth (Trumpet), Annakalmia Traver (Saxophone), and Scott Flynn (Trombone).

Their latest record, Amplify, was released on September 30th through Easy Star Records. It debuted at number one and number ten on CMJ's World Music Chart. John Brown’s Body will release Reamplify on March 17th; it will feature remixes of songs from Amplify by some of today's other reggae artists. John Brown’s Body will be going on tour starting March 19 in Boulder, Colorado and will conclude with a homecoming back here in Boston show on April 25 at the House of Blues.

www.myspace.com/johnbrownsbody

www.johnbrownsbody.com

-Amanda Agueda