BMS talks with co-founder Tommy Benedetti about the band By Alysis Richardson, Staff Writer CLICK HERE for original Boston Music Spotlight story
John Brown’s Body has left footprints in the Boston music scene for over a decade, but with the release of their latest album, Amplify, the 8-piece reggae band’s once ground-steady career is now soaring to new heights.
Amidst their U.S. tour in support of their new album, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Reggae Charts, drummer and co-founder Tommy Benedetti says he’s not taking it for granted. “We’re a band that’s been doing this a long time and to still be doing what we’re doing at the level that we’re at…we’re really lucky,” says Benedetti who will hit the House of Blues this weekend.
Though the New York Daily News dubbed them as a “more massive attack than Marley,” only one of many recent accolades, the John Brown’s Body (JBB) we see on tour today did not come to fruition without turmoil and tragedy. JBB have weathered complications that would put many bands to rest. The tragic loss of bassist Scott Palmer to cancer in 2006 stirred things up, ultimately leading to the departure of several original band members including lead singer and co-founder Kevin Kinsella. Things were certainly looking muddy for the Boston-based progressive reggae band, now fronted by Elliot Martin.
“The shift was already on musically when Scott passed away and I think people saw that as the proper time to make the split if they were going to make a move,” Benedetti explains. “Elliot and I saw that as the time to try to refocus the energy and the music and the vibe of the band and reconnect to what we wanted to do. We already had the core of the rhythm section together so it was just a matter of ‘Could we fill the spots with some family?’”
JBB certainly did find family within Drew Sayers and Sam Dechenne as new additions to the horn section. Acquaintances on the Boston music front, Benedetti said he had played small combo gigs with the two over the years so the chemistry was already there. Now, they’re part of the JBB family and settling in quite well on tour. “Drew and Sam are killin’ it,” Benedetti says. “Straight up. They worked really hard to get themselves up and ready to do shows…they sound great and it’s only going to get better from here.”
Part of what makes John Brown’s Body so unique is the rich, layered sound that comes with having an 8-piece band. Their influences certainly exude the same big-music-sound with reggae heavyweights like Burning Spear and the old Wailers. Benedetti says he thinks the multi-dimensional arrangement opens up infinite possibilities. “Personally I’ve always been a fan of a really big sound and I love big band music. There are a lot of textures and sounds and different combinations of instruments that you can touch on.”
In the beginning of their career, JBB was strongly known as an American “roots-reggae” lineup, celebrated for their organic and refined sound. Today, Benedetti says he tries to steer clear of any labels, but if he had to call it something, it would be a “future roots sound,” which combines a foundation of their roots with a new sound altogether, fusing different blends of music and paving the way for reggae bands to come.
“That’s what we came up with to define it,” he says. “Because we do dip our hands in the classic, old-school sounds: the drums and bass, we always bring out horns, we travel with a B3 and a cloud and all these sounds and instruments that are essential to that “roots sound” of the 70s and 80s. But on top of that we don’t have any intention of making just straight up reggae records.”
Benedetti continues, “We’re just trying to push ourselves to stay creative and challenge ourselves and put out interesting music. There’s so much inspiration in an 8-piece band…it would be selling ourselves short not to get as much as we can into the stew.”
As a result of their forward direction JBB said they have noticed a younger, cross-genre following over the last three years. “We’ve picked up a bunch of new fans and when we’re lucky enough to do all ages shows, we definitely see a lot of young kids hanging out and knowing the words and the titles and songs, so that is encouraging,” Benedetti says.
After an impressive career spanning over a decade, six studio albums and a multitude of headlining tours, it all comes down to the two hours John Brown’s Body share on stage each night. They have found a formula that shines, just in time for their show Saturday night at the House of Blues.
“I’m personally having the best time that I’ve had playing this music with this group of people,” says Benedetti who can’t wait to play a show at home in Boston. “I’m trying not to be biased, but honestly, Boston has always been one of the highest spots across the country, and we’ve traveled across the world and back! It has always been a really amazing high energy and Boston brings the love and we just try to give it back. I think that’s going to be multiplied exponentially this Saturday and I can’t wait to get there.”
In the meantime, Benedetti strongly encourages you to check out the re-mix record, Re-Amplify, which opens up JBB’s music to demographics of people who may have never heard it before. He explains, “From an artistic standpoint I’m really satisfied with it because it lets our songs be heard in a different light in ways that maybe we wouldn’t be able to come up with, so I really encourage people that have followed the band to check out RE-AMPLIFY because it’s a really important part of the evolution of the band and we appreciate peoples ears on everything that we do.”
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