John Brown’s Body
The Paradise Rock Club
Boston, MA
April 20, 2008
The vibe was high at the Paradise for a night of roots-style reggae, featuring the Cambridge-based band John Brown’s Body. The sold-out show joined fans together to celebrate the groups’ latest album Pressure Points, a release which has been praised for strongly pushing the envelope on contemporary American reggae. With strong openers Giant Panda and Passafire kicking things off, the night was set ablaze with rhythm and beats that left no two feet standing still.
Based in Cambridge, MA, the members of John Brown’s Body have already endured a lengthy, transformative career as one of the most successful and appreciated American reggae groups today. Consisting of eight members, together they appear as a larger than life force, complete with a dynamic horn section, the Hammond B-3, stellar guitar and bass, percussion, and more. Completing their signature sound are the charged, socially conscious lyrics and infectious melodies that continue to capture fans year after year. Their most recent album represents John Brown’s Body coming of age, and after ten-years on the road together, the onstage cohesion and power appears utterly undeniable. Certainly worthy of note was the non-stop energy provided by singer Elliot Martin, who celebrated his return to the stage since recovering from vocal-related surgery earlier in the month. He rocked through the night, receiving especially loud responses as he guided the band through a preview of new tracks like “Get Yourself Over” off an upcoming album. One of the many high-points arrived when lead singer Craig Fujita from the group Pressure Cooker joined the stage, fusing the sounds of old-school reggae with the new, and sending the crowd into a frenzy. The band proved they could blow the crowd away as a whole, but each member proved to separately encompass a fire that kept all spirits high and all people on the move. John Brown’s Body offers an extremely refreshing vibe, where they appear both laid-back and excited about their success and simply glad to be entertaining.
Review by
Jillian Horn
www.performermag.com