John Brown’s Body describes their music as “future roots music,” a term they came up with many years ago to mean a mix of reggae and roots.

This 8-person group consists of a guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboard player, saxophonist, trumpet player and a trombone player. The band also tours with a sound engineer and manager. They’re set to perform at the Westcott Theater Oct. 10.

In an almost 20-year career, John Brown’s Body has released 11 studio albums, some of which topped the charts. In 2008, “Amplify” was ranked among one of the best reggae albums on Billboard and in 2012, “JBB in Dub” made it to No. 1 on iTunes’ reggae chart.

Tommy Benedetti, a drummer and one of the two original members, enjoys playing with such a large collection of musicians.

“It’s great. I love the sound we all make together,” he said. “It’s a powerful sound to sit behind the drums and play with JBB. The guys and I are all really great friends.”

Along with Benedetti is Elliot Martin, the band’s lead singer, songwriter and the other original member.

Martin and Benedetti met when Martin’s former band performed in Boston and later advertised that they were looking for a new drummer. Benedetti got the gig and the two have been accumulating members for John Brown’s Body ever since.

The band is inspired by blues and reggae music. They listen to Jimi Hendrix, The Black Seeds, Iron Maiden and a lot of material from the United Kingdom like Steel Pulse, Dennis Bovell and Aswad.

Benedetti said they love where the reggae comes from, but enjoy incorporating the current American music scene into their records as well.

The group considers themselves progressive because they generally sing about current news, historical events and social movements. On their most recent album “Kings and Queens,” they feature the song “Dust Bowl,” about the dust storm that swept the United States and Canada in the 1930’s and about John Brown, the abolitionist, for whom the band is named after.

This is not the first time John Brown’s Body has played in Syracuse. Previously, they’ve performed at The Westcott Theatre, the now-closed Planet 505 and in Armory Square.

Outside of the Salt City, they’ve performed alongside Jimmy Cliff and Burning Spear and shared the stage at big festivals with headliners like Dave Matthews Band and The Flaming Lips.

The group has also performed both nationally and internationally. Some of their favorite shows include their New Zealand tour and Reggae in the Rocks Festival this past summer at Red Rocks in Colorado. They performed for an audience of about 10,000, Benedetti said.

Lately, John Brown’s Body has only been playing about three to four shows at a time before returning to their home base. When performing, they try to mix it up. The band will play certain tunes that people hear every night as well as deeper cuts. They often play tracks from “Kings and Queens” and their 2002 studio album “Spirits All Around Us.”

The audience can expect to hear their unreleased track “New Fashion” at the band’s upcoming shows.

“We have shared a lot of miles and experiences together,” Benedetti said. “That’s life, that’s friends, that’s family.”

Published on October 6, 2015 at 10:36 pm

Contact: rcplaut@syr.edu