Pressure Points Tour
Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, O-high-O
05/07/05 

John Brown's Body: Top Rankin' American Reggae
Written by: Ras Stefano
Images courtesy of: Sean Payton 

The buzz about John Brown's Body was not new to me … I just hadn't gotten around to taking a likkle listen.  Living five blocks away from the John Brown House in Akron, Ohio, it only seemed fitting for me to take a drive to Cleveland's Beachland Ballroom and hear them out and perhaps find a connection to their namesake.

We arrived at the Beachland as John Brown's Body completed their stage setup.  Being a veteran reggae concertgoer it was easy to note that this wasn't your normal Cleveland crowd of hardcore reggae lovers.  Clearly the buzz about the band bypassed the normal reggae circles, penetrating colleges and universities.  So I decided to dig a little deeper and get a feel from anyone in the audience.  Who better than Tommy Fox, reggae DJ from Cleveland State's WCSB 87.3, who spared no punches in defining the band as “… one of America's greatest (reggae bands)!”  As the lights dimmed, the band took their places and the first chord was struck on a melodious tune called Bread, accented by the musical styling of dreadlocked Elliot Martin (vocals/harmonies).  My biggest regret as they wove from one solid tune to another was the absence of lyrical overstanding on my part.  Sound gets compromised in the large ballroom when it isn't packed with bodies so the vocals tend to get swamped from time to time.  As if reading my mind, band originator Kevin Kinsella (vocals/riddim guitar) came forward, coaxing the crowd a little closer and encouraging them to enjoy the music today for “tomorrow is promised to no one.”  He took the reins and guided the band through his rootsy reggae “Tree of Life” that left me with a pleasant Israel Vibration after-taste.   Thick as blood, lofty as the upper room, JBB's music drifted filling the Beachland with a pulsating dubbed out reggae vibe.  When the harmonies of the alto-saxophone, trumpet, and rarely seen (but greatly appreciated) trombone kicked in, that was it for me, they got me and I was fully awake and aware that JBB was a force to be reckoned with, a band that poured their collective souls into their unique sound without compromise.  It didn't seem to matter whether they spun roots, rocksteady, or crossover reggae-pop numbers, they made it their own by dipping it in dub and ethereal effects (thanks to a traveling sound engineer).  All songs were highlighted by well-placed harmonies, and the horns … were they oh so sweet! 

Obviously the band has a great grasp on this Jamaica musical art-form but I questioned whether it was just music without the conscious message of, dare I say, a typical reggae band.  An opportunity to address my thoughts was presented when Kevin Kinsella approached me out of the blue during intermission.  I figured their intent was hidden somewhere in their name so I asked him, “Why John Brown?”  Kevin Kinsella, when soul-searching for a name was looking for a Garveyesque-type figure that mainstream America could identify with.  John Brown was an abolitionist, a freedom fighter, who raided government arsenals to arm slaves, encouraging insurrections amongst slaves.  In 1861 Julia Ward Howe, wife of a government official, wrote a poem for Atlantic Monthly which stated “John Brown died that the slave might be free.”  JBB mission is for America to examine itself and remember the sometimes forgotten basis of this country, freedom for all.  A tried and tested vehicle of hope, faith and love is Reggae Music and the spread of it within and across borders is a righteous act.  However, JBB's crisp, uncompromised, dub-heavy, well produced American Reggae makes them a hard act for other's to follow.