John Brown’s Body Wraps Up First Leg Of Tour In Washington D.C.

John Brown’s Body :: 10.24.15 :: Gypsy Sally’s :: Washington, D.C.

John Brown’s Body wrapped up the first leg of their 2015 Fall Tour at Gypsy Sally’s – one of D.C.’s most impeccable and enjoyable music venues – this past Saturday on October 24. The band’s Fall Tour kicked off in Vermont in September and guided them up and down the East Coast before hitting upstate New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and ultimately our nation’s capitol. This was the first time the band had a chance to visit a few of these markets since the release of their most recent album , 2013’s Kings and Queens. The fans showed up in the masses in D.C. and the busy crowd was fully engaged with the band’s thunderous and powerful sound the entire evening.

John Brown’s Body have been redefining their approach to traditional reggae over the past 20 years, often dipping into more experimental elements such as dub and even a raw rock sound. The band themselves have coined it “future roots music.” With one foot firmly planted in conventional reggae timing or lyrical undertone, mixed in with a liberating twist of genre-bending effects. JBB have created a unique space for themselves under the larger genre umbrella of reggae music.

The band wasted no time when they took the stage, opening up with “What We Gonna Do?” off their renowned album Pressure Points, issued in 2005. Pressure Points, the band’s fifth studio album, was a breakthrough record because it not only showcased JBB’s evolution away from traditional reggae, but it also showcased lead singer Elliot Martin as the primary songwriter for the first time. The pendulum swing of momentum found Martin writing eight of the album’s 11 songs. “What We Gonna Do?” is the perfect show opener because of the song’s natural ambient build before it slams into a thick reggae flow, which is fast, loud, sexy and heavy on the horns. The crowd was mesmerized and locked into a fluid dance groove. One song in and it was clear this was going to be a special show.

The energy in the room was even more magnified when JBB played “Shine Bright,” a gem from their recent catalog that featured Martin commanding the skirt of the stage, hovering over the front row and pumping up the audience. One of the most impressive things about this band is their adept musical ability to stop on a dime, or rest for a measure, before jumping back into the same level of liveliness and sheer force. Bob Marley said, “One good thing about music, is when it hits you feel no pain,” and that’s true. But when the music hits, goes away for a second and hits again something truly special happens in that blank space between the sounds. The horn section is so immaculately sharp and precise they never ceased to bridge the gap and soar the music to monumental peaks.

Many more beloved highlights surfaced including “Blazing Love,” “Plantation,” “Old John Brown” and “33 RPM.” When the band returned from their encore break they laid down “Nah Give Up” and finally “Follow Into Shadow,” the only other number from Pressure Points. Bookending the show with two songs off one of their beloved albums produced an extremely strong outcome.

JBB’s tour will pick back up on December 3 at the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins, Colorado, before a string of dates which will take them out to the West Coast. It’s easy to see why this band has been hailed as pioneers as they continue to push the envelope as well as deliver a unique and organic blend of “future roots music” to an expanding fan base.