John Brown's Body

"John Brown's Body is in the midst of its tenth year of performing, supporting its latest studio album, Pressure Points (Easy Star Records). The seven-member group (from Ithaca, NY and Boston) has developed a strong reputation for it's originality and superb, energetic live show during its ten-year career. The trademark JBB sound evolved out of the early 90's rock and reggae outfit Tribulations, and developed into a 21st century band founded on torque heavy drum and bass, four part vocal harmony, and a horn section.

JBB's sound has also sprung from its attention to songwriting and arranging. The bands two lead singers, Kevin Kinsella and Elliot Martin, point to diverse influences from Johnny Cash and Sam Cooke to Massive Attack and 311. "I grew up in small town America, upstate New York, and we were listening to a healthy dose of Motown, Americana and singer-songwriters. As a guitarist and singer, I construct my tunes on the porch, work out the changes and melody and then later add the rhythm section," says Kinsella. On the other hand, Martin's style is born out of his home studio in New York, where he takes a different approach to building a tune. "To me, the drum and bass form the seed. That's where I start. Then I layer in the other parts I want, but only once the drum and bass are solid. "These two diverse approaches to songwriting have provided JBB with an extensive play list of original songs over the years."