Boston-based reggae band is coming back to Maine for shows in Portland, Skowhegan

WHO: John Brown's Body

WHERE: Skowhegan Opera House, Jan. 10; Portland's Big Easy, Jan. 15, 9 p.m.

PHONE: 871-8817

WEB SITE: www.skowhegan.org, www.bigeasyportland.com

With seven albums and 10 years of touring under their collective belt, the Boston-based reggae band known as John Brown's Body has received critical acclaim not only in the U.S., but overseas, as well, for their progressive approach to the popular genre. And they've performed in Maine many times over that decade-long career.

Seeing I've been in contact with members of this group since their first album and a subsequent tour that brought them to Sugarloaf USA one winter about nine years ago, I thought it would be fun to chat with co-founder/drummer Tommy Benedetti again seeing JBB is coming back to our fair state for two shows: Skowhegan Opera House on Jan. 10 and at Portland's Big Easy Jan. 15.

Benedetti called in the phone interview from an airport in Seattle on the Dec. 9 before boarding a plane to Honolulu, Hawaii.

"We did a buncha shows in the Midwest -- like Chicago, Ann Arbor and Madison, Wis., -- and, then we did a little drive over to here in Seattle and we get on the plane tonight," he said.

The first major topic of discussion -- after the initial re-acquainting (he and I have spoken two or three times previously, including our last interview on Sept. 4, 2007) -- was his band's brand new CD entitled "Amplify," which features the band's new lineup, as well as some of the best songwriting John Brown's Body has ever done. I mean, as you are listening, you don't know what the next song is going to sound like -- that is very exciting, to say the least.

"Yeah, that's a good way to look at it, man," the drummer said. "I mean, I remember you and I talked when the album was in the works and things were coming along nice, but it was still in the stage of being formed -- it's nice to talk with the project finished and it's even better to hear your reaction to it. That's great news, bro."

When you consider how much adversity this band has endured the last coupler of years -- bassist Scott Palmer's death from cancer and the amicable departure of co-founder Kevin Kinchella (vocals and rhythm guitar), and two horn players: Dan Delacruz and Chris "C-money" Welter -- it's amazing that they're still a viable group let alone releasing an exquisite new album. It's a surprise that John Brown's Body isn't "moldering in the ground."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Benedetti said. "And we have been through a lot but it's like the Nietzsche philosophy of 'what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.' I think we really put that to the test and I think we came out on top on this record for sure, ya know?"

One was curious to know how the album translates to their live show.

"Well, we're performing -- probably at this point -- a little more than half of the record live," he said. "And a bunch of the tunes we already had in the set -- we've had about three or four in the set before the record dropped -- and then, little by little, we're kind of integrating more tunes into the set. So we're just dropping 'em in as they come but they all fit into the set really nicely so far," the co-founder/drummer added, "I mean it's just been a seamless transition.

"The vibe of making the record was really good," Benedetti continued warmly, "and we really took our time with it -- we knew what we wanted to do -- so when it comes to dropping stuff into the live show it's just kinda second nature, ya know?"

A really hard question was posed next -- one that is probably dreaded, unfortunately -- how would he describe what his group does musically. There is their trademark reggae base, but how would he categorize his band's sound.

"Well, it is a big musical stew, I think," he said. "And it's hard to put your finger on it -- which these days is a blessing and a curse because society and the music business like to put a neat little box on everything and ship it out, but that's never been, though, the way John Brown's Body has done business. So, I think we're just really hitting our stride of really carving out our own sound: it is a mix of many different styles but it's always gonna come from the form of drum-and-bass and heavy reggae which we love -- stuff from the 70s, stuff from today -- but building off that, ya know, it's about textures and sounds and melodies and different instrumentation -- we used African instruments on this record, we used strings on the record, we used Mister Rourke on turntables. I mean, there's so much music out there, there's so much music that we all love, and there's no limit to the process -- so we just do what we do and it comes out sounding like JBB no matter what."

And no matter what direction the band goes over the space of an album -- or albums -- there are common threads that hold it all together: Elliot Martin's lead vocals, being one of those threads.

"It's the approach, it's the sound, it's the writing of the songs and it's just a general vibe and energy around the band and the music that I think has been created over the years," he said. "All that has helped this band stand alone -- hopefully."

As the 16-minute phoner wound down, one was curious to know if there was anything that Benedetti wanted to have passed on to the readers of this on-line interview about their up-coming Maine shows in Skowhegan and Portland --the Opera House and The Big Easy, respectively.

"We're just looking forward to continuing on the path of bringing the smack-down up there," the drummer said. "We've had some great shows from coast to coast and North to South in the last few months on this 'Amplify' tour, and we're looking forward to bringing the vibes back to New England when we get home from this Hawaii tour. It's gonna be a blast! I highly recommend, that people come out and see the band right now: it's in a good place.

Lucky Clark lives in Sweden, Maine.