Having wowed the audience at the recently held New Rules Festival when they did backing duties for red-hot dancehall rookie Skeng, the seven-member aggregation Tower Band is on a mission to expand its musical horizons.

The band, which was formed seven years ago, has backed several artistes over that period on stage shows locally and overseas. They include Tanya Stephens, Marcia Griffiths, Ken Boothe, Bugle, Jahshii, Teejay, I-Octane, Nadine Sutherland, Richie Spice, Gyptian, Jahvillani, Rytikal, Half Pint and gospel sensation Kevin Downswell.

“Musically, we bring a fresh approach with interesting arrangements and a vibrant energetic performance. What defines our sound is the fact that we are more than just musicians; we are singers, producers, songwriters, engineers and film and video directors,” band leader, manager and drummer Andre ‘Kryss Ras’ Barnes said.

He added: “Over the seven years that we have been together as a unit, each member has honed his skills through continuous practice and rehearsals. Part of what makes us unique is the vision (that) we have for dancehall and reggae music. We want to restore an era of high-calibre musical performances along with showmanship and fashion like it was in the days of Chalice, Third World, Black Uhuru and Shabba Ranks, to name a few. We believe that musicians are more than just players of instruments and we demonstrate this belief on stage when we perform.”

The other members of Tower Band are Rayon ‘Professor’ Smith (keyboard), Corey Coombs (lead guitar), Mario ‘King Marz’ Ramsey (bassist and musical director), Donald ‘Tesla’ McLish (keyboard), Shane Williams (sound engineer) and Michael ‘Bear’ Hayles (trumpet and road manager).

The band made its debut in 2016 with its first professional gig at the annual Rebel Salute festival. Other major events the band has played at include gigs in Barbados and Its Almost Friday, which is held in New Kingston.