The Expanders ADD

The Expanders began playing reggae music together in the summer of 2003, and today are one of the hardest working reggae bands in Southern California. They have come to be known for their vintage style of reggae, played in the tradition of classic 1970’s Jamaican groups like The Ethiopians, The Gladiators and The Mighty Diamonds. Their music is centered in three-part vocal harmonies and strong song writing, with lyrics that range from socially heavy to playful and upbeat.
The music on the self-titled “The Expanders” album (2011 Broken Complex) was recorded between 2006 and 2010. The band took the time to develop this recording with the goal that the music have an authentic vintage Jamaican sound. To achieve this type of recording, they enlisted the mixing skills of engineer Jay Bonner, original bass player for The Aggrollites, who now runs the JanDisc record label. The initial tracks were all laid down to analog tape at the famous Killion Studios, owned and operated by engineer Sergio Rios, himself an in-demand musician (most notably as guitarist for Orgone, The Lions, and Breakestra).
The Expanders recent touring activity includes a U.S. tour supporting Slightly Stoopid, a West Coast tour supporting Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, and a U.S. tour supporting Hawaii’s number one reggae group The Green. They have headlined shows in a dozen states including Hawaii and Florida. They have shared the stage with some of today’s most popular reggae acts, including Rebelution, Tribal Seeds, Ziggy Marley, Rootz Underground and Midnite. The Expanders have been featured three times at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in Mendocino County, where their performances were praised in The Beat magazine for recreating “the old classic Kingston rocksteady sound to a T.” In May of 2014 The Expanders performed at the California Roots Festival in Monterey, Ca., which is the largest annual reggae festival in The United States.
In addition to performing their own original material and rare Jamaican scorchers, The Expanders have been the backing band of choice for legendary Jamaican singers such as Alton Ellis, The Maytones, The Ethiopians, The Wailing Souls, and many more.
In 2012, the band released a free album entitled “Old Time Something Come Back Again” as a thank you to their fans. It consists of 13 rare and classic Jamaican oldies performed by The Expanders.
THE EXPANDERS ARE:
John Asher
(Drums, Vocals)
John Butcher
(L. Guitar, Vocals)
Chiquis Lozoya
(Bass, Vocals)
Devin Morrison
(R. Guitar, Vocals)