All band members are self-taught musicians; Devin Morrison sings lead vocals and plays rhythm guitar, John Butcher sings harmonies and plays lead guitar, Chiquis Lozoya also contributes vocal harmonies and plays bass, John Asher plays drums and Luis Chuquillanqui plays percussion. Playing organ with the band is Tom Cook. The band collaborated on the musical compositions, with Devin penning most of the lyrics on the album.

Recently the band recorded acoustic versions of select songs from the record live in the Broken Complex studios. Those acoustic sessions are now up on the Broken Complex You Tube channel and are a great way to get to know these original and vintage Jamaican tunes in a new way.

“The Expanders” album also features guest artists Alex Desert and Deston Berry of Hepcat, who contribute vocals on “Merciless Deeds”, and Jah Faith of the Dub Club chanting on “Turtle Racing”. The organ and piano were played by Roger Rivas (Aggrolites) and Dan Hastie (Orgone, Lions).The band performs at several monthly events in the LA area and have worked as a support act with bands such as The California Honeydrops in the Bay Area. The Expanders’ fan base is centered in the LA ska scene that began in the early 90′s and blossomed into the thriving scene that it is today. Now making their third appearance at Sierra Nevada, The Expanders past performances as a backing band were praised in The Beat magazine for recreating “the old classic Kingston rocksteady sound to a T.”

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. Members of The Expanders also play in Hepcat, The Lions, Chris Murray Combo, See Spot and Boogaloo Assasins.   

Listen to Music from The Expanders