Album Notes

Jonkanooz creates original music you don't hear everyday on pop radio. The style is reggae blended with roots rock, blues, jazz, ska, country and hip-hop influences.

Jamaican singer-songwriter Nooz is the man behind the music and words on the band's debut CD, Wake The Town. If his lyrics have an authentic, gritty quality, it's because Nooz pretty much writes from his life experiences.

The artist was born in Kingston, Jamaica, where a chance encounter with Ziggy Marley guitarist Chinna Smith led to his becoming the youngest member of Soul Syndicate, Jamaica's legendary recording band.

Among his many outside influences are Bob Marley & the Wailers, Skatalites trombonist Don Drummond, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Sublime, and the Clash.

Nooz is joined on Wake the Town by a cast of characters that include Eek-A-Mouse bassist Tyrone Flapper Minnot, Steel Pulse keyboardist Sydney Mills, and jazz trombonist Alex LoDico, among others.

The artist took the band's name from Jamaica's traditional masquerade known as John Canoe (or Jonkunnu)--a blend of music, masks, and dance. Jonkunnu ceremony embodies the return of ancestral spirits to bring prosperity on islanders, as well as impart wisdom.

Nooz -- vocals/songwriting
Cudjoe - keyboards
Steady -- drums
Boomie -- lead guitar
John James -- rhythm guitar
Rads -- bass guitar