The Phases band announced the release of its second single, Praise Jah, a conscious reggae track, reminisces of Third World and Steel Pulse, that marries dancehall and old-school roots reggae to create an upbeat, hypnotic brew, that is sure to appeal to both young and old, both those who want to praise Jah in quiet meditation or in celebratory dance, both lovers of reggae and lovers of gospel, and both Rastafarians and Christians.
Praise Jah was recorded at Jako Studios, engineered by Marlon Florent, and conceived and composed by Gary Mongroo, Phases drummer and principal lead vocalists. However, the recording of Praise Jah was a collective band effort where all members, including lead guitarist Wayne Benoit, bassist Richardson Sinaise, and keyboardist Jason Clarke, contributed to the arrangement and laying down of the track.
Gary Mongroo, who said he was born a musician, or born to be a musician, noted that Praise Jah came out of a religious discussion he had with a friend during which he had an epiphany on his musical journey, the role music has played in his life, the places it has taken him, and how thankful he needed to be for all that music has done for him.
Gary’s musical journey started at the age of six when he used to join a neighborhood folk band, singing and trying to play percussion instruments. Around that time, he was making so much noise beating metal drums, buckets, anything that could imitate the sound of a drum set, that his mother got him plastic buckets to beat on. By the age of ten, he had fashioned a drum set out of plastic buckets.
With his drumming and a voice that recalls none other than Sanchez, Gary’s music has taken him on cruise ships from which he has seen the world, he has performed with Ronald “Boo” Hinkson and the Tru-Tones in Puerto Rico and in New York alongside the likes of Beres Hammond and Machel Montano. Besides Tru-Tones he has served as drummer and lead singer for such bands as Apex, DN5, and Magic Circle.
Based in Vieux Fort and managed by Jako Productions, Phases is a five-piece band with three lead singers (all of whom play instruments) that plays most genres of popular music including reggae, soca, R&B, sentimental, POP, Jazz, and Country & Western. Besides performing at hotels, the band has performed at such events as Creative Industries Micoud Bon Tan, Assou Square Concerts in Vieux Fort and Castries, St. Lucia Independence Day Celebrations, Friday Night Gros Islet, Jazz a La Chaudiere, and Jazz Finale. Wherever Phases performs the audience can’t get enough of them; people, no matter their age, are compelled to dance. Phases have made grown men weep, and at Micoud Bon Tan, which is right next to a cemetery, the band was accused of raising the dead.
Phases debut single, We Like It, composed and performed by Wayne Benoit, the band’s lead guitarist, fused kompa, cadence, soca, and latin to create an infectious soca that compels audiences to move their feet and that is equally at home in a jazz festival or in a soca jam. With its second single, Praise Jah, Phases is making a bold statement that it refuses to settle for being just a hotel band. In fact, the band is on schedule to release a 12 to 15 track album by year’s end, which will include soca, reggae, Latin, folk, and zouk, thus reflecting the band’s eclectic repertoire and musical orientation.