The Expanders are an American

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the ho ...

band from

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Biography

Formation and Self-titled album

The Expanders formed in Los Angeles, California in the summer of 2003. The band's sound is influenced by vintage 1970s and early 1980s Jamaican reggae groups, with three-part vocal harmonies, conscious songwriting, and an indie-DIY spirit. The Expanders self-titled debut album was recorded from 2006 to 2010 and was released in 2011 on Man-Like Records. It captured the retro Jamaican sound they hoped to create by recording at Killion Sound studio in Los Angeles, California alongside sound engineer Jay Bonner, the original bass player for

The Aggrolites The Aggrolites are an American reggae band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which formed in 2002. Overview The Aggrolites are an amalgamation of two previous Los Angeles reggae and ska bands, the Vessels and the Rhythm Doctors. Th ...

First covers album

In 2012, the Expanders released a covers album titled, ''Old Time Something Come Back Again, Vol. 1'', a free 13-track covers album of rare Jamaican songs. It was released on Jump Up! Records.

''Hustling Culture''

The Expanders returned to L.A.'s Killion Sound studio between 2012 and 2014 to record their third studio album (second original song album) ''Hustling Culture''. Recordings were done entirely on

analogue tape An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present ...

. In 2015, the band signed with

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Easy Star Records Easy Star Records is an American independent record label founded in 1996. Based in New York City, the label primarily produces and releases albums in the genres of reggae and Dub music, dub. The label has had multiple albums chart at No. 1 on t ...

, who released ''Hustling Culture'' on June 26, 2015. They explained, "'Hustling Culture' is the band coming into its own with our songwriting and musicianship." The album debuted #1 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

's chart of

Top Reggae Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

Second covers album

On September 29, 2017, The Expanders released their second covers album and fourth studio album, ''Old Time Something Come Back Again, Vol. 2'' via Easy Star Records. The album was their second release to debut #1 on the Billboard chart of Top Reggae Albums. The second volume features The Expanders versions of songs by

Burning Spear Winston Rodney Order of Distinction, OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist, and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian movement, Rastafarian and one of the ...

, The Gladiators,

The Ethiopians The Ethiopians were one of Jamaica's best-loved harmony groups during the late ska, rocksteady and early reggae periods. Responsible for a significant number of hits between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, the group was also one of the first J ...

The Itals The Itals are a Jamaican reggae vocal group formed in 1976 by Alvin "Keith" Porter, Lloyd Ricketts, and Ronnie Davis (formerly a member of The Tennors), all of whom had previously also recorded as solo artists. All three had worked together in ...

Little Roy Little Roy (born Earl Lowe in Whitfield Town, Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae artist.Bush, NathanLittle Roy Biography, AllMusic, retrieved 2011-02-14 Biography Little Roy began his career at the age of 12 years in 1965 recording a few ...

Yabby You Vivian Neville Jackson (14 August 1946 – 12 January 2010), better known as Yabby You (or sometimes Yabby U), was a reggae vocalist and producer, who came to prominence in the early 1970s through his uncompromising self-produced work. Biogra ...

, among other reggae artists.

Change in the lineup

In 2018, there was a change in the lineup when rhythm guitarist Devin Morrison left the band, which was an amicable departure to explore other musical endeavors. Along with the remaining members, the band added Evan Heins from Ital Vibes and Prime Livity on bass. They also switched Chiquis Lozoya from bass to lead vocals rhythm guitar.

Collaborations and riddim albums

Also in 2018, The Expanders collaborated with renowned

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning producer

Walshy Fire Leighton Paul Walsh, better known by his stage name Walshy Fire, is an American DJ, MC and record producer. He is part of the dancehall reggae-influenced group Major Lazer alongside fellow DJs Diplo and Ape Drums. Walshy Fire toured with the B ...

for two separate

riddim In Jamaican dancehall music, a riddim is the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the term consist of the ''riddim'' plus the ''voicing'' (vocal part) sung by the deeja ...

albums of their tracks "Top Shelf" and "Thanks For Life." The albums feature vocals from reggae artists like

Cocoa Tea Colvin George Scott (3 September 1959 – 11 March 2025), better known as Cocoa Tea, was a Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter. Life and career Born in the fishing village of Rocky Point, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica on 3 September 1959, Cocoa ...

Randy Valentine Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolph, and Miranda, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of them. ''Randi'' is approximatel ...

, Queen Omega, Fyakin, and others. The Expanders collaborated with Kyle McDonald of

Slightly Stoopid Slightly Stoopid is an American Rock music, rock band based in the Ocean Beach, San Diego, Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, San Diego, California, who describe their music as "a fusion of folk, rock, reggae and blues with hip-hop, funk, m ...

on a track titled "Sweet & Slow" which was released on November 22, 2019. In the summer of 2020, The Expanders were asked to record two covers of classic

Toots & Maytals Toots may refer to: People *Toots (nickname) *Adalbert Toots (1910–1948), Estonian wrestler *Aleksander Toots (born 1969), deputy director of the Estonian Internal Security Service *Arved Toots (1930–1992), Estonian agronomist and breeder of ...

songs in anticipation of a month-long tribute to

Toots Hibbert Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert, (8 December 1942 – 11 September 2020) was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who was the lead vocalist for the reggae and ska band Toots and the Maytals. A reggae pioneer, he performed for six decades and ...

on ''Rootfire''. However, directly after they finished the recordings,

died at 77 years old after contacting

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. The band released their two-track tribute EP ''Two For Toots'' on October 23, 2020. It featured covers "True Love" and "Love Is Gonna To Let Me Down". The proceeds from the album was donated to Toots' family. On November 6, 2020, The Expanders once again teamed up Walshy Fire for another riddim album of their title track "Peace of Love". The album featured artists such as Buzzrock, Blessed, Hanali, Tóke, Promise No Promises and more reggae artists.

Lineup

Current band members

*John Butcher – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals (2003–Present) *Chiquis Lozoya – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, (formerly Bass & Backing Vocals until 2018) (2003–Present) *John Asher – Drums, Backing Vocals (2003–Present) *Roy Fishell – Keyboard (2014–Present) *Evan Heins – Bass (2018–Present)

Past band members

Devin Morrison – Guitar, lead Vocals (2011–2018)

Discography

Studio albums

Riddim albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Expanders American reggae musical groups Easy Star Records artists