THE LIVE WYAA BAND SEARCHES FOR THAT BREAKTHROUGH HIT!

By Carl Gilchrist–

The Live Wyya band has a rich and colourful history and has marked 15 years in the music industry.  The band has performed in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean on some of the world’s best reggae shows including our own Sumfest, Sting, Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues, Rebel Salute, Western Consciousness, along with Irie Jamboree in New York, Rototom Sunsplash in Spain, and many others.

Their awards are many – Irawma award for best backing band (four years in a row from 2005 to 2008), Jamaica Federation of Musicians Best Backing Band (seven years in a row, 2000 to 2006), among several others.

Live Wyya was reggae superstar Gregory Isaacs’ backing band for the last six years of his career.

Recently, though, the band made a strategic shift from being a backing band to being a show band.

Currently, they are searching for that big breakthrough hit to establish themselves as a powerful force in the reggae music recording industry.

But they haven’t turned their backs totally on backing artists, explained band leader and bassist, Carl Edwards.

“But, you see, the long shows to back a string of artists like Sting or Sumfest, not anymore,” he explained.”If they want us to back two, or even four artists, no problem. Or if it’s to go on a tour, we can do the entire tour because most times the tour consists of one or two artists and never more than six.”

Having released two albums, Solid Meditation and Spread the Love, without the desired success, the band is currently working on their third in search of that breakthrough.

Gregory Isaacs

Untitled album

“We don’t have a title for the album yet, but it’s going to be an authentic, roots, rock, reggae album with live horns, everything live,” Edwards stated.

“We released a single two months ago called Jehovah, produced by Dale Haslam and Live Wyya, and a new one is set for release soon, called Storybook, produced by Live Wyya. We waiting on the right time to drop it, maybe January.”

Now, the band needs money to promote their music as they seek to realise their dreams.

“We need money to get the songs them play on the radio and a good manager who will see our dream. The dream of Live Wyya is to take the music even further than where Bob Marley took it. And we can do it if we get the push. Nothing is impossible. Bob Marley did it, somebody else can do it.”

The band matured as backing band for reggae great Gregory Isaacs and, for that, they are thankful.

“It was a joy to back Gregory Isaacs,” said Edwards.

“It was fun on the road, Gregory was always making us laugh, and we really miss him. We lift our hat to Gregory because he was the one who made us see the world. We also have to big up Copeland Forbes, he was the one who gave us the chance. They made us tour the world. Nuff respect to Copeland Forbes.”

The Live Wyya Band consists of Carl – bass, vocals, band leader; Lando – drums, vocals; Colgate – guitar, vocals; Tristan – keyboard, vocals; Kirk – keyboard, vocals; and Katt – lead vocalist.