Obrien Williams and Elton Brown, former members of two groundbreaking bands in Jamaica, have come together to form their own band in the United States with the intent to sate a growing appetite for authentic reggae music.

Thirty-one-year-old Williams, the drummer/band leader, and Brown as lead guitarist will be the faces of Jah Rockaz. The band will also have a bass player and keyboardist who will not be full-time members. They will play on a work-for-hire basis, said Williams, who explained that the model was designed to create opportunities for real musicians.

Both Williams and Brown are graduates of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts and enjoyed success early in their musical careers.

Williams was a member of the six-member Mystikal Revolution Band that won the Heineken Inspire Competition in 2012.

The competition was designed to unearth and help launch developing artistic talent in Jamaica.

The following year, the band released its debut album, Divide and Rule, but, by 2015, Williams said the members drifted apart and Mystikal Revolution eventually disbanded.

Brown was a member of Di Blueprint Band, which won the 2012 Battle of the Bands competition in London and made Jamaica the first country to win the competition twice.

Both men eventually migrated to the United States and found each other in South Florida.

“Elton and I had a musical relationship from Edna Manley over the years,” Williams explained, indicating that their partnership was forged by the desire to fill a need.

“There is a market for authentic reggae music bands in South Florida. We want to create a platform for authentic reggae music that will keep the music alive and we are on a mission to fulfill that purpose,” he added.

He describes the band’s sound as reggae fusion influenced by other genres and cultures with heavy bass lines, psychedelic guitars, drums rolling like thunder and echoing keyboards.

The band is currently working on a debut single set to be released in January 2022. In the meantime, they have been busy performing on shows in the South Florida region with more dates being added to their calendar as the Christmas season draws near.