Andru Branch & Halfway Tree
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Internationally celebrated reggae troubadour Andru Branch has been recording and performing songs, promoting universal love, for over twenty years.
Growing up amidst a vibrant Rastafarian community in Toronto, Canada, Andru began his career playing percussion. Mentored by the great reggae percussionist Alvin “Seeco” Patterson of The Wailers, Branch has since gone on to back reggae superstars Gregory Isaacs, Glen Washington, Sean Paul, Frankie Paul, Yellowman, Gramps Morgan, Tony Rebel, Queen Ifrica and Vybz Kartel, to name a few.
Andru signed with independent Jamaican record label Kingston Muzik in 1996 and recorded his first album with Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Aston “Family Man” Barrett, Earl “Chinna” Smith, Tyrone Downie and Seeco Patterson. Recorded and mixed in Kingston, Jamaica, What If I Told You went on to be nominated for a JUNO Award for “Best Reggae Recording” in 2000. Kingston Muzik shopped the album at the Midem conference in 1998 and licensed its distribution to independent reggae distributor Tabou 1 in Paris. The album sold in France, Holland, Germany and throughout the United States, and charted on radio in France and in the Netherlands.
The 2007 release of “Bring Back Real Reggae Music”, from Andru’s sophomore album The Only Constant, earned global recognition. Recorded in Jamaica at Kingston Muzik Studio, the album features Ziggy Marley’s rhythm section, drummer Squidly Cole and bass player Chris Meredith, as well as Seeco Patterson of The Wailers. The Only Constant charted across the country, and the second single “Ease Off The Pressure” sat at number one for four months on CBC’s Galaxie Radio. Canada’s music authority Exclaim! Magazine calls the album “nothing less than stunning”.
Andru Branch and his group Halfway Tree broke onto the international scene with their hit single “My Jamaican Weed” in 2009. Branch returned to Jamaica in 2010 to record the internationally acclaimed ska single “Rocksteady” with a host of reggae legends, including Chinna Smith on guitar and original Studio One drummer Joe Isaacs.
Andru Branch’s brand new full-length release Step Into The Light is a concept album that shines with musical performances by the Halfway Tree reggae band. Studio One reggae pioneer Brian “Bassie” Atkinson delivers deep, undulating bass lines, while the brass section glistens on this collection of inspired roots reggae music. In true form, Branch’s music is lyrical and majestic, reminiscent of the golden era of reggae.
From “the greatest one night show on Earth” – Sting to Jamaica’s legendary Reggae Sunsplash to Rebel Salute 2012, Andru Branch performs extensively. Andru Branch & Halfway Tree continue to inspire fans around the globe, promoting equal rights and social justice. There are few groups that consistently deliver such an authentic, bass-heavy, richly textured, roots reggae sound. Their music is gloriously hypnotic and their message is positively uplifting.