Biography
Westbound Train, a Boston septet, infuses 1960s reggae and ska with jazz, soul, blues, Motown, and rock textures. Its founding members were Obi Fernandez on vocals and trombone, Jesse Hayes on drums, Cory Williams on guitar, Thad Merritt on bass, Rich Graiko on trumpet, Gideon Blumenthal on keyboards, and Josh Cohen on saxophone. The band issued two independent albums, Searching for a Melody in 2002 (re-released in 2003 by Megalith) and Five to Two in 2004. A demo reached Tim Armstrong at a local Transplants concert; impressed, he invited the musicians to appear on the Transplants’ forthcoming album Haunted Cities. Westbound Train kept touring and appeared on bills with the Toasters, Reel Big Fish, the Skatalites, Street Dogs, the Planet Smashers, and others. The group received a 2005 Boston Music Award nomination for Best World Music Act—the only ska act so recognized. Friendship with Armstrong produced a deal with his Hellcat Records imprint on Epitaph, and the label debut Transitions arrived in September 2006. After tracking finished, Cory Williams exited to pursue jazz, and guitarist Johnny DeCarlo joined in his place.
Albums
Singles
