Sky is the Limit for Northern California Reggae & Pop band Karlee Shannon and The Orbits

CALIFORNIA – Whether it is Canadian Bruce Cockburn with Wondering Where the Lions Are or Stevie Wonder on Master Blaster, experimenting with reggae has paid off for major artists.

Though they formed only five months ago, Northern California band Karlee Shannon and The Orbits have high hopes for Deep Water, their debut song, a mix of pop and reggae.

The single is produced by Damian “Typhoon” Ebanks, a Jamaican who lives in Southern California.

According to Shannon, who is from the city of Truckee, “Pop and reggae are definitely huge influences to our sound, but we also include jazz, indie and classic rock influences in other songs we are working on. Music is all about art. Artists often work with different media (paint, charcoal, pastels, etc) just as we work with genres. It’s all to create a comfortably unique sound.”

In fact, Ebanks credits The Orbits’ Swedish drummer Elias Williams for coming up with Deep Water’s reggae bridge which has a similar feel to Wondering Where the Lions Are, a big hit for Cockburn in 1979.

Known for his work with hardcore dancehall acts like Demarco and Jah Cure, the Kingston-born Ebanks has also collaborated with American hip hop and R&B artists.

However, he prefers to avoid labels.

“We don’t put music in a box ’cause we make music for everybody,” he said.

Shannon, who points to Bob Marley and Pink Floyd among her influences, is the face of the fledgling band which also included Luis Ortega on keyboards; Sophia Damiani on bass; and guitarists Eric Pires Gorza and Elbert Michael Christian.

Deep Water is the first single from a pending EP by Karlee Shannon and The Orbits, produced by Ebanks. It is scheduled for release this year.