Award-winning recording artist Andru Branch named his band Halfway Tree after the bustling music district in Kingston, where he recorded his Juno-nominated debut album with members of The Wailers, and his critically acclaimed second album with Ziggy Marley's rhythm section. Branch’s single “Keep On Keepin’ On” was named one of Exclaim! Magazine’s “Essential Canadian Reggae Tracks”, alongside Drake and Justin Bieber. Celebrating over 30 years of packed dance floors, Andru Branch & Halfway Tree continue to inspire fans around the globe, promoting equal rights and social justice. Their music is gloriously hypnotic and their message is positively uplifting.
Bob Marley’s music had a profound influence on this New Brunswick-born singer/songwriter. Raised by a peace-activist single mother and Jamaican father figure, Andru honed his skills on percussion alongside Canadian reggae cornerstones Bernie Pitters and Raffa Dean at Toronto's legendary Bamboo Club throughout the 90s. Mentored by Bob Marley & The Wailers’ percussionist Alvin “Seeco” Patterson, Branch has since gone on to back many of Jamaica’s top reggae artists including Sean Paul, Vybz Kartel, Sizzla, Richie Spice, Luciano, Junior Reid, Cocoa Tea, Tony Rebel, Queen Ifrica, Marcia Griffiths, King Yellowman and Gregory Isaacs, to name a few. Awarded “Inspirational Recording of the Year” at the 2012 Music Nova Scotia Awards for his third album Step Into The Light, Branch’s five-album discography boasts multiple award nominations, including two ECMAs for “World Recording of the Year”. In celebration of their 25th anniversary, Andru Branch & Halfway Tree released The Singles in 2020, to critical acclaim. Renowned author and reggae historian Roger Steffens writes: “Canadian reggae pioneer Andru Branch has collected a quarter century of his finest recordings into a stunning new album called "The Singles”. Among the millions who have responded to the call of Jamaica's influential music, few have made of their obsession art as fine as this. With frequent trips to the island itself, collaborating with some of the key musicians in Kingston's studios, Branch has amassed a body of work that stands with the best of them. Positive and constructive, harmonic and infectious, it's the perfect soundtrack for these troubled times.”
Championing the preservation of authentic roots reggae music and the timeless message of peace, love and unity, Andru Branch & Halfway Tree continue to inspire fans and critics alike. The band has performed extensively at clubs and universities, at music conferences (NXNE, International Folk Alliance, COCA, ECMA, NSMW) and at festivals including Jamaica’s Reggae Sunsplash, the Montreal International Reggae Festival, London Reggae Fest, Harvest Fest, The Jubilee, the Halifax Jazz Festival and Evolve. There are few groups that consistently deliver such an authentic, bass-heavy, richly textured, roots reggae sound. Canada’s music authority Exclaim! Magazine calls it “nothing less than stunning”. www.halfwaytree.ca
