Hailing from upstate New York, surely one of the more unlikely locales for an authentic reggae act, 10 Ft. Ganja Plant are a mysterious roots and dub collective and splinter group of the better-known Ithaca, NY-based eight-piece
John Brown’s Body . Known for impromptu — rarely announced or promoted — live shows that incorporate a loose, improvisatory jam band feel, the group garnered some renown in the Northeast U.S. live music circuit throughout the 2000s. 10 Ft. Ganja Plant debuted in 2000 with the independently released
, a more dub-flavored, instrumental affair than anything released by their parent group. ROIR, no stranger to classic dub and reggae, signed the band in 2001, releasing their follow-up,
. The group soldiered on with three more releases for ROIR —
(2003),
(2005), and
(2009) — that revealed influences and echoes of ’70s roots, from the close vocal harmonies of
the Meditations to the dark, bass-heavy productions of Black Ark-era
Lee “Scratch” Perry .