Talking ‘Universal Light’ with Highest Intention & more for 2024

Highest Intention is a vintage roots reggae band from California. Their sound is locally grounded, yet globally appealing, conveying a message of love and unity. The band consists of founding member and San Francisco native Ben Lowe (on vocals/guitars), Toho Saunders (on bass), and Tuviel Levi (and drums).

Highest Intention combines unique and thoughtful songwriting with heavy one drop beats, deep intoxicating bass lines, and vintage dub effects. Their debut album just came out January of last year, leading with “IRIE” that features Karim Israel (of Arise Roots) and Paul Wolstencroft (of Slightly Stoopid) on keys. Titled Universal Light, the album honors traditional Jamaican roots music, while forging its own brand of progressive reggae for the United States (not to mention, the new millennium). Its sound is very hypnotic, positive, and beautiful, starting out with this gorgeous island flow, seemingly endless strumming, and intoxicating bass lines! It makes listeners so relaxed… almost literally like floating.

This band has all the right moves to take you on a musical journey to pure zen.

Highest Intention defines inner peace in their music, welcoming to all humans and music lovers! They’re all about taking it in, sitting back, rolling one up, and just soaking up the NOW, which is why we were stoked to sit down with Ben Lowe — founder of Highest Intention — after he got home from touring with Pato Banton to talk about music, life, and what inspires him.

So, Ben, how was the tour? Are you back in San Francisco?

• BL: The most recent Pato Banton U.S. tour was an amazing experience! I am grateful to be playing classic roots rock reggae with a world-class act. Pato Banton is one of the greats; he brings great energy both on and off the stage. He treats us all like family.
• I am in LA now working on various recording projects, including a new Highest Intention album.

How did Highest Intention come to be, anyway?

• I started [Highest Intention] in 2012 while I was back living in my hometown, San Francisco. I made a homemade reggae demo then used Craigslist to seek out talent. I found a drummer (Nathan Santos), bass player (Akim Anderson), and percussionist (Dave Eagle). We basically jumped blind into the Bay Area scene and played anywhere we could. Our first gig was at The Ave Bar in SF…  I think they just gave us some beers for playing, but they gave us Wednesday nights. Somehow, we ended up with a regular night at Longboard in Pacifica.
• The name ‘Highest Intention’ was coined by a Santa Cruz mystic man known as Judah. ‘Highest Intention’ got stuck in my head… Highest Intention says that we make music with the right intention — to connect, to bring inner peace, and healing, whoever, whatever, whenever, wherever…. you are.

Gotta love Santa Cruz! LOL. Being the founder of this band, do you write alone or do you guys write together? 

• It can happen any which way — alone or with others. I especially love working on songs with my friend and writing partner Reed Tudor; we brainstorm together about subject matter and have a blast in the process. I pray no one ever hears some of the early rough versions of my vocals when we are writing and recording early drafts of a vocal… It sounds horrible, usually! But it improves and improves with patience.

Let’s talk about ‘Universal Light’… I feel it invites listeners to come together with extreme positive energy.  What inspired this?

• That’s a nice way to put it, thank you! The Universal Light album just worked out well… it’s an accumulation of the development of my overall craft as a producer and E.N Young was able to slam dunk the material during the mix phase.  

I simply love the track “Irie”…

• That track was a saga. The basis began in Santa Barbara with KLong (not KBong).  When I left LA, I stopped off in Santa Barbara to try starting a band with Long, who I had met through LA Craigslist. KLong had the baseline and chords. After it became clear that we could not keep a consistent rehearsal going with the drummer, we gave up and I headed ‘home’ to San Francisco. 
• I continued to work on the song and it became one of our signature originals. We recorded a live version at Alex Riddle’s home studio in Oakland with Nate Santos on drums, Riddle on bass, and me on guitar/vox.
• As far as getting Paul Wolstencroft, when I returned to the Bay Area, my friend Panah Kalyah casually mentioned that his buddy played keys for ‘some reggae band’, which happened to be Slightly Stoopid! I was like ‘whaaaat!?’ I contacted Paul via Facebook and he graciously played piano and organ on five songs!
• A year later I contacted Karim Israel via Instagram and sent him the track as it was, and he was into it. Remember, at this stage, the song had a different vocal variation — the old version, which was, in my opinion, not as strong as the final version. I was not in love with it, but just accepted it because I was used to it. One late night, I tried muting the old verses and trying a whole new flow over it. So, Karim’s verse never changed, but mine did, after he had done his verse! I came to realize I could elevate the song by elevating my verses, so I and Tudor did a re-write.
• The first song E.N and I worked on together in mixed phase was ‘IRIE’! E.N brought the magic; that track was on fire within a couple hours at Imperial Sound, E.N’s studio, and we both knew it. It was a wonderful feeling to hear Highest Intention sounding so right for the first time.

I love how the album has a mix of reggae roots with that fun dub style getting a little progressive. I could totally see your music on big stages. Who would your band like to tour with?

• I think we can fit in with many bands on tour. We are a crossover reggae band, in all actuality. The track “Fat One” is popular with hip hop fans, for example. Great material transcends ‘genre’ ultimately.

Is there a tour run in the works for 2024 ?

• Highest Intention will likely tour with Pato Banton and The Now Generation band.  Pato runs a tight ship and keeps us working.

What country would you love to tour if you have not yet? 

• I would love to tour most everywhere. The dream remains to travel the globe playing original songs of peace, love, and prosperity.

Any last words to add?

• Music is, for me, the only life I know. I move towards the vibration instinctually. I have been in a quest for music my entire life.

Highest Intention – “IRIE”, feat. Karim Israel & Paul Wolstencroft (of Slightly Stoopid)

Stream ‘Universal Light’ album:

Cover photo by Louis Barr

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