Veteran Producer Mario C Throws His Support Behind New Band Mesh Marina

Mario Campbell had no plans to come back. The veteran producer and DJ, known professionally as Mario C, had stepped away from the industry, and that was that. Then he started going out again, and what he heard, or rather what he didn't hear, changed everything.

"It was never my intention to unretire from the music industry but after attending a few events early last year and noticing not a single reggae song was played in prime time, meaning when the party was in full swing, I decided this cannot continue," Mario C said. The frustration pushed him toward action: a new label built strictly around reggae and a Kingston band, Mesh Marina, as the vehicle for what he's calling a reggae revival.

Mario C's production resume runs deep. He's the man behind Anthony B's "Tease Har," Vybz Kartel's "Breast Specialist," Beenie Man's "Back it Up," and D Major's "Can't Get Enough." Dancehall credits, all of them, which makes his pivot pointed. "I may have produced and contributed to dancehall but as a Jamaican citizen I am a fan of reggae and respect the genre equally. I could not stay home and allow disrespect to continue so I made a plan to create a label focused strictly on reggae and use my years of experience to play a role in the reggae revival," he said.

Mesh Marina came together in 2025 in a Kingston studio session, when Waterhouse singer Shennell met guitarist Brian Jones. Jones introduced her to Mario C, and the three of them mapped out the direction of the group. The band now includes Curley on keyboard, Jeremy on bass, Xavier on guitar, Shawn on drums, Pierre on a second keyboard, and Kierra handling harmonies, with Shennell out front as lead vocalist.

Shennell's musical foundation traces back to a school band in Waterhouse, and her influences, Whitney Houston, Bob Marley, and Marcia Griffiths, give her range a recognizable pull between soul and roots. Her approach to writing is instinctive. "I write what's on my mind that day. It just comes naturally, it's my mood," she said.

The debut single, "Joke Dem A Joke," released August 2, 2025 via 3rd Dimensions Music, was produced by Mario C on a reimagining of the classic Full Up Riddim. The track moved fast: more than three million organic views in under a month, with street selectors and radio DJs across Jamaica falling in behind it. Mario C frames the band's sound as precisely engineered for reach: "Mesh Marina delivers modern commercial reggae that blends authentic Jamaican roots with pop, hip-hop and afrobeats influences, creating radio-friendly songs designed for both global streaming and powerful live band performances."

With 32 tracks already recorded and daily rehearsals underway, Mesh Marina is targeting a live debut this October. The ambition runs further still, toward Caribbean and global festival stages, with a producer who has already placed records at the top of the dancehall pile now betting his credibility on reggae's return.