An Ozomatli show is the type of event where you make new friends. Their name is derived from the Nahuatl reference to the monkey deity of dance, which stems originally from Aztec mythology. My buddies Pete and Clinton couldn’t stop talking before the show about the time they’d seen them at the Canyon Club last year, how much the band went off that night. They didn’t disappoint tonight, either. It’s music that you can dance to, party music, but with a unifying theme.
In the beginning of the show, the band dances through the crowd to get to the stage. There was a Mardi Gras like feel as the Song ‘Superbowl Sundae’ was heard, along with giant ‘Ozo” puppets dancing throughout the crowd. Bass Player Wil-dog Abers came up to the Mic early on in the set and declared, “Everybody respect each other’s space!!!! Everybody show some Love. Are you ready L.A.?” And yeah, we were. A quintessential L.A. band, Ozomatli rocked the house for almost 2 hours, leaving a large group of people laden with sweat and more than a bit blissed out.
In trying to describe the group, they are hard to paint into any corner. At any one moment, you might hear some Rastafarian inspired hip hop, some “wave your hands in the air!” moments mixed with jamming beats, a touch of mariachi played hyper speed, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. As percussionist Jiro Yamaguchi put it in an NPR interview last year, “You drive down Sunset Boulevard and turn off your stereo and roll down your windows and all the music that comes out of each and every different car, whether it's salsa, cumbia, merengue, or Hip Hop, funk or whatever, it's that crazy blend that's going on between that cacophony of sound is Ozomatli, y'know?”. And there was a little bit for everytone! Whether you’re into fusion jazz, funk, or a Grateful Dead loving Phish head, you would have left the place satisfied.
But you had to be there! There’s no way to perfectly describe one guy rockin’ a handdrum, another banging an Jarocho, along with a trumpet, trombone, (excellently executed by Sheffer Bruton,) Saxaphone, guitars, bass, Percussionists, drummers. It’s not just a band, it’s a movement! Not everybody can pull that off. Of course this band has been at it for fourteen years now.
Fans of Chali 2na, righteous activist and leader of notable hip hop group Jurassic Five were glad to have him back in the band on the Mic. He was an early founding member of the group but had taken a break for a while. He was dancing and rocking the Mic, gelling particularly well on the dance moves along with Wil-dog.
And The backbeat of the band is a highlight. The lead drummer is Mario Calire, former drummer for the Wallflowers. He definitely kept the band swinging, along with Justin “El Nino” Poree, who alternated between percussion and rapping on the mic, and Jiro Yamaguchi, who specializes on the Tabla. At certain points in the show, we had Mario on the kit, and Jiro and Justin were also back there banging on various percussive instruments, leading to an unusually tight rhythmical backbone for the band.
You couldn’t say there was one single main frontman, either: more like a collective group of talented singers and poets who shared the limelight equally with each other, letting everybody shine their brightest at the same time. Asdru Sierra, who played the trumpet and sang with a pristine voice, stole the show a few times, but so did Ulises Bella, who not only rocked out on a Requinto Jarocho Guitar and a Saxaphone, but also sang many lead parts with vigor, as did Raul Pacheca, who was also a masterful lead guitar player, noodling out solos like a legend. He made us all shiver with his vocals on the song “Cuando Canto” which is just a beautiful, flawless ballad.
Wil dog, an unbelievable bass player, is quite impressive with his ability to dance back and forth maniacally while at the same time keeping the beat with his intricate lines. He wasn’t shy at grabbing the wireless mic and flowing with some fine beats, at one point insisting to “bring it back from 10 years ago” before launching into another song.
At one point, 5 of the guys were sporting some heavy dance moves and playing together, looking like a modern update of the Temptations but rocking that urban style and with instruments in their hands. When Wil dog asked the crowd how many were there for the first time, I was surprised to see how many people raised their hands. It was a crowd converted to the band’s fun loving vibe. At one point two people sporting chicken outfits with boxing gloves did a bit of crowd surfing- they looked like they were having as much fun as the band. Note to Ozo: If you ever need a Substitute Chicken, look me up! I’m ready for some crowdsurfing in a chicken suit too!
Mainly, they played their old standards, but they did some new songs too. “Ashes” sported some sultry singing from Asdru and once again, Wil Dog playfully admonished the crowd, “Remember, this is an Ozomatli show, so respect each other’s space. There is no fighting allowed at our shows. Unless you want to deal with Ulises, who’s been studying some Gracie Jiu Jitsu!”
Before launching into “City of Angels” members of the band were calling out to the audience, “What’s the greatest city in the world?” It made you feel glad to be here in L.A. Whatever right you have to complain about the traffic or the sprawl, you can’t complain about the Live music, (or the weather, USUALLY!)
At certain points in the show, Jiro Yamaguchi sometimes would saunter over to the front with a hand drum. This is group of guys that don’t like to sit still for very long, and they all had to get a workout in. It was especially interesting when he was back at his kit along with the other drummer Mario and Justin Poree. It really made the whole club bounce in rhythm. Every member of the band was gleaming and Wil dog announced that they’ve been together 14 years!
A truth about bands I’ve seen lately- the more they enjoy yourselves onstage the more that translates over to the audience. It’s a concept that was embodied at this show. Every member played with such a zen and joy and the music was beautiful, showing us what a vital band they are, not just to the L.A. scene, but to the international community, and we need to go out and support them, pay attention to them, while at the same time, listening to their message and helping them spread the good vibes.
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