To kick off the weekend Kim and I went out on Friday night to catch Ozomatli at the Ogden Theatre.  I was first introduced to this band back in college by one of my roommates.  He took me to my first show in 2002, and though I have only seen them a couple of times since them, they put on one of the best live shows I have seen.  The show on Friday night was no exception.  It was a solid mix of old songs that I can remember hearing back in ’02 and new songs.  The band was formed in 1995 and is showing no signs of slowing down.

The band currently features seven members: Asdru Sierra (lead vocals, trumpet), Raul Pacheco (lead vocals, guitar, tres, jarana), Justin Poree (rap vocals, percussion), Wil-dog Abers (bass, backing vocals), Jiro Yamaguchi (tabla, percussion, backing vocals), Ulises Bella (sax, clarinet, requinto jarocho, keyboards, backing vocals), and Mario Calire (drums).  Their mix of music includes everything from hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga, all sung in a mix of spanish and english.  It is very hard to explain other than to say it is a very worldly sound and a ton of fun.

At times on Friday the number of players on stage nearly doubled as guests on all sorts of instruments came and went, including sousaphone and an entire horn section.  The sound was great, the crowd was large but not overly packed.  We were able to find a great spot downstairs, off to the side but with a great view of the stage.  Part of the show is watching the band members and their dances and theatrics.  The crowd knew nearly all the songs and fully participated at all the right times.  It was a wonderful show and I hope to see them play again soon.  

Image taken from heyreverb.com