Ryan Chartrand“Can’t live for yesterday, cuz we gotta move on in a different way. Today is another day, can’t stop now today is another day,” Ozomatli sings in its upbeat song “Can’t Stop.”
Local fans of the nine-piece band will have the privilege of hearing this and other songs during Ozomatli’s Sunday night show at the San Luis Obispo Veterans Hall, launching the group’s West Coast tour.
Percussionist Jiro Yamaguchi described the band’s music as a blend and a fusion.
“It’s people’s music, it’s popular music, it’s rock, it’s dance, it’s Latin, it’s Spanish, it’s English, it’s sung, it’s rapped, it’s rhythmic, it’s melodic, it’s all of those things,” Yamaguchi said. “It’s a lot of energy, it’s socially conscious, it’s love, it’s inclusive and it’s hard to categorize.”
The band originated in 1995 in Los Angeles. Ozomatli’s original drummer, Anton Morales, suggested his birth sign as the name for the group.
“On the Aztec calendar, Ozomatli is a monkey god that represents the harvest, passion and fire. He’s the orchestrator of the jungle,” Yamaguchi said.
Ozomatli is not just passionate about music that invokes dancing. Band members are also influenced by their commitment to progressive politics.
Yamaguchi said social justice and community activism are part of the band’s identity and that those interests come out naturally in song lyrics.
In June 1998 the group released their self-titled debut album “Ozomatli.”
The band’s second album, “Embrace the Chaos,” was released on Sept. 11, 2001. Although many bands cancelled concerts following Sept. 11, Ozomatli continued to tour.
“We were in New York a week or two after Sept. 11 doing shows. We played at the Bowry Ballroom and you could see the work lights of the World Trade Center, that’s how close it was. It was kind of an eerie feeling,” Yamaguchi said. “People were really thankful that for a couple (of) hours they could forget about that and dance and kind of celebrate life.”
Earlier this year Ozomatli released “Don’t Mess With the Dragon.”
To write the record, the band spent two weeks in a community art space in Los Angeles where members worked on creating music individually and collectively.
Yamaguchi said the difference between “Dragon” and previous albums was the band’s focus on creating melodies and writing songs that stand out on their own.
Ozomatli will be joined Sunday by Afro-Brazilian funk group SambaDá, a combination Yamaguchi said works well.
“They come from more of a Brazilian focus but its very high energy at the same time,” Yamaguchi said.
Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. All ages are welcome, but attendees under age 16 must be accompanied by a paying adult.
Tickets are $23.50 in advance at Boo Boo Records and www.ticketweb.com or $30 at the door.
Ozomatli has played locally many times over the years and Yamaguchi said that the band has found a lot of fan support in San Luis Obispo.
“It’s a great little town and it’s close to home. We’re just working and looking forward to coming up there on Sunday,” Yamaguchi said.