Ozomatli turns 21 years old in April, and the band is set to hit the road once again.
The Grammy Award-winning, L.A.-based Latin rock, funk, hip-hop band known for their energetic and fan-friendly live shows got its start at the tail end of what saxophonist Ulises Bella calls the “good old days,” when record labels gave out “healthy” sums of money for artists to record and live and CD sales were still of importance.
“It’s changed so much,” said Bella, 41. “In that sense I kind of feel like an old man. Like, ‘You kids!!!’ In another sense, our shows are as energetic as ever and people still really react to the music. So in that sense, I feel like we’re not scratching the surface, because we’re an established band and act, and yet I don’t feel like we’re an icon like The Rolling Stones yet.”
Ozomatli is set to perform April 2 at The Cave in Big Bear Lake; April 1 at The Rose in Pasadena and April 16 at The Canyon at Agoura Hills. The tour ends July 17 at The Hanger at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa.
In 2002, the group won a Grammy Award for their 2001 album “Embrace the Chaos” in the category Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. Their next album, 2004’s “Street Signs,” was given the same award in 2005 (and a Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album). Their last album was 2014’s “Place In The Sun,” and they also put out a children’s album, “Ozomatli Presents OzoKidz” in 2012.
Bella said the children’s album was fun and liberating, because the subject matter was a lot lighter.
“It was about germs, skateboarders, trees, washing your hands and things like that,” Bella said. “It gave us an opportunity to have a lot of fun. What spurred that is we got hired to do video game music. So in that situation, the reigns of quality control were given to somebody else. In that kind of environment, it kind of helped us let go of certain things.”
Specifically, Bella said the experience helped the band be more loose in the studio and let the music go where it needed to and, as he describes it, “not put mayo on the sandwich.”
The group’s birthday will “technically” be on April 1 at the Pasadena concert. Bella said he personally has a lot of roots and ties to Pasadena; he went to Pasadena City College in the mid-1990s where he made many friends.
“Way back in the day I used to busk for change on Colorado to make enough to buy beer as a college student,” Bella said with a laugh. Additionally, Pasadena City College professor Bobby Bradford — known for his work with jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman — was a link for individual group members. “He was one of the main jazz professors at PCC, so a lot of us took his courses.”
The Hollywood-born, Bell-raised Bella said the group is getting ready to release a new album sometime this year. He said the group is in the final stages of mixing the sound and narrowing down the cover art.
“This particular record is new and something Ozomatli has never done,” Bella said. “We’ve never been a cover band. We took a lot of classic huge hits in the Mexican songbook, old and new, and we gave them the reggae treatment. The thing is that once we got the project started we got help from (iconic reggae and dub producers and rhythm section) Sly and Robbie to jump on board with us. And they definitely added some really, really sweet production.”
Ozomatli is also known for its activism, including immigration reform and performing in front of protestors at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, and Bella had thoughts on the presidential race and current frontrunners Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
“From the talks of the political pundits, I don’t think there’s been this much drama in an election since 1968,” Bella said. “It’s like Trump is a mix of George Wallace and Ross Perot.”
He continues, “I personally like Bernie but I think Hillary is going to take it. But it doesn’t (expletive) matter. At the same time, there’s a lot of things going on with the Trump side that have been really scary, to be honest with you. . …It’s a bummer it’s going there.”
OZOMATLI
When: 9 p.m. Friday in Pasadena; 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Big Bear Lake; 9 p.m. April 16 in Agoura Hills.
Where: The Rose, 300 E. Colorado Blvd., #101; The Cave, 40789 Village Drive, Big Bear Lake; The Canyon, 28912 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills.
Tickets: $28-$38 in Pasadena; $30 in Big Bear Lake; $28-$38 in Agoura Hills.
Information: www.ticketmaster.com.
