Ozomatli tours US with Chali 2na
Grammy-winning Latin-pop ensemble Ozomatli will reunite with its original MC, Chali 2na, for a US outing this fall.
The nine-piece band will be out with O.A.R. through mid-August and has a few more shows lined up before launching the "Headz Up Fall Tour" Oct. 26 at New Orleans' Voodoo Music Experience. Ozomatli and Chali 2na will make their way to the West Coast by mid-November, stopping for two-night stands in Seattle and Boulder, CO.
Before the reunion gets underway, the members of Ozomatli will live their dream of headlining California's Hollywood Bowl. The Los Angeles natives have been tapped to top the bill at the Sept. 21 finale of the annual KCRW World Festival Concert Series. The show, which will also feature Michael Franti & Spearhead, Lila Downs and Nortec Collective, will mark the largest headlining performance of Ozomatli's 13-year career.
The group has been touring the globe all year to support its fourth full-length studio release, "Don't Mess With the Dragon," which surfaced in April 2007 and cracked The Billboard 200. The set--which showcases Ozomatli's genre-bending mix of salsa, hip-hip, jazz and funk--was written and recorded with a firm commitment to collective creation, according to the band's bio.
"It's always a struggle to be creative together, as a unit, but this was by far our best time in the studio together," percussionist Jiro Yamaguchi said. "It takes maturity to work together and we are all getting better at communicating."
Several songs from "Don't Mess With the Dragon" are streaming at Ozomatli's MySpace page.
The record follows 2004's "Street Signs," which scored the band its second Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album. Ozomatli also released a concert CD/DVD, "Live at the Fillmore," in 2005.
August 2008
8 - Mansfield, MA - Comcast Center*
9 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center*
10 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center*
12 - Cincinnati, OH - National City Pavilion*
14 - Columbus, OH - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion*
15 - Indianapolis, IN - The Lawn at White River State Park*
16 - Cleveland, OH - Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City*
17 - Rochester, NY - Frontier Field*
28 - Arcata, CA - Humboldt State University/Soccer Field
30 - San Francisco, CA - Great Meadow at Fort Mason/Slow Food Festival
September 2008
21 - Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Bowl
October 2008
26 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans City Park/ Voodoo Music Experience
27 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
29 - Austin, TX - Stubb's
30 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
31 - Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
November 2008
1, 2 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
5 - Missoula, MT - Wilma Theatre
6 - Boise, ID - Big Easy
7 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
8, 9 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market
12 - Chico, CA - Senator Theatre
13 - Crystal Bay, NV - Crystal Bay Club
*Dates with O.A.R.
Ozomatli maps summer festival dates [July 2009]
Ozomatli lines up spring road trip [March 2009]
Ozomatli lines up late-year theater dates [November 2008]
Kid Rock, Busta Rhymes lead Grammy Tour [April 2008]
Ozomatli bundles up for winter tour [October 2007]



































