By Steve Roby
Ozomatli with Bang Data, Kool Kyle
The New Parish — Oakland
Friday March 28th, 2014 //
Hats off to the talented folks at The New Parish for putting together a solid triple bill of entertainment.
Local DJ El Kool Kyle (Kyle Brinson) got the party started with a powerful ninety-minute set of hip-hop-infused Latin music. Kyle is no newcomer. In the 1980’s he toured with Run-DMC, and has since co-founded Baylando Records, a new independent record label focused on urban indigenous dance music. He celebrates 21 years of music making in the Bay Area.
By 10pm, the crowd was ready for live music, and Oakland’s own Bang Data didn’t disappoint. The edgy Latin band features Deuce Eclipse on vocals, drummer Juan Manuel Caipo, bassist Marco Guzman, and Dave Lopez on guitar. They emerged in 2009 with their debut EP Maldito Carnaval, and followed up in 2012 with the full-length album La Sopa. Crowd pleasers at The New Parish were “Amor Califas”, “Don’t Know” and of course the self-titled “Bang Data”, which was featured on A&E’s Emmy Award winning television drama Breaking Bad. Keep a close eye on this band, and catch them next month at San Francisco’s The Independent on April 25th.
After a quick turn-around, Ozomatli hit the stage like a mad bull out of control. If you were on the second level overlooking the stage, you could feel the floor bounce as everyone jumped to the infectious beat. And when guitarist Raul Pacheco leapt into the crowd for an extended solo, the audience went nuts.
Ozomatli are currently on tour supporting their recent release, Place In The Sun (Vanguard/Caroline). This is the eighth album by the multi-genre, multi-cultural Grammy-winning band. Critics have called the record “funky, loud and fresh right from the start.”
The band will now prepare for a tour of Australia in April. They’ll be back in California come August, but no Bay Area dates are scheduled yet.
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