Reggae band Katchafire will be performing at the House of Blues in Anaheim Saturday, May 25.
Katchafire at House of Blues May 25
The group is ending their 30-city Spring 2013 tour with four shows in California, accompanying their greatest hits album “Best So Far,” which came out digitally last month and will be in stores on May 21.
Katchafire first started off as a Bob Marley tribute band, but decided to pursue their own music later on.
“We played a lot of bars and night clubs in our hometown and saw right away that there was a huge hole in the market for reggae music,” Logan Bell, the front man and rhythm guitar, brother of drummer Jordan Bell and son of founder and lead guitarist Grenville Bell, says. “We were always making our own music, studying the greats only gave us more confidence.”
The group is based in Hamilton, New Zealand, but has played shows in Orange County before.
“We have a lot of musician friends from the area. The crowds are different here, they want to be wowed here more so you have to bring your ‘A’ game,” Bell says.
Their music style comes from Aotearoa roots, a strain of reggae from the South Pacific.
“We influence the rhythms with sweet melodies which comes from our cultures love of harmony,” says Bell. “Lyrically it comes from whatever is on the conscience at the time of writing or whatever the mood or vibe of the tune is and it’s totally original.”
According to Bell, the groups influences come from male harmony groups such as Little River Band, the Bee Gees, the Wailers, the Eagles, Aswad and the list goes on.
Their biggest struggle comes from leaving their families behind, but the gratification comes from playing shows.
“Family is very important to us and our culture and being away from them is hard. Show time is the high,” says Bell. “My favorite part is interacting with the crowd, seeing their passion and watching them sing the songs back. It’s one of the most fulfilling things as an artist.”
Katchafire tours the world every two years and produces an album every two years. They are currently working on their fifth studio album, which they hope to release by the end of the year.
“People want to listen to reggae and drink and that was the formula at the start. We just want to play reggae.”
Island reggae group Maoli will be opening the stage for Katchafire. General Admission tickets are $25 advanced and $27.50 the day of the show. Doors open at 8 p.m. Show starts at 9 p.m. and is open to all ages.