This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Arts & Entertainment

Gina Rene and Ozomatli Rock the Mello

Watsonville's Mello Center was anything but mellow Friday evening.

Ozomatli took the Mello Center of the Performing Arts by storm Friday night to deliver a fully engaged show that got everybody to join in jumping around for the entire set list. 

"The last time we played here, we were playing for a bunch of strawberry workers," said guitarist and vocalist Raúl Pacheco, referring to the show in 1997 for the ' March.

Ulises Bella (saxaphone, ukulele, clarinet, melodica), remarked that they had been waiting for a very long time to play in Watsonville again, and it was as if the band had been saving its energy just for Watsonville the entire time they were away.

Find out what's happening in Watsonvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The seven band members danced around tirelessly with their instruments, which included a saxophone, trumpet, baritone ukulele, melodica, bass, guitar, congas and many types of percussion. The band played well-known favorites, like "La Galina," "Cuando Canto" and "City of Angels," and got the audience to join in singing whenever possible. They also broke into a few covers, like "Police & Thieves" by The Clash and "Give Peace a Chance" by John Lennon.

Singer Gina Rene of Santa Cruz opened for Ozomatli, singing and rapping alongside Etienne David Franc, who sang backup vocals and played both a Goya acoustic guitar and a 1977 Gibson electric guitar. Rene delivered a spot-on performance, and her sultry voice was a goosebump-inspiring kind of beautiful. Her musical style is reminiscent of Lauren Hill—song melodies laced with hip hop and lyrics that are uplifting ruminations on love, embracing life's gifts, and finding your own way.

Find out what's happening in Watsonvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I feel connected to you," Rene said onstage. "There is such community in this room, and I know I keep saying it, but I am really so grateful to be here.” 

The encore was done Ozomatli style: The audience cheered "Ozomatli Ya se fue!" and the entire band, drums in hand, marched with the crowd into the lobby, where the members signed autographs and took pictures with fans. 

“The show was fantastic," said Gary Green of Watsonville. "They came out with a lot of energy, a lot of spirit, a lot of aché—you might say, aché is a word for spirit. I'm a musician, too, so I could understand where they’re coming from. We enjoyed them very much. Bring ‘em back!” 

Ozomatli is working with Sage Productions, which presented the show, to book another concert in the near future, and Bella said he hopes it will be before next year.

"I think any effort, especially in smaller communities, to bring art and culture at any opportuniry is great," said Bella. "Especially because you've got these wonderful spaces to play, you might as well take advantage of it. It’s nice that Jose Reyes-Olivas and Sage Productions kind of put their necks on the line to put a show like this on, you know. That way people don’t have to drive all the way to San Francisco or Santa Cruz to see a show." 

Ozomatli is working on a children's album.

Did you go to the show? What did you think? 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?