By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Ozomatli
For most of the year, the main focus of live shows is on the weekend – Friday, Saturday and Sunday when people have more free time.
Tuesday and Thursday are just O.K. but Wednesday is the least desirable night to perform a show.
In summer, things tend to even out and Wednesdays can have schedules filled with attractive shows.
This Wednesday is a prime example.
There is a concert by a band from L.A. with a 30-year history – Ozomatli at Underground Arts; a show by one of the best young blues-rock guitarists in America — Gabe Stillman at the Sellersville Theater; and an outdoor concert by a singer/songwriter who had her first hit in 1995 – Joan Osborne at the Sundown Music Series.
And that’s not all if you’re talking about veteran acts performing in this area on August 13.
The Doobie Brothers, a band that formed in 1970, are headlining a show at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, and Barrington Levy, one of Jamaica’s revered reggae and dancehall singers who got started in 1977, is playing at the Ardmore Music Hall.
Ozomatli is on an ambitious national tour called the “30 Revolutions Tour.”
The tour, which will visit Philly on August 13 for a show at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, http://undergroundarts.org), is a celebration of the band’s 30th anniversary – of serving up great music for 30 annual revolutions of earth.
If the city of Los Angeles had a soundtrack, it would be Ozomatli’s music. Since forming in 1995, the lineup’s collaborative, energetic blend of multi-cultural music and activism has earned the band several GRAMMYs®, a few Hollywood Bowl shows, a TED Talk and much more.
Many band members have come and gone over the last three decades but, amazingly, the core of six original members remains intact.
Ozomatli’s music is as multifaceted as its members and influences. Meeting as young political activists and musicians, the original band formed in Los Angeles in 1995 to play a distinctive urban-Latino collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican reggae and Indian raga— all while following a key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around Los Angeles.
The roster of 30-year veterans features Asdru Sierra (vocals, trumpet), Raul Pacheco (vocals, guitars), Ulises Bella (saxophone, vocals), Wil-Dog Abers (bass), Jiro Yamaguchi (percussion) and Justin Poree (vocals, percussion).
“The six of us who are celebrating 30 years together are all original members,” said Pacheco, during a phone interview Friday from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“We share everything. We share money, royalties and writing credits. It’s always been the policy of the band. We stay unified. There is no limit to what you can do with this band.
“We all still live in the L.A. area – in southern California. I have a place here in Albuquerque, but I also have a place in L.A. – a studio and apartment in Boyle Heights.
“I came to Albuquerque a few years ago to visit a friend. Then, COVID hit. I was a COVID refugee in Albuquerque. I had a relaxed time during COVID.”
Since its inception in 1995, innovation and creativity have defined Ozomatli. The band has defined how to represent L.A.’s eclectic culture through music that appeals to the local community and the world beyond.
The band started with its first live shows at a community center for youth and arts in downtown L.A. Every weekend, they’d play shows as a benefit.
Ozomatli, which has the nickname “Dioses del Baile,” or “Gods of Dance,” is also known for advocating for farm workers’ rights and immigration reform. The band has performed in various countries all over the world, including China, Tunisia, Jordan, and Burma.
The group released its self-titled debut album in 1998 and followed with “Embrace the Chaos” (2001), “Street Signs” (2004), “Don’t Mess with the Dragon”, (2007), “Fire Away (2010), “Ozomatli Presents Ozokidz (2012), “Place in the Sun (2014), “Non-Stop: Mexico to Jamaica” (2017) and “Marching On” (2020).
“A new album isn’t in our plans right now,” said Pacheco. “We just recorded this one song – ‘Red Line.’
“We wrote this song because of the times – because of what’s going on.
“With the Red Line, people would say – don’t go to that neighborhood, don’t take that bus. Avoid it because of the neighborhood and who lives in it.”
Ozomatli, who ooze the essence of East L.A., used the name the name Red Line from the Los Angeles Metro Rail system even though it actually referred to the Gold Line.
The B Line (formerly the Red Line from 1993–2020) is an underground rapid transit line operating in Los Angeles between North Hollywood and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.
The Gold Line is a former designation for a single light rail line that provided service between Azusa and East Los Angeles via the northeastern corner of downtown Los Angeles.
“It’s mostly hard-working people in this area,” said Pacheco. “When I was young, that was not written about in newspapers. Now, we’re taking a stand.
“We’ve been involved in a lot of events in L.A. to remind people of their rights. That’s our stand. It’s worth fighting back. We’re on the side of people who genuinely share.
“We want people to see each other as humans – just reminding people that the world is complex and that most people are kind.
“We don’t tell people you have to do it. We just encourage it. There are lots of ways to do it locally and nationally. Activism is a lifelong commitment to see change.”
When Ozomatli concludes its summer of activism and live music, the band will turn its attention to creating a new album.
“We have a group of songs,” said Pacheco. “I’d like to see us sit down and do a full record.
“On tour, we’ll be playing enough that we can work out songs in sound check or by playing them live. We work on songs by just being free and not editing ourselves.”
Video link for Ozomatli – https://youtu.be/HsKFjdGtJ1o.
The show at Underground Arts will start at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $31. Ozomatli will be donating $1 from every ticket sold to Sweet Relief and Backline – to support mental health.
Gabe Stillman
Up until about a decade ago, Williamsport was known mainly as the home of the Little League World Series.
Now, the city on the Susquehanna River is becoming known as the home of Gabe Stillman – one of the country’s most promising young blues/roots guitarists.
On March 13, Stillman and his band will headline a show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, www.st94.com).
“I just got back from shows in the Midwest,” said Stillman, during a phone interview Monday afternoon from his home in Williamsport. “Before that, I was in Europe with John Németh.”
Németh is an American electric blues and soul harmonica player, singer and songwriter.
“John plays harp and sings,” said Stillman. “He has received several Blues Music Awards. I’ve known him for about 10 years and have always been a fan.
“Out of the blue, I got a call from him earlier this year asking me to play with him on his European tour in June.
“We started at the Poretta Soul Festival in Poretta, Italy. We also played the Trasimeno Blues Festival 2025 in Trasimeno, Italy.
Then, we flew early the next morning – we had to wait for the airport to open — to Bucharest, Romania. We had a four-hour drive to the Open Air Blues Festival in Brezoi, Romania.
“We finished with three shows in Spain. First was the Café Central Jazz Club in Madrid and then La Grapa in Avila. Our final show was at the Festival De Jazz in Pontevedra on August 4.
“Then, we were back in the states to play the Bay Front Blues Festival in Duluth, Minnesota last Friday and the Market Blues Festival in Omaha on Saturday.”
For a lot of people, a schedule like that might call for a few weeks of “R&R” to recuperate – but not for Stillman.
“For me, the whole point is to be as busy as possible,” said Stillman. “I want to be on the road as much as possible. It’s a lot to do to make it work with two bands – but I’m getting it done.”
Stillman has been studying guitar for almost a decade-and-a-half.
“I started taking guitar lessons when I was 11,” said Stillman. “When I started out, I wanted to play heavy rock and heavy metal.
“Listening to guitarists in those genres, I realized that their playing was very fast and technically complicated. A teacher told me to learn rock by getting into the blues.
“So, I started listening to a lot of blues guitarists like B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, Buddy Guy and Elmore James. I was also listening to guitarists such as Duane Allman and Derek Trucks.
“I realized – hey, I can do this. I got hooked on blues and R&B – and jazz. When I was 13 or 14, I started to perform live.”
A key stage in Stillman’s development came at the Uptown Music Collective in Williamsport.
For 20 years, the Uptown Music Collective has been providing exceptional modern music education grounded in traditional educational principles.
Its programs engage students through an emphasis on modern genres including rock, pop, soul, blues, country, R&B, and funk.
“I studied at the Uptown Music Collective when I was younger,” said Stillman. “I also taught there after I got out of college.”
Stillman spent his college years in Boston where he got a degree in “Professional Music” at Berklee College of Music with an emphasis on guitar performance and songwriting.
“I started my band in 2015 after graduating from Berklee,” said Stillman, whose honors include making it to “Final Eight” of the 35th Annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennessee.
“My band has been primarily a trio but at the Blues Challenge, I made it to the finals with the addition of a harmonica player in the group.
Stillman’s first recording effort was a self-produced five-track EP called, “The Grind.” It was released in June 2018.
“My second EP – ‘Flying High’ — came out in October 2020,” said Stillman. “I made it with The Nighthawks as my band – just me and the Nighthawks.
“We recorded it in a day-and-a-half at Temperamental Recordings, a studio in Geneseo, New York. We cut 13 songs and seven were used on the EP.
“I’m working on my next album. I have nine songs done. I’m waiting for the right time to release it. I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m writing all the time. I write a lot. Pat Patterson, who was one of my professors at Berklee, told me — write a lot…write a lot of crap because crap is the best fertilizer.
“My priorities right now are to write good songs and be a good entertainer.”
Video link for Gabe Stillman — https://youtu.be/DqNY4_Lsu6o
The show at Sellersville on August 13, which has Memphis Lightning and Alex Lopez Xpress as opening acts, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $32 and $46.50.
When Joan Osborne performs a free show at the Sundown Music Series at Haddon Lake Park Haddon Lake Park (Hillside and South Park Avenue, Haddon Heights, www.haddonhts.com), the bookmakers know that there is one song she will definitely play.
Osborne had one of the major hits in the 1990s with her song “One of Us.” The song’s popularity continues to this day.
“One of Us” is a tune from her debut studio album, “Relish” (1995) which was written by Eric Bazilian of the Hooters and produced by Rick Chertoff.
The song became a hit in November of that year. It peaked at Number Four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earned three Grammy nominations.
“One of Us” was also a hit around the world, topping the charts of Australia, Canada, Flanders, and Sweden, reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart, and becoming a Top 20 hit in at least 12 other countries.
For Osborne in 2025, “One of Us” could refer to “One of America’s greatest songwriters” – Bob Dylan.
In 2017, Osborne released her 11th album – “Songs of Bob Dylan.”
Earlier this year, Osborne released her 14th album — “Dylanology Live.”
Now, she is on tour supporting “Dylanology Live,” which dropped on April 25 via Womanly Hips Records.
“In 2017, we put out a studio album of Bob Dylan covers,” said Osborne, during a phone interview from her home in Brooklyn.
“Doing a covers album is an idea I borrowed from Ella Fitzgerald. She released this whole series of what are now called the “Songbook” albums.
“She would choose a different writer and do an album of their music. So, this is an idea that has been around.
“The initial inspiration for the album of Dylan covers came from when I got a residency at the Café Carlyle in New York.
“I thought that this would be a good place to explore this idea. When we thought about doing an entire residency devoted to one person’s music, we decided on Bob Dylan.”
The shows at the Café Carlyle went well, and the album met with a positive reception from fans and critics.
The album’s list of songs includes “The Mighty Quinn,” “Highway 61 Revisited,” “Tangled Up in Blue,” “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” “Buckets of Rain,” “Spanish Harlem Incident,” “Masters Of War,” “High Water (For Charley Patton)” and several others.
Osborne followed with an album support tour in 2018 with a show that featured special guests Amy Helm, Jackie Greene and Robert Randolph. It included the album’s songs and a few that were not on the disc.
“Instead of a big tour, we just wanted to make it a party,” said Osborne, who had an art exhibit — “Singing On Paper” — last year at City Winery New York City.
“It was a short tour, and we recorded some of the nights.”
The show that stood out took place at the Tarrytown Music Hall.
“
That show sounded so good,” said Osborne, who sang with the Grateful Dead for two-and-one-half months in 2003.
“I was looking through my archives and it just sort of popped up. It captured such a cool night – such a good vibe with the band and the audience. Everyone was having a great time.”
It was purely a coincidence that Osborne’s album of Dylan music arrived around the same time the major production Dylan biopic was released.
“Now that the film has come out, I’ve been seeing a younger audience at the shows,” said Osborne. “They are right there with the returning older fans.
“The movie really conveyed what a charismatic figure Dylan was and how his songs galvanized people. The movie was also good for putting so many songs in.”
Video link for Joan Osborne – https://youtu.be/1cqlZGgajIE
The show at Haddon Lake Park, which has Jackson Pines as the opener, will start at 7:30 p.m.
Admission is free.
