So, reggae in New Zealand is BIG. They have Katchafire, House of Shem, Three Houses Down, Sons of Zion, 1814, etc., etc. However, they LOVE Hawaii reggae- the current fave is Kolohe Kai & Rebel Souljahs! Crazy, huh?! This was a big shock to me; therefore, it was an even bigger shock to Logan! He thought he was going to visit Katchafire's house here in Hamilton, and get the "ins" with the band. Well, last I heard, Katchafire's in Portland ... talk about a coincidence! I guess that's how the world works- everyone's tired of music from their own culture. Hawaii loves New Zealand reggae and vise versa. I can honestly say that I've heard "Cool Down" every day since I've been here blasted from someone's window! I had the funniest conversation with a Maori boy about this song. When I first arrived in New Zealand in July, he asked me how cold it was in Hawaii, and I said, "it's really hot! It's summer!" (In case you didn't know), the opening line of the song is "Its a firey afternoon, hotter than the month of June." Well in New Zealand, EVERYTHING is hotter than the month of June. Opposite seasons means its freezing here in June! He was so relieved to be rid of his confusion .. I'm glad I could help :)
If you know Logan, you know he loves reggae, so we went to a Sons of Zion concert here in Hamilton last weekend. It was a half-pleasure and half-business concert for him- he enjoyed the songs, but of course was attempting to "steal" ideas for his own band back home. What a ham! But hey, he swears he'll be famous one day! I thought it was really good. I really enjoyed the opening bands, particularly Sweet & Irie. They played songs that I actually knew! The only thing that was awkward about the night was the audience. It seemed that we were the only people under 25 there. Majority were 30 year old Maoris skanking to reggae!
Next week, we're going to a House of Shem concert in Auckland. I'm excited for it! I think Logan is rubbing off on me...
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