In support of our show this Sat Feb 4 at Nectar Lounge, Seattle newspaper The Stranger published an article today titled “For and Against Kore Ionz,” in which writers Charles Mudede (from Kwe Kwe, Zimbabwe) and Dominic Holden (from Seattle, Washington) use us as an example to debate whether or not reggae is dead or alive. We thought we’d share their words and encourage you to comment on the newspaper’s website.

Kore Principles
By Charles Mudede

A band that plays roots reggae must always play by the rules. Roots reggae is not a new form of music, it has been around for four decades—and in that long length of time has established its definite order, border, and core principles. Some of the best minds of 20th-century music (Sly and Robbie, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Roots Radics) have built this tradition, so who are you to fuck with it? The local reggae band Kore Ionz has this understanding—the tradition is more important than innovation—which is why I’m one of their supporters.

Though old, established, and highly conventional, reggae is far from dead. You only need to hear Damian Marley’s “Jamrock” to know that roots reggae still has a lot of life in it.

Like a Freeze-Dried Pet
By Dominic Holden

Reggae is dead.

I understand what Kore Ionz are trying to do. They have mastered every sound of reggae’s golden era and simulated the vocals of Dennis Brown, Jacob Miller, Errol Dunkley, and the like. This is all fine for live performances—reggae is wonderful live. But Kore Ionz, while technically flawless, are simply a pastiche of old expressions tossed together to approximate reggae’s heyday. Like a freeze-dried pet put into a familiar pose.

Reggae is a force to be reckoned with in Hawaiʻi, with many major radio stations spinning it all day long. Back in August we did a live in-studio with Phat Joe on Island 98.5 (check out the iPhone video he shot here) and flew out to Hilo for an interview with Jake Show on Native FM. In September “Love You Better” hit the #4 spot on the Top 5 at 5 on Island 98.5 and in mid-July it was the #1 top requested song on the Big Island.

On January 1, 2012 our braddah Chris Lanuevo texted us while visiting his ʻohana back on O’ahu and said the DJ on 93.1 Da Pāʻina had just introduced “Kore Ionz from the Seattle area” before playing “Love You Better.” We were stoked! Since then, we’ve received weekly phone calls, texts, and Facebook messages from family and friends who have been requesting it and hearing it on the air. Last Saturday, we found out that “Love You Better” had just broken into the Top 15 on the station at the #13 spot, amongst some pretty nice company.

Mahalo nui loa for all the support! We’re also happy to report that “Love You Better” is currently our top selling single on iTunes. Request “Love You Better” on 93.1 Da Pāʻina today and help push it to #1! Aloha!

Next Wednesday we share the stage once again with The Wailers at Neumos here in Seattle. After a late rehearsal last night at Monk’s Garage we started talking about our favorite Bob Marley & The Wailers songs and instantly began to reminisce about the past. As the songs facilitated the sharing of stories, our collective ionic bond was strengthened to a new level with a flood of memories and emotions. Bob’s songs are forever living, and just as relevant today as when he was rocking stages and uplifting the masses across the globe. Here’s our list of favorites:

“High Tide or Low Tide”
Songs of Freedom

“It wasn’t until I lost one of my close friends to a car accident in high school that I truly realized the power of friendship. A bunch of us gathered to support each other during this tough time, and we put on discs from the Songs of Freedom boxed set. It was the first time we had heard it. “High Tide or Low Tide” played, and a bunch of us immediately began to cry.”
- Kiley Sullivan, keyboards

“Forever Loving Jah”
Uprising

“I was in Ghana looking over a beachhead, feeling blissful looking at palm trees and islands. There were a couple of rasta brothers from the villages hanging out, and they started to play the song. Magical. Just magical. I can’t put it to words. Just one of those moments in life.”
- Ahkeenu Musa, percussion

“Buffalo Soldier”
Confrontation

“For me it was learning about a piece of history that I did not learn while I was in school and I wanted to learn more about history that we were not taught. Also, being part Tlingit I always wanted to be the Indian and not a cowboy. The Buffalo Soldiers related to Native Americans on a humanistic level and I think that’s why the song resonates with me.”
- Eric Yamada, management

“Concrete Jungle”
Catch A Fire

“It’s all about the themes of struggle and oppression, but still about perseverance. Fighting through the negatives to find the positive. A line in the song that always gets me is ‘I’ll be always laughing like a clown.’ I mean, if you can’t see any hope, then you’re stuck in a ‘Real Situation.’ Love that one too.”
- Brendan DeMelle, bass

“Is This Love”
Kaya

“It reminds me of when I listened to it as a kid with the fam at Hood Canal. Just hanging out in the cabin cooking and playing cards.”
- Kizamu Tsutakawa, management

“No Woman No Cry”
Live!

“It’s all about the guitar solo. It grounds the song from the middle and reiterates the main refrain and reminds me of a wailing woman. It reminds me of being in Hawai’i at Camp Pecusa on Maui for a high school marine biology trip. We stayed in these A-frame cabins, snorkeled every day, and explored the island. It was fun.”
- Charlie Mostow, booking

“Redemption Song”
Uprising

“When I was young my cousin Al said, ‘This is one of Bob Marley’s best,’ so I’ve loved the song ever since I was a kid. In 2004 I traveled to the Philippines to learn about the people’s struggle against U.S. imperialism and we would sing the song together. Everyone knew the words.”
- Brian Myers, management

“Waiting In Vain”
Exodus

“For two years in college I bumped this cut every day thinking about this one girl. She didn’t even like me. I mean, I bumped it EVERY day.”
- Owuor Arunga, trumpet

Kore Ionz perform with The Wailers at Neumos on Wednesday, January 18, 2012. Doors open at 8pm, show is 21+, and $20 advance tickets are available here.

Can’t believe the New Year is already here. Seems as though we don’t even have the time to breathe! With lots of family coming into town this week to visit for the holidays we decided why not celebrate NYE Eve here in Seattle with our good friends at Amber? And so, it’s going down in Belltown this Friday, as we look forward to a 2012 of happiness, health, and of course, music. Maybe the Year of the Dragon will bring us closer to a World War Free? What you think?

Here’s our little ode to Belltown, straight off World War Free, just for you!

With 2011 slowly coming to a close, every newspaper, magazine, and blog worldwide is publishing a Top 10 list of some sort. We thought why not do one of our own? Ever since the release of World War Free this past August, fans have been asking us what inspired the songs on the album. To clarify, it’s more so about the who, so here they are, carefully listed in our very first Top 10 list:

10. Buddha

Ahkeenu and Pak happened to be discussing a handful of his teachings at a lunch party one afternoon. Through their ten minute conversation on the pursuit of happiness, the lyrics to “Fall Forward” were written.

9. Former Band Members

We don’t really want to get too much into this, other than thank you for inspiring “First Avenue” and “Conductor.”

8. Belltown (and its inhabitants)

Oh Belltown we salute you! Thanks for being the friendly downtown Seattle getaway where you can buy pleasure to numb all of the pain. Featuring the city’s finest in debauchery, temptation, (insert your own)-ism, and well…a whole lot more. We got to send a big mahalo to our ‘ohana at ‘Ohana – without you, we wouldn’t be here today!

7. Missionaries (any denomination)

They get a big shout out in “Sweep Us Away,” particularly those who made the long trek to Hawai’i in the 1800′s to civilize the savagery of Native Hawaiians. How did they convince the Hawaiians to abandon their ancient gods and adopt the words of Christ? It’s all in the swag – check it!

6. George W. Bush

“Marionettes” was influenced heavily by this Texan, chosen by his producers to front a war-based, media-supported reality TV series that went strong for eight dramatic seasons. Ridiculing the stupidity and ignorance of his perfectly played character made us all feel a little better about ourselves, day in and day out. His captivating presence kept us plugged in for the duration of the program, featuring a big bang in NYC and his coining of many popular phrases, including “War on Terror,” “Weapons of Mass Destruction,” “Homeland Security,” and “No Child Left Behind.”

5. Linton Kwesi Johnson

The Jamaican-born, UK-based dub poet has inspired us with his politically-charged Patois for years. He is the only black poet ever to be published in the Penguin Classics series, and his LKJ Live in Concert with the Dub Band (1985) release is epic. When we first recorded the bass line to “Sweep Us Away,” we didn’t realize that it very closely resembled the bass line to “Sonny’s Lettah,” his graphic account of police brutality.

4. the Service Board

Life-transforming non-profit here in Seattle that puts talented adult mentors, soul-searching high-school youth, and an anti-oppressive and progressive culture in a bus, taking them up to the mountains to shred in the snow. On and off the lifts, there’s magic in the air every time they get together, feeding the homeless at the city’s many food banks, installing public art at neighborhood skate parks, and promoting a message of love and acceptance at all their meetings and special events. The chorus of “First Avenue” was written for a former tSB student.

3. Jahyoo

Pak’s first son, to whom “Morning Son” and “Only One” were written. He hangs out at every rehearsal and has been on stage with us at Bumbershoot and when we opened for Steel Pulse. We live and work to serve his generation of youth. They will lead us to the right way in the future.

2. Mell Dettmer

Our genius friend and producer, who has worked with Femi Kuti, Bassekou Kouyate, Clinton Fearon, and much, much more. Bottom line is the album sounds the way it does because she produced it (just listen to “Pegasus Dub” and you’ll fly off a mountain like you were a horse with wings). And we can’t forget about her signature Echoplex and spring reverb abuse…

1. Amy

Let’s face it. Without her, there would be no band, no album, no nothing. Period. From feeding our minds and bodies before rehearsals, to helping us make crucial business decisions, to involuntarily listening to the same songs over and over and over again, she is our mother figure and the soul of the band. “Love You Better,” written for her, got the band the most radio play in 2011, hitting the #1 top requested spot on Native FM in Hilo and Kona in mid-July. We love you Amy! We promise to rinse off our own dishes in 2012!

“As songs with a social consciousness fade from the airwaves, we find refuge in the few stations that play bands like Kore Ionz, and we should thank these stations for their early impressions on musicians like the guys in this band, and others aspiring to be like them.”

- Shantel Grace, Honolulu Weekly (read full article)

“Hawaii-born singer/songwriter Daniel Pak belts out soulful, thumpin’ reggae that sounds like it was birthed right in the heart of New Orleans, with enough jazz heart to lead a Jamaican revolution of peace and love.”

- Joe Williams, Seattle Weekly

“With a lineup featuring some of Seattle’s best musicians (not to mention a cameo appearance from collaborator Prometheus Brown of Blue Scholars), Kore Ionz hold true to the tradition of the roots rock reggae they make; it’s about more than just the sound, it’s about a sincere, uplifting and deeply human experience.”

- M. Khazak, KEXP 90.3 FM (listen to the live in-studio)

Earlier this week we received a wall post on Facebook from John Hose, who traveled all the way to Seattle from Florida for Bumbershoot 2011. He wrote an amazing review of World War Free on his blog, Ramblings of John, and we’ve got to admit, it’s the most humbling one yet. Check it out right here!

Since 1952, teams of paddlers have made the annual trek across 38+ miles of treacherous open ocean from Moloka’i to O’ahu. Featuring outrigger canoe teams from around the world, the Moloka’i Hoe tests the limits of physical and mental strength and endurance, courage and determination, and teamwork under some of Mother Nature’s most extreme elements. Check out this epic video by Team Pacific Northwest, placing 43rd out of 102 teams at the Moloka’i Hoe 2011. Shout out to braddahs Stephen Pauelua and Jasen Kaya!

Photos by Absalom Shantz and Kizamu Tsutakawa

This is what it looked like at Bumbershoot 2009 after the sun broke through the clouds and told the rain to go away. This year we are back, ready to rock the Fisher Green this Sunday once again. And, if The Seattle Times comes correct with its prediction, the weather will be nice and sunny all weekend long for all you Bumbershooters!

We’re stoked to promote the new album, World War Free, and we’ll be at the f.y.e. booth next to the Fisher Green for a meet-and-greet immediately following our set. Super happy to announce that “Love You Better” is receiving heavy radio play on Island 98.5 in Honolulu (call 808-296-9850 to request it!) and on Native FM in Hilo and Kona (call 808-969-N8TV). Also excited to rock the new single “First Avenue,” featuring local hip hop hero Prometheus Brown of Blue Scholars – wonder if he’ll be around this weekend to jump on stage with us?

Finally, as most of you already know, Bumbershoot did release a limited number of Kore Ionz fan discount tickets. We don’t know if they’re still available, but you can definitely try with the discount code “F2AD9″ when you order online. Today is the very last day to purchase advance tickets! Go get um!

Kore Ionz perform at Bumbershoot 2011 on Sunday, September 4, 2011 at the Fisher Green Stage from 12:45-1:30pm.