The air is warm, the sky is dark and Del Playa is filled with young college students looking for a good time.
Patrick and Ian Alexander, Dustin Cabaccang, Keahi Piiohia, Riley Castillo and Scott Brown form the reggae team. Ihzzhi.
Guitarist Patrick Alexander calls Ihzzhi “a brand spankin’ new band,” and deemed this night perfect for a backyard concert.
Saying Ihzzhi aloud creates the sound “I is high.” However, this is not a band’s typical drug reference.
“Ihzzhi is a state of mind,” Patrick explains. “The vibe that we create puts us into a ‘high’ state of being.” This idea is what the band hopes to spread with their new listeners through their music.
The group met almost a year ago in the spring of 2006. Patrick said, “At first we were just a ‘jam band’ that had no real musical goals.”
Although all six in this group met after moving to Santa Barbara, five of them went to the same high school, Kamehameha, in Hawaii. Scott Brown, the band’s drummer, moved from Camarillo.
The five Hawaii-natives and the Californian take the stage at the backyard concert, and people begin to trickle through the small gateway, drawn in by the music.
Some audience members sport Bob Marley shirts and “Rastafarian” colors, while others in the growing crowd look as though they might not even know the name Bob Marley. This community response is what drives the band members forward from their “jam band” mentality.
The fan base, while still small, has made it possible for Ihzzhi to play shows and also to learn from local bands like Iration, who is well known in the reggae scene. Ihzzhi opened for Iration at a Ventura venue, The Drink, on Feb. 22.
“Our next band to open for, respectfully, would be Rebelution,” Patrick said. “Both bands are demonstrating successful tendencies and we hope to follow a similar path.”
Musical influences that range from Eric Clapton to Pepper to UB40 and many Hawaiian musicians have greatly affected their musical productions.
Patrick describes how his past involvement with a punk-rock band in Portland helps him incorporate different techniques to the reggae beats. The one person who substantially tweaks the band’s flowing sound is drummer Scott Brown.
“His darker influence on our music has given us an edge that’s not often seen in reggae music,” Patrick said of Brown drumming style.
Blending punk rock, metal, Hawaiian style music, and reggae, create something completely new for their college fan base and Ihzzhi hopes to gain more recognition.
“With the utmost intention of spreading love, harmony, and music we embark to transcend cultural understandings in order to promote peace and love within our community of college students,” Patrick said.