Artist Information
Biography
“The intention of the music and the message,” explains Hawai`i-born singer/songwriter Daniel Pak in an interview with the Honolulu Weekly, “is to give people a glimpse of the truth in a way such that it just might uplift them to go do something to change it.”
Seattle reggae rockers Kore Ionz have shared the stage with such legends as The Wailers, Steel Pulse, Third World, and Toots & The Maytals, as well as contemporary artists like Katchafire, J Boog, and The Green. Teaming up with producer Mell Dettmer (Femi Kuti, Bassekou Kouyate, Clinton Fearon), the band spent most of 2010 in the studio, releasing their second full-length album, World War Free, on August 20, 2011.
Featuring the five-member core of Pak, drummer Teo Shantz, keyboardist Kiley Sullivan, percussionist Ahkeenu Musa, and trumpet player Owuor Arunga (Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Wheedle’s Groove), the band enlisted the talent of tenor saxophone player Izaak Mills (Clinton Fearon) and lead guitarists Mark Oi (Clinton Fearon) and Thaddeus Turner (Maktub, Digable Planets, Shabazz Palaces) to record World War Free. The single “First Avenue” features a guest appearance by Prometheus Brown of renowned Seattle hip hop group Blue Scholars.
Joe Williams of the Seattle Weekly states, “Hawai’i-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.”
The lead single, “Love You Better,” was leaked in May 2011 on the Love You Better EP, and by mid-July was the #1 requested song on Native FM in Hilo and Kona. The song peaked at #4 on Island 98.5 in Honolulu and was first performed live during an in-studio on Seattle’s KEXP 90.3 FM in January 2011 which hit the #19 spot on the station’s Top Live Performances chart, falling right below Death Cab For Cutie. In March 2012 “Love You Better” hit #7 on 93.1 Da Pa’ina in Honolulu.
Love or fear. The only two fundamental human emotions we have to choose from. And no matter how difficult the challenges of life may be, Kore Ionz continues to encourage its steadily growing global community to choose love.
CONTACT
Kizamu Tsutakawa
Monk's Garage Management
booking@koreionz.com
Instrumentation
Daniel Pak - Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar
Teo Shantz - Drum Kit
Lennox Holness - Bass
Kiley Sullivan - Electronic Keyboards
Ahkeenu Musa - Percussion
Thaddeus Turner - Lead Guitar
Owuor Arunga - Trumpet
Darian Asplund - Tenor Saxophone, flute, Melodica
Discography
World War Free (LP, self-released August 2011)
Love You Better (EP, self-released May 2011)
Sweet Reggae Music (single, self-released March 2011)
Half-hour Revolution (LP, self-released July 2008)
Tracks from World War Free are receiving radio airplay on the following stations:
93.1 Da Pa'ina (Honolulu, HI)
"Love You Better" #1 most requested song, 2/16/12
KPVS 95.9 FM (Hilo, HI) 93.9 FM (Kona, HI)
"Love You Better" #1 most requested song, July 2011
KDNN Island 98.5 FM (Honolulu, HI)
"Love You Better" #4 on station's Top 5 at 5, 9/1/11
KEXP 90.3 FM (Seattle, WA)
"Love You Better" steady rotation on "Positive Vibrations"
KBCS 91.3 FM (Bellevue, WA)
World War Free on rotation on "The Reggae Party"
KAOS 89.3 FM (Olympia, WA)
World War Free #3 on CMJ Radio 200 Report, 9/13/11
KUGS 89.3 FM (Bellingham, WA)
"Music for the Masses"
KBOO 90.7 FM (Portland, OR)
"Higher Reasoning"
KWVA 88.1 FM (Eugene, OR)
World War Free on rotation, November 2011
SURF 95.9 (Kaua`i, HI)
© 2013 Kore Ionz LLC. All rights reserved.
Official Website
Links
Video
Press
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For and Against Kore Ionz
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Kore Principles By Charles Mudede A band that plays roots reggae must always play by the rules. ...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.
Even the title of the band's new album, World War Free, is consistent with the canon of reggae titles—for example, Hugh Mundell's Africa Must Be Free by 1983. World War Free has a solid dub track, "Pegasus Dub," a track with the sorrowful calls of a melodica "Only One" (what would reggae be if Augustus Pablo had not popularized the melodica?), and a track that explores hiphop without sacrificing the reggae beat, "First Avenue," which features Prometheus Brown of Blue Scholars.
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.
This is hard for some people to accept, I understand. It had rocketed through an evolution, beginning in the mid-1960s with the R&B-rooted ska, and every couple years morphed into a distinct new sound. It was clean and commercial, it was gritty and political, it was spiritual and inspiring, it was pious and high on blow.
And then it was a corpse.
Charles is right about one thing: Roots reggae players must play by the rules. But within the straitjacket of 4/4 rhythm and off-beat clicks, reggae bands have nothing left to do that hasn't been done without making it a new genre (see: rap, hiphop). Making new songs with the old techniques these days doesn't make reggae any more alive than whisking King Tut's sarcophagus around the globe reanimated the pharaoh in the 1970s.
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. -
Pumped Up Licks
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By Shantel Grace The anti-war movement has an associated body of protest songs that, arguably, il...By Shantel Grace
The anti-war movement has an associated body of protest songs that, arguably, illuminated with Beethoven and detonated with Dylan. But it was black convict and social outcast Lead Belly who may have started the tradition as we know it today–disguising “Goodnight Irene” as a folk song and taking his lead from expertly crafted slave songs. “Irene” had the facial features of a proper love song, but the song’s internal structure was cleverly designed as an opposition to injustice.
Since the most famous era of “political lament by a six string” has been over for four decades now, one can’t help but notice when a band, mainstream or not, pops up delivering us something other than girls kissing girls, monster balls or moves like Jagger. In this instance, it’s the Seattle-based reggae band known as Kore Ionz and their newest project, World War Free.
“When people ask me today what the [band] name means, I tell them that in this world in which we live and try to understand, there’s always a yin and yang going on,” says frontman and songwriter Daniel Pak. “Duality. Without hate, there would be no such thing as love. Without war, there would be no peace. Ultimately, without a negative energy, there could be no positive.”
As you may have already noticed, Pak is one of those people who make you wonder if old souls or past lives maybe exist. This thirty-something local boy, a fourth generation Korean and fifth generation Japanese and whose family has been on Oahu for over 100 years, says things like, “when atoms, the building blocks of all matter that make up our world, are in their ionic state, they are charged one of two ways: either negatively or positively.” He goes on to say that, physically, ions are in a state of chaos, colliding with one another, often violently. Eventually his metaphor for war and peace, and the impetus for the band’s name become clear, “Only when oppositely charged ions come together, in agreement, and bond, can anything stable be created.”
And the Band Played On
What we know about Pak is that he came from a family of activists, scholars and musicians, and, likewise, his band members are the offspring of their well-educated, socially conscious parents whose backgrounds range from members of the internationally recognized steel drum band, Bakra Bata, to professors on both coasts and one who’s the Kenyan ambassador to Egypt. The band’s keyboard player grew up playing in Hawaii’s prisons, where his father volunteered for 40 years.
But for a reggae band composed of this many walks of life, Pak says “life” hasn’t always been easy on the big black stage.
“We once performed with a Rastafari band, and they certainly had intense pre-judgments and some racism going on before the show started,” he says. “Just really negative, negative energy. They were especially angry when the promoter told them that they were going on before us. Funny thing is after we got off stage, the whole band came up to us, eyes wide open, and admitted how judgmental they realized they were, and how they were leaving the venue better people than when they arrived.”
Pak admits that he’s felt the same negative vibe from a few local bands, and even from members of a legendary reggae group whom he asks me not to mention because, “All we got is love.” And the thing is, it’s hard not to believe him. On stage, Pak is love. His band embraces love and showers the crowd in love, and pretty soon the entire venue is covered in that word it takes some of us years to even say, let alone bathe in.
Reflecting again on moments of criticism, Pak continues, “It’s like my dad always told me, ‘You just have to have shark skin.’ Today, people from Ethiopia, Sudan and Gambia will come up to me after a show and tell me how much the music means to them, and those are some of the most humbling moments, being fully aware that we are playing music that has evolved from their history and culture.”
On War and Words
Musically speaking, these guys sound like a mixture of the Wailers and Rufus Wainwright. Baffling? Perhaps, but the band’s diverse musicianship and the clean, but not squeaky clean production, mixed with Pak’s almost liturgical voice deliver anything but what’s expected from a traditional reggae album. 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.
World War Free is a new sound for Kore Ionz, and one can’t help but examine the cover art (two bullets with flowers growing out of them) and wonder about its subtext.
“War has and always will be about competition,” Pak says. “For food, resources, energy. In the cave man days, tribes would fight to survive…then over the course of thousands of years technology advanced and now, in our modern age, it’s at the point where we could make ourselves extinct with one bad decision.”
What Pak and his band give us, as listeners who care about the state of the world, are songs like “Marionettes,” “Belltown” and “‘Ohana”–the piano an interpretation of time, and jazz-like horn riffs a reminder that if art cannot be judged by its effectiveness, it can be effective in inderect ways.
“The intention of the music and the message,” he says, “is to give people a glimpse of the truth in a way such that it just might uplift them to go do something to change it.
“Is peace achievable? I think the answer to that is within each and every one of us individually. Do I support a government that carries out war every day? Do I buy products from companies that support a government that carries out war every day? Does the music I listen to and the television I watch help convince me to buy products from companies that support a government that carries out war every day? Hmmm…”
What World War Free is not is a repackaging of Bob Marley’s catalog. The band is attempting to move the conversation forward, and time will tell if others join in. -
Kore Ionz comes to town
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Reggae music and community service — two uncommon activities that bring 10 people from four differen...Reggae music and community service — two uncommon activities that bring 10 people from four different continents together, including North America and Africa. Those people are the members of the reggae band Kore Ionz.
Written by Jonathan Kull
Founding member, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Daniel Pak said while reggae music is what brought the band together, community service is where many of the members met.
Pak’s former roommate volunteered with the Service Board, a nonprofit group helping disadvantaged youth create a sense of community and responsibility, and Pak decided to get involved.
“I reached a point where I was so introverted in all the distractions and temptations in life I wanted to get out of it,” Pak said. “My roommate suggested I should sign up to be an adult mentor for high school kids.”
Pak followed his roommate’s advice and his life was forever altered. Pak met vocalist Carliss “Hema” Pereira while attending the 2006 Seattle Weekly Music Awards with students from the Service Board. Soon after, Kore Ionz was born.
From Seattle to Bellingham
On Saturday, Feb. 19, Kore Ionz will play at the Wild Buffalo House of Music with Rise N Shine. The show will start at 9:30 p.m. and the cost is $7.
“Bellingham is just one more piece of the puzzle,” Pak said. “Everywhere we go we are excited to meet the people.”
At recent shows, Kore Ionz has been leading their show off with a crowd favorite called “Blue,” bassist Branden DeMelle said. Everybody who listens to it thinks it is a love song, but “Blue” is about a near death experience, Pak said.
Pak was 2 years old when he fell into the deep end of his uncle’s pool in the Hawaiian countryside.
“I fell into the pool back first, looking at the blue sky,” Pak said. “I remember sinking into a blueness. My uncle jumped into the pool and saved my life. As a 2-year-old, you don’t fight for your life, and I just kept sinking into the beauty.”
While “Blue” might be a crowd favorite now, fans will soon have even more songs to groove to.
Kore Ionz will be releasing an EP in late spring and hopefully a full-length album later in 2011, Pak said. The big surprise on the new Kore Ionz EP is that MC Geologic from the Blue Scholars joins them on one song titled “First Avenue.”
“It is so cool to have somebody (like MC Geologic) that is connected to a skyrocket, yet so humble and connected to the community,” DeMelle said.
Not all members of Kore Ionz will be playing at the Wild Buffalo on Saturday. Trumpeter Owuor Arunga will be preparing to tour with Seattle hip-hop artist Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis.
“We are blessed to have the horn players that we do. They are two of the nastiest soloists in town,” DeMelle said. “But sometimes you just have to tour with Macklemore.”
Humble Beginnings
The name Kore Ionz started as a joke because Pak and a former member were both half-Korean, but the name stuck and a deeper meaning grew, Pak said.
“In this world you have positive and negative people, you have happiness and sadness, you have love and hate, you have peace and war,” Pak said. “I think it is a good symbol that only when some kind of positive progressive energy is able to compromise with some sort of negative or opposing energy can anything stable be achieved. As the songwriter I write simple stories that teach a lesson that we all have to get along.”
During a music showcase at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in Seattle, Pak met percussionist Ahkeenu Musa. In 2008, Kore Ionz released their first album, “Half-Hour Revolution,” with the addition of DeMelle on bass. Fifty percent of the earnings from the album went directly to the Service Board.
In October 2008, Kore Ionz opened for The Original Wailers, composed of Al Anderson and Junior Marvin from Bob Marley & the Wailers.
“We were really encouraged because they listened to our music,” DeMelle said. “Sometimes when you open for a band, they hide out in their bus until their set. But they stood in the back and listened to us and were really complimentary.”
Pak and keyboardist Kiley Sullivan spent 18 years going to school less than two miles apart on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. They went to rival high schools and played in the same soccer leagues, but Sullivan and Pak didn’t meet until 1998, when they both started attending the University of Washington.
In college, Sullivan and Pak started a reggae band called Mystic Rising that covered popular reggae songs. The band lasted from the early 2000’s until mid-2005, Sullivan said. After he left Mystic Rising, Sullivan quit playing music all together because he got too involved with snowboarding and working four jobs.
In October 2009, Sullivan received a phone call. Kore Ionz was looking for a keyboardist to play Seattle Weekly’s Seattle REVERB festival. Sullivan learned their songs and began playing with Pak again.
“It was a real honor to be playing again, especially with those guys,” Sullivan said. “Playing in Kore Ionz has really changed my life, and I am glad to be back into music.”
On Jan. 8, Kore Ionz performed live on Seattle radio station 90.3 KEXP. Musa said it was difficult at first because there was no visible audience. The group gathered in a circle and began to play.
“(There was) such good energy and positive vibrations,” Musa said. “There was this point where we were looking at each other and we didn’t have to use words because we were speaking to each other through our instruments.”
DeMelle said they played four songs, including the world premiere of “Love You Better,” from their new album.
A Little Music and Raw Fish
For four years, the last Wednesday of every month has been Kore Ionz night at Ohana’s, a restaurant and sushi bar in Seattle.
“Usually it is packed to the gills and we have a really fun time,” DeMelle said. “We consider it our family night. We get to experiment here. We will often rehearse songs that we don’t play at other places so it is kind of a little hidden treasure for our friends.”
Even though Kore Ionz has to cram onto a miniscule stage at Ohana’s, the band said they are able to feel at home. Why shouldn’t they? Ohana means “family” in Hawaiian. -
Roots, rock, reggae
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By Shantel Grace The lead singer of Seattle-based reggae band Kore Ionz admits his influences com...By Shantel Grace
The lead singer of Seattle-based reggae band Kore Ionz admits his influences come from a childhood filled with jazz, revolutionary literature and parents who thrived as activists.
“My mom and dad met in the ’70s in Hawaii,” says Daniel Pak. “They were doing revolutionary work, protesting Vietnam, fighting for the rights of farmers, things like that. Their shelves were filled with Karl Marx and Duke Ellington. They taught me to be an independent thinker, and when I realized music was my calling, there was no question who I would be singing to, and what causes I would be singing for.”
Kore Ionz features two members originally from Hawaii, Pak and keyboardist Kiley Sullivan. Their band has shared the stage with Katchafire, The Wailers, Third World and two-time Grammy winner Common. With more than 200 hours in the studio making their second album, and 100 hours yet to go, the band is taking a break for a celebration at Tropics Café next Wednesday.
Pak and the rest of the band met while working with immigrant and low-income youth. They played hip-hop and reggae but Pak says they were fostering a more important lesson than music–that everyone has the ability to make change.
“Our band is really about love and community,” Pak says. “You could say we’re like farmers; we plant seeds, we cultivate them, they germinate and thrive.”
Kore Ionz shouldn’t be missed. If not for the reggae, for a lesson in love. -
Seattle band Kore Ionz has a higher calling that involves changing lives
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Seattle band Kore Ionz has a higher calling that involves changing lives By Marian Liu Seattle T...Seattle band Kore Ionz has a higher calling that involves changing lives
By Marian Liu
Seattle Times staff reporter
Their members' homelands span the globe — from Hawaii, the Virgin Islands and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
But their heart is in one place.
"I believe everybody that has the power of the microphone ... has the potential to brainwash, but also the potential to change society for the better, especially the youth," said Daniel Pak, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Seattle band Kore Ionz.
Last week, the reggae band took that message of hope to kids detained at the King County Juvenile Detention Center for a free concert.
Dressed in matching navy-blue uniforms and orange plastic slippers, the inmates filed into the detention-center gym, where the walls bore posters with such messages as: "Life is not a game, once it's over there is no rest."
The boys followed each other in a single line, their heads were down, hands folded behind their banks. Guards flanked every side, as the youths were ordered to sit down in rows for the show.
But once Kore Ionz started playing, the mood of the room changed. Heads perked up, bobbing to the reggae beat. Then bodies swayed, hands waving to the rhythm, dancing without standing, following the order to remain seated. Even the guards were jigging.
"I came to the gym depressed. I got a lot of stuff on my mind," said J.G., a teen with messy braids. (The paper is not identifying the center's detainees since they are all juveniles.) "But this just made me happy. ... I hope to listen to them when I'm outs and go to a concert."
To the crowd ages 12 to 17, Pak yelled out, "We believe in you. That's why we're here."
Concerts are a rarity for the inmates. The only other music they get is at church.
"In here, music is a big thing for us," said another boy, initialed B.J., a baby-face teen with bright blue eyes. Kore Ionz is "a lot more relaxing than the rap I usually listen to. ... I feel motivated. I feel good."
The Seattle reggae band is also a regular at fundraisers and community centers. Half of their proceeds go to The Service Board, a nonprofit that offers life-changing programs for marginalized youth in Seattle. And all this generosity comes from a band $7,000 in debt from producing their last album independently.
It's as if the band has a higher purpose, said percussionist Paul Huppler. Growing up, he was causing a lot of trouble, too, but his participation in music saved him from being locked up.
"I hope to return the favor by being here," Huppler said about the band's detention-center performance.
The message of the music is based on Pak's insights (one example: "When you fall down, you fall forward). And their smooth beats and joyful lyrics are inspired by Bob Marley — fitting, as last month at Neumo's, they opened for the Original Wailers, which includes members of Marley's onetime band. And since the families of Kore Ionz are spread worldwide, Kore Ionz's music is not only played in Seattle but can be heard in Bosnia and the Virgin Islands.
The creation of Kore Ionz is a story of musicians — who met through friends of friends and impromptu jam sessions — finding harmony despite disparate backgrounds.
Besides hailing from hometowns clear across the world, their ages span three decades, with jobs that range from Microsoft project manager to farmer.
And each of the seven members expresses the beat in their own way. Drummer Huppler lays down the foundation, while congo players Ahkeenu Musa and Teo Shantz provide low-end tribal rhythms and accented beats.
Bouncing in the foreground is bassist Brendan De Melle, while rocking left to right is lead guitarist Nermin Osmanovic. The 32-year-old Osmanovic is tireless; in one day, he will ping from a pinball tournament, to rehearsal, to kite surfing, to work. He grew up in war-torn Bosnia and he doesn't take life for granted. "Every note he plays is like his last," said lead singer Pak.
At 51, vocalist/keyboardist Carliss Hema Pereira is the oldest. Pereira, who is a farmer, is also the jokester and the de facto leader of the group.
Finally, lead singer Pak serves as the nucleus, bringing a sense of "ohana," or family, from his native Hawaii, to the group. The 28-year-old teaches at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center and mentors a Filipino reggae band made up of high-schoolers. Congo player Musa describes Pak as someone who always see the glass full, as a "youth crusader."
"That is the battle of our lives, to change the negative to the positive," said Pak.
Which is how they formed their name, Kore Ionz.
There are negative and positive ions, explains Pak. They are often at odds with each other, that is, until they bond together — like sodium and chloride coming together in their chaos to create something positive: salt.
"When folks ask me what I do, I tell them that I am a farmer," said Pak. "I plant seeds among the youth and hopefully they will grow."
That was certainly the case for the youths at the detention center, who left with smiles, holding the albums Pak gave away for free.
"I hope they make it big," said Unna Kim, King County Juvenile Division recreation coordinator. "They have a big heart."
Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Original article can be viewed at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2008374679_koreionz11.html -
Rub-a-Dub Style
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By Erika Hobart It's Sunday afternoon at Daniel Pak's home in Rainier Beach. The Kore Ionz frontm...By Erika Hobart
It's Sunday afternoon at Daniel Pak's home in Rainier Beach. The Kore Ionz frontman has invited his bandmates to unwind over beer and barbecue in his sun-drenched backyard less than 12 hours after their concert at Red Bicycle on Vashon Island. The guys are obviously worn out from the 1 a.m. ferry ride back to the city, but they're still in good spirits.
Of course, they've got plenty of reason to be. In the two years since its inception, the seven-piece reggae band has opened for the Original Wailers, released a debut album, Half-Hour Revolution, via iTunes, and even performed at Bumbershoot last month. While the number of reggae groups in the Northwest is small, Kore Ionz is focusing on becoming one of the best. Their lush harmonies, worldly beats, and uplifting message have helped them build a core audience locally, but what's more important to them is that they are seen as community leaders as well.
"We use music to break down barriers," says Pak, who also works at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center as a teaching artist. "Kids are so divided nowadays. It's about the cliques they're in, the neighborhoods they're from, even the shoes they wear. But music is in all of our psyches. It has the power to unite us."
Kore Ionz certainly demonstrates that with its diverse lineup: Pak is a native of Hawai'i whose Japanese and Korean parents moved to America to work on a pineapple plantation. Lead guitarist Nermin Osmanovic grew up in war-torn Bosnia. Carliss "Hema" Pereira, Brendan Demelle, Teo Shantz, Paul Huppler, and Ahkeenu Musa represent the Virgin Islands, Connecticut, and Washington. They've come together out of a mutual respect and love for a genre with the power to be used as a communicative and often political tool.
"Reggae is a universal genre," Pak notes. "The image and message of Bob Marley is recognized no matter where you go in the world. There's something about it that's soothing to the soul.
"I can see us playing around the world in places that nobody else plays. We won't be at the top international venues. We'll be in the streets playing to the people."
Before they move to the rest of the world, the group has several ongoing local projects to attend to, making regular appearances at fundraisers, community centers, and juvenile detention centers. Half the proceeds from Half-Hour Revolution go to the Service Board, a Seattle nonprofit that supports youth programs and education in marginalized communities.
"We don't just play music," Pak says. "We talk to the kids about how they're doing, what kind of music they're into, what they want to do when they're out of juvie. Even something small like playing music for them and letting them know we believe in them can make a difference and be revolutionary."
ehobart@seattleweekly.com -
The Stranger's Guide to Bumbershoot: Kore Ionz
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KORE IONZ (Sun, 12:30 PM, Fisher Green) As one who knows his reggae, I can confidently state tha...KORE IONZ
(Sun, 12:30 PM, Fisher Green)
As one who knows his reggae, I can confidently state that Kore Ionz are one of the better local roots bands in the region. Three reasons why: One, the singer is actually good; two, the band knows how to blend the percussive elements with the melodic ones; and, three, they never go too far from the traditional beat of roots reggae. Kore Ionz are an excellent live band for the local lovers of classic Jamaican pop.
Charles Mudede -
Local Reggae Band Inspires Youths IN 'JUVY'
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BY DIEM LY IE Editor At the entrance of the King County Juvenile Detention Center, a cynical, br...BY DIEM LY
IE Editor
At the entrance of the King County Juvenile Detention Center, a cynical, brash officer greets visitors.
"I don't know why they even bother," the security guard snickers. "Those kids are criminals and always will be."
The officer says he comes from a different generation when young people respected their mother, father and country. This view, I'd later learn, is rare among the detention center staff.
That evening, on Nov. 6, a local reggae/rock band called the KoreIonz, performed a free concert for the youths in the detention center. According to the group's lead singer and rhythm guitarist, Daniel Pak, the message was simple: "Let the kids know there's someone out there who cares about them," says Pak. "And
that their dreams are not confined to the walls of their cells."
The KoreIonz—an eclectic group of Bosnian, Jamaican, African, Caucasian, and
Korean members—performed twice that night, for two groups, while staff looked on. Some youths expressed little reaction to the music. Others bopped their heads to the beat and danced in their seats. One staff member looking on was overheard saying, "They need to come back!"
In between sessions, Pak, 28, interacts with the teens, ages 12-17, asking questions
about their interests, dreams, and whether they're familiar with reggae. He spoke to the youths as if he was an older brother, delivering the message that every individual has the ability to transform the path of their life.
The local, seven-member band, whose music is inspired by the legendary Bob Marley, performed at the popular Capital Hill venue, Neumo's last month. KoreIonz band members are an example of how people from very diverse backgrounds and experiences can 'harmonize' toward a common cause: bringing people together through music.
While some judge at-risk youth as future criminals—Pak, along with his bandmates, like Ahkeenu Musa, see the young people, regardless of the circumstances they're currently in, as individuals and members of a society were all responsible for.
"We believe that the youth can put their mind to anything," says Musa,
a West African Koreionz bandmate who plays the congos. "Music is something they can put their energy into. We want to be role models."
Aldrin Cornel, one of the King County Detention Center officers and a Filipino American, says his experience as a youth motivated his career path.
"I grew up hanging out with gang people," says Cornel. "I wanted to work in a job that could change lives. We want to mentor them—that's ideal."
Cornel, along with other staff, agree their role is that of a mentor. "You got to be there for them," says Cornel. "Here, we're like their mom and dad."
Most of the youths observed that night were Caucasian and African American–along with a few Hispanic and API youths. Cornel says Asian Americans are fewer in number and are brought to 'juvy' in a seasonal pattern. He assumes during the school year, when the Asian numbers are lowest in the detention, the API youths are in school and less likely to get into trouble or get caught. During the summer, he says, the API numbers swell.
At any given time, the youth in the King County Detention Center number between 75-90, according to Cornel. Less than a quarter of the youth in the audience that night were female. When asked how the girls felt about the music and the band's message, one female teen says, " It's powerful—really gets you to like the music." Another says, "It's nice because we don't get music here at all." The girls chattered at once, exclaiming they wanted a copy of the band's CD and appreciated the inspirational message of transformation.
According to the officers, most of the teens are in detention due to convictions for burglary and assault. Once processed into the system, youths are detained in a small cell with furnishings not a far cry from an adult prison. A thin, green mattress is their only comfort, aside from a metal toilet and mirror. Education provided by the Seattle Public School District, a library with computers, and a small courtyard round out the youth's daily activities. Few share a cell with another teen.
These young people are forced to face the consequences of their unlawful acts, but they're not lost causes. Not a single one of them. Enter Koreionz. They've been performing for two hours and Pak is sweating through his brown t-shirt. His long hair is shaken loose and he takes a moment after the performances to greet each teen.
"Although they're surrounded by concrete walls, we're here for them," says a breathless Pak. "They all have the power to make change in their lives. It's important for them to understand that there are people out there who care about them."
While a minority of people in the community—even some officers expected to serve the youth at their most vulnerable and impressionable period—will plague these teens with cynicism and judgment, the message is to think and unite as a society and fight for those we're responsible for. The youth of our community need us and the KoreIonz cannot stand alone.
© 2008 International Examiner
Original article can be viewed at
http://www.iexaminer.org/archives/?p=1275 -
In Harmony: Daniel Pak - Kore Ionz Music
[+ Show ]
By Michelle Woo It’s a reminder that music has the power to break through walls, even ones made o...By Michelle Woo
It’s a reminder that music has the power to break through walls, even ones made of steel and concrete at the King County Juvenile Detention Center.
Standing on stage with a microphone and a guitar, Daniel Pak poses a question to the audience, which on this day, consists of rows of young inmates in navy blue uniforms, many hunched in their plastic chairs.
“Do you know why we’re here?” he says, panning the gymnasium.
No one says a word.
“We’re here because of you.”
Pak is the long-haired, gentle-spoken frontman of Kore Ionz, a Seattle-based reggae band that infuses its music with messages of social awareness, global unity and hope for future generations. It’s artistic expression with a cause: Half of the proceeds from the group’s debut album, Half-hour Revolution, will be donated to The Service Board, a nonprofit organization that provides mentorship and community service opportunities to marginalized youth in South Seattle.
“We use music as a vessel for social change,” says Pak, 28, who met the seven members of the multi-ethnic band through various charity projects. “We only hope that the intentions of unconditional giving will become more viral. It’s the only way to progress to a different world.”
The musicians have gigged with acclaimed reggae artists such as Bob Marley’s Original Wailers and Jamaica’s Eek-A-Mouse, but dedicate much of their time to off-the-circuit charity performances, such as their free concert at the juvenile detention center. As part of a voluntary project with The Service Board, Pak teaches music four days a week. He says he gives back to the community not because he wants to, but because he has to.
For Pak, growing up in Honolulu, music was more than a hobby — it was life. It connected individuals. It linked generations.
“The word kanikapila refers to a bunch of friends getting together at the beach and sharing songs and just jamming,” says Pak, whose father was a jazz keyboardist. “It was just this culture we had.”
Today, he aims to teach students how to use the most important instrument they’ll ever use: their ear.
During some of his music classes, all he does is listen.
“I’ll sit with students while they cry and tell me what’s going on in their lives,” he says. “I come to class, keep my ears open and my arms open. More than anything, I like to see myself as a big brother. I always tell them, ‘You teach me more than I teach you. You give me inspiration.’”
Kore Ionz, made of Pak, Carliss “Hema” Pereira, Nermin Osmanovic, Ahkeenu Musa, Brendan Demelle, Paul Huppler and Teo Shantz, fuses reggae with dynamic rock and world rhythms, producing high-energy grooves that you can’t help but sway and wave your hands to. That’s exactly what the inmates at the King County Juvenile Detention Center started doing as the band got into the set. They were doused with lyrics of hope such as, “When we fall, we fall forward and relearn to crawl.”
“These kids were born into a situation that I will never understand,” says Pak, adding that he hopes to return to the center. “They’re born into homes with meth addicts and prostitutes. But they’re old enough to know what their dreams are. We tell them, ‘We’re here. Come search us out.’ We want them to know that outside of those walls, there are people who care about them.”
At the end of the performance, Pak asked the audience the same question: “Do you know why we’re here?”
And they knew.
“Because of us,” they shouted.
How to help: Kore Ionz is looking for motivated, energetic, and conscientious volunteers to get involved in the movement. For information, email info@koreionz.com. For information on The Service Board, visit www.theserviceboard.org.
Setlist
All We Need
Angkor
Blue
Conductor
Fall Forward
First Avenue
Kore Ionz Chant
Love You Better
Marionettes
Morning Son
Nyabinghi Interlude
Only One
Out Of Line
Pleasure and Pain
Satisfy
Save Me
Slow Down
Struggle Today
Sweep Us Away
Sweet Reggae Music
Tomo-chan
NOTE: All original compositions. Set time can be between 45-90 minutes.
Calendar
There are no upcoming dates at this time.
| Date | Time | Venue | City | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 2013 Saturday | 10:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Nov 2, 2012 Friday | 12:00 PM | University of Washington | Seattle, WA, US |  |
| University of Washington 151st Birthday Celebration | ||||
| Oct 27, 2012 Saturday | 10:00 PM | The Alle' Stage/Studio Bob | Port Angeles, WA, US | |
| Oct 19, 2012 Friday | 10:00 PM | Pacific University | Forest Grove, OR, US | |
| Sep 29, 2012 Saturday | 8:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Aug 11, 2012 Saturday | 1:00 PM | The Summer Meltdown Festival | Darrington, WA, US | |
| Aug 6, 2012 Monday | 6:00 PM | Makah Tribe Block Party | Neah Bay, WA, US | |
| Aug 4, 2012 Saturday | 9:00 PM | Jazzbones | Tacoma, WA, US | |
| with The Green | ||||
| Jul 11, 2012 Wednesday | 8:00 PM | Showbox at the Market | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with Toots & The Maytals | ||||
| Jul 11, 2012 Wednesday | 12:00 PM | Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA, US | |
| Jul 10, 2012 Tuesday | 8:00 PM | Wild Buffalo House of Music | Bellingham, WA, US | |
| with Katchafire | ||||
| Jul 8, 2012 Sunday | 8:00 PM | Knitting Factory | Spokane, WA, US | |
| with Katchafire | ||||
| Jul 7, 2012 Saturday | 8:00 PM | Showbox at the Market | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with Katchafire | ||||
| May 7, 2012 Monday | 12:00 PM | Bellevue College | Bellevue, WA, US | |
| May 6, 2012 Sunday | 2:30 PM | Seattle Center - Center House Stage | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration | ||||
| Apr 12, 2012 Thursday | 9:00 PM | The Crocodile | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with The Black Seeds (NZ) | ||||
| Mar 29, 2012 Thursday | 12:00 PM | Highline High School | Burien, WA, US | |
| Feb 4, 2012 Saturday | 8:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with Island Bound, Ethan Tucker, and Zion's Gate Sound | ||||
| Jan 18, 2012 Wednesday | 9:00 PM | Neumos | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with The Wailers | ||||
| Nov 26, 2011 Saturday | 9:00 PM | Jazzbones | Tacoma, WA, US | |
| with Rise N Shine and Mighty High | ||||
| Nov 18, 2011 Friday | 8:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Oct 18, 2011 Tuesday | 8:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Sep 4, 2011 Sunday | 12:45 PM | Bumbershoot 2011 | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Aug 20, 2011 Saturday | 9:00 PM | The Crocodile | Seattle, WA, US | |
| World War Free album release party with Unite-One and Island Bound | ||||
| Aug 18, 2011 Thursday | 6:00 PM | Kapi'olani Community College | Honolulu, HI, US | |
| Aug 17, 2011 Wednesday | 10:00 PM | Tropics Cafe Bar and Grill | Honolulu, HI, US | |
| with The Ionz | ||||
| Aug 16, 2011 Tuesday | 12:00 PM | Island 98.5 | Honolulu, HI, US | |
| live in-studio with Phat Joe on The Reggae Cafe | ||||
| Aug 14, 2011 Sunday | 12:30 PM | Native FM | Hilo, HI, US | |
| live in-studio with Jake Show | ||||
| Aug 11, 2011 Thursday | 12:00 PM | Seattle City Hall | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Aug 6, 2011 Saturday | 10:30 AM | KEXP 90.3 FM | Seattle, WA, US | |
| live in-studio with Kid Hops on "Positive Vibrations" | ||||
| Jul 24, 2011 Sunday | 9:00 PM | Pantages Theater | Tacoma, WA, US | |
| with Steel Pulse | ||||
| Jul 13, 2011 Wednesday | 9:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with Ky-Mani Marley and Gramps Morgan | ||||
| Jun 30, 2011 Thursday | 10:00 PM | Amber | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Private Party | ||||
| Jun 25, 2011 Saturday | 7:00 PM | MVP Sports Bar and Grill | Portland, OR, US | |
| with J Boog | ||||
| Jun 25, 2011 Saturday | 10:15 AM | Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Jun 11, 2011 Saturday | 9:00 PM | Wild Buffalo House of Music | Bellingham, WA, US | |
| Love You Better EP Bellingham Release Party | ||||
| Jun 3, 2011 Friday | 9:00 PM | WOW Hall | Eugene, OR, US | |
| May 28, 2011 Saturday | 8:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| May 27, 2011 Friday | 6:00 PM | Northwest Folklife Festival - Mural Amphitheater | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Apr 2, 2011 Saturday | 8:00 PM | Snoqualmie Casino | Snoqualmie, WA, US | |
| with Katchafire | ||||
| Apr 1, 2011 Friday | 4:00 PM | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA, US | |
| with Augustana | ||||
| Mar 31, 2011 Thursday | 6:00 PM | The Triple Door | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Art Corps Presents La Festa del Arte | ||||
| Mar 17, 2011 Thursday | 9:30 PM | Pacific University | Forest Grove, OR, US | |
| Feb 19, 2011 Saturday | 9:00 PM | Wild Buffalo House of Music | Bellingham, WA, US | |
| Jan 14, 2011 Friday | 8:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Jan 8, 2011 Saturday | 10:30 AM | KEXP 90.3 FM | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Live In-Studio Performance on Positive Vibrations with Kid Hops | ||||
| Oct 23, 2010 Saturday | 9:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Oct 6, 2010 Wednesday | 10:00 PM | Tropics Café Bar & Lounge | Honolulu, HI, US | |
| Aug 6, 2010 Friday | 8:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with Third World | ||||
| Jul 11, 2010 Sunday | 1:15 PM | Ballard SeafoodFest 2010 | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Mainstage | ||||
| Jul 10, 2010 Saturday | 8:00 PM | Showbox at the Market | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with Katchafire and Island Bound | ||||
| Jul 6, 2010 Tuesday | 8:00 PM | Neumos | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with The Wailers | ||||
| May 31, 2010 Monday | 6:00 PM | Northwest Folklife Festival 2010 | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Roots Reggae Party with Clinton Fearon and the Boogie Brown Band, JB and Groove Fiery, and The Georgetown Orbits | ||||
| May 21, 2010 Friday | 3:00 PM | University of Washington | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Spring Concert opening for Common | ||||
| May 1, 2010 Saturday | 10:30 PM | Seattle University | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Hui O Nani 39th Annual Lu'au | ||||
| Apr 22, 2010 Thursday | 9:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Nectar Presents: Live Earth Day 2010 with Kore Ionz, Publish the Quest, and DJ Million, 9 PM, 21+, $10 | ||||
| Feb 26, 2010 Friday | 10:00 PM | Red Bicycle | Vashon, WA, US | |
| Jan 20, 2010 Wednesday | 8:00 PM | Neumos | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with Bakra Bata, Big World Breaks, DJ Tomas, and special guests | ||||
| Nov 20, 2009 Friday | 10:00 PM | The Jet | Mill Creek, WA, US | |
| with Handful of Luvin' | ||||
| Nov 14, 2009 Saturday | 9:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with Picoso | ||||
| Oct 30, 2009 Friday | 9:00 PM | Wild Buffalo | Bellingham, WA, US | |
| with Project Lionheart | ||||
| Oct 24, 2009 Saturday | 9:30 PM | The Reef | Boise, ID, US | |
| Oct 23, 2009 Friday | 9:00 PM | Blue Spark | Spokane, WA, US | |
| Oct 3, 2009 Saturday | TBA | Seattle Weekly REVERB Local Music Festival 2009 | Seattle, WA, US | |
| at Mr. Spot's Chai House | ||||
| Oct 3, 2009 Saturday | TBA | Seattle Weekly REVERB Local Music Festival 2009 | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Oct 3, 2009 Saturday | TBA | Seattle Weekly REVERB Local Music Festival 2009 | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Oct 3, 2009 Saturday | TBA | Seattle Weekly REVERB Local Music Festival 2009 | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Sep 19, 2009 Saturday | 9:30 PM | Red Bicycle | Vashon, WA, US | |
| Sep 6, 2009 Sunday | 12:30 PM | Bumbershoot 2009 | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Fisher Green Stage | ||||
| Aug 15, 2009 Saturday | 8:00 PM | Studio Seven | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with Humble Soul | ||||
| Jul 18, 2009 Saturday | 7:00 PM | Bite of Seattle | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Jun 27, 2009 Saturday | TBA | Rock 'n Roll Seattle Marathon | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Jun 11, 2009 Thursday | 8:00 PM | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Jun 4, 2009 Thursday | 7:00 PM | King County Juvenile Detention Center | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Apr 25, 2009 Saturday | 8:00 PM | The Evergreen State College | Olympia, WA, US | |
| Apr 23, 2009 Thursday | 8:00 PM | Benefit for Northwest Harvest @ Microsoft Campus | Redmond, WA, US | |
| Apr 23, 2009 Thursday | 9:00 AM | Global Connections High School | Sea-Tac, WA, US | |
| Apr 21, 2009 Tuesday | 8:00 PM | Neumo's | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Neumo's & Kore Ion Music Present 40th Annual Earth Day Celebration and Benefit for Seattle Youth Garden Works Kore Ionz Clinton Fearon (acoustic) Dub Down DJ DAG | ||||
| Apr 16, 2009 Thursday | 9:00 PM | KBCS 91.3 FM "Reggae Party" In-Studio | Bellevue, WA, US | |
| Mar 13, 2009 Friday | 8:00 PM | Spirit of Washington Event Center | Renton, WA, US | |
| Springfest '09 with Ekolu & Po'okela Street Band, presented by RAjahDAT.NET and Da 808. All Ages. | ||||
| Feb 28, 2009 Saturday | 9:00 PM | The Shark Club | Kirkland, WA, US | |
| Benefit for the Hui Wa'a O Puget Sound. | ||||
| Feb 21, 2009 Saturday | 10:00 PM | Jet Bar | Mill Creek, WA, US | |
| Feb 5, 2009 Thursday | 9:00 PM | Wild Buffalo | Bellingham, WA, US | |
| Part of the Bob Marley celebration week. | ||||
| Feb 5, 2009 Thursday | 6:00 PM | IN8 Snow and Skate | Bellingham, WA, US | |
| Feb 5, 2009 Thursday | 3:00 PM | KUGS 89.3 FM "Music For Masses" In-Studio | Bellingham, WA, US | |
| Jan 21, 2009 Wednesday | 9:00 AM | Global Connections High School | SeaTac, WA, US | |
| Kore Ionz invited to perform at Global Connections High School to close their MLK week assembly. The mission of the school is to "prepare all students to thrive as world citizens who actively contribute to the global community." | ||||
| Jan 10, 2009 Saturday | 8:00 PM | Red Bicycle | Vashon, WA, US | |
| Dec 19, 2008 Friday | 9:00 PM | Tractor Tavern w/ John Brown's Body | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Opening for New York progressive reggae band John Brown's Body. Their latest album, "Amplify," released by Easy Star Records, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Chart. | ||||
| Dec 6, 2008 Saturday | 8:00 PM | Nectar Lounge w/ Publish the Quest | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Publish the Quest Album Release. Also performing are Old Dockton and DJ Million. | ||||
| Nov 6, 2008 Thursday | 7:00 PM | King County Juvenile Detention Center | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Free concert for the youth in detention. | ||||
| Oct 25, 2008 Saturday | 5:00 PM | Everyday Music | Seattle, WA, US | |
| In-store performance | ||||
| Oct 24, 2008 Friday | 8:00 PM | Neumo's w/ Bob Marley's Original Wailers | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Oct 12, 2008 Sunday | 12:00 PM | Waid's Haitian Cuisine & Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Benefit for Haitian Children's Fund | ||||
| Oct 9, 2008 Thursday | 8:00 PM | Neumo's w/ Eek A Mouse | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Opening for the legendary reggae star Eek A Mouse | ||||
| Oct 9, 2008 Thursday | 3:00 PM | Daily Planet Show on KBCS 91.3 FM | Bellevue, WA, US | |
| Jul 18, 2008 Friday | 5:00 PM | Bite of Seattle | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Jul 17, 2008 Thursday | 8:00 PM | Neumo's (Album Release) w/ Clinton Fearon | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Release of "Half-Hour Revolution" with special guests Clinton Fearon and DJ Million. Tickets at www.ticketswest.com. | ||||
| Jul 14, 2008 Monday | 3:00 PM | Daily Planet Show on KBCS 91.3 FM | Bellevue, WA, US | |
| 20 minute interview and sit-and-spin of the new album with host Matrayi Joneja. | ||||
| Jun 27, 2008 Friday | 1:00 PM | Taste of Tacoma | Tacoma, WA, US | |
| May 31, 2008 Saturday | TBA | "Delridge Day" @ Youngstown Cultural Arts Center | Seattle, WA, US | |
| May 22, 2008 Thursday | 1:00 PM | King County Juvenile Detention Center | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Serving 120 youth for Asian Pacific American History Month. | ||||
| May 18, 2008 Sunday | TBA | "Satisfy" Video Shoot @ Golden Gardens Park | Seattle, WA, US | |
| May 1, 2008 Thursday | 6:00 PM | 9th Annual May 1st Immigrant Rights Rally & March (Seattle Center) | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Mural Amphitheater Stage at Seattle Center | ||||
| Mar 17, 2008 Monday | 6:00 PM | Youngstown Cultural Arts Center | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Feb 2, 2008 Saturday | 11:00 PM | The Anchor | Everett, WA, US | |
| Feb 2, 2008 Saturday | 10:00 PM | Anchor Pub | Everett, WA, US | |
| Jan 30, 2008 Wednesday | 10:00 PM | `Ohana | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Jan 15, 2008 Tuesday | TBA | Nectar Lounge | Seattle, WA, US | |
| with Little Big Man | ||||
| Dec 26, 2007 Wednesday | 10:00 PM | `Ohana | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Nov 26, 2007 Monday | 10:00 PM | Showbox SoDo | Seattle, WA, US | |
| Benefit for a friend in the community who is fighting a bout with glaucoma. | ||||