Roots and reggae music return to Legacy Room at Moenkopi Inn
Hawaiian style reggae music hits the Rez July 18, first reggae festival planned for fall

HI Roots performs at the Legacy Room in Moenkopi July 18. Photo/Tyler Tawahongva

HI Roots performs at the Legacy Room in Moenkopi July 18. Photo/Tyler Tawahongva

MOENKOPI, Ariz. - On July 18 the Summer Fun Tour featuring Natty Vibes, or Natural Vibrations, and HI Roots started their U.S. tour with a performance at the Legacy Room in Moenkopi. In addition, local artist Hopi Omaw performed an acoustic guitar to open the show.

The tour will take both groups across the United States through August. According to Brother Wayne Enos, guitarist and vocalist, vocalist Penidean Pua' auli was unable to perform on the tour because of health reasons, but from the quality of the performance nothing seemed to be amiss.

Enos and Pua'auli formed Natural Vibrations in 1993 on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Natural Vibrations didn't let the audience down with their performance of one song after another of their newer and older material.

Auntie Pi'I from Ialoharadio.com emceed the event. She spoke of her internet radio show which plays 24 hours of Hawaiian music on www.iAlohaRadio.com. She is of Hawaiian descent but lives in the Phoenix area. She described Hawaiian reggae as a more laidback style then the Jamiacan style of reggae music.

"It's a relaxed style like being on the islands" she said.

Hawaiian reggae groups that have been relatively unknown have become very popular such as the Green and J Boog who tour nationally.

"I remember seeing the Green when they were playing in a small venue and was told this group is going to be big" Pi'I said.

HI Roots, another Hawaiian based reggae goup, delivered a blend of Hip Hop and reggae through the Hip-Hop lyrics of Francisco "Cizflow" Oldman-Kam and singer Andrei Galvez. The group performed a set of energetic songs and smooth lyrics in the Hawaiian tradition. According to Cizflow, they are looking forward to their first U.S. tour with Natty Vibes. The group has shared the bill with other popular reggae acts such as Eek a Mouse and Rebelution, who they went to school with in San Diego.

Opening the night was Hopi musician Omaw, bassist and vocalist for the Wailing Coyotes reggae band, who sang songs and played acoustic guitar, reflecting on life on the reservation and evoking images of the surrounding cliffs.

Legacy Music continues to bring quality reggae acts to the hotel and will play host to a Rockabilly show in August and a Reggae Festival in the fall.

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