Ka'ikena, katchafire - 9/17/25 - fresno, ca- strummer's

Ka’ikena opened the night with a smile and heartfelt crooning. He was all by his lonesome, singing over reggae beats. He spoke a lot in Hawaiian, and even sang in Hawaiian at some points. It's a beautiful language to listen to, and it's good to see an artist working to keep the language alive (insert obvious comparison to Kneecap), but the one downside is that I have no idea what he was saying, although the words he gave seemed to be heartfelt and conveying a message of peace.

Katchafire would be at home in the Vaudeville tent at High Sierra, which hosts eclectic funk bands every summer in Quincy CA. The band, all the way from New Zealand, had a singer/guitarist, another guitarist, a singer/keyboardist, a trumpet, a sax, a bass, a percussionist/vocalist, and a drummer. I'e always said that the more instruments on stage the better, and Katchafire is more evidence to that point. They’re a well-oiled groove machine that kept the crowd moving all night with jam after irresistible reggae-ska-fusion funky jam. Even the slower songs, of which there were a few, had danceable beats. The crowd gladly joined in with a singalong of Three Little Birds. They've been doing this for a while, but still looked like they enjoyed every part of it.