Chicano Band Ozomatli Brought Their High-Energy to Reno

Artown isn’t the only one celebrating 30 years in 2025.

In the hopes to continue enhancing the Biggest Little City’s art scene and cultural appreciation, the Reno organization welcomed earlier this month the Los Angeles-based, Chicano band Ozomatli who is currently on the 30 Revolutions Nationwide Tour to commemorate their three-decade long legacy filled with music and unity.

Ozomatli’s innovative fusion of genres – such as salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip-hop, and more – captures LA’s diverse sounds. Their electric style exudes pride and a sense of resilience, with beats that make you want to jam out with them.

Their name is anything but dull. Ozomatli, a Nahuatl word meaning monkey, is tied to the Aztec calendar and represents the god of dance, fire, the new harvest, and music.

Eager fans of “Ozo” arrived early, saving their seats for nearly two hours before the start of the 7:30 p.m. concert. As a fanatic for 15 years, Javier Mora explained that he always comes to watch their Reno shows and that it’s hard for him to pick a favorite song.

“[I like] the music, the way they play, and the sound,” he said.

Ruben Duron is an avid Artown concert attendee who recently started volunteering for the nonprofit organization along with his wife.

“It is important that art reaches all levels of society, and when it is free, everyone has the opportunity […] to enjoy art.,” Duron said. Even though he had never heard of Ozomatli, he described volunteering as a perk to listen to diverse music styles.

Ozomatli encouraged the audience to get up to dance, and soon enough, the front row was filled with groovers. Amongst the crowd were children accompanying their parents in the dance pit. 

Along with the dancing, people really felt each lyric as they sang along to every song. Their songs don’t just make people dance; but they also convey political messaging. 

Their reputation for spreading content that amplifies the voices of the unheard dates back to 1995, when Ozomatli was born out of a protest for workers’ rights. 

Saxophonist and founding member Ulises Bella poked the crowd stating, “I like my horchata without ICE. You know what I’m saying?” In response, concert-goers followed up with applause and cheers while a woman immediately whipped her middle finger towards the group.

Quite a few attendees proudly repped their Ozomatli t-shirts while a woman in the front had a marker ready for the band to sign her CD album.

By the end of the night, the kids got in on even more fun, as the band invited them onstage to jump and dance around.

Just as the night was coming to a close, the band members got off the stage, formed a conga line and people followed them around the space. There, they finalized the concert with many fans asking for pictures.  

To honor their 30 years of activism through music, fans can celebrate the release of a new song. Ozomatli pays tribute to the working class with Red Line which dropped on July 25.