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Kore Ionz



Last Updated: 12/19/2009

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Status: Single
City: Seattle
State: Washington
Country: US
Signup Date: 2/1/2007

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Tuesday, October 27, 2009 

Current mood:  working
Category: Music
Saturday, October 24, 2009

The Reef
Boise, ID

We left Spokane at three in the morning, as the promoter who negotiated his home as our lodging for the night to save on hotels passed out and wouldn't answer our phone calls. Before leaving we made a stop at a Motel 6 off the freeway to interrupt a band member's late night rendezvous:

"Sorry, brah. We're leaving for Boise. Promoter passed out. Hurry up and put your clothes on and get in the van."

Our tour manager Brian drove south for seven hours and got to see the sun rise. How he took beautiful pictures of the landscape while driving we won't ask.




Brian gave in to sleep deprivation around 10 AM and pulled into a rest stop in the middle of KKK country. Ahkeenu quickly took the driver's seat and drove the final two hours, bringing us into Boise around noon. Amazing weather! It was as if summer was hibernating here in the City of Trees.

Our promoter in Boise was a little more responsible than the one from Spokane and had three rooms at the Holiday Inn ready for us. After washing off our Spokane stench and updating our Facebook pages, we got right back in the van to grab a quick bite and head to the venue for soundcheck.

The Reef is a really cool space, except the only way to load-in our gear was up a flight of stairs. We initiated an assembly line which made the process so much easier. Present for soundcheck were the "Mayor of Boise," who claimed the dance floor to be his own, and two ex-pro-skaters originally from South Dakota who reeked of alcohol at 2 PM. It took quite a while to get one particular monitor dialed in, so we warmed up the spot with a fun percussive jam. Soundcheck went well and the Dakota boys were jamming on the dance floor.

The five hour break between soundcheck and our call time was really nice. Paul, Teo, and Ahkeenu looked cute together in the hot tub, Neri retired to his eternal cave of hibernation, Brendan logged into East Coast time and did some environmental research, Brian and Aaron snuggled together in their private suite, and I met up with my auntie for some sushi.

Finally it was go-time. The Reef was pretty busy, considering there was a Boise State vs. Hawai`i football game that just started and the whole city was supposed to be either at home in front of their TV or at a sports bar. After a few pizzas and a cooler full of beer, we took the stage. Amazing energy from the audience. The Reef quickly packed in and we had a nice crowd. Here's some great photos that Brian took:



















Boise was great and we're definitely coming back. Thanks to the Boise Weekly who chose us as a Weekly Pick, which definitely promoted the show really well. If you haven't yet read the article, check out:


Thanks for checking out our tour blog and see you real soon! Water for roots. Love of reggae. Fire for rock.

Much love and aloha,
Daniel Pak

Sunday, October 25, 2009 

Current mood:  satisfied
Category: Music
Just got back into Seattle from our weekend trip out to Spokane and Boise.  It was a great mini-tour, with an assortment of weird smells lingering in the van by the time we got back.  This was definitely the most fun we've had since starting the band.  Here's a brief recap of the Spokane experience:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
SPOKANE, WA

It seemed as if the city of Spokane was illuminated with a neverending full moon.  When we got in for soundcheck at 7 PM, people walking the streets already appeared wasted, with that dopey-eyed, stagger-stepping, slurred and loud-speaking demeanor.  Crazy thing is, they weren't that different at 3 AM when we left for Boise.  Our guess is that they are just good at maintenance.

Spokane gets its name from the Native American tribe that originally occupied the area.  Translated "Children of the Sun," the Spokanese sure know how to turn up the heat.  Our show was at a spot right in the heart of the city called the Blue Spark.  An ocean of drunk people.  Some guy came up to the front of the stage during the first set and started screaming some gibberish at us.  No subtitles.  This turned out to be the same guy that almost knocked over the keyboard in the second set.  How he got to it we don't know.  And right after we secured the keyboard, another guy did a backward handspring, just like the gymnasts do during the floor exercise in the Olympics, and ended up kicking the house manager, Avont, in the face.  The aspiring gymnast wasn't kicked out - wonder why not?

The show went well, with Aaron doing an amazing and creative job with the barebones PA we were provided, although it became increasingly difficult to concentrate on the music with the antics of the audience becoming a distraction.  We like to think our music is quite on the chill-side with sort of a conscious message, but there were at least a half-dozen guys with girls straddling them, exposed legs and heels wrapped around the guy's backs, as if it were club music blasting out of the speakers.  Weird.

We did end up in a nightclub after the show, thanks to our tour manager Brian, who apparently knows everyone in every town we pass through.  He walked us into the club without being carded or searched and almost instantly had a dozen Heinekens passed to us.  Pretty nice treatment!  And to top off the night I met my neighbor's son for the first time:

Tired of standing around by myself, I introduced myself to a Samoan guy at the bar and asked him where he was from.  He said he was "born in Hawaii and raised in New Zealand."  He told me his parents lived right on Kane'ohe Bay on O'ahu, and surprised I said mine did too.  I asked him what street his parents lived on and he said, "Mikiola Drive."  Amazed, I told him that's where my parents lived.  I asked him his street number, and he said, "44-142."  I told him we lived at 44-139.  His eyes widened.  I asked who his next door neighbor was, and in a much louder voice he replied, "The Changs!"  I told him we lived next to the Changs.  That was when he sprang out of his seat and almost knocked me down with a big hug, taking me over to his girlfriend's table to introduce me to all her friends.  The two of us were so excited about meeting each other, like reunited brothers, but the girls didn't care too much.  "Cool," they casually replied, turning their heads and going back to their original conversation, about some guy that hit on one of them earlier in the night, but after checking his Facebook page, discovered he was "In a Relationship."

We wonder what the original "Children of the Sun" think of their homeland today.  We wonder where they live now.  Is their sun still shining?  Take it easy, Spokane.  Much love to the folks at the Blue Spark for bringing us out, especially to Avont for all the laughs, and a big aloha to Shannon and friends at Gonzaga University.  Turns out she's also from Kane'ohe and went to the same high school that I went to.  Small world.

It is truly amazing how you can drive into the unknown for hours and hours, only to meet your next-door neighbor for the first time.

- Pak


P.S. Special deal at the Motel 6 off the I-90.  One room only $34.99!

Currently listening:
Kaya
By Bob Marley & the Wailers
Release date: 2001-07-31
Saturday, October 03, 2009 

Current mood:  working
Category: Music
REVERB: Kore Ionz Rub-a-Dub Style
A global reggae party for the kids.

By Erika Hobart, Seattle WeeklyPublished on September 29, 2009 at 8:34pm

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" PereiraBrendan DemelleTeo ShantzPaul 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."

Monday, August 10, 2009 

Current mood: Irie
Category: Music
Kore Ionz were chosen by the Seattle Weekly as a "stand-out act of 2009" and were invited to perform at this year's REVERBfest, which takes place on Saturday, October 3rd at various music venues in Ballard!  More details to come...
Currently listening:
B Is for Bob
By Bob Marley
Release date: 2009-06-23
Saturday, July 04, 2009 

Current mood:  cultured
Category: Music

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Kore Ionz "twitterview" with Hollis Wong-Wear of the Seattle Weekly


We're about to twitterview @koreionz! Follow them and get in on the conversation!


this is pretty exciting...about to do our very first twitterview with Hollis Wong-Wear of the Seattle Weekly! Follow @swreverb!


Welcome to yr weekly twitterview! For those who have been sleeping, we tweet with local artists every Thursday at 1 PM, so join the convo!


Today we're chatting with Daniel Pak, frontman of @koreionz, a 7-person reggae group who will feature at Bumbershoot in September.


what up @swreverb! beautiful day for tweeting.


He's also a passionate educator and activist. @koreionz, tell us abt your show last week at the juvenile detention center.


it was my fourth time back at Juvenile Detention and the second time with the whole band. it is truly a privilege to serve the youth.


@koreionz how do the young people receive you, and how did you set up a show there? it seems more groups should be performing for them.


@swreverb it always takes a little time to get them to warm up to us, especially because they aren't all that used to reggae...


@swreverb ...but after they realize that we are there not just to play for them but to listen as well, everything becomes irie


@swreverb i think they associate guests with lectures. listening to their needs really is the key.


@swreverb by the way, much love to the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and @youngstownarts for helping sponsor our last trip to juvy!


@swreverb big ups also to the officer that really got his unit excited about the show and set up a meet-and-greet and poster signing!


@swreverb the youth connect to common ground - when I mentioned that I'm from Hawai'i, there is an instant connection with the API youth


@swreverb we definitely will be back, and hopefully we can start bringing other groups with us as well. we all need to engage with the youth.


@koreionz how would you describe kore ionz' sound, and how do the different backgrounds of the artists in yr group influence your music?


@swreverb the sound is a mashup of roots reggae, rock, and world riddims. "world reggae rock," i guess?


@swreverb the ethnic and cultural makeup of the band represents everywhere from Hawai'i, by way of Korea and Japan, to the Virgin Islands...


@swreverb ...to Bosnia & Herzegovina, to Ghana, to Brazil, to Western Europe...


@swreverb ...and of course, Seattle, with an emphasis on Renton and Shoreline!


@swreverb what really is special about all the guys is that they are all down for the cause, spreading a culture of love everywhere we go


@koreionz how does kore ionz fit in w the larger reggae scene in the pacific NW?


@swreverb i wouldn't say the reggae scene in Seattle is exactly large, and music groups in general that do conscious work are a minority...


@swreverb ...but we definitely connect on many levels with all the reggae and non-reggae bands that we play with...


@swreverb ...and our mission is to build a community of people who want to give not because they want to, but because they have to.


@swreverb as we say when we perform, "it's not about us, it's about the people."


@swreverb we find guidance and mentorship in the community from leaders like Clinton Fearon and @bluescholars, who labor for the people


@swreverb Seattle has an incredible music scene, and we'd love to help expand it diversely. there's so many colors in the crayon box!


@koreionz talk more about the community, and about your work and role within it. does kore ionz have a guiding philosophy and message...


@koreionz that you all wish to get out and express? and how does the title of yr album, "half hour revolution," tie in with that?


@swreverb a guy asked me, as he was debating whether or not to purchase Half-hour Revolution, "can you explain the band in 1 sentence?"


@swreverb i replied, "in everything that you do, everyday, in every breath, are you thinking about your great-grandchildren?"


@swreverb he was not expecting that at all, but he instantly understood, AND he ended up buying the album! we have so little time here...


@swreverb ...and with our society using so much, what will be left by the time we are gone? will our children and theirs know what to do?


@swreverb "Half-hour Revolution" came from working with youth, specifically through @theServiceBoard


@swreverb the revolution does not exist so much out on the streets, but rather in the mind. to spend just a half-hour with a youth...


@swreverb ...listening to their needs, allowing them to express their mind in a safe environment, will allow them to have their revolution


@swreverb and the hope is that it will become viral, and they will understand their new responsibility for the next youth


@swreverb i think "change" to most means changing their environment, but the real change has to be internal, for each and every one of us


@swreverb revolution is change, in lifestyle, in taking better care of your grandma, in reading more to your children, in volunteering more


@swreverb we're giving a portion of the proceeds from Half-hour Revolution to @theServiceBoard. just a little step in a good direction!


@koreionz great! what can we expect from y'all when you take the stage at bumbershoot?


@swreverb man, i still can't believe we're performing in this year's #Bumbershoot! my parents are flying up from Hawai..i to catch it!


@swreverb we'll be playing some new songs that we're working on in the studio, but we try to perform the same whether it's for 5 or 5000!


@swreverb we're excited to be playing in the same #Bumbershoot as @michaelfranti, Sly & Robbie, and so many more...


@swreverb ...and we are forever appreciative of the great folks at One Reel for giving us this great privilege!


@swreverb we'll be on the Fisher Green stage Sunday 09/06 from 12:30-1:30 PM.


@koreionz we look forward to seeing you! finally, any new projects or collaborations on the horizon to look out for?


@swreverb we're currently in the studio working on our second album. we don't want to announce a date yet...


@swreverb ...but we're definitely trying some new rhythms and we hope to feature some special guests on it!


@swreverb after #Bumbershoot, we plan to hit the road for a little bit, and then do another Seattle show in the fall.


@swreverb we'd really love to do a crossover show! like linking the olympic rings together, building more community.


@swreverb we'd also love to work more closely with youth musicians and help produce some new NW talent at places like @youngstownarts


@swreverb ultimately, all artists will leave this world eventually, so why not start passing the torch early?


@koreionz we look forward to seeing those collaborations! thanks for chatting with us, pak.


@swreverb much love and aloha! especially to @wongweezy, Seattle's Queen of Tweets! we are very appreciative for the time.


@swreverb and of course, thank you to all artists and revolutionary workers worldwide who continue to labor for the betterment of the people


This has been Hollis Wong-Wear for SW Reverb -- thanks again to @koreionz, and stay tuned for next week's twitterview feat. @kidhops!

Currently listening:
Troubadour
By K'naan
Release date: 2009-02-24
Monday, April 20, 2009 

Current mood:  blessed
Category: Music
Kore Ionz just got the confirmation last week that we will be part of the lineup for this year's Bumbershoot festival - catch us on Sunday, September 6th from 12:30-1:30 PM on the Fisher Green Stage!

Bumbershoot, now in its 39th year, draws artists representing the best in music, film, comedy, spoken word, dance, theatre, performance, and visual arts to the Seattle Center over Labor Day weekend. North America's largest urban arts festival, Bumbershoot brings in over 150,000 visitors from near and far, to experience everything from regional favorites to international superstars across all arts disciplines.

This year's lineup includes such internationally acclaimed artists as Sheryl Crow, Modest Mouse, Michael Franti & Spearhead, De La Soul, Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang, and much, much more!

For more information, check out www.bumbershoot.org. Be sure to check back on the Kore Ionz MySpace in the near future for special discounted tickets to this year's festival!
Currently listening:
Troubadour
By K'naan
Release date: 2009-02-24
Thursday, February 19, 2009 

Current mood:  working
Category: Music
KoreAm Journal
January 2009
www.koreamjournal.com

DOING GOOD
KAs Making A Difference (and how you can, too)

Give back. It’s advice we hear so often. But in these patchy times, the words are easy to brush aside. We’re too busy, too broke. Can’t someone else pick up the slack? This new year, resolve to squash the excuses. New science shows that giving not only feels just as good as getting, but can actually improve your health. (We just love a two-for-one deal.) Here are six real-life heroes who are paying it forward in a major way. Read, be inspired and then get to work!
(Don’t worry, you can come back to the magazine later. We’ll wait.)


IN HARMONY
Daniel Pak - Kore Ionz Music

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.
Currently listening:
Songs of Freedom
By Bob Marley & The Wailers
Release date: 1999-11-16
Monday, February 02, 2009 

Current mood:  accomplished


Kore Ionz will journey just minutes from the Canadian border this Thursday, February 5th, for a triple-header in Bellingham, Washington.  We're jumping into a huge cargo van, courtesy of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, picking up some friends as we head north on I-5, and making our first stop at KUGS 89.3 FM on the Western Washington University campus.

"Music for the Masses" is the incredibly eclectic radio show that broadcasts music from across the globe, across many generations.  We've had the pleasure of sharing deep phone conversations with their amazing Music Director, Steve Stimek, who really is the mastermind behind their diverse mix.  He invited us to perform an acoustic set and do an interview on the show, so tune your FM radio dial to 89.3 at 3 PM and listen in!  KUGS is also streaming live at www.kugs.org

After the radio show, we're heading over to IN8 Snow and Skate for another acoustic show.  This one starts at 6 PM, is FREE, and is ALL AGES!  Big ups to our genius Bellingham promoter Austin Santiago for setting this one up.  He owns a popular clothing company called BuildStrong Clothing and is on top of his game.  Be sure to build up all your strength and visit www.buildstrongproductions.com

Finally, Austin will be taking us over to the Bellingham finale at the esteemed Wild Buffalo, for a night full of roots reggae rock with Tacoma reggae band Laborer opening as part of the Bob Marley celebration week.  Doors open at 9 PM for this one, and it's only $6!

We're looking forward to serving you, Bellingham!  Come talk story with us and let's spread the aloha together.  We can't do it without you!  Here's a quick recap for the non-notetakers:

:: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2009 :: BELLINGHAM, WA ::

3 PM :: KUGS 89.3 FM "MUSIC FOR THE MASSES" IN-STUDIO

6 PM :: IN8 SNOW AND SKATE :: ALL AGES

9 PM :: WILD BUFFALO WITH LABORER :: 21+ :: $6

MUCH LOVE AND ALOHA!!!

Kore Ionz on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace
Currently listening:
Facing Future
Release date: 1993-09-01
Saturday, January 03, 2009 

Thanks to our dear friend Barbie-Danielle DeCarlo, World Music Director at KBCS 91.3 FM, we have a new set of great friends up in Everett who run an amazing radio station called KSER 90.7 FM.  Like KBCS, KSER contributes greatly to our community by providing a voice for those under-represented by other media resources.  Ideas, opinions, and concerns of global nature are supported through great community radio stations like KSER, and the Kore Ionz are down with the cause!

While Hema and I were teaching our weekly music class at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in West Seattle a few weeks back, he randomly met a woman by the name of Taryn who told Hema she was a DJ for a radio station up in Everett.  He asked if she had ever heard of the Kore Ionz and she shockingly told Hema that she has "Half-hour Revolution" on her playlist and has the album on frequent rotation.  What a coincidence!  Even Hema was surprised!

So, Taryn invited us to come in to the studio next Thursday to record a live acoustic set that she'll be able to play on-air at her convenience.  Amazing mystic connection, and we look forward to strengthening our community bond with KSER 90.7 FM.

For all of you in the Everett area, be sure to tune in to The Sunlit Room, Monday through Friday, from 9:30 - 3 PM, where "old and new, familiar and exotic, form a spectrum of sound unlike anything you'll hear on the rest of the dial."  Taryn is your DJ on Thursdays!

Much love and aloha.

Kore Ionz on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace

Saturday, December 27, 2008 

Current mood:  focused

KBCS 91.3 FM just put out their RadioActivity - Programmers' Best Recordings of 2008 newsletter, and Kore Ionz were listed on three programmers' Top 10 lists:

Notable Northwest Recordings 2008
Barbie-Danielle DeCarlo
Global, Pop & RPM Music Director




Daily Planet, Mondays 3-5 PM, Top 10
Matrayi Joneja




Reggae Music Top 10
Duncan Goulding
Reggae Music Director





A big, big mahalo for the love and support to KBCS 91.3 FM from all of us at Kore Ionz headquarters!  What would the community do without community radio?  For a world of music and ideas, please frequent KBCS 91.3 FM.  Love and aloha.


Currently listening:
Songs of Freedom
By Bob Marley & The Wailers
Release date: 1999-11-16