hulagirl

GREETINGS FROM WASSABI COLLECTIVE! Wassabi will be heading out next week on a Fall Tour to the Maritimes and Central Canada in suppport of their latest release "Stories Not Forgotten" and to welcome in the New School year!! Cant wait to see you on the road and please tell your friends and help us spread the word. FALL BACK TO SCHOOL TOUR DATES: Tues, Sept 18th @ THE CELLAR, FREDERICTON, NB Wed, Sept 19th @ PATS PLACE, ANTIGONISH, NS Thurs, Sept 20th @ THE WAVE, CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI Fri, Sept 21st @ THE GOTHIC ARCHES, SAINT JOHN, NB (W/ GARAJ MAHAL & IDEAL GAS LAW) Sat, Sept 22nd @ THE ATTIC, HALIFAX, NS Wed, Sept 26th @ THE RED DOG, PETERBOROUGH, ON Thurs, Sept 27th @ WAX NIGHTCLUB, KITCHENER, ON (Nudge presents FEED, a benefit to help build a sustainable future) Fri, Sept 28th @ MAVERICKS, OTTAWA, ONT Sat, Sept 29th @ THE REVERB, TORONTO, ONT (Make it Funky Party w/ Dj Ollie Teeba from Herbaliser (UK) Thurs, Oct 18th @ THE PLAZA CLUB, VANCOUVER, BC (Oxfam Music4Change Benefit w/Murray Atkinson, Hey Ocean, Lotus Child,Freeflow) Sat, Oct 20th @ SPIRITBAR, NELSON, BC Wassabi has a brand new website, check it out at: www.wassabi.net .We have expanded the photo gallery to include all the old pictures as well as some new ones and will continue to update them from the road to keep you in the loop. And dont forget to check out the mixer to create your own Wassabi mixes. NEW WASSABI STORE!!! We have just finalized new designs for boys/girls hoodies and tshirts and although they wont be ready for the Eastern Leg of the upcoming tour, they WILL be ready for the Ontario Shows. AND if you miss out, no worries our new online store will be open within the next week or so. Check out the new designs and you can pick one up really soon at www.wassabi.net/store . You can also pick up copies of the new album "STORIES NOT FORGOTTEN" at www.cdbaby.com or download it at itunes. And if youre on Facebook check out our new Wassabi Collective group there!! ROADTRIP NATION: Roadtrip Nation kicked off its forth season last week on PBS, and you will be able to hear Wassabi's music in upcoming episodes. The show sends a group of University students out in an RV in search of eclectic people who have resisted pressures to conform and who have become successful by following their own paths. In the past the show has featured music by Xavier Rudd and Jack Johnson. Check out their website to watch episodes or get more info www.roadtripnation.com/pbs .I will let you know which episodes will feature Wassabi as soon as I find out. Thanks so much for supporting us and we hope to see you on the road! One Love, Wassabi Collective

Wassabi Collective just launched their new website. Same old address, brand new look! It is still under a bit of renovation but we couldn't wait any longer to show it to you! Check it out at: www.wassabi.net There is a new creation station in the music section where you can use faders and buttons to make your own mixes of Wassabi! (Note: If you receive an error or don't get the new page, just hit refresh and it should come up with the new page.) Enjoy the new site and we'll see you on the road!! Wassabi Collective

Thanks Brad..cant believe I forgot to mention Moses Mayes!!! Its been a busy month!! See ya there! Nicole

Wassabi will be hitting the road again for a short tour, first visiting the West Coast and then off to Central Canada. ( For the East Coasters, Yes its true we will not be at Evolve this year, but I already have a few dates in the Maritimes booked for September. We'll be there before ya know it!) Stay tuned to wassabi.net or myspace.com/wassabicollective as I will be posting new dates as they are announced..... Here's where to find us this Summer! Fri, June 22nd @ SUGAR, VICTORIA, BC (w/KARMETIK UNDERGROUND) sat, June 23rd @ BACKSTAGE LOUNGE, vANCOUVER, bC (w/ KARMETIKUNDERGROUND) Sat, June 30th @ THE CASBAH, HAMILTON, ONt (w/ KAE SUN) sun, July 1st @ THE DOCKS, TORONTO, ONT (w/ fEMI KUTI, SOULIVE, IRIE BAND AND MORE!) Tues, July 3rd @ SALT LOUNGE, LONDON, ONT wed, July 4th @ STARLIGHT LOUNGE, WATERLOO, ONT Thurs, July 5th @ RED DOG, PETERBOROUGH, ONT Fri, July 6th @ MAVERICKS, OTTAWA, ONT (w/MOSES MAYES) sun, July 8th @ LE DIVAN ORANGE, MONTREAL, QUE Sat July 21st @ kOKANEE CRANKWORX FESTIVAL, WHISTLER, BC Fri, Aug 3rd @ KOMASKET MUSIC FESTIVAL, vERNON, BC sat, Aug 4th @ LASQUETI ESCAPE, LASQUETI ISLAND, BC Fri, Aug 10th @ SHAMBHALA MUSIC FESTIVAL, SALMO, BC thurs, Aug 16th @ SPIRITBAR, NELSON, BC Fri, Aug 17th @ THE HABITAT, KELOWNA, BC sat, Aug 18th @ BONFIRE MUSIC FESTIVAL, PENDER HARBOUR,BC fri, Aug 31st @ PRIVATE WEDDING, bC sat, Sept 1st @ SUNSHINE MUSIC FESTIVAL, POWELL RIVER, BC Sun, Sept 2nd @ SUNSHINE MUSIC FESTIVAL, POWELL RIVER, BC JUNE 29TH GISTO AND THE REGGAE ALL-STARS TORONTO SHOW Gisto, Jimmy and Rahj will be performing at The Reverb in Toronto, Ont on Friday, June 29th with Muva Sound System, Dj Rollin Cash and more for I LOVE REGGAE MUSIC SHOW. JUNE 29TH MELISSA AT VANCOUVER JAZZ FEST Melissa will be performing with DJ Adham Shaikh on Friday, June 29th at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver BC with Gaudi and Andrew Interchill HOW TO PURCHASE WASSABI'S NEW ALBUM 'STORIES NOT FORGOTTEN' Wassabi's latest release is now available at cdbaby.com, indiepool.com or itunes. Or you can pick it up at any of our live shows or at a few select stores across Canada. Please tell your local music stores to carry it!!! JOIN WASSABI'S MAILING LIST OR STREET TEAM: To receive updates join Wassabi Collective's mailing list by sending a blank email with 'subscribe' in the subject line to: wassabicollective@gmail.com or if you would like to be a part of our street team, for when we come through your town or city send an email to wassabi.streetteam@gmail.com with your location in the subject line. We really appreciate your help getting the word out! One Love, Hulagirl & Wassabi Collective

just voted again and some other band is ahead!! keep votin..not only does jsb deserve it but the video is top notch too!

REBA!

its an all ages show too. i think its an earlier one too, probably 9:30 start, doors are at 9 so get there early, capacity is only 130.

ill be there, gotta save the moraine!

Heres the article from todays View mag in Hamilton by Shain Shapiro: THERE IS A history of bands forming in western Canada that are comprised of members originally from eastern or central Canada. Rivalries aside, the left coast often seems desirable for Torontonians and those of surrounding areas, but traversing the country and setting up shop on the left coast just to form a band seems a bit over the top. Yet, countless bands have emerged that way. Montreal acts similarly, as most of the musicians that have turned the town into musical acclaim city are not from Montreal. So, what makes one move house and home to form a band? Surely the music is secondary, as student jobs are generally easier to come by in the Rockies, and in Montreal’s case, the cost of living is low. Regardless, it is an interesting discussion, one that has sprouted countless examples, including one coming to Hamilton next week. Not an entirely transplanted band, but for Victoria’s Wassabi Collective, Montreal and Hamilton have supplied the roots. For the Hamilton show of their cross–Canada tour, the bassist, Scott Milne, is coming home. “Our environment and our travels are ultimately our biggest influences,†responds vocalist and percussionist Melissa Meretsky, an easterner. “Being from the East but living and working in the West brings out new ideas based on established themes. It is good to be a part of both worlds.†This collective, which has been around since 1999, has established a strong contingent of fans on both sides of the country. Almost every summer sees them headline the Evolve Festival in Nova Scotia and at home, their shows albeit sporadic as of late, are celebrations of community; almost festivals within themselves with just one act. While The Wassabi Collective has two studio efforts to date, 2003’s The Masquerade Sessions which for all intents and purposes is a live album and 2005’s EP Cato, it is the live show that has engendered the quintet’s ferocious popularity, lead by Meretsky’s fiery conga and vocal tandem and tight, pulsating rhythm lines. Atrue hybrid of east and west, the Wassabi Collective mixes majortonal African melodies, especially those found just below the horn of Africa, with modern trance, funk and electro. Throw in a dash of salsa and Cuban permeations and explicating why their live show is legendary becomes crystal clear, like a sunrise over Vancouver Island. “Our past works reflected the live show with extended jam, in whatever style moved us.†explains Meretsky. Such styles are evident on their new album, the independently released Stories Not Forgotten,due out this spring. To compete in an increasingly tight, must–be–radio–friendly market, Meretsky and company took the core melodies inherent in the explosive live show and cropped them, creating an impressively mature, yet stylistically diverse collection of tunes. A drastic improvement from the older recordings, Stories Not Forgotten is The Wassabi Collective’s welcome note to the mainstream, a decisive statement that should prove difficult to overlook, unlike the more restrictively released older efforts. “We felt it was time to show a different side to our recording,†affirms Meretsky. “We tightened arrangements and shortened some songs to appeal to the music industry in a radio–friendly way. In a live setting these same songs are extended, however.†From first listen, this is an intensely personalalbum. For example, the title comes from a song written almost a decade ago, when Meretsky was busking out east, in Montreal. Consonant and contagious, Stories Not Forgotten merges the vast spread of the live show; trance, electro, African melodies, Cuban rhythms and jam, and condenses it without losing the voracity embedded within the extended improvisations. It is tough trying to evaporate lengthy songs into tightly wound studio numbers; The Wassabi Collective accomplished just that this time around. “Stories Not Forgottenis the name of the third song on the album and has a great meaning to me personally,†expands Meretsky. “I wrote the lyrics seven years ago while living in Montreal, mostly busking. The words were essentially a poem at first. I then put it to a guitar line and shared it with the band. They composed it with a different feel, allowing me to express myself in a new way. We chose that name as the title because we want to remember where we came from and what we have done, on both coasts as The Wassabi Collective.†Overall, Meretsky affirms that Stories Not Forgotten is “more energy and excitement with new textures and sounds,†and the live show will emanate that statement, with the addition of “some great new songs.†Hamilton is always a party, and as previously mentioned, the bassist grew up here, so make sure not to miss it. Oh, and buy the new album too. It is a great listen when traveling from coast to coast. V [sHAIN SHAPIRO] LIVE WASSABI COLLECTIVE W/IRIEBAND THURSDAY, MARCH8 CASBAH 306 King St. W. 905.521.4441 www.wassabi.net WASSABI

So the word from CMW Showcase is our set is from 10:30-11:30 on this Saturday. Come support us if you can, it helps tons to have fans cheerin us on!!! Tickets are $5 advance/$8 Door and if you have a CMW bracelet or pass its free! And anyone who can help with posters and flyers talk to jaydawg he's got them! See ya tonight in HAmilton!!

3.24 le divan orange Wassabi Collective

just arrived in toronto..and to make the bump more fun..check out the new pics on wassabi.net , theyve just been up for a week and we're hopng to get pics of tour up as we go along. hope to see ya on the ride!!! Onelove,hulagirl

Its a call out for anyone in the City of Toronto who has good posterin skills, we are looking for some people to help out with the street team. We can hook you up with free tickets depending on the volume and amount of peeps etc..send me an email if youre interested and thanks! wassabi.hulagirl@gmail.com

As far as I know the CMW set is 1 hour but we are the last to go on at 10:30, as far as I can see and the bar closes at 2am so im not sure if we can play longer. Our other show in Toronto is at the Reverb on Fri March23rd and it will be a full show as will Hamilton. But it would be great to get peeps out to support us for cmw as it helps us tons. You can get advance tickets for only $5, the link is on our website, then you still have some time to catch something else that night maybe. Either way hope to see ya at as many as ya can make it out to..one love!

Wassabi Collective will be back in the Rockies for 2 more shows at the end of the month!! Sat MArch 31st Heat up the Rockies (outdoor street party in the town of Banff, AB) Sun April 1st Golden @ The Roadhouse And new West Coast Dates coming up....

Wassabi Collective set to preview first full length studio album on upcoming Canadian Tour Mar 8, The Casbah Hamilton, ON w/ Irie Band Mar 9, Mavericks Ottawa, ON w/ Dave Lauzon Mar 10, "Canadian Music Week Showcase", Annex Wreck Room, Toronto, ON 10:30pm Mar 14, The Cellar Fredericton, NB Mar 15, Pats Place Antigonish, NS w/ Jackfruit Mar 16, The Attic Halifax, NS w/ Jackfruit Mar 17, Gothic Arches Saint John, NB w/ Jackfruit & Sonny D Mar 21, Starlight Lounge Waterloo, ON Mar 22, Gordon Best Theatre Peterborough, ON Mar 23, Reverb Toronto, ON w/ DJ Eccodek & UE Mar 24, Le Divan Orange Montreal, QC w/ Jah Faith Please check www.wassabi.net or www.myspace.com/wassabicollective for more information & updates! One Love!

RAQ are playing in Nelson,BC in March. Im not sure if they have other Canadian Dates, but Im liking their vibe.

On the cusp of their CD Release Tour Wassabi Collective will be hitting up 2 venues in Alberta! Its been awhile since we've been out that way and we apologize for the no Calgary date, it just wasnt in the cards this time. We hope you Calgarians will be able to hit us up in Edmonton or Banff, until we can make it out that way again! Thank you for all your invitations and requests, we are very grateful..So heres the dates, hope to see you there! Fri, Feb 23rd @ The Starlight Room, Edmonton (10030 102st) w/ The Fabulous Beefeeders & The McGowan Family Band Sun, Feb 25th @ Wild Bills, Banff (201 Banff Ave) Stay tuned to our myspace as I will be posting a newly mastered tune or two up there in the next little bit. www.myspace.com/wassabicollective

i guess im kinda biased...but HELL YEAH!!! you can check out some tunes or recent video clips from our halloween show out east at: myspace.com/wassabicollective or listen to some past shows at archive.org. Hope to see you there! hulagirl

Wassabi Collective's song 'Flowers' will be featured in 'The Naked Queen', a feature length documentary, with dramatic sequences, exploring the mythology and demonization of marijuana and how governments create climates of fear to control their populations and control social behaviour. Anyway, just thought i'd throw it out there. There will be a special screening in Nelson, BC on Sunday Dec 3rd and we'll all be there, along with Marc Emery (who will be doing a Q&A) www.thenakedqueen.com

..but there's no telling whether that same magic will still be in the air - perhaps not. If only we were free to move around in time as well as in space. so true, might get a little crazy movin through time though!!! ive definately experienced that sometimes the magic is not the same when you return, I guesss thats why we tend to look for new experiences. The peeps and vibe have soo much to do with the memory of places weve been. But still, there are sooo many purely beautiful places in this world.

hey sunshine, i did that too!!! i think the boat i worked on was called rogue 2..supa fun timez..airlee beach was a place i had a hard time leavin fo sure. still thinkin about my fav place in the world though, i bet there are lots..