Catch them on the road again

In the past three years Katchafire have been touring the world, stopping in at New Zealand grassroots towns and cities and coming up with their latest offering - the highly anticipated album On The Road Again.
The previous album from this roots reggae band was Say What You're Thinking three years ago and even though there wasn't another album until now, lead vocalist and band manager Logan Bell says making a name for themselves on the international stage has been keeping them considerably busy.
They have toured New Zealand - including visiting small towns that have supported them over the years as part of their Grass Roots Tour - while also concentrating on the Pacific, Hawaii and even the United States.
Logan says the band - himself (lead vocals, guitar) Grenville Bell (guitar), Haani Totorewa (keyboards, vocals), Tere Ngarua (bass guitar), Jordan Bell (drums), Jamey Ferguson (keyboards, sax, lead vocals) and Leon Davey (vocals, percussion) - have been heavily influenced from their travels and have used this to create their new album.
"It has opened us up to Jamaican dancehall influences and forced us to be tight on stage and also extend our musical vocabulary," Bell says.
On The Road Again has Bell "excited" and he says he's looking forward to how people will react to it.
He says the album will allow fans to hear more from other band members and give them a new sound.
He says everyone has become more confident in their writing, which has helped the band create an album to be proud of.
"Our experience as a live unit, being on tour and knowing the studio set-up better has made us more confident with this album," he says.
"We always have ideas and sounds in our head and this time 'round we experimented a bit more to see if we could get them down on tape.
"The songwriting is a shared process and I think we have grown in confidence individually, and as a band."
On The Road Again was recorded at Revolver Studios in Waiuku - an experience Bell and the rest of the crew enjoyed.
Bell said Katchafire was a family and their dedication to creating On The Road Again was proven by the band, pulling up mattresses to sleep over at the recording studio to get their work done in time.
Although the title track on the album is signature Katchafire sounds and Bell says is a tribute-like song to the towns they've visited, there's also a new sound fans will be able to enjoy.
Bell says the band has embraced new technology with this album using vocoders and band members had to let go of their egos to create the best album they could.
He said in the past, individual members brought songs or ideas to the table and then the band would help finish them.
"On this album we let our guard down and let the strongest ideas be the ones that survived."
The album features the roots reggae sound while also embracing reggae pop, skanking reggae, dancehall music and even 80s R&B sounds.
Bell says On The Road Again is their most accomplished album to date and hopes people will enjoy it.
Although they have visited many countries they are heading back on the road.
The band is touring New Zealand as part of their On The Road Again tour, which will run through to December. Following that they will be doing the summer festivals before heading overseas.
Katchafire's On the Road Again Tour started this week in Auckland and continues until December 11.
The dates are:
420, Auckland, October 16; Gaiety Theatre, Wairoa, October 29; Te Puka Tavern, Tokomaru Bay, October 30; War Memorial Hall, Whanganui, November 5; Colosseum at High Flyers, Palmerston North, November 6; The Bedford, Christchurch, November 11; Sammys, Dunedin, November 12; Saints and Sinners, Invercargill, November 13; Phat Club, Nelson, November 20; San Fran Bath House, Wellington, November 26 and 27; The Spa Hotel, Taupo, December 3; The Sideline Bar, Napier, December 4; Blacksmith Bar, Whitianga, December 10; Kalah Bar, Ngongotaha, December 11.