Scroll to the bottom to hear samples of this band’s music.

Named after the Aztec god of dance, Ozomatli is sure to deliver its infectious vibes for the last Sacramento State concert of the semester, provided by UNIQUE Programs. The multi-cultural, nine-piece band will bring its blend of Latin, rock and hip-hop music to campus at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday in the University Union Ballroom. Tickets are $15 for Sac State students, $20 for general. Special guest Bucho is also set to perform.

This will not be the first time Ozomatli visits Sac State.

“It’s off the hook. We love it there,” bassist Wil-Dog Abers said over the phone. “It’s the only school that we seem to play every year ?” it’s gonna definitely be a party like it always is. People got our back there.”

The show at Sac State is among the many stops in the band’s tour, ending on Dec. 22 at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.

While Ozomatli has played a wide range of venues, from clubs to huge music festivals like Coachella, Abers said he prefers the college atmosphere.

“Colleges are always better,” Abers said. “People are fresh, excited and hungry in college. I personally like the fact that there’s not a lot of alcohol being served; the crowd will be more receptive. Not everyone’s loaded.”

The Los Angeles-based band will perform songs from their upcoming album, “Don’t Mess With the Dragon,” expected to be released March 27 by Concord Records.

“The band has gone through a lot of changes in terms of personal lives. I think this album has a lot to do with that. I think it’s our best work yet,” Abers said.

“Don’t Mess With the Dragon” will be the band’s fifth full-length album. Its self-titled debut album was released in 1998, followed by “Embrace the Chaos,” released on the ominous date of Sept. 11, 2001. The band’s sophomore effort garnered critical acclaim and won a Grammy for Best Latin Rock/Alternative album. Following this came an extended play album, “Coming Up” in 2003, the full-length, “Street Signs” in 2004, and the live concert album, “Live at the Fillmore” in 2005.

Besides Abers, the current line-up includes M.C. Jabu on lead rap vocals, Asdru Sierra on lead vocals and trumpet, Raul Pacheco on guitar and vocals, Ulises Bella on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Jiro Yamaguchi on percussion, Sheffer Bruton on trombone, Justin Poree on percussion and rap vocals and Mario Calire on drums. Abers said that DJ Spinobi recently left the band.

Aside from salsa and R&B styles, the band also explores reggae, Asian and Middle Eastern sounds. The band delivers a blend of each style effortlessly through its large-scale line up of musicians.

“We call it the people’s music,” Abers said. “It’s danceable, it’s kind of like a big party but with a message at the same time.”

Whatever the message is, Ozomatli has been known to give it an activist flair.

“I consider myself an activist. We get that label. We definitely are interested in changing the world. We are very active in terms of world issues and social issues,” Abers said.

“We’re definitely anti-war. I think that’s No. 1 for us ?” to stop the killing that’s going on. There’s so many issues we’ve been involved with.”

Poverty, women’s rights and the AIDS epidemic are also among the many issues addressed in albums.

Ozomatli first gained public attention for its activism when it played a free show for protestors at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in 2000. Rage Against the Machine also performed.

Ozomatli was born out of a need for social change. Abers and Anton Morales, the band’s first drummer, founded a community center called The Peace and Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.

“It came out of a labor dispute. Me and Anton worked for the Conservation Corps and we had a sit-in to give us rights to the building for two years,” Abers said.

Through a compromise, Abers and Morales were able to use the center for the arts and targeted inner-city youths. They sought to provide everything from graffiti art to skateboarding ramps for children and teens.

“Basically to raise money, me and Anton put a band together. We played every Friday night for six months. It progressed to clubs and we ended up getting signed,” Abers said.

“We had a revolving cast of characters coming in and out of the band.”

This included DJ Cut Chemist, MC Chali 2na and guest musicians from Los Lobos and The Wallflowers. Playing together since 1995, Abers, Bella, Sierra, Yamaguchi, Poree and Pacheco are the original members left in the current line up of nine musicians.

“Being such a big band with all these people, so much diversity in the band ?” it’s just amazing that we’ve been able to stay together for this long,” Abers said.

“We’ve had a lot of great accolades like the Grammies and being able to open up for different musical heroes like Carlos Santana, but our greatest is remaining a band.”

Click the name of the song to hear a sample of Ozomatli’s music.

America

Saturday Night

Karen Balmes can be reached at [email protected]