When Witch came to town, hosted by The Holland Project and Peter Woolf Barnato, on September 1st, I knew this show was going to be something special. I’ve known about Witch for a while now but my anticipation for this show wasn’t seeped in deep nostalgia. It was the fact I would be seeing this legendary band perform for the first time in our little town. Witch aka We Intend To Cause Havok are a band from Zambia who have been making music since the 1970’s. What is dubbed as “Zamrock”, the sound they create is a fusion of Western psychedelic and blues influences with Zambian rhythms, but as lead vocalist (and the only member from the original Witch lineup) Emmanuel “Jagari” Chanda puts it, assigning “western” labels to their music doesn’t quite do it justice or make a whole lot of sense. After seeing them live I have finally come to understand where he’s coming from.
My introduction to Witch came during the beginnings of my music exploration and discovery phase in high school. I had grown tired and bored of what was being fed to me in the early 2000’s and was looking for something new. My father had quite the collection of CD’s and vinyl and I started going through them. I’m not sure when he got on an African kick, but I found several amazing albums from musicians like Ali Farka Toure and Fela Kuti; I was mesmerized by what I heard. With African music on my radar, I would soon discover Witch in 2012 with the CD reissue of “Lazy Bones!!” and another Zamrock band called Amanaz with the album “Africa”. Looking back on it now, those two albums would become very influential for me personally, particularly in the direction my musical tastes would develop as the years went on.
Almost fifteen years later, when The Holland Project announced the show for Witch at Cypress, I embarrassingly didn’t make the connection that this was the indeed the same Witch from back then. It wasn’t until I went to listen to their music in preparation for the show that the realization hit while on the way home from work. I called my dad right away to let him know Witch was coming to Reno, and he was just as amazed as I was. I couldn’t believe it. My anticipation for the show grew tremendously and knowing that I was going to be photographing them made this night more meaningful to me.
Reno’s Spitting Image opened the night with an incredible set. With incense burning and performing songs from the LP “Full Sun”, Spitting Image got us all ready for what was to come next. Shortly, three members of Witch’s new touring lineup got on stage and began with Home Town. Consisting of guitar, bass and percussion, the band members created a sonic atmosphere that got the dopamine firing on full blast. Keyboardist Patrick Mwondela would soon make his appearance and join in on the jam session, creating additional textures with his keys and synths. With a basket of fruit in hand, Jagari graced us all and immediately the vibe changed from simply seeing a show, to one of excitement and celebration. The joy on Jagari’s face was unmistakable. This show was sold out and everyone in attendance was there for him and Witch.
After Home Town finished and half a lemon consumed, Jagari and the band continued with Thou Shalt Not Cry and Living In The Past. It was at this point where Jagari began to engage and talk with the crowd, going into deep explanations into the origins and meanings of the songs written in Zambian. Listening to what each song title meant and its cultural relevance was greatly appreciated and interesting to learn about. I wasn’t the only one in attendance that could listen to him talk for hours on end. There was a lot of humor and laughter but also stark reminders that Jagari’s life was anything but easy and straightforward. There is a very good BBC interview and story that goes into way more detail about the history of the band which can be found here
The next song they played called Kamusale, which is the lead track off the Jacco Gardener produced album “Sogolo”, is the name of a children’s game, played under bright illumination of the full moon. Jagari described it as boys and girls lined up to sing, dance and select a partner (imitating adult life). The deeper meaning for Jagari was to look past physical attractiveness but focus on the beauty found within of the person you want to make your life partner. This was something I noticed throughout the set. For Jagari, these songs were packed with emotion; they came from someplace deep down inside. I’ve read that there are times where tears can be seen on his face while performing certain songs. These songs have meaning and even though tears weren’t observed this night at Cypress, that emotion resonated with us all.
The rest of the setlist was Feeling High, Chifundo (compassion), Waile (to lament or express sorrow and hardship), Nazingwa (stranded), Toloka (to jump) and ending with Lazy Bones. The performance was incredible and moving. Jagari and Witch have been known for their on-stage antics and high energy performances and this night at Cypress was no exception. Several songs turned into full jam sessions and improvisations. The band were all over the stage, interacting with each other and the crowd. Several of us in the front got high fives and warm embraces from Jagari, some even lucky enough to assist with cowbell and one even luckier person got their vinyl signed on stage by Jagari and Mwondela. It was a night I’m going to remember for some time.
The story of Witch, spanning a history of over 50 years, has come with it’s highs and lows. For a band that started Zamrock musical movement in the 1970’s only to watch their peers and ultimately themselves fall due to political and social reasons must have been gut wrenching for Jagari. For several decades, there was an absence of Witch and their Zamrock contemporaries. The flame had dimmed but was never put completely out. The revival of the band in 2011 came by a compilation reissue of their music in “We Intend To Cause Havoc!” by Now-Again Records. Jagari and Witch have risen from the ashes and have not only come back with renewed vigor but have been welcomed back with open arms from several new generations of music lovers who have now discovered Witch and Zamrock.
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