W.I.T.C.H. with PAINT @ The Horseshoe, Friday

Original W.I.T.C.H. member Jagari Chanda is joined by hard-whumpin' backing band to reprise the band's Zamrock classics. 

Here's the scoop...

W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend To Cause Havoc) were the biggest rock band in Zambia in the 1970s and spearheaded a new genre dubbed Zamrock, fusing influences that ranged from the Rolling Stones to Black Sabbath and James Brown and mixing them with traditional African rhythms and bush village songs. At t the peak of their popularity, the band often needed police to keep fans at bay while their lead singer Jagari - whose name is an Africanisation of Mick Jagger’s - riled up crowds by stage diving from balconies and dancing manically as the WITCH’s blend of psychedelic rock and African rhythms permeated the surrounding atmosphere.

Emmanuel Jagari Chanda is the charismatic sole surviving original member of the band. As Zambia’s economy stagnated and the country buckled under the AIDS crisis, WITCH fell apart. Jagari retreated to a life of quasi-anonymity as a university music professor before being wrongfully arrested during Zambia’s toughest hour. Now a man in his 60s, he spends his time mining gemstones hoping to strike it rich, until very recently the band being just a nostalgic memory of his youth.

Largely unknown outside of their home country, WITCH finally got the exposure they deserved when Now Again Records reissued their entire discography in 2012. This allowed Jagari to play outside Africa for the first time and for a new generation of fans to discover his music. In 2016 he began a collaboration with Dutch musicians Jacco Gardner and Nic Mauskoviç, and together with them, in September 2017 WITCH headed out on its extremely successful first-ever European Tour,

In the Fall of 2019, WITCH embarked on their first North American tour, including a well-received performance at Desert Daze.

WITCH plays The Legendary Horseshoe with PAINT on Friday (October 7) at 8 pm. Advance tickets are $30 plus service charge available right here. Watch a recent WITCH performance on KEXP following the trailer for Gio Arlotta's new WITCH documentary We Intend To Cause Havoc and a performance of "Lazy Bones" from South Africa's Endless Daze Festival back in 2018. 

The Perlich Post's Top Reissues of 2012

Single Artist Releases
1. WITCH - We Intend To Cause Havoc!
2. Don Cherry - Organic Music Society
3. The Flatlanders - The Odessa Tapes
4. Hannibal Marvin Peterson - The Tribe
5. Feedtime - The Aberrant Years
5. Ebo Taylor ‎– Twer Nyame
6. Dan Penn – The Fame Recordings
7. Myrian Makenwa ‎– La Extraordinaria
8. Edzayawa - Projection One
9. Tim Maia – Nobody Can Live Forever
10. Henri-Pierre Noel - Piano
11. Azanyah - The One
12. Yabby You & Bretheren - Deeper Roots: Dub Plates & Rarities, 1976 to 1978
13. Can - The Lost Tapes
14. The Funkees - Dancing Time: The Best Of Eastern Nigeria’s Afro Rock Exponents, 1973-77
15. Lee Perry - Sound Doctor: Lee Perry And The Sufferers' Black Ark Singles & Dub Plates 1972 To 1978
16. Sandy Denny – The Notes and Words: A Collection of Demos and Rarities
17. William Parker - Centering: Unreleased Early Recordings, 1976-1987
18. Henri Guédon - Cosmozouk
19. Grupo Los Yoyi - Yoyi
20. Buck Owens - Tall Dark Stranger
21. The Lijadu Sisters ‎– Afro-Beat Soul Sisters: The Lijadu Sisters At Afrodisia, Nigeria, 1976-79
22. Reverend Gary Davis - An Afternoon With Reverend Gary Davis
23. Ilaiyaraaja – Fire Star: Synth-Pop & Electro-Funk from Tamil Films 1985-1989
24. Pauline Oliveros - Reverberations Tape and Electronic Music 1961-1970
25. Alfonso Lovo - La Gigantona
26. George Jackson - Let The Best Man Win: The Fame Recordings Volume 2
27. William Sheller - Lux Aeterna
28. Derdiyoklar İkilisi - Disco Folk
29. Augustus Pablo - Dubbing On Bond Street
30. Lee Hazlewood – The LHI Years: Singles, Nudes & Backsides, 1968-71
31. Afro Funk - Body Music
32. Pharoah Sanders - In The Beginning
33. Ahora Mazda - Ahora Mazda
33. Rob – Make It Fast, Make It Slow
34. Brenda Ray ‎– D'Ya Hear Me! Naffi Years, 1979-83
35. Karen Dalton - 1966
36. HE3 Project - Chapter Three
37. Tronics – Love Backed by Force
38. Emil Richards - Stones / Journey To Bliss
39. The Outsiders - Monkey On Your Back: Their 45s
40. Baris Manco - Sakla Samani, Gelir Zamani
41. Doug Jerebine ‎– Doug Jerebine Is Jesse Harper
42. Lou Ragland – I Travel Alone
43. Shin Joong Hyun ‎– Shin Joong Hyun & Yup Juns
44. Mahmoud Ahmed - Mahmoud Ahmed Accompanied By The Ibex Band
45. Roy Porter Sound Machine – The Story of Roy Porter Sound Machine 1971-1975
46. Domingo Cura ‎– Tiempo De Percusion: An Anthology, 1971-77
47. Royal Band de Thiès – Kadior Demb
48. Justin Rutledge & The Junction Forty - No Never Alone
49. Afro Kelenkye Band - Jungle Funk
49. Salah Ragab & The Cairo Jazz Band - Unreleased Egyptian Jazz 1968-1974
50. Ironing Board Sam - An Introduction To Ironing Board Sam

Various Artist Compilations

1. Diablos Del Ritmo: The Colombian Melting Pot,1960-1985
2. The Return Of The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
3. Jukebox Mambo: Rumba & Afro-Latin Accented Rhythm & Blues 1949 to 1960
4. It's Saturday Night!: Starday-Dixie Rockabilly 1955-1961
5. Personal Space: Electronic Soul, 1974-1984
6. R&B Hipshakers, Vol. 3: Just a Little Bit of the Jumpin' Bean
7. Holy Spirit: Spiritual Soul & Gospel Funk from Shreveport’s Jewel Records
8. TV Sound & Image: British Television Film & Library Composers 1955-78
9. Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard: Hard Time, Good Time & End Time Music, 1923-1936
10. A Search For CMS African Records by Blue Flamingo
11. ¡Saoco! The Bomba and Plena Explosion in Puerto Rico 1954-1966
12. The Detroit Funk Vaults: Funk and Soul from Dave Hamilton, 1968-1979
13. Killed By Synth, Vol. 1
14. The Rojac Story: The Best Of Rojac & Tayster
15. The Original Sound of Cumbia: The History of Colombian Cumbia & Porro As Told By The Phonograph 1948-79
17. Soul Cal: Funky Disco & Modern Soul Masterpieces 1971-1982
18. Fetén: Rare Jazz Recordings From Spain, 1961-1974
19. Now's The Time: Deep German Jazz Grooves Vol 2: 1957-1969
20. Cooler Than Ice: Arctic Records & The Rise Of Philly Soul
21. Loving On The Flipside: Sweet Funk And Beat-Heavy Ballads 1969-1977
22. Royal Grooves: Funk & Groovy Soul from the King Records Vault
23. Tomorrow's Achievements: Parry Music Library 1976-86
24. Down Under Nuggets: Original Australian Artyfacts 1965-1967
25. Spiritual Jazz Volume II and III: Esoteric, Modal And Deep European Jazz 1960-78
26. Eccentric Soul: Omnibus Vol. 1
27. Regional Garland - Mixed Sugar: The Complete Works, 1970-1987
28. Hall of Fame: Rare and Unissued Gems from the Fame Vaults
29. From The Vaults Of Ric & Ron Records: Rare & Unreleased Recordings 1958-1962
30. Sensacional Soul Vol. 3: Spanish Soul Stompers 1966-1976
31. The Music City Sessions, Vol. 1-3
32. Eccentric Soul: A Red Black & Green Production
33. Zendooni: Funk Psychedelia & Pop From Iranian Pre Revolution Generation
31. Wail Man Wail! The Best of King Curtis 1952-1961
32. Twin Cities Funk & Soul: Lost R&B Grooves From Minneapolis/St. Paul 1964-1979
33. Deep Enough Volume 1: Deep Jazz, Deep Funk & All Kinds Of Deep Grooves
34: Man Chest Hair: 17 Outbursts Of Unreleased Testosterone From The 1970s Mancunian Rock Underground
35: Java-Java: Indonesia Screaming Fuzz, Vol. 2
36. Soul Braza: Brazilian 60's & 70's Soul Psych, Vol. 2
37. Ike Turner Studio Productions: New Orleans And Los Angeles 1963-65
38. Cumbia Beat Vol 2: Experimental Guitar Driven Tropical Sounds From Peru 1966-1983
39. You Turned My Head Around: Lee Hazlewood Industries 1967-1970
40. Sofrito: International Soundclash
41. Lost Soul Gems: From Sounds Of Memphis
42. Surinam: Boogie & Disco Funk From The Surinamese Dance Floors, 76-83
43. Strange Passion: Explorations In Irish Post Punk DIY & Electronic Music 1980-83
44. Ivory Coast Soul 2: Afro Soul In Abidjan From 1976 To 1981
45. Ritmo Caliente
46. Khana Khana: Funk Psychedelia & Pop From Iranian Pre Revolution Generation
47. The Best of Perception & Today Records
48. Diggin' Down Argentina: Nuggets From The Rioplatense Scene 1967-1976, Vol 2
49. Jende Ri Palenge: People Of Palenque
50. Dabke: Sounds Of The Syrian Houran