The crew, comprising Parks, Julien Dyne and Brandon Haru and Ladi6, aka Karoline Tamati, made do with borrowed gear for a highly anticipated concert in LA, but the situation wasn't all bad.
"A silver lining in the dark cloud was that we reached out to our friends and they went over and above to help us out - it was amazing."
There was no time to cry over lost music, as Ladi6 returned to New Zealand this month and "hit the ground running" with 13 gigs, finishing up in Napier on Saturday.
It had been a true homecoming, with crowds welcoming them with open arms, though they had started to make an impression on overseas audiences as well.
"I think the main difference here is that our fans know us and truly love us. In the States a handful came because they knew us but most of them were there because they liked the venue or the support act. But by the time we were done, they stayed, they wanted to have a drink with us, they dug the music and our style."
Performing to Kiwis was always a special experience as their dedicated supporters had become "like family".
Hawke's Bay people could expect a "soulful" set which veered away from previous hip hop dominated shows.
"It balances out because we have hip hop artists Team Dynamite, they are really great and the coolest guys to travel with, so we are very lucky."
The next step was heading back to the recording studio in September, to revive some of their lost music, and discuss a new direction for the group.
"Ladi6 is going through a really interesting time at the moment. We are going to take some time and get deep on what the future holds for us, rather than trying to jump into a summer tour."
Their next offering would differ from Automatic, released last year, and may well have a more "electronic" vibe, she said.
It was also a time for personal reflection as Ladi6 prepared to travel back to Africa, where she lived with her parents for a year-and-a-half as a teenager, to film a documentary.
Through her time in Africa she discovered a true passion for music which marked the start of her journey to stardom.
"We will visit all the old stomping grounds. We moved in 1995. We were meant to be there for three years with the business my parents were working for but came home early because it got dangerous.
"I have a lot of good memories, I learned to play guitar there, I learnt about solitude, how to go deep into myself and pick out stuff that I randomly wrote down in diaries. It planted the seed for me that this is what I wanted to do."
Details
Ladi6 will perform with Team Dynamite at The Sideline Bar in Napier from 8pm on Saturday. Tickets are $35, general admission, available from eventticketing.co.nz.
