Galactic Bio (2011)
New Orleans outfit GALACTIC has a well-earned reputation as one of the most exhilarating live acts around. Last year the band released the critically acclaimed genre defying sonic tribute to the Big Easy entitled YA-KA-MAY, which The Boston Globe described as "an album that showcases a breathtaking array of New Orleans talent, from old-school R&B legends to influential underground hip-hop artists" and the Huffington Post proclaimed as "NOT your grandparents' New Orleans record!" Now the celebrated outfit offers up a rollicking live counterpart to YA-KA-MAY with The Other Side Of Midnight: Live In New Orleans out May 3rd via Anti- Records.
The album was recorded during an electrifying sold-out show at legendary New Orleans' nightclub Tipitinas which has hosted countless luminaries such as the Neville Bros, the Meters, Dr. John and Professor Longhair. The venue has, of late, become something of a regular home court for GALACTIC, with the band playing multiple sold out shows at the historic club throughout the year.
Like Ya-Ka-May, The Other Side of Midnight: Live in New Orleans features a host of guest appearances from the bawdy hip-shaking gender bending "bounce" star Big Freedia to local legends Cyril Neville and Trombone Shorty, the whole thing capturing GALACTIC's deep musical relationship with their storied hometown. As Galactic bassist Robert Mercurio explains, "For this night, we invited a lot of guests that inspired and participated in our last couple of albums--this night felt like the culmination of years of touring with these guests"
Only in a city like New Orleans could a night this raucous, sweaty and wild also be so incredibly profound.