GALACTIC TRIUMPHS AT BONNAROO AND HITS THE ROAD NEXT MONTH
New Orleans Funk Icons Collaborate With A Who’s Who Of Hip-Hop Concept Album From The Corner To The Block Intersects Genres
ANTI- Debut Counts The Coup’s Boots Riley, Lyrics Born, Juvenile, Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na, Digable Planets’ Ladybug Mecca, Mr. Lif and Blackalicious’ Gift of Gab
Fresh off of its fifth Bonnaroo performance in six years, GALACTIC – the New Orleans-based frontrunners of futuristic funk –build on the momentum of that mindblowing gig by hitting the road next month. In advance of its upcoming disc and Anti- debut, From The Corner To The Block (due August 21st), the quintet launches its summer touring initiative on July 5th at the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, California.
For its 2007 Bonnaroo gig, attendees were uplifted by GALACTIC’s onstage collaborations with an array of today’s most innovative MC’s including The Coup’s Boots Riley, Lyrics Born and Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) and Mr. Lif, as well as other project accomplices like Gift of Gab of Blackalicious and Lateef the Truthspeaker. Co-produced by the band’s saxophonist Ben Ellman and boasting all of the aforementioned, From The Corner To The Block also includes Digable Planets’ Ladybug Mecca and multi-platinum rapper Juvenile among others. GALACTIC – which features bassist Robert Mercurio, guitarist Jeff Raines, keyboardist Richard Vogel, drummer Stanton Moore and Ellman – is known globally for incorporating elements of funk, rock, hip-hop and electronica into its own modern variation of the funk genre. The MC’s that contributed to From The Corner To The Block were asked to approach their lyrics with one uniform concept: Corners. Stemming from the idea that GALACTIC’s hometown is full of evocative street names inspired by history, mythology and multiple ethnicities, guest artists were asked to think of an intersection that was important to them.
Just as every corner is an intersection of two paths – for instance New Orleans’ own “Law and Desire” or “Martin Luther King and Oretha Castle Haley” – the disc is a meeting of two different styles of music. GALACTIC has played with hip-hop giants like The Roots, Talib Kweli, and Jurassic 5, and such collaborations seeded the uplifting, thought-stirring and undisputedly natural merger of the band’s electrified funk and hip-hop’s insightful lyricism on From The Corner To The Block.
On this record more than any other, GALACTIC marries the two types of New Orleans street music. Old school Brass Band second line grooves meet bounce style inspired hip-hop on the title track for which GALACTIC enlisted native superstar Juvenile - with whom the band performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live - and the up and coming Soul Rebels Brass Band. On the track “Second & Dryadres” the band called on Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief Monk Boudreaux whose chants blend seamlessly with the bands electro funk sound thanks to Ben Ellman’s innovative production.
Born in the early '90s, after Washington DC punks Raines and Mercurio relocated to New Orleans and found themselves intoxicated by a scene that nurtured The Meters, Professor Longhair, the Neville Brothers and Dr. John, the five-piece future funk outfit was born. Having spent over a decade conquering venues worldwide while building a rabid fanbase, GALACTIC junkies are drawn by the group’s merger of modern and retrospective styles. With six albums and countless landmark live shows to its credit, the instrumental powerhouse is once again headed to new territory on its new disc.
While the band has always embraced stylistic changes and relished its musical adventures, its instrumental chops have never wavered. Following up 2003’s Dan “The Automator” Nakamura (Dr. Octagon, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Gorillaz) produced Ruckus – its last before the departure of vocalist Theryl DeClouet -- From The Corner To The Block finds the ever evolving quintet continuing to test the waters of what funk can be. GALACTIC’s forthcoming set finds the forward thinking band also working with the likes of DJ Z-Trip, Lifesavas, Vursatyl New Orleans phenom Trombone Shorty and up and coming Ubiquity artist Ohemga Watts, Nino Moschella.
GALACTIC ON TOUR Thursday July 05 Quincy, CA High Sierra Friday July 06 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom Saturday July 07 Spokane, WA The Big Easy Sunday July 08 Boise, ID The Big Easy Tuesday July 10 Whitefish, MT Central Station Wednesday July 11 Missoula, MT Other Side Thursday July 12 Salt Lake City, UT Twilight Concert Series Friday July 13 Alta, Wyoming Grand Targhee Festival Sunday July 15 Copper Mountain, CO Trancegression Festival Tuesday July 17 Tulsa Cain's Ballroom Thursday July 19 Detroit Lakes, MN 10,000 Lakes Festival Friday July 20 Milwaukee Shank Hall Saturday July 21 Louisville Headliners
For more information on GALACTIC, please contact Hilary Villa at Anti-: hilary@epitaph.com