The Badger Herald

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Galactic entertains beatniks, jocks at ‘dance party’

JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo

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Also by Bassey Etim:

No ritz for indie recorders (February 28, 2008)
Galactic entertains beatniks, jocks at 'dance party' (February 26, 2008)
Part II: Playas alike in sound, skill (February 21, 2008)
Urban Correspondent compares ballers, ballahs (February 20, 2008)

by Bassey Etim

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Funk ensemble Galactic performed before a crowd of old beatniks, pretentious graduate students and hip-hop aficionados at Madison’s Majestic Theatre Thursday night. Accompanied by Jurassic 5 lyricist Chali 2na on this swing of their seemingly endless world tour, Galactic brought the house down with a performance that effortlessly transitioned from New Orleans-inspired jazz to hip-hop and back again.

It’s not hard to imagine why Galactic has an easy time getting talented artists to co-star in their albums and shows. Their fast-paced instrumental jams are seen as a welcome departure from the monotony that often grips established rap stars. All it takes is a cursory glance at the stage for crowds to discover this isn’t exactly a rap show.

“No, I don’t think so personally,” Galactic saxophone player Ben Ellman said, when asked by The Badger Herald whether this was a hip-hop show. “I mean, maybe it has elements of that, but I really see it as a Galactic show.”

That’s what a packed house at the Majestic Theatre came to see — older men lined up next to young college students telling stories about seeing Galactic in New Orleans, back when their world tour might extend as far as Georgia. College kids donning backward baseball caps and Puma sneakers passed joints to former hippies with unkempt moustaches, evading the watchful eyes of security. They exchanged a careful glance, nodding to the beat of a winding jazz piece accented by the skillful synthesizer riffs of Rich Vogel. Everyone danced, no matter how badly.

Ben Ellman opened the show with an inspired harmonica interlude backed by the crescendo of a jazzy anthem. As he switched from harmonica to saxophone to an even larger saxophone, Ellman’s domination of the stage grew, with the crowd enamored by his effortless precision. The feeling was later reinforced by a Stanton Moore drum solo — in which he pounded on anything he could find near his set — that fell flat.

Ellman held a saxophone aloft, making dramatic use of the shadows that strategically cloak portions of the stage. He became a silhouette against the illuminated Chali 2na, whose methodical prose cut through layers of alternating instrumentation. Chali came back to the stage three times — punctuating the jazz tracks that dominated most of Galactic’s performance. Each time he received an ovation from the crowd that was just over-the-top enough to let the band know that the audience was drunk and aching for a good party.

After Chali 2na and his little brother — who often joins him on the road pulling hype-man duty — got through soaking up an incredibly warm reception, Jeff Raines’ guitar accented the lyricists’ rhyme schemes with seemingly free-form guitar runs scattered deliberately within the bars of each verse. Rich Vogel’s keyboards offered the strings melody rappers crave but don’t regularly receive from producer-made beats.

The Herald last caught up with Galactic in Rennes, France, before their performance at the Trans Music Festival.

“(In Europe) audiences seem more attentive … and thinner,” Ellman joked in a pre-show sit down interview. “In the States (our shows) become drunken dance parties.”

Maybe they didn’t have a clear view of the massive crowds they drew in France, but that show was certainly among the drunkest of all dance parties. Plus, when one of Galactic’s older fans was asked why he came, the man professed his love for jam bands — a stigma Galactic has sought to avoid.

Further conversations with the crowd revealed why a heavy tour schedule is so vital for successful musicians. Galactic fans bragged of bringing “Galactic virgins” along to the show, taking great pleasure in saying “I told you these guys are awesome!”

The show concluded with a rousing curtain call led by Chali 2na and opener Ohmega Watts. Chali 2na’s little brother even got into the act, as Chali mouthed words to The Badger Herald, “He the man, that boy is hot!”

“We’re just trying to make it better than the last one,” Ellman said, when asked about Galactic’s goals when confronting a schedule packed with performances in mid-sized cities like Madison. He later added that he feels the band is on a bit of a hot streak — and it shows.

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