The jam band Galactic descended from the outer stratosphere to a packed 9:30 club Saturday. At $25 per ticket, it was almost assured that each member of the audience had already been inducted into the group's blend of jazz, funk, blues and rock 'n' roll. However, the diverse blend of spices that went into the two-part set performed by the New Orleans natives was occasionally interesting, but for the most part tepid and a little sour.
The evening started off interestingly with DJ Scratch, formerly of the revolutionary hip-hop group the Roots, performing vocal beat box as the opening act. Using only his voice and the barest amount of recording equipment, he repeatedly sought to engage the audience by scratching imaginary turntables with his hands while simulating the exact sound with his voice.
However, more often than not, the crowd was not wholly familiar with how to respond to his act. Technical difficulties with Scratch's equipment only complicated matters further, forcing him to stop frequently. Thus the club patrons only received a lukewarm 20-minute routine that was not indicative of Scratch's full potential as a solo act.
After a brief wait, the members of Galactic quickly took the stage and launched immediately into their set with no prelude to music or words spoken. At first, the band seemed dynamic in its periods of improvisation and virtuosity. Drummer Stanton Moore was particularly expressive and colorful while accompanying the Jimmy Page-like guitar work of Jeff Rains and the saxophone stylings of Ben Ellman.
But over the course of the set, the band's selections seemed to follow a basic formula that got tired and shallow as the night went on. It would start off with a straight-ahead funk rhythm and proceed to amp it at periods so predictable you could set your watch to them. Organist Rich Vogel could be seen as the main culprit of this predictability. While Vogel's work on several different keyboards was, at times, inspired, every chord seem to progress to the same result with every selected song for the night. Add to this a video backdrop with amateurish animation effects that NYU film students would hang their head in shame over, and the entire night's festivities become a wash.
It's hard seeing talented musicians put on a mediocre show. Yet Galactic's set on Saturday night really didn't stand out dramatically in any way, shape or form. The members are talented studio musicians and veterans in their field. But the truth is that seeing them live adds almost no depth to their more-than-competent discography.
