Galactic: 2015

Galactic formed twenty years ago in New Orleans, but its roots go back even further to when bassist Rob Mercurio and guitarist Jeff Raines started playing together in the eighth grade.

With The Meters, Booker T. andThe MG's, and the Rebirth Brass Band as their musical touchstones, Galactic formally came together in 1996. They've stayed in New Orleans all those years, but the band's sound has expanded well beyond the city's borders, dipping into soul, hip hop, jazz, blues, and even electronica.

They have always welcomed and embraced collaborators and their eighth album, Into The Deep, celebrates this fact: it's a mix of very well known names, like Mavis Staples and Macy Gray, and lesser known vocalists too.

Listen to Galactic's first-rate musicianship and feel-good grooves in their session in Studio A, plus a conversation with the band that brims over with personal warmth and friendship.

[recorded:8/13/15]