Hard to follow

>> New Orleans funk band Galactic opens the show for everybody

by SCOTT C

The gritty funk of Galactic was born out of the New Orleans sound of bands like the Meters. I remember seeing them for the first time at Le Swimming a couple of years ago where they played to a crazy full house of people losing their minds. Just recently, Galactic came to town opening the show for Counting Crows and Live at the Molson Centre. I spoke to bandleader Rob Mercurio on the phone from New Orleans.

 Mirror: How'd you end up opening for those guys?

 Rob Mercurio: We're friends with the singer from Counting Crows [Adam Duritz]. He comes down to the Jazz Fest in New Orleans all the time and liked our band enough to ask us out on the road.

 M: You must have been playing to a lot of people who didn't know who the hell you were.

 RM: Yeah, but it's still cool. When we're touring around with Ben Harper we get a lot more people than we would normally see at our own shows.

 M: Wow, Ben Harper, that must be a trip. The girls love him. I heard you guys love Montreal.

 RM: Montreal's been the worst city for us whenever we come there on our own, but we still love it up there. Playing at the Molson Centre was amazing.

 M: Do you guys actually know the Meters?

 RM: Oh yeah! I was talking to the original guitarist just recently. I asked him if he ever thought, when they were in the studio all those years ago, that they were making such classic shit. Of course they didn't.

 M: Who would you like to open for?

 RM: Lenny Kravitz, 'cause he gets the mainstream people who are into funk and groove. Maybe Dave Matthews--

 M: Ever open for a hip hop group?

 RM: We opened for LL Cool J in San Francisco four years ago. His fans hated us. The first 15 rows were teenage girls who started throwing stuff and chanting, "LL! LL! LL!" This was possibly the worst coupling of acts ever and it was horrible. We haven't played any hip hop shows since then. :

With Ben Harper at Molson Centre on Friday, Sept. 22, 8pm, $26-$36