Artist Review (Forecastle Preview Edition): Galactic

With all the great bands set to play at Forecastle in Louisville, KY this summer, one band that I am looking forward to seeing is a New Orleans-based funk/jazz band Galactic.

Their music has a lot of energy with roots of Cajun music mixed with many other genres, such as, hip hop, electronic, world music, rock, blues, and jazz. Many songs feature contributions from artists of various genres, giving Galactic an even more unique sound.

Galactic has been around since 1994, having released nine LP's since that time along with live albums and music on various soundtracks. However, I only started listening to Galactic in college when I got a hold of Ya-Ka-May in 2010 while working at WRFL 88.1 FM. They released another album just after Mardi Gras this year titled Carnivale Electronics. The album has a lot of Cajun and funk influences, which makes listening quite enjoyable. The band has a lot of passion and energy in their music and that energy is sure to carry over into their live performances. Galactic consist of 5 regular members, Robert Mercurio, Jeff Raines, Richard Vogel, Stanton Moore, and Ben Ellman, however, I can see them inviting many other artist to play with them during their performance at Forecastle.

I couldn't think of a better place than to see this band perform than outside on a warm, summer day. Galactic is scheduled to play on Saturday and I will be there ready to dance to some great tunes. You should join!

Heart of Steel - Galactic

Cineramascope - Galactic

Dark Warter - Galactic

Voyage Ton Flag - Galactic

Hey Na Na - Galactic

Carnival Time - Galactic

Artist Review (Forecastle Preview Edition): Sleigh Bells

It's been usually warm so far this month and it's not even officially spring yet. So with the temperature being above normal, I am previewing a band that is known for turning up their guitar sound level above normal. Sleigh Bells might not to be new to some of you, as their first LP Treats came out in 2010 and became a big hit on college radio stations across the country. Their poppy song "Rill Rill" was a great song off that album, however, the song was not a representative of the band's overall music genre. Most of their songs consisted of heavy, high-volume guitar chords. I once read an article that jokingly pointed out that Sleigh Bells turns their guitar up to volume 11.

In February, the young duo released their second album titled Reign of Terror. Again this band kept their loud guitar (Derek Edward Miller), strong drumming, and poppy/yelling vocals (Alexis Krauss). Both albums are great, but it will take some getting use to if you don't like it at first. They seem like a great band to see live, as their music has a lot of energy with a great mix of heavy metal guitar but with a poppy (almost like Pixies) beats and vocals.

Sleigh Bells will be playing the Friday of Forecastle weekend and many people (including myself) will be attending their show ready to rock out, as should you!

Rill Rill - Sleigh Bells

Infinity Guitar - Sleigh Bells

Crush - Sleigh Bells

End of the Line - Sleigh Bells