Galactic: The Band That Bought Tipitina's

The Band That Bought Tipitina's

In 1994, two kids from Maryland named Jeff Raines and Robert Mercurio moved to New Orleans to go to college. They fell in love with the city's funk scene, started a band with some friends, and called it Galactic Prophylactic. They eventually shortened the name to Galactic. The music, they never shortened at all.

For three decades, Galactic has been one of the hardest-working bands in New Orleans — and one of the most sonically adventurous. Their sound starts with New Orleans funk but goes everywhere from there: rock, jazz, hip-hop, electronic, brass band, blues, world music. They've collaborated with everyone from Macy Gray to Mavis Staples, and their live shows are the kind of sweaty, euphoric experiences that make you understand why people move to New Orleans.

The core lineup — Mercurio on bass, Raines on guitar, Stanton Moore on drums, Ben Ellman on saxophone and harmonica, and Richard Vogel on Hammond organ — has been remarkably stable for a band that's been at it since the Clinton administration. That consistency shows in the tightness of their playing and the depth of their catalog: ten studio albums, plus live recordings and collaborations that stretch across every corner of the musical universe.

And then, in 2018, they did something that cemented their place in New Orleans music history: they bought Tipitina's. The legendary Uptown venue where Professor Longhair held court, where the Neville Brothers played their residencies, where generations of New Orleans musicians came of age — Galactic bought it and committed to keeping it alive.

That purchase said everything about who Galactic is. They're not just a band that plays New Orleans music. They're stewards of the tradition — outsiders who moved here, fell in love, and have spent thirty years giving back to the city that gave them everything. Ten albums and a legendary venue later, Galactic isn't just a New Orleans band. They're a New Orleans institution.