Galactic and Southern Avenue Please Fans at The Westcott Theater

Galactic and Southern Avenue pleased many fans at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, NY. Writer Brian Cornish was there to capture the night.

The unmistakable charisma of Tierinii Jackson supplemented by the guitar and keyboard prowess of Ori Nafataly and Jeremy Powell, with background vocals and a steady beat from Tikyra Jackson, make this a great young band with a bright future.

Galactic Southern Avenue

“With Keep On, Southern Avenue reaches out to a new generation of soulsters while preserving the tradition of Stax and Memphis soul. These songs flow deep down into our hearts and bones, moving us in ways we never expected to be moved (or perhaps we refused to let ourselves be moved), the way that all great soul music continues to move us. Like many great soul songs, too, these songs urge us to see the glimmers of hope in our darkness and to embrace those around us in the arms of love.” – NO DEPRESSION

That message of hope is best exemplified in “Keep On” and the closing number, “Don’t Give Up,” from their eponymous debut album, which induced an audience sing along.

Galactic is a band that is difficult to quantify. They cover soul, funk, jazz, dub, and multiple other genres, always being influenced by what ever they hear in their hometown of New Orleans, or through their relentless world-wide touring. The band has put their money where their heart is, purchasing the legendary nightclub, Tipitina’s.

Galactic and Southern Avenue often relies on a rotating cast of vocalists, with this performance featuring Anjelika Jelly Joseph & rapper Charles Stewart, AKA Chali 2na.

Unfortunately, the sound mix was a bit muddled and indistinct, which is definitely not typical of the Westcott Theater. One of the telltale signs of a good show is how many musicians and fans “in the know” show up. To that end, this show was extremely popular.

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