Galactic guitarist Jeff Raines grew up in Washington, D.C., and got his fill of music.
"I heard a lot of Howlin' Wolf and then found my way to George Clinton and the Mothership Connection," Raines said during a short phone call from New Orleans. "When I was in college, I thought it would be cool to be in a band and play some of that funk."Galactic -- Raines, bassist Robert Mercurio, drummer Stanton Moore, keyboardist Rich Vogel, saxophonist Ben Ellman and vocalist Theryl "Houseman" de Clouet -- will play Harry O's, 427 Main, Park City, on Wednesday, June 7. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Raines and Mercurio met in D.C. but moved to New Orleans to pursue their art.
"After a couple of years and a change of lineup, we found our niche," Raines said. "And we began to play around New Orleans. As we played, the audience got bigger and bigger."
Raines said the band always had a goal to become successful.
"Although we had that idea, it's still shocking to step back a bit and actually watch yourself become successful," he said. "We're fortunate we've broken through to what we have. Nowadays, our goal is to keep it going and see how high we can get."
Galactic's first bona fide recording appearance was a version of "Black Eyed Pea," which found its way to "Is That Jazz" compilation for the Ubiquity label.
In 1996, the band recorded "Coolin' Off" for Fog City Records before jumping over to Capricorn Records in 1998.
Galactic's Capricorn debut, "Crazyhorse Mongoose," solidified the band's reputation of being a great foot-stomping groove band.
"We're digging what we're doing," Raines said. "And the great thing about this job is we're all doing what comes natural to us."
E-mail: scott@desnews.com