Singer Maggie Koerner makes Tahoe debut with Galactic
Galactic’s rhythm section of Stanton Moore and Rob Mecurio played in the Crown Room with Dragon Smoke in December. Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
Galactic’s sound is mammoth enough to shake down any confetti that may be settled atop the Crown Room rafters but the band itself doesn’t consider itself so big as to not make an annual appearance in the Crystal Bay Casino.
Filled to its capacity, the venue holds about 700, which is expected Sunday, March 16, for what Casino Manager Bill Wood predicts could be the show of the year. Some tickets were still available Saturday afternoon. Promoter Devil Dog Productions has a New Orleans connection that consistently brings that city’s best music to Crystal Bay, and many consider Galactic to be NOLA’s greatest band.
Rob Mecurio returns to the Crown Room Sunday. Tahoe Onstage image
Galactic actually might be more of a revue than a band. While the rhythm section of Stanton Moore and Rob Mecurio and guitarist Jeff Raines have been mainstays since 1994, the group rotates all-star players from Louisiana, especially at lead singer.
“For a band that’s been together 20 years, I have to give it up to them,” said percussionist Mike Dillon, who said Galactic was a reason he moved to New Orleans. “They keep it fresh. They reinvent themselves constantly. I played with them the other day and it was with a very young crowd. That’s a testament to those guys.”
Galactic’s new singer is 25-year-old Maggie Koerner, a disciple of Shreveport drummer Brady Blade, who produced Koerner’s debut album, “Quarter Life.” While this will be Koerner’s first time to play at Tahoe, recording s of her voice and delivery sound like that of Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Naoplitano.
“I have enjoyed watching her grow,” Dillon said. “I opened for them at her first gig last summer in New York at the Brooklyn Bowl. … Not only are they changing, they are getting better all of the time.”
Stanton Moore
Galactic’s most recent studio album is 2012’s Brazilian influenced “Carnivale Electros.”
Moore and Mecurio played last December in the Crown Room with the super group Dragon Smoke.
Moore, who also plays with Dillon in Garage A Trois, on April 15 will release his first straight-ahead jazz album, “Conversations,” on the Royal Potato Family label.
The Mike Dillon Band plays April 4 at the Crystal Bay Casino.
Galactic with Maggie Koerner
Special guest: Brushy One String When: 9 p.m. Sunday, March 16 Tickets: $30 BUY
Red Room after-party: Down North
Galactic plays Tahoe on March 16.
ABOUT Tim Parsons
Tim Parsons is the editor of Tahoe Onstage who first moved to Lake Tahoe in 1992. Before starting Tahoe Onstage in 2013, he worked for 29 years at newspapers, including the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Eureka Times-Standard and Contra Costa Times. He was the recipient of the 2011 Keeping the Blues Alive award for Journalism.
