There are some things in life that are just downright unfair:
1) Bringing a knife to a gun fight.
2) The fact that Gwen Stefani doesn’t age.
3) Showing up on a stage with a sousaphone.
Obviously High and Mighty Brass Band killed it when they took to the 9:30 stage in DC Friday night – they showed up with a trumpet, a trombone, a sousaphone, and an incredibly charming frontman to belt out any songs with lyrics. At one point their vocalist yelled out to the crowd, “I have a confession to make. I have a family member in the crowd. And it’s the day after Valentine’s Day. So I apologize for what you’re about to hear.” He then launched into the most brass-filled version of Ginuwine’s “Pony” I’ve ever heard. (Also, which family member is there? You’re gonna make Grammy blush!) The crowd absolutely loved it. And then the band did the only thing that could make the crowd love them more – they jumped down into the audience and played a cover of Mac Miller’s “Come back to Earth.”
A hard act to follow. But if anyone’s going to do it, it’s Galactic, fearlessly led by Ms. Erica Falls. Ms. Falls took to the stage in a sparkly shirt, cut-off shorts, tights, and very cute high-heeled, peep-toe boots. She was backed by a saxophone, a pocket-trumpet, two guitars, and drums, and she immediately captivated the crowd with New Orleans-infused funk, starting with “Heart of Steel” (sung on the band’s previous albums by Cyril Neville and Irma Thomas). Galactic has a groove-infused, feel-good, high-energy vibe that got the crowd moving and jumping in no time. “Heart of Steel” was followed up with “Dolla Diva” and “Going Straight Crazy” (sung by Princess Shaw on the original album).
There are some things that are pretty much universally appealing: chocolate, cookies straight out of the oven, the smell of baking bread. Every once in a while you’ll find the outlier who doesn’t like those things, and you’ll look at them in shock and disgust, shake your head and move on, but for the most part, everyone’s gonna love it. If you haven’t seen these bands before and you want to take a chance on something new, 99.9% chance you’re going to love them.