Garage A Trois creates instrumental avant-pop

• By JOHN WIRT
• Music writer
• Published: Nov 20, 2009

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Drummer Stanton Moore tours the globe with New Orleans funk outfit Galactic. Propelled by Galactic’s genre-melding, funk-meets-hip-hop 2007 album, From The Corner To The Block, the band spent the past two years playing places it had never played before, including Russia, Australia and TV chat shows Late Night With Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Just in time for Mardi Gras, Ya-Ka-May, Galactic’s second album from Anti- Records, a label whose great roster includes Neko Case, Nick Cave and Tom Waits, debuts Feb. 2. Another guest star-filled collection, it features Galactic’s fellow New Orleans talent Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, Rebirth Brass Band, Morning 40 Federation, John Boutte and local rappers.

“It’s basically all the different genres that are happening in New Orleans, from things that have happened before to things happening now, seen through the lens of Galactic,” Moore explained last week.

With the new Galactic CD waiting in the wings, Moore is busy with another of his many projects, Garage A Trois. A daring instrumental quartet that features keyboardist Marco Benevento, percussionist Mike Dillon and saxophonist Skerik, Garage A Trois typically plays rock clubs even though the music it makes ranges far beyond rock. And unlike the funk-powered Galactic, Garage A Trois has no allegiance to New Orleans music tradition.

“It’s an experimental ensemble, very dark and cutting edge, but there are plenty of big melodies and hooks,” Moore said. “We concentrate on melodies and interesting textures and sounds. There’s definitely improvisation happening and elements of swing. I think of it as instrumental avant-pop.”

Formed about seven years after Galactic, Garage A Trois made its stage debut in 2000. Following a few shows with the original lineup, the trio format got shelved after percussionist Dillon accepted an invitation to sit in.

“We loved having the vibes and tabla and the different percussion that Mike does,” Moore said. “It added a lot to the band and now, especially, it’s become its own type of thing.”

The departure of guitarist Charlie Hunter and addition of Brooklyn-based keyboardist Benevento launched Garage A Trios in more rock than jazz directions. Consequently, the new Garage A Trois CD, Power Patriot, features a bigger sound from Moore’s drums.

“It’s a more aggressive approach,” the drummer said. “It’s not like we set out to do that, it’s just what happened when we started playing gigs and writing with Marco.”

While Garage A Trois, Galactic and the Stanton Moore Trio are Moore’s principal three bands, he also performs with local super groups Dragon Smoke (with Ivan Neville, Eric Lindell and Galactic bassist Robert Mercurio) and the Midnight Disturbers (with Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Shamarr Allen, Big Sam, Mark Mullins and Matt Perrine).

Having so many groups in play is an advantage during this era of declining CD sales. Even Galactic doesn’t move as many units as Moore would like.

“We keep doing things to grow our record sales but, because record sales in general keep plummeting, we hover around the same numbers. We make our real living touring. But if we make a new record, that gives the press something to write about and it makes the promoters want to get us back.”