DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOW!

Anyone who has witnessed Stanton's powerful drum solos at a Galactic show will be excited to hear that his first solo album has been released Fog City Records.

Click here if you'd like to pick up a copy, or read on for the lowdown on this project!

" When I used to go to Mardi Gras parades with my parents, the first thing you'd hear coming down the street was the drums. I would get so excited. I think that funk music just gives you that same feel, that rhythmic feel that makes you go 'Oh, yeah, man, here it comes!' " (Stanton Moore, reprinted from Offbeat Magazine)

Stanton Moore is a drummer in the best tradition of his native New Orleans. For several years, Stanton's full-time occupation (does 24 hours a day count as full time?) has been as a founding member of Galactic. Their grueling, nonstop tour schedule has helped earn the band a huge following nationwide (not to mention a contract with Capricorn/Mercury!), and has established Stanton a serious reputation as a funk drummer. Still, those who have seen Stanton in the many bands he's played in (including the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars) or sat in with (including George Porter and Widespread Panic) know that there's more to the story. (He was one of the few musicians selected for the New Orleans Gambit's "40 Under 40" - an annual list of the city's 40 "best and brightest" citizens - and in a city dominated by music that's saying something!)

This is clearly addressed with the release of Stanton's solo album All Kooked Out! on Fog City Records. Taking a break from the "steamroller funk" of Galactic, Stanton enlisted the aid of some musicians who had fallen prey to his infections enthusiasm - including Charlie Hunter, Skerik, and a small cast of New Orleans funk/jazz heavyweights. While the end results include some serious funk bombs, what makes this solo project so special is that Stanton can now be more widely known as more than simply a funk drummer, and as far more than just a "loop player" (the modern kind of drummer who has overdosed on sampled, looped drums and has lost the connection to the source of those samples). Stanton shows his unique ability to play with an understanding and respect for the traditions that have come before him (and in New Orleans those rivers run deep!), but to also lend a sense of humor, enthusiasm, and deep funkiness to almost any groove.

Any fan of funk music in general and New Orleans funk music in particular knows that the sound of the legendary Meters casts a long shadow. And certainly even a casual listener will hear shades of Meters drummer Zigaboo Modeliste when listening to Stanton. But an understanding of the history of the music places things in their proper perspective. When interviewed with his fellow members of Galactic by the magazine An Honest Tune, Stanton explains:

" Yeah, we check that stuff out and that's definitely our largest influence and it's fun to play. But we're definitely still trying to take what they did and move it in a direction that's new. Like we're into Lou Donaldson and Grant Green and Jimmy Smith and Lonnie Smith and all those cats. We try to take those influences and stew them together in a little gumbo pot and come up with something a little bit different.

I think a lot of people don't take that initiative to understand that music. Especially with funk, you see a lot of bastardized funk going around and its like to learn funk guys will go back and learn the Red Hot Chili Peppers to learn how to play funky. We'll check out the Meters but then go back and try to find out where they're coming from like Professor Longhair, and then where he got it from like the Mardi Gras Indians and the brass bands. And then from where they got that from Jelly Roll Morton. And then try to go back from where Jelly Roll Morton got his stuff: Congo Square. You just try to go back further and further and always try to come up with something that's fresh. "

(reprinted from An Honest Tune magazine)

Actually, Stanton counts New Orleans drum legend Johnny Vidacovich as a major influence:

" Johnny really showed me that drums are not just about what you can play, they're about how you play it. I've really started to see music as a conversation between the people who are creating it and the audience. It's like, you might meet some professor who has a lot of vocabulary, but just because they know a lot, it doesn't mean you want to hang out with them, sit down and hear what they have to say. So, it's about how you say it, how you present it. "

(reprinted from Offbeat Magazine)

But maybe the best way to understand Stanton is to listen in to Stanton describing his 1997 Mardi Gras:

" We played till 6:15 Mardi Gras morning at Benny's, so we didn't have time go to sleep. We just walked straight to the parade route and got into the procession. By the end of the parade, man, we were all, like, sleep deprived, inebriated. It was crazy, man-- a crazy Mardi Gras day. After the parade, I'm completely out of it, and we walk down to Cafe Brasil. I tell Ade, the club owner, 'Hey, man, let me go sleep upstairs in the apartment.' You gotta understand Ade. He's a beautiful freak. He's run one of the most successful clubs in the city for the past 11 years and doesn't have a telephone, because he knows everyone would be calling him. So, I go up there and go to sleep for about an hour. Then Ade comes in and says, 'It's started! It's started! Come on! The party is waiting for you! Wake up! It's time to play! Come on! You need to get in the shower! Come on! Got to get in the shower!' So I'm in the shower and Ade comes in and says, 'Somebody needs to come in and use the bathroom.' So this guy comes in the bathroom, and sits on the throne. He's like, 'So what's your name?' I'm like, 'Stanton. I just played all night--haven't had any sleep--gotta go play right now.' He's like, 'That's cool. Nice talking to you. I'll see you later.' So I didn't see him, right, because I'm behind the shower curtain. Later, Ade says, 'Do you know who that was in the bathroom? That was Mayor Morial. Ha, ha, ha.' "
(reprinted from Tribe Magazine)

Click here for some of our favorite press clippings on Stanton

The images below are of the players involved in Stanton's solo project. Click on any of the images for a full-sized version suitable for press use. For a full selection of photos click here.
	Stanton Moore Drums, percussion Other credits: Galactic, New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars
Skerik Saxophone, saxophonics, kookification a.k.a. Nalgas Sin Carne Other credits: Critters Buggin, Sad Happy, Tuatara, Mad Season, New York Composers Orchestra, Wayne Horvitz, Bobby Previte, Blowtallica, Freestyle Candela
	Charlie Hunter 8 string guitar (5 guitar strings, 3 bass strings, 2 pickups) Other credits: Charlie Hunter Trio, Charlie Hunter Quartet, D'Angelo, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
Matt Perrine tuba
Brian Seeger guitar
Brent Rose saxophone
Ben Ellman saxophone

Stanton, Charlie and Skerik were so amped about this project, they recently made space in their busy schedules to play some selected live dates together. The cool guys at charliehunter.com roadtripped their way trough the entire West Coast tour, and have posted a great road report, complete with sound clips and photos from every show!

For information on upcoming Stanton Moore solo dates, click here.

For information on upcoming Galactic tour dates, click here.

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