Galactic Takes Grooves in Evocative Directions

It seems strange that a show called the SnoCore Icicle Ball would be headlined by a band from a city that is, (a) in a tropical climate, and (b) so flat that they built a hill at the zoo so kids would know what one looks like. But New Orleans’ Galactic provided perfect grooves at the Palace on Thursday, celebrating the hippie-ish wing of the winter-sports subculture. (The edgier side comes out tonight in a punk-metal SnoCore concert at the Hollywood Palladium.)

In any case, the wintry angle was absent beyond the concert’s name--no displays of snowboards and snowboard accessories--as organizers decided to keep the focus on the music. Perhaps it’s incongruous to put the terms “focus” and “jam bands” together, but Galactic, Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade and Lake Trout each showed substantial and distinctive strengths.

Galactic starts with the crisp, nimble New Orleans funk perfected in the ‘60s and ‘70s by the Meters, and Thursday they stretched it in instrumentals evoking anything from the Average White Band to Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew.” Songs featuring charismatic soul singer Theryl de’Clouet added the spirit of Curtis Mayfield and Muscle Shoals. The band’s five musicians form a dynamic unit, capable of going off on tangents while only rarely seeming self-indulgent.

Self-indulgence, on the other hand, is a key ingredient in Frog Brigade, the side project of Primus’ leader Claypool. The sextet is capable of remarkably tight, disciplined work, evidenced on versions of songs by King Crimson, the Beatles and Pink Floyd. But between patches of clarity the band detoured into noodling, showcasing proficient technique but little actual musical--or entertainment--value.

Baltimore-based Lake Trout lived up to its growing buzz as a future jam-scene star, fusing free-floating jazz-tinged grooves with imaginative electronica touches. Don’t be surprised if this band is headlining next year. Are there ski slopes around Baltimore?

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SnoCore Rock with Fear Factory, Kittie, the Union Underground, Slaves on Dope and Boy Hits Car, today at the Hollywood Palladium, 6215 Sunset Blvd., L.A. 5 p.m. $22.50. (323) 962-7600.