NEW ORLEANS – Funk band Galactic is set to take over Tipitina’s.
Rumors of the takeover began surfacing last week, and band members have now confirmed the purchase.
“It’s official and we’re stoked,” reads a post on Tipitina’s official Facebook page.
“The importance of respecting what Tip’s means for musicians and the city of New Orleans is not lost on us,” Galactic band leader Ben Ellman says in the post. “We’re excited for the future of the club and look forward to all the amazing music and good times ahead!”
Drummer Stanton Moore seemed giddy with excitement in a post officially announcing the band’s purchase.
“We are so unbelievably excited!” Moore wrote. “Our goal is to preserve, promote, and protect the future of New Orleans music, culture and heritage via the Tipitina’s venue and brand. We literally just bought our favorite place on earth, the place that we have spent the last 20 plus years of our lives… A place where we have been mesmerized by our favorite musical icons, where we have had the of honor of playing music ourselves and the place we have developed the memories that will last the rest of our lifetimes.”
Ownership of the iconic New Orleans music venue came up for grabs when allegations of financial troubles for Roland Von Kurnatowski, who has owned Tipitina’s since the 1990s.
Von Kurnatowski has been implicated through several lawsuits in a variety of financial wrongdoing, although nothing has been proven as of yet.
Galactic has a long history with Tipitina’s, having recorded their seminal live album “We Love ‘Em Tonight” there in 2001 and returned for a follow up live album, “The Other Side of Midnight,” 10 years later in 2011.