Funk group Galactic [ tickets ] has mapped out a five-week tour that will include a stop in its hometown of New Orleans for two Mardi Gras performances.

The Freezestyle tour kicks off on Jan. 16, at Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club. The itinerary covers the Northeast before the group hits New Orleans. The tour is expected to end with multiple nights in Colorado, though the second half of the jaunt has yet to be finalized.

The San Francisco-area DJ trio Triple Threat--Shortkut, Apollo and Vinroc--will open the first leg of the tour. According to a press release, Galactic chose Triple Threat to open the shows "because the group best symbolizes what Galactic has been about since its inception: using the soul vocabulary to explore new sounds and grooves, and making a non-stop party of it."

On Feb. 9, Galactic will host an all-day Mardi Gras party under a 3,000-capacity framed tent at New Orleans' Contemporary Arts Center, according to the band's official spokesman. The show will feature two sets by Galactic, as well as performances by G. Love and Special Sauce and other acts to be named later. Galactic will also play Tipitina's Uptown in New Orleans on Feb. 11.

The six-piece Galactic--drummer Stanton Moore, bassist Robert Mercurio, keyboardist Rich Vogel, saxophonist Ben Ellman, guitarist Jeff Raines, singer Theryl "Houseman" DeClouet--blends funk, jazz, dance, hard rock and country blues. The band is in pre-production for its follow-up to 2001's live album "We Love 'Em Tonight" (Volcano/Capricorn) and the 2000 studio effort "Late for the Future." While on tour, Galactic will play new material from the forthcoming album.