Modal Nodes

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Clak'dor VII

• Species:
  Bith

• 

From the Movies

Music is said to tame the heart of many beasts, but even the lively tunes of the Mos Eisley Cantina house band didn't prevent altercations from spilling both drinks and blood. The seven-member band consists of Bith aliens playing a variety of wind and percussion instruments.

From the Expanded Universe

Meet the Modal Nodes -- a group of seven Bith musicians trained in jazzy popular music. Frontman for the Nodes is Fiery Figrin D'an, a card-shark and expert on the kloo horn and the gasan string drum. Backing him up on wind instruments are Doikk Na'ts on the Dorenian Beshniquel (or the Fizzz, for those in the know), and Ickabel G'ont and Tedn Dahai on their fanfars. Rounding out the band are Tech Mo'r on the Ommni Box and Nalan Cheel on the horn bell-bedecked bandfill. Lirin Car'n only sits in from time to time, but he does play a mean kloo horn backup.

Like any band of this size, interpersonal conflicts flourish, even among the laid-back and introspective Bith. Figrin's habit of compulsively gambling away their earnings -- and even their instruments -- did wear thin. Being plunged into some of the seamiest venues and unsavory gigs didn't help either.

Still, the band was popular and talented enough to land several long-standing gigs, such as their stay at the Mos Eisley Cantina. They even drew the attention of Jabba the Hutt, and became his house band until his fickle tastes turned. When the opportunity presented itself, they fled Tatooine. Though they traveled the stars for years, pan-galactic fame continues to elude them.

Behind the Scenes

The cantina band was not present during principal photography, but instead was added during a round of pick-ups filmed in California. The make-up artists wore the slip-on masks themselves, playing a variety of cobbled together alien-looking instruments.

Though the Modal Nodes boasts seven members, it took nine musicians to record the "Cantina Band" cues for the film. Included in the mix were a trumpet, two saxophones, a clarinet, a Fender Rhodes piano, a Caribbean steel drum, assorted percussion, and an Arp synthesizer for the bass.