Grupo Fantasma (American band)
Encyclopedia
Grupo Fantasma is an eleven-piece, Grammy Award
winning Latin
funk
orchestra from Austin, Texas
. Formed in 2000 from the merger of two Austin acts, The Blue Noise Band and The Blimp, the band emerged with a sold out show at the former Empanada Parlour in Austin. The band is best known for their exuberant live shows and their recent association with Prince
and his 3121 Club in Las Vegas
. The band has backed Prince on numerous occasions, including his performance on the ALMA Award
s in 2007, and often perform at his afterparty jam sessions. The ensemble has sold more than 20,000 albums independently.
Grupo Fantasma has twice played the Austin City Limits Music Festival
and taped an episode of the popular Austin City Limits
TV Show on PBS, which first aired November 17, 2007. They have also performed at such festivals as the Montreal Jazz Festival and the Calgary Folk Music Festival
and have headlined numerous SXSW showcases in their career. The also played at the inaugural South Padre International Music Festival
in 2007. The band performs relentlessly, regularly doing over 150 performances a year. Their horn section has also made various appearances on worldwide releases and has recently been performing with indie rock band Spoon
. Grupo Fantasma's music was featured prominently in the NYC Cable Public-access television
cable TV show, The Unbelievable Show from 2001–2004. The group's album Sonidos Gold was nominated for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
for the 51st Grammy Awards
. Grupo's album El Existential was awarded the Grammy for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
at the 53rd Grammy Awards
two years later.
Grupo Fantasma’s songs “Chocolate,” “Barretta” and “Perso Fra/Mesquites” were featured in Showtime’s “Weeds” season 6 premiere episode which debuted on August 16, 2010.
The band has also been featured on various other albums:
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
orchestra from Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Formed in 2000 from the merger of two Austin acts, The Blue Noise Band and The Blimp, the band emerged with a sold out show at the former Empanada Parlour in Austin. The band is best known for their exuberant live shows and their recent association with Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and his 3121 Club in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. The band has backed Prince on numerous occasions, including his performance on the ALMA Award
Alma Award
The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field...
s in 2007, and often perform at his afterparty jam sessions. The ensemble has sold more than 20,000 albums independently.
Grupo Fantasma has twice played the Austin City Limits Music Festival
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas at the city's central public park, Zilker Park...
and taped an episode of the popular Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits is an American public television music program recorded live in Austin, Texas by Public Broadcasting Service Public television member station KLRU, and broadcast on many PBS stations around the United States...
TV Show on PBS, which first aired November 17, 2007. They have also performed at such festivals as the Montreal Jazz Festival and the Calgary Folk Music Festival
Calgary Folk Music Festival
The Calgary Folk Music Festival is held in late July each year at Prince's Island Park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. While known for attracting both established and up-and-coming folk music, the festival features a wide variety of artists including hip-hop, alternative, blues, and world acts...
and have headlined numerous SXSW showcases in their career. The also played at the inaugural South Padre International Music Festival
South Padre International Music Festival
South Padre International Music Festival is an annual 3-day music festival held on South Padre Island, Texas. The event features international and national artists, encompassing a wide range of musical genres including country, funk, reggae, rock, indie, Latin rock, ska and jazz...
in 2007. The band performs relentlessly, regularly doing over 150 performances a year. Their horn section has also made various appearances on worldwide releases and has recently been performing with indie rock band Spoon
Spoon (band)
Spoon is an American rock band formed in Austin, Texas. The band is composed of Britt Daniel ; Jim Eno ; Rob Pope and Eric Harvey .-History:...
. Grupo Fantasma's music was featured prominently in the NYC Cable Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV show, The Unbelievable Show from 2001–2004. The group's album Sonidos Gold was nominated for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album
The Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album was an honor presented to recording artists for quality albums in the Latin rock and alternative music genres at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
for the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
. Grupo's album El Existential was awarded the Grammy for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album
The Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album was an honor presented to recording artists for quality albums in the Latin rock and alternative music genres at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
at the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
two years later.
Grupo Fantasma’s songs “Chocolate,” “Barretta” and “Perso Fra/Mesquites” were featured in Showtime’s “Weeds” season 6 premiere episode which debuted on August 16, 2010.
Discography
- Grupo Fantasma (2002)
- Movimiento Popular (2004)
- Comes Alive (2006)
- Sonidos Gold (2008)
- El ExistentialEl ExistentialEl Existential is a studio album by the American band Grupo Fantasma, released in 2010 through the record label Nat Geo Music. In 2011, the album earned the band the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album....
(2010)
The band has also been featured on various other albums:
- Mascaras by Sergent Garcia (2004 EMI France/Virgin Records)
- Uno, Dos, Banderas by Control MacheteControl MacheteControl Machete is a Mexican hip hop group from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Its members are Fermin IV , Patricio "Pato" Chapa Elizalde, and Toy Kenobi .-History:...
(2004 Universal) - Eklektikos Live (2005) – "Cansado"
- El Nino y El Sol by Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada (2005, ESL Music)
- Homenaje by Brownout (2007, Freestyle Records)
- Aguilas and Cobras by Brownout (2009, Six Degrees Records)
Current members
- Beto Martinez - Guitar
- Adrian Quesada - Guitar
- Johnny Lopez - Drums
- Jose Galeano - Percussion, Vocals
- Greg Gonzalez - Bass
- Leo Gauna - Trombone, song writer
- Josh Levy - Baritone Saxophone
- Gilbert Elorreaga - Trumpet
- Kino Esparza - Vocals, Percussion
- Matthew Holmes - Congas
Former members
- David Lobel - baritone saxophone
- Jeremy BruchWhat Made Milwaukee FamousWhat Made Milwaukee Famous is an indie rock band from Austin, Texas.In 2005, WMMF performed for Austin City Limits with Franz Ferdinand, making them one of the only unsigned bands to play for the show in its -year history. In 2006, the band signed with Barsuk Records, which re-released their 2004...
- percussion - Brian Ramos - vocals
- Joseph Serrato - saxophone
- Dave Wolfe - trumpet
- Gene Centeno - saxophone
External links
- Grupo Fantasma (official page)
- Grupo Fantasma at MySpace
- Grupo Fantasma at the Austin Music Database