Grupo Fantasma is a nine-piece Latin

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

orchestra from Austin, Texas.

Biography

Formed in 2000 from the merger of two Austin acts, The Blimp and The Blue Noise Band, the band emerged with a biweekly gig at the Empanada Parlour in Austin in 2001. The band is best known for their exuberant live shows, innovative contemporary recordings and associations with Prince and his 3121 Club in Las Vegas. The band backed Prince on numerous occasions, including his performance on the ALMA Awards in 2007, and often performed at his after-party jam sessions. The band has performed with a diverse array of artists including Maceo Parker,

Sheila E Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

, GZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Spoon, Daniel Johnston, and many others. The ensemble has sold more than 20,000 albums independently and has had music featured in many popular television series. Grupo Fantasma twice played the Austin City Limits Music Festival and taped an episode of the '' Austin City Limits'' television series on PBS, which first aired November 17, 2007. They have also performed at such festivals as the Montreal Jazz Festival, Bonnaroo,

Wakarusa Wakarusa can refer to several things in the United States: * Wakarusa, Indiana * Wakarusa, Kansas * The Wakarusa River, a tributary of the Kansas River * The Wakarusa War, part of the Bleeding Kansas violence before the American Civil War * Wakarus ...

, WOMAD,

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and the Calgary Folk Music Festival as well as having headlined numerous

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showcases in their career. The band performs frequently, regularly doing over 150 performances a year. Their horn section has also made various appearances on worldwide releases and has recently performed with indie rock band Spoon. Grupo Fantasma's music has been featured in the NYC public-access television

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show ''The Unbelievable Show'' from 2001 to 2004. The band has garnered over a dozen Austin Music Awards, and an induction into the Austin Music Hall of Fame. The group's album ''Sonidos Gold'' was nominated for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album for the

51st Grammy Awards The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the b ...

. Grupo's album ''El Existential'' was awarded the Grammy for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album at the

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 pri ...

two years later. On March 29th, 2019, Grupo Fantasma released their seventh full length album, ''American Music Vol. VII'', on Blue Corn Music. The album, with its unique multi-ethnic sound, takes on the intricacies of identity. Even the title itself examines issues of identity and the concept of the "other". In a recent review, NPR described ''American Music Vol. VII'' as "a perfectly executed bi-cultural statement, made for the millions of folks who love mariachi as much as James Brown". 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, and their cover of the Chicago song "Saturday in the Park" (Sabado en el Parque) was featured on the TV show ''

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''.

Discography

* ''Grupo Fantasma'' (2002) * ''Movimiento Popular'' (2004) * ''Comes Alive'' (2006) * ''Sonidos Gold'' (2008) * ''

El Existential ''El 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 The Grammy Awar ...

'' (2010) * ''Problemas'' (2016) * ''American Music: Volume 7'' (2019) The band has also been featured on various other albums: * ''Mascaras'' by

Sergent Garcia Sergent Garcia is the band formed around French singer ''Bruno Garcia'' (1964, France) who had previously been the guitarist of punk band Ludwig Von 88. Sergent Garcia’s music is a mixture of cumbia, reggae, salsa, Ragga, ragamuffin, rock and ...

(2004 EMI France/Virgin Records) * ''Uno, Dos, Banderas'' by Control Machete (2004 Universal) * ''

Eklektikos Live ''eklektikos'' is a classical chamber music ensemble specializing in the performance of music by contemporary Canadian composers. Based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, its core members include Dale Sorensen (trombone and artistic d ...

'' (2005) – "Cansado" * ''Homenaje'' by Brownout (2007, Freestyle Records) * ''Aguilas and Cobras'' by Brownout (2009, Six Degrees Records) * ''Oozy'' by Brownout (2012, NatGeo Records)

Band

Current members

* Beto Martinez – Guitar * John Speice – Drums * Jose Galeano – Percussion, vocals * Greg Gonzalez – Bass * Mark Gonzales – Trombone * Josh Levy – Baritone saxophone * Gilbert Elorreaga – Trumpet * Kino Esparza – Vocals, percussion * Matthew Holmes – Congas

Former members

* Johnny Lopez III – Drums * David Lobel – baritone saxophone * Jeremy Bruch - percussion * Brian Ramos - vocals * Joseph Serrato - saxophone * Dave Wolfe - trumpet * Gene Centeno - saxophone * Leo Gauna - trombone *

Adrian Quesada Adrian Quesada is an American musician, producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his work with Black Pumas. Quesada is an eight-time Grammy nominee and won Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album as a member of Grupo Fantasma in 2011. Early l ...

- guitar

References

External links

Grupo Fantasma
(official page)
Grupo Fantasma
at the ''Austin Music Database'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Grupo Fantasma Musical groups from Austin, Texas Latin music groups Musical groups established in 2000 2000 establishments in Texas