Grupo Fantasma News Archive

LONE STAR FESTIVAL WEEKEND
We'll be running around Texas a bit for another busy weekend...Thursday night April 17th in Austin we'll close out a great lineup of talent at the "On Your Feet" benefit concert for the Posada Esperanza & Casa Marianella transitional housing and immigrant services programs. Saturday afternoon April 19th we peform at the Houston International Festival on the Bud Light World Music Stage, 4:30pm and finally we close out the Fort Worth Main Street Arts Festival (WaMu Stage) at 6:30pm on Sunday, April 20th. Whew!!

QUICK SOUTHEAST RUN
We hit the road this weekend for a few days...Friday, April 11th we'll be back in Hattiesburg, MS for the Alive After Five Concert Series and of course an after party that night at the Thirsty Hippo! Saturday, April 12th we rock AMP 501 at the Red River Ampitheatre in Alexandria, LA. See you there!

FAMILY FRIENDLY SHOWS FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT!
You know us, we're all about the children! A couple of all-ages and early-ish shows this weekend in central Texas. Friday evening (Apr 4th) we'll be in Waco, TX at the Brazos Nights Concert Series on a bill with Grammy Award winning Brave Combo. Saturday (Apr 5th) the band plays in Austin at Threadgill's South. Advance tickets are available HERE.

Cool shot of Sweet Lou at the Parish on March 7, 2008. Pic courtesy of Sandra Dahdah.

RECOVERING FROM SXSW & SAN MARCOS THIS WEEKEND
Grupo Fantasma played almost a dozen times over SXSW week in many forms - Brownout, Ocote Soul Sounds, etc and we were very happy to take last weekend off to refresh the senses (even though most of the guys were busy in the studio finishing up the mixes for the new record). But of course in true Fantasma form we're back at it this Saturday night, March 29th in San Marcos, TX at Lucy's. Advance tickets are available HERE.

Pic from our SXSW show at Auditorium Shores.

SXSW & WEEKEND RECAP
Lots going on this week all over Austin...the mayhem of South by Southwest is upon us! Three chances to see Grupo Fantasma. Thursday, March 13th, 6pm, at Auditorium Shores with Spoon and Del the Funky Homosapien. This is a FREE outdoor show and no badges or wristbands are required. Later that same night we'll be playing the KUT/NPR "All Music is World Music" Showcase at Momo's at 11pm (badges/wristbands/cover). Finally, the Batanga.com day party on Friday, March 14th, 3pm, at Habana Calle 6. Whew!

We had an incredible string of events this past weekend that began Friday night with an off the hook club show at the Parish. Saturday we entertained the SXSW Interactive Festival at the annual frog design party. And to cap it all off, we were honored to perform as part of the Long Center's "Sneak Peak Weekend" festivities. The new facility is unbelievable. Special thanks to the wonderful staff and volunteers for their hospitality. Go see a show there soon!

FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE PARISH!
Yep, that's right! Friday, March 7th - the band will play in Austin, TX at the Parish on 6th Street. This is a small and intimate venue & advance tickets are highly recommended...available at Frontgate. DJ Dusty Oliveira from Corpus Christi will spin an assortment of old & new school cumbias. Don't miss it!

BACK FROM THE WEST COAST
We want to thank each and every person who came out to support the band on our recent trip, the crowds were phenomenal and we couldn't have asked for a better response! A few Texas shows this weekend including Friday, February 29th at the Satellite Ballroom (Engine Room) in Houston, Saturday, March 1st at Hal's Landing in Laredo, and then back in Austin for the TX State Arts Fest on Sunday, March 2nd. Advance tickets (highly recommended) for the club show at the Parish in Austin on March 7th are available at Frontgate.

WEST COAST TOUR STARTS TUESDAY
The band hits the road for a couple weeks...we hope to see all our fans out in full force! Check out the TOUR section of the website for details on each show as well as advance ticket information.

Tue, Feb 12th - Flagstaff, AZ @ Mogollon Brewery
Wed, Feb 13th - Cabazon, CA @ Morongo Casino
Thu, Feb 14th - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
Fri, Feb 15th - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's
Sat, Feb 16th - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
Sun, Feb 17th - Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe's Alley
Mon, Feb 18th - Ashland, OR @ Mobius
Wed, Feb 20th - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Thu, Feb 21st - Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
Fri, Feb 22nd - Cumberland, BC @ The Waverly
Sat, Feb 23rd - Tofino, BC @ Legion

BONNAROO LINEUP ANNOUNCED
Grupo Fantasma is excited to be part of this year's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. The seventh annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 12-15 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. The final Bonnaroo 2008 lineup will total over 100 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days. Other confirmed acts include Pearl Jam, Metallica, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Kayne West, Willie Nelson, Sharon Jones & the Dapkings, and many, many, more. Check out the Bonnaroo Website for full details.

New Record Update - GF's own Adrian Quesada spent a couple days in Los Angeles with the infamous Larry Harlow aka "El Judio Maravilloso" of Fania All-Stars fame. Larry layed down some tasty keys on a couple tracks. We are so honored that this legend will be part of our upcoming release.

UPCOMING CENTRAL TEXAS SHOWS
Two club dates around Austin are approaching quickly! On Friday, February 1st we make our first appearance at Lorraine's in Marble Falls. The next night, Saturday, February 2nd we take over Antone's. Joining us will be our long time friends, Maneja Beto. Advance tickets for this show are available at Frontgate.

The band hits the road in a couple weeks to do a club run of the West Coast. Dates are up on the TOUR section of our website. Meanwhile, Fantasma's super funky alter-ego Brownout! will be in California this weekend. Check out those dates at their myspace page.

Great interview with Jose Galeano, "Fantasma's elder statesman," at the incredible online music managazine Stereo Subversion.

GF IN SAN MARCOS, TX
The band will be in San Marcos, TX this weekend at Lucy's on the Square on Friday, January 18th. It's the only club gig in January so we hope to see all our central Texas fans out in force! Meanwhile, recording of the new album continues...check out this pic of Stuart Sullivan of Wire Recording working his magic.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Greetings from 2008! The band continues to record the new studio album and it's really coming together, we should be putting a couple preview clips up soon. Thanks to all the folks who came out to the NYE Ball at the Monarch Event Center. It was a great night of music and a wonderful way to usher in the new year. More news to come...

END OF 2007 EVENTS / NEW YEAR'S EVE BALL

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

GF heads back to Laredo, TX for a show at Hal's Landing this Friday, December 21st. Then off to Houston, TX at the Continental Club on Thursday, December 27th. And the grandaddy of 'em all...the New Year's Eve Ball in Austin, TX - Monday, December 31st - hosted by the Monarch Event Center. This is a great new venue (away from downtown with plenty of parking!) and the festivities kick off at 8pm. Tickets are going fast and are available HERE.

Meanwhile, the band continues to record and are really pushing their trademark sound even further, allowing guitarists Beto & Adrian to lay down some serious vocal stylings in extreme operatic style. Can you feel it or what? We hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe Holiday Season and we look forward to great success in 2008! Thanks for tuning in...

SOUTHEAST INVASION CONTINUES
Fantasma heads out again for a quick weekend run - Friday, December 7th at the Grant Street Dance Hall in Lafayette, LA (our first club gig in that city) and Saturday, December 8th at the Rev Room in Little Rock, AR.

GF INVADES SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
The band heads to one of their favorite venues in the world - The Thirsty Hippo in Hattiesburg, MS for a two night run this weekend. The capacity of the room is under 150 so get their early and be ready to sweat! Poster by our good friend Abbenyi Abbenyi.

WATCH AUSTIN CITY LIMITS ON PBS!
Grupo Fantasma's performance on Season 33 of Austin City Limits will air nationally this week. We are overjoyed to be a part of this amazing program, America's longest running televised concert series. Be sure to check local PBS listings for exact date and time in your area, and check out the ACL website for more information. Enjoy the preview clip below - thanks to the great folks at KLRU right here in the ATX.

 

HOUSTONIST INTERVIEW/WEEKEND/ACL AIRDATE
Houstonist.com recently interviewed guitarist Beto Martinez in anticipation of this Friday Nov. 9th's show at the Continental Club, you can read the interview here. Saturday Nov. 10th we return to Laredo, TX to rock Hal's Landing.

In other news, mark your calendars as our Austin City Limits airing has been set for next Saturday Nov. 17th on PBS...stay tuned to the site in the next few days for more details.....

GF (JEWMEX) HORNS TO PLAY WITH SPOON

Our horn section has been asked to perform 2 nights with Austin indie rock legends Spoon! We are big fans of the band and are thrilled at the opportunity, catch the shows Thursday at Warehouse Live in Houston and Friday at House of Blues in Dallas.

BACK IN TEXAS FOR A WHILE...
Fantasma will be at Lucy's in San Marcos, TX this Saturday night, October 20th. The band will spend the next month or so around the great State of Texas. Hope to see you out at some of our upcoming club and festival events!

Sat, Oct 20th - San Marcos, TX @ Lucy's
Sat, Nov 3rd - South Padre Island, TX @ Int'l Music Festival
Fri, Nov 9th - Houston, TX @ Continental Club
Sat, Nov 10th - Laredo, TX @ Hal's Landing
Sat, Nov 24th - Austin, TX @ Antone's

FANTASMA AT NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND
The band will join a diverse and talented lineup at the 69th National Folk Festival held this year in Richmond, Virginia from October 12th - 14th. Check out the official website for the full schedule and event details. And best of all, it's free!

GRUPO FANTASMA+BROWNOUT+DJ CHICKEN GEORGE!??!?
You read it right, this Saturday at the Mohawk (912 Red River) in Austin, TX is a once in a blue moon Hailey's comet type of night....the meeting of Grupo Fantasma and its little brother Brownout. Both bands on the same stage on the same night is an extremely rare occurence, spawning rumors of them being the exact same band, a la the Michael and Latoya Jackson rumors of the 80s. Come find out the truth for yourself...oh yeah and Chicken George will be there too!

Preceding this momentous night Grupo Fantasma will usher in the annual Texas State Fair's Main Stage entertainment in Dallas this Friday night, so take out those boot cuts from the closet and get your stomach ready for some seriously fried foods and the funkiest latin orchestra in the lone star state and beyond...

HOUSTON, TX - CONTINENTAL CLUB
Grupo Fantasma returns to Houston, TX for the first time in several months...this Saturday, September 22nd. We hope to see all of our Houston fans out in force!

Continental Club
3700 Main St
(713) 529-9899
Showtime 9:30pm

TAMPA SHOW REVIEW
Creative Loafing Tampa reviewed our recent show in Tampa, FL saying GF "just about stole the show." Read the review here.

ATLANTA SHOW PICS
Check out these pics our man VT took from this past Friday's show at one of our favorite venues in the country, The Earl in Atlanta, GA.

SOUTHEAST RUN
It's been a minute since the mighty Grupo Fantasma ran through the southeast, this week we return for a short week of dates. Among the shows are a WAY overdue return to the beloved city of New Orleans, our first trip to Tallahasee, a familiar romp in Atlanta, GA and our 2nd time in Tampa, FL..... details are as follows:

WED SEP 12th - TIPITINAS - NEW ORLEANS, LA!!
THU SEP 13th - BETA BAR - TALLAHASEE, FL
FRI SEP 14th - THE EARL! - ATLANTA, GA
SAT SEP 15th - CUBAN CLUB - TAMPA, FL

BROWNOUT CD RELEASE PARTY
Do you ever wonder what the hardest working latin funk orchestra in showbusiness does in their rare off-time? They clock in overtime as Brownout, their funk alter-ego.....that's right we don't sleep. Come celebrate the release of Brownout's debut album "Homenaje" this Saturday Sept. 8th at The Mohawk (912 Red River) in Austin, TX. DJs Manny and Bigface kick off the night at 9:30 PM. Read why the Austin American Statesman gave the album 4 stars! See you there...


BACK FROM TOUR/UNIVISION AWARDS/AUSTIN CHRONICLE
We are back in one piece and wanted to thank everyone on the west coast for your support, we'll be back soon!

While we were gone we managed to win "Best Latin Rock" at the 2007 Univision Premios De Musica de Tejas, thanks to everyone who voted! The awards should air on Telemenudo so check you local listings

Check us out in this week's Austin Chronicle here.

Join us this Saturday at the Nutty Brown for Bob Schneider's Labor of Love fest (benefitting the Heart GIft Foundation) with music by us, White Ghost Shivers and Bob Schneider. For more info go here. Sunday we are at The Lakeway Resort and Spa for the last installment in KGSR's free summer showcase with special guest DJ Chicken George.

We leave you with some footage from our Cali tour, enjoy Speedy on trombone (on loan from friends Mingo Fishtrap) and some guitar wars featuring Adrian and Beto.



HELLO FROM THE ROAD
Just dropping you all a quick line to say hello during our August run. Shows are going great and it feels good to get back out there and spread our music. Check out this clip of us earlier this month at the Chicago Summer Dance Series in Grant Park.



GRUPO/PRINCE IN LONDON SHOW REVIEW
Check out this review of Aug. 7th at the O2 arena + the afterparty with Prince at the Indigo.

August Tour
GF is in London to open for the incomporable Prince at the O2 arena. He shattered many sales records when he announced 21 nights in London and had to add a few more. P has also been in the news lately for the controversy surounding his decision to give away his newest album in the UK, he has been revolutionizing the music industry for over 2 decades now and we are honored to be part of the London concerts! We will be making the most of our time there, below is a complete schedule:

Aug 6, 2007 (daytime) - live taping on the BBC radio
Aug 6, 2007 (nighttime) - BROWNOUT (GF side project) per4ming at the PIGALLE CLUB
Aug 7, 2007 - opening for PRINCE - THE O2 ARENA
-----------------------
Below are the rest of our August tour dates:
Aug 10, 2007 - Summer Dance Series Chicago, IL
Aug 11, 2007 - Great Lakes Folk Festival East Lansing, MI
Aug 12, 2007 - Great Lakes Folk Festival East Lansing, MI
Aug 17, 2007 - Route 66 Casino Santa Fe, NM
Aug 18, 2007 - Santa Fe, NM
Aug 19, 2007 - Mogollon Brewing Co. Flagstaff, AZ
Aug 21, 2007 - Mondavi Center Davis, CA
Aug 22, 2007 - UC Davis - Sacramento Campus - Shriner Center Sacramento, CA
Aug 23, 2007 - Music In The Park / Plaza De Cesar Chavez San Jose, CA
Aug 24, 2007 - The Elbo Room San Francisco, CA
Aug 26, 2007 - Fiesta La Ballona @ Veterans Park Culver City, CA

2 SHOWS BACK HOME
Catch us this Friday July 27th for an early show at Theadgill's in Austin, TX and Saturday July 28th for a late night romp at Antone's with our very special guests, DJ Nick Nack and Bavu Blakes.

TORONTO SHOW REVIEW
Check out this review of our performance July 19th at the Horseshoe Lounge in Toronto, Ontario.

RETURN TO NYC
Those in the NY area can catch our long awaited to return to New York City Tuesday July 17th at the Cutting Room (19 W 24th Street). Read what Time Out NY had to say about the show.
Check out these two performances from our show July 14th at Purdue University!

JULY TOUR DATES/SEXY SOIREE
Our upcoming show in St. Louis was featured on SLTtoday.com, read about it here. From there we head out for a two week road stint, including our long awaited return to NYC and to Canada, please spread the word if you have any people in these areas! See you all there!

Jul 12th - Voodoo Lounge - Maryland Hts, MO
Jul 13th - Buskirk-Chumley Theater - Bloomington, IN
Jul 14th - Slayter Center for Performing Arts - West Lafayette, IN
Jul 15th - Chicago Folk and Roots Festival - Chicago, IL
Jul 17th - The Cutting Room - NYC
Jul 18th - Pepper Jack Cafe - Hamilton, ON
Jul 19th - The Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, ON
Jul 20th - Big City Summerfest - Rochester, NY
Jul 21st - Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA

LUCY'S ON THE SQUARE THIS FRIDAY JUNE 29th
We return to Lucy's on the Square in San Marcos, Texas. This is an early show, we hit the stage at 10PM sharp. See you there!

Antone's This Friday
Catch us back at home this Friday June 22nd at Antone's in Austin, TX. Our man DJ Chicken George opens up at 10 PM sharp. Sunday we head to Pittsburg, PA to play Hartwood Park, hope to see you all out there! In the meantime, here's a little Youtube goodie, our performance with Prince and Sheila E. at the 2007 Alma Awards.

NEW SITE IS LIVE!!
Welcome to our new site! Take your time, have a look around, then be sure to catch us on the alma awards tonight on ABC!

Alma Awards - Tuesday June 5th on ABC
GF has received a last minute invitation to back up the one and only Prince for his performance at the 2007 Alma Awards, the show tapes this Friday night and airs NEXT TUESDAY at 8 PM on ABC!! We have been in LA all week rehearsing for this amazing opportunity. We are in Austin, TX tonight taping our Austin City Limits performance and return to LA immediately afterwards.

The bad news we will have to postpone our Dallas show this Friday once again! We promise to make it up and make it well worth the wait. In the meantime, tune into ABC next Tuesday at 8 PM sharp to see GF backing the legend himself, Prince. Don’t miss it, Prince + GF live on TV!!

San Antonio Spurs

Grupo Fantasma officially endorses the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007 NBA Playoffs. Just thought you might like to know.

Cinco De Mayo show recommended
Saturday Night’s show at Antone’s has been recommended by The Austinist and Austin360.com. Tickets are going fast so get them here. We’d love to see you all out!

Cinco De Mayo at Antones

ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE THROUGH FRONTGATETICKETS.COM
FYI, Our Friday night show in San Antonio has been cancelled, stay tuned for a makeup date.

Festival International De Louisiane
This weekend we visit lovely Lafayette, Lousiana for the International Festival. We perform Saturday April 28th at 6:45 PM and again Sunday April 29th at 5:15 PM. Hope to see you all out there!

YouTube Goodies
Check out these two short clips of GF backing Prince in Miami, Florida for a version of “Oye Como Va.” Enjoy! If you look for these on Youtube, search for Prince + Fantasma as Grupo is misspelled.
Clip 1
Clip 2

Short Break/DJ Chicken George Mix
What up people? We took a much needed short break the last couple of weeks (short break meant only playing a few shows of course) but return back in full force this weekend with shows in San Antonio, San Marcos and Austin, TX. Check the TOUR section for details…

In the meantime, here’s a few audio treats for your week morning courtesy of our good friend DJ Chicken George. You may have seen him rockin one of many shows with us and if you don’t know who he is, we’ll tell you: CG is one of the hardest working DJs out there and easily one of the dopest around. Click here to listen to a couple of mixes of his, blends of hip hop, soul, jazz, world grooves, etc….

Austin Music Awards / Tour Dates

We recently picked up an award for Best Latin Contemporary Band at the 2007 Austin Music Awards, this award makes it 6 years straight! Thanks to everyone who actually votes! Other highlights during SXSW week include an amazing night of music we played with Antibalas, The Budos Band, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and Ocote Soul Sounds at the Emo’s Annex. Stay tuned this week as we post up more spring and summer tour dates and next month as we unveil a new website!

SXSW 2007

Here is a list of Grupo Fantasma and other related appearances during the 2007 SXSW Music Festival:

GRUPO FANTASMA
Sat. March 17th @ Emo’s Annex (6th and Red River) at 11 PM sharp with Antibalas, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Ocote Soul Sounds and the Budos Band.

BROWNOUT (latin funk side project)
Fri. March 16th @ Vicci for METV’s Border Sessions Party (404 Colorado) at MIDNIGHT. FREE SHOW!
Sat. March 17th @ Lambert’s (401 W. 2nd Street) at 5 PM

OCOTE SOUL SOUNDS (collaboration with Antibalas)
Sat. March 17th @ Emo’s Annex at 10 PM.

Hope to see you all at one of these shows!!

Laredo / Austin
This weekend we hit Las Cananas in Laredo, TX on Friday night and return to Antone’s with DJ Chicken George on Saturday night. Hope to see you all there!

Save Las Manitas and Escuelita de Alma

This Friday we play a special fundraiser to help two Austin institutions being forced to leave their buildings due to redevelopment. Read more here.

Grupo Fantasma is leading the pop life

We were featured on the front page of the Austin American Statesman yesterday, click here to read the full story.

Austin Chronicle Music Poll
One more week to vote in the ‘07 Austin Chronicle Music Poll! We ask you to vote for us for anything you feel appropriate. You must fill out the entire poll for your vote to count. Thanks!


Del Castillo Stolen Equipment
Our friends Del Castillo seek help to recover their stolen gear! Their trailer and gear were stolen in South Austin. If you have any leads, please contact the Austin Police Department or the band themselves. Check out this craigslist posting for a semi complete list of all the gear.

Austin Chronicle End of 2006 Awards/More Vegas
Happy New Year!
We had a great 2006 and hope for an even better 2007. Our album “Grupo Fantasma Comes Alive” made 3 Austin Chronicle critics’ year end lists and we were named Best Local Act as well. Thanks to everyone of you who bought, downloaded or merely listened to our album and also everyone who continues to support our live shows! This year we plan on having our 4th album ready for you all and will continue to gig heavily, the only way we know how.

In MORE Las Vegas news, we have extended our Thursday night residency at Prince’s 3121 through March 1st!

R.I.P. James Brown


Las Vegas/Houston
This Thursday we return to Prince’s 3121 club in Las Vegas to begin our stint as Thursday night house band for the month of December!! We are honored to be offered this position and will guarantee a great night for anyone out in the Las Vegas area. Hope to see you all there!

Friday we rock the Conitinental Club in Houston, TX (one of our favorite places to play in Texas!) for the last time in 2006. Show starts at 10 PM and if you’ve ever been to one of our Houston shows you know they are always slammin.

Fri Nov. 17th at Antones/Prince in Las Vegas
It’s been a long time but we’re back in Austin, TX this Friday Nov. 17th at Antone’s. Kick off your Thanksgiving holidays with us, Mingo Fishtrap at 10 PM, GF at 11:30 SHARP!

In other Thanksgiving news, GF has been invited to play at Prince’s (yes, “the artist…”) Las Vegas club 3121 @ The Rio Hotel on Thanksgiving Day. Needless to say, this is a huge honor for the band and we are thrilled at the opportunity. If you are in the Las Vegas area or know someone who is, spread the word. He performs the night after us so it will be an amazing weekend of music.

Have a safe Thanksgiving weekend!
-GF