Live music preview: Grammy-winning Grupo Fantasma plays Paramount Friday
Austin-based Grupo Fantasma returns to its origins for a show at the Paramount Theater on Friday, May 27 with Joe Bataan. The Grammy-winning, nine-piece orchestra will bring some Latin funk jams to the historic theater on Congress Avenue. The performance will be the band’s biggest since the world-wide pandemic hit. The show features the legendary Joe Bataan who made waves in the industry with releases on Fania Records and his own Salsoul label.
Greg Gonzalez of Grupo Fantasma explains the significance of Bataan on them and music in general stating, “We have always been fans of Joe Bataan and felt that there was a lot of synergy between his story and ours. Joe is an Afro-Filipino artist who grew up in Spanish Harlem running with Puerto-Rican gangs in the 50s-60s before he got incarcerated. During his time locked up he became involved in music, singing doo-wop and then later getting in on the Salsa scene as one of the first signees to Fania records. He helped develop the style of music known as Boogaloo, blending salsa and Latin rhythms with R&B and doo-wop. When he discovered that he was being exploited by the label’s notorious founder Jerry Masucci, he left and went independent, helping to form the Salsol label. There he explored the convergence of funk and disco with Salsa and Brazilian rhythms and even early Rap.
Formed in 2000, Grupo Fantasma has claimed an important space, crossing the borders into Latin music. They won a Grammy award for Best Latin Album in 2011 for El Existential and a nomination for Sonidos Gold. The nine-piece collective consists of Jose Galeano (timbales, vocals), Kino Esparza (vocals, hand percussion), Beto Martinez (guitar), Gonzalez (bass), John Speice (drums), Matthew “Sweet Lou” Holmes (congas), Gilbert Elorreaga (trumpet), Josh Levy (baritone saxophone) and Mark “Speedy” Gonzales (trombone).
The Latin-funk band has worked with some of the most notable Austin artists, from Spoon to low-fi singer, Daniel Johnston (singer songwriter and artist of the “Hi, How Are You?” mural on Guadalupe). At one point, the group was Prince’s backing band at his club in Vegas.
Grupo has been working with reverberating guitars over Cumbia beats and percussion since their inception. Brass prevails for their most popular tune “Cumbia De Los Pajaritos”.
On the track “Porque,” vocalist Kino Esparza channels all the melodrama with a tip-toeing discreetly over timbales, expertly layered with a static guitar sound for a modern twist.
Each beat on “Se Te Mira” hits like an exclamation point. The intensity of this songo-salsa style track will have you on your feet, but leaves plenty of wiggle room for Sweet Lou to do what he does best on the congas. As the guitar graces you with its melody, dueling out the keyboard, it is the bright brass section that will ultimately prevail.
Check out Grupo Fantasma at the Paramount Theater this Friday, May 27. Tickets are still available here.
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