Song premiere: Austin act Grandmaster has released their latest single Holy Star today
Austin act Grandmaster has released their latest single, “Holy Star” today. The single will be featured on their upcoming full-length studio release produced by Nolan Potter, due out May 3 to coincide with the Grandmaster Gala, scheduled to take place on May 4 at State Theatre at the Paramount in downtown Austin. The new track proceeds “Castle Door” and “Goldmine,” furthering the trajectory of the 9-piece, orchestrally organized local act.
Since Nick Leon, Blaise Eldred, and Connor Mizell all met as teens in Texas and then reconvened at a music conservatory in Boston, they have since pledged their undying allegiance to their esteemed leader, the Grandmaster, resulting in a ritualistic endeavor that gets more captivating with each live gig. When taking the stage, the collective dons red hats, eye-concealing black film, and matching suits to not only show uniformity, but a sense of unbreakable community.
“Holy Star” is a track that showcases Grandmaster embracing the spirit of soul, with some funky elements mixed in to mesh with the Austin band’s progressive, technical talents. Legendary acts like Earth Wind & Fire, Commodores, and Thundercat influence the output of Grandmaster, complete with dueling keyboards, horn sections, and vocal harmonies that give each song a celebratory atmosphere. For the upcoming release, band founder Nick Leon says that this new track is formative for the band and one of their best in the forthcoming full-length LP release thus far.
“When this band started with Connor, Blaise, and I, with just two pianos and a drum set, we wrote seven or eight songs on the record before we thought about performing anything. Holy Star was the first one we really put our minds together to create. It was like, “Wow, if we keep working together, we think we can continue making some awesome songs,” Leon proclaimed.
Grandmaster’s shows are becoming something of a new, highly coveted tradition in Austin, and the local act is building what is becoming a massive, engaging musical vehicle. When Grandmaster plugs in to play, the musical compositions are a fierce study of improvisation, storyline-oriented showmanship, and lyricism that only adds to their mysterious nature. The Austin outfit has also been releasing an episodic YouTube series, which chronicles their quests and unfolds a new world where the Grandmaster’s followers, called “Zealots,” embark on adventures to prove their loyalty to their leader, all leading up to the season finale to accompany the release of the new single. The journeys are crafted together by their dedicated film team, led by band cameraman Greer James and Mizell, the former of which is considered an honorary band member. Eldred takes the lead on sculpting the associated lore to piece the epic concepts together.
“We imagined this as a storyline when I was teaching music to youth students, and I got hit up by this scammer on my Instagram. His page was crazy, like pictures of fancy cars and money. I wanted to see how far I could take it without giving him money. He wrote a whole story about this magical, secret society. He eventually said he would put me in contact with “The Grandmaster.” I started talking to the Grandmaster, who was obviously the same guy. He was sending all of these sacred items I needed to purchase, which ended up being part of our lyrics. I hit up Blaise and Connor and told them we should try this as a musical act.” Leon said of the band’s origins.
Grandmaster contains members from various acts around the Austin scene, many of which belong to different genres that show the other minds and influences that make up the large ensemble. Bands like Acid Carousel, The Cuckoos, Sexpop, Rusty Dusty, Billy Glitter, and Hey Cowboy! populate the band, but at the Grandmaster’s insistence, this is not a supergroup; it’s a collective of individually special loyalists that pledge their allegiance to the Grandmaster’s cause. With an upcoming LP on the way, this is only the beginning for the local act, and its world is only beginning to unfold.
“Holy Star” is out now via all streaming services.
You can purchase tickets for the Grandmaster Gala on May 4 here. The performance will feature local acts Dodo and Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band.
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