Live music review: The Grandmaster Orchestra Gala at Stateside Theatre promises more annual events
May is a big season for any city like Austin. College students are closing the book on school, prom kids are, well, prom-ing, and the city of Austin has its usual everyday festivities going in full force. Austin’s Grandmaster Orchestra has been at it for over a year, assembling a lineup that spans some of the best artists the local music sphere offers. The members of the Grandmaster ensemble, honorably dubbed “Zealots,” take their leader, the Grandmaster’s mission, to heart. The local nonet, turned duodecet for the Austin act’s album release show at the historic Stateside Theatre on Congress Avenue featured a star-studded bill on May 4 that delivered musicianship and auras of longtime friendship that showed a pivotal moment for the contemporary Austin music scene.
Fans packed the Stateside in formal attire at the request of the band, causing passer-buyers to think the fans in attendance were either attending prom or another school-related formal gathering. The prophetic tellings of the Grandmaster proved them half right. The Grandmaster Gala had arrived after months of live performances, late night, after-show gatherings, and the continued development of local musicians that make up the group.
Members of several beloved Austin bands round out Grandmaster. Since the members wear red hats with face-concealing headwear, telling who’s who requires repeated Grandmaster spectacle viewing. These associated acts include but are not limited to The Cuckoos, Sexpop, Acid Carousel, Billy Glitter, Intellectual Property, Hey Cowboy!, Lick Neon, Dodo, and more. This makes for a live performance where every sound is accounted for, showing dedication to the band’s tastefully emulated influences, which range from 70s funk to indie rock oddities that allow for source material that lets each band member shine in their own regard. For the Saturday evening performance, Grandmaster’s presence on the giant theater stage allowed for a robust setup that let the Zealots get right to work.
Before the show began, the performing cast took the stage to acknowledge the momentous occasion, thanking all the friends and family in attendance. Instrumental trio Dodo appeared on stage first to kick things off, showing three of the city’s finest delivering a gauntlet of explorative originals that showcased a local angle of pure shreddery. The keyboard mastery of Sam Blomgren adds mysticism to their thought-provoking antics, showing a variety of directions that sent drummer Cole Koenning into pure form with focused musical tenacity. The set also featured Nolan Potter, whose group, the Nightmare Band would take the stage next. Nolan Potter appeared on guitar with Dodo, The Nightmare Band and Grandmaster. Potter and his band added a compelling new layer to the performance, allowing the quartet to finish the opening slot in an engaging manner.
Potter and his trusted ensemble, The Nightmare Band have seen many tours, opening for national acts, and two different lineups that have employed different angles of their live performance. Since reforming his live ensemble, Potter has recruited guitarist Raze Regal, bassist Dillon Fernandez, drummer Cole Koenning, and keyboardist Sam Blomgren, the two former, performed in opening band Dodo. The live set, heavily based on Potter’s latest studio release, The Perils of Being Inside a Head, released on April 26 and celebrated at The 13th Floor on Red River the previous weekend. As a special nod to the Grandmaster himself, Potter’s group closed with an older cut, “Seahorse Retreat,” a testament to what was to come for the headlining Grandmaster performance.
Grandmaster took the stage with utmost graciousness to the crowd and guidance of their titular leader. The Austin outfit came with an expanded version of their regular ensemble for this headlining performance. The three-member expansion came with a horn section, accounting for all the fanfare and triumphant instrumentation in their recently released self-titled LP, Sacred Prophecy acted as the evening’s overture, calling to order the court of the Grandmaster; nothing was off the table for the evening, as the Zealots have been preparing to celebrate their debut, full-length album release along with their devotion to the Grandmaster’s mighty intentions. “Oath” immediately followed, allowing the ensemble to build to a cult-like chanted “Grandmaster!” refrain.
The crowd finally found their excitement impossible to contain with the album’s lead single, “Castle Door.” “Who’s that knocking… on the Castle Door?” the band sang. In a recent interview with Cosmic Clash, a spokesperson for the band confirmed that the Zealots are indeed exclusive followers of the Grandmaster and no one’s word matters but his own. They live in his castle only to serve him and uphold his tenants. At this point, audience members in the seated theater stood up and started to dance the night away. “Holy Star,” also made for an homage to the funk and R&B overlords that round out Grandmaster’s sound.
The ending section of the set showed Grandmaster including a regularity but in the most refined, revamped sense. “Negative Space” invited the audience to the fabled Super Party, which introduced the song of the same name “Super Party.” This is when the audience rose to their feet, dancing in their formal attire and commemorating the friendships that Grandmaster cultivated with their growing local audience. “Adventure Zone” and “Boss Battle” followed, which are instrumental tunes that chronicle the Zealots’ dangerous adventure in a video game-like battleground.
At some point, the Grandmaster appeared with his new weapon-of-choice guitar, the Grandcaster. the instrument’s body featured the band’s logo to go with the Grandmaster’s costumed regalia, the masked hero wielded his custom axe. He began shredding before reaching a triumphant finale featuring Star Wars visuals onstage to commemorate the annual May the 4th Be With You celebration. The closing number featured an extended solo section from the Grandmaster, allowing for the fiery light show from Austin’s own Paul Ramsey to showcase an exhilarating spectacle that felt like a musical speed-run until its completion. Founder Nick Leon expressed to the audience that there would be more annual Grandmaster Galas and that this was only the humble beginnings of the Austin act.
All photos and video by Case Cockrell
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