February 15th, 2011
San Marcos band Grupo Fantasma wins Grammy

Grammy award winner Grupo Fantasma is familiar to many San Marcians.

STAFF REPORT

Plenty of Texans won Grammy awards at the 53rd annual ceremony on Sunday, but the winners of the Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album of the Year was a group many San Marcians have seen numerous times at the Triple Crown or Bar One41, Grupo Fantasma. The ten-piece band won for its release “El Existential” (Nat Geo Music).

Four of Grupo Fantasma’s members, Josh Levy, Kino Esparza, Matthew Holmes and Gilbert Elorreaga are Texas State alumni.

“My time in San Marcos was influential,” Levy said. “A variety of ensembles, hours of rehearsal daily, lots of practicing, sectionals, concerts, recruiting trips, innumerable gigs at Triple Crown – not to mention almost every other bar in town – it all added up to making me a better, more well-rounded player.”

Grupo Fantasma has been busy during the last few years at many notable venues, including the New Orleans Jazz Festival, Bonnaroo, Montreal Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, the horn section performing with Prince at Coachella and the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” The band also had two 10-day engagements to entertain troops stationed in Kuwait and Iraq.

The group’s website read, after the Grammy was announced, “Thank you all for your support. It’s been a wild ride.”

Grupo Fantasma band members Gilbert Elorreaga, Jose Galeano and Mark Gonzales pose for pictures backstage after accepting their Grammy award.

(Editor’s note: The above headline has been revised to say that Grupo Fantasma won a Grammy.)