When Grupo Fantasma takes the stage for CELEBRATE 125 during TXST Homecoming Week, several band members will be making a homecoming of their own to jumpstart the party.
Grupo Fantasma performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at UFCU Stadium for the celebration of TXST’s 125th anniversary. The family-friendly event also features Josh Abbott Band, a drone show, fireworks, a spirit rally, and vendors. Tickets are free and can be reserved at the CELEBRATE 125 website.
Bobcat alum Gilbert Elorreaga plays trumpet and sings for Grupo Fantasma, which won a Grammy Award in 2011 for its energetic fusion of Latin salsa, cumbia, funk, and rock. A 2003 graduate of the School of Music, Elorreaga joins Bobcat alums Josh Levy (baritone sax), Kino Esparza (vocals), and Matt Holmes (congas) in the 10-piece band’s lineup.
Along with playing in the band, Elorreaga teaches trumpet in the Leander and Round Rock school districts. Grupo Fantasma is also in the process of recording its eighth album, which is due out next year. He says people can expect an energetic performance on Thursday.
“The vibe is universal,” says Elorreaga, who grew up in San Antonio. “It’s dance music for sure, so people are up moving and grooving with it. It’s got a punchy horn section, the percussion is just immaculate, and the vocals and harmonies are great. It’s always been a high-level performing band."
Grupo Fantasma formed in 2000 and is still playing 24 years later. How do you explain the band’s longevity?
GE: I think the longevity comes from learning how to work with each other, of course, but also just the whole band is full of talented musicians. They’re all very smart and driven in their own right. The band is a well-oiled machine, and I think we enjoyed playing with good bands and circuits and traveling and having good tours and just meeting people along the way that kind of helped push our career, like Prince and some of the other artists that we’ve played with.
How often does the band perform these days?
GE: It just depends. We’re not doing every night club shows, but we’ll set up a club date or a big show in Austin every few months or so. We’re not kids anymore. We don’t do shows all the time, but we still do good shows. They’re always well-attended; they’re always enjoyed by the people.
How did TXST advance your trumpet career?
GE: I studied with a teacher there named Dr. Keith Winking. He surrounded me with great players—graduates, really good undergrads, other brass musicians—and put me in a circle of better musicians. I spun around in San Marcos until I started creating a bigger name outside of it for myself, and then it grew from there.
You joined Grupo Fantasma while you were still in college. How did that happen?
GE: I was a talented trumpet player and able to get out in the professional world fairly young in my life. I was getting offered a bunch of jobs to play with live bands all over Austin, San Marcos, and San Antonio. And I just started playing in these bands, four or five different bands at a time every week. Grupo Fantasma was being talked about a lot as the popular new thing, and they were selling out shows from day one. They needed a trumpet player, and the bands that I was in were like, ‘Man, you should probably go audition for that.’ So, I auditioned at a show, and from that night I earned a spot in the band. For a year and a half, I was doing a lot of traveling and a lot of playing of shows while still being in school.
How did TXST shape your future?
GE: I really enjoyed my time at Texas State. I was able to surround myself with great people there all the time and learned a lot. I learned how to be on my own there. I’m grateful Texas State pushed me into the musical direction that I chose.