Brownout

Brownout channels the eclectic sonic landscape of the American Southwest through its eight-piece lineup, fusing Latin funk and rock with norteño, conjunto, hard rock, blues, and deep funk and R&B influences. Functioning as an alter ego extension of Grupo Fantasma, the ensemble applies inventive Latin reinterpretations to the catalogs of Black Sabbath—via its Brown Sabbath project—and additional artists.

All eight members—guitarists Adrian Quesada and Beto Martinez from Grupo Fantasma, bassist Greg Gonzalez, trumpeter Gilbert Elorreaga, saxophonist Josh Levy, trombonist Leo Gauna, drummer Johnny Lopez, and conguero Matthew "Sweet Lou" Holmes—had previously played together in the Austin, Texas, funk group the Blimp. In 2003, just before Grupo Fantasma issued Movimiento Popular, Quesada proposed forming a side project focused on covers for pure enjoyment. Drawing from Santana, Earth, Wind & Fire, and P-Funk, the musicians adopted the name Brownout and discovered their chemistry warranted a 7" single on England's Freestyle Records in 2005. Strong reception prompted a follow-up 12" release, prompting the collective to treat Brownout as a committed endeavor whose debut full-length, Homenaje, emerged in January 2008. That year the group claimed an Austin Music Award for Best Latin Contemporary Band—edging out their own alter ego Grupo Fantasma—and performed at SXSW.

Aguilas and Cobras arrived in 2009, succeeded by a remix edition in 2010. Oozy surfaced in 2012, while the 2014 EP Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath delivered funk renditions of Black Sabbath material and was followed by a second volume in 2016. Fear of a Brown Planet appeared in 2018 as an instrumental homage to Public Enemy's 1990 landmark Fear of a Black Planet, channeling the horn-drenched, bass-thumping, wah-wah guitar-wired uncut funk of the 1970s.