A significant portion of Grupo Fantasma (8 members to be exact) is also busy with a side project, the Latin soul ensemble Brownout! The group will release its debut album, Homenaje which garnered much critical acclaim when it was leaked to the press last fall, on January 29.

Brownout! will hit the road for a short run prior to the Grupo Fantasma trek.

Stops on the schedule include Beauty Bar in Austin (January 22), Zeppelin’s Pub in El Paso, Texas (January 23), Rootdown at Little Temple (January 24) and Soul Sessions at the Grand Star Jazz Club (January 25) in Los Angeles and El Rincon in San Francisco (January 26).

Tickets are available through individual venues.

Grupo Fantasma kicks off the party February 12 at the Mogollon Brewery in Flagstaff, Ariz., and so far has a dozen stops on its itinerary, including Echoplex in Los Angeles (February 14), Slim’s in San Francisco (February 16), the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Ore. (February 20), the Waverly Pub in Cumberland, B.C. (February 22), and The Nightlight in Bellingham, Wash. (February 24).

Ticket info is available through links at GrupoFantasma.com.

2007 was quite a year for Grupo Fantasma. The band caught the attention of Prince and began a close working relationship with him during a two month Thursday night stint at the purple one’s Las Vegas nightclub 3121, followed by a performance at his mega-celeb filled Golden Globes after party.

Fantasma opened for Prince in front of 8,000 fans during last year’s Superbowl in Miami and then served as his backup band at several high profile events, including the CBS Superbowl Bash in South Beach, Fla., the ALMA Awards and at London’s O2 Arena during the singer’s August residency.