Tommy Castro Comes to the Knick

Description

Award-winning blues and R&B guitarist/singer/songwriter, Tommy Castro, comes to The Knick

On Friday, August 9, award-winning guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tommy Castro will appear at the legendary Knickerbocker Café. Castro has been playing his signature brand of rocking rhythm and blues professionally for over 25 years, thrilling fans around the world with his incendiary live performances. With his new, stripped-down, turbo-charged band The Painkillers, Castro has embarked on the next phase of his storied career. Along with original Tommy Castro Band bassist Randy McDonald, new members Byron Cage on drums and James Pace on keyboards, Castro pares his music down to its tough, raw core.
Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Castro started playing guitar at age 10. He fell under the spell of Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop, Mike Bloomfield and other blues players early on. As he got older, Castro moved forward by investigating the past, falling in love with the blues guitar work of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Elmore James and singers like Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett and James Brown. By his late 20s he was playing in a variety of San Francisco-area blues and soul bands. Castro joined Warner Brothers artists The Dynatones in the late 1980s. The much-loved rocking soul band had a huge fan base and toured the U.S. constantly. He honed his chops with the band on the road for two years, performing live all across the country and sharing stages with major artists like Carla Thomas and Albert King. He formed The Tommy Castro Band in 1991 and won the Bay Area Music Award for Best Club Band in both 1993 and 1994. With his local fan base quickly expanding, he released his debut album in 1996. He began touring nationally with his band, picking up new fans everywhere he went. The album won the 1997 Bay Area Music Award for Outstanding Blues Album, and Castro also took the award for Outstanding Blues Musician that same year.
In the 90s The Tommy Castro Band served as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television's Comedy Showcase bringing him in front of millions of viewers every week. During the 1990s and into the 2000s, Castro released a series of critically acclaimed CDs for Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street Records as well as one on his own Heart And Soul label. In 2001 and 2002 the legendary B.B. King asked Castro to open his summer concert tours. Castro received an open invitation to join the King Of The Blues on stage for the nightly finale. Castro won four 2010 Blues Music Awards including, for the second time in his career, the coveted B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award (the very highest award a blues performer can receive). He took first place in the blues category of The 2012 International Songwriting Competition for his song, (co-written with Bonnie Hayes), Hard Believer.
McDonald was born in Harrisburg, PA in 1959 and grew up in San Diego. He learned bass at an early age, becoming a first call, in-demand musician by his late teens. His influences range from straight-ahead jazz to hard rock, blues, and soul music. When he joined The Dynatones—the nationally touring, sixpiece blue-eyed soul band—it was a perfect fit. During his tenure with the group, McDonald befriended Dynatones guitarist Tommy Castro. Not long after leaving the band in 1991, McDonald got a call from Castro, who was putting together the first incarnation of The Tommy Castro Band. McDonald appeared on seven Castro albums and toured the world. McDonald left the band in 2007 before returning to join The Painkillers in 2012.
In 1984, Cage was born in Syracuse, NY; heavily influenced by gospel and jazz music, and was especially inspired by watching his family members play instruments in church. Playing drums professionally since 2004, Cage has toured internationally with Jason Ricci & New Blood and Nick Moss, and has drummed for a number of local Syracuse and national acts since 2009. Since joining The Painkillers, Cage has taken his talent to his largest audience yet.
Pace, born in Roanoke, VA in 1978, began playing piano by ear at age three. A proficient pianist, he fell in love with the Hammond B3 organ at age 22, touring with the jam band Rebus before playing with recording artist Harper. In 2008, Pace joined blues guitarist Ana Popovic’s band, and spent three years performing with her around the world. He has played on over 30 albums and has shared stages with blues legends including B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Los Lobos, and Janiva Magness. Pace is thrilled to be playing with Tommy.
The Knick certainly has a lengthy blues-based history and in the last few years it has undergone a transformation merging the good ‘ol days with new technology for lighting and sound. The old Knick brought people together regardless of background or social standing. The patrons shared a passion for real music and this was their common ground. The Knick is once again stomping grounds for the denizens of old–it is also be home to a new generation of music lovers everywhere. Castro takes the stage at 8 pm. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
For More Information about The Knickerbocker Café and to purchase tickets, visit: www.theknickerbockercafe.com