Tommy Castro is known for his relentless approach – to touring as much as music. But he needed a break, especially after a European swing.
“Last year was so busy it almost killed me,” he admits.
So from January through the beginning of March, the band performed only 16 shows, plus a week-long blues cruise. And they are working on two more albums. The veteran bluesman chuckles. “That’s taking it easy for us.”
Tommy Castro & The Painkillers may not have the name recognition of Eric Clapton or Buddy Guy, but the band has been a force. Last year, Castro received the Blues Music Award for entertainer of the year – not for the first time.
“We keep getting gigs; we’re getting more people at our shows,” Castro observes, again with a hoarse chuckle. “I’m creeping into some sort of legendary status – maybe because I’m still here.”
Castro takes the stage at Golden State Theatre on Thursday, March 21. The band will draw on favorites from the past two decades, throwing in a few songs from 2021’s A Bluesman Came to Town. The music in the works for the next two projects – a gritty and lowdown old-school blues album and second that promises to be brash and bold – will wait for later tours.
“If you add up all the good songs, there’s a lot to choose from,” he says, then laughs again. “I like to think everything I’ve recorded is good, but some are more popular. “‘Nasty Habits’ – everyone loves that song.”
Castro has always peppered his blues with other genres. He sees blues as foundational to modern music. “The blues is in everything,” he points out. “Blues became soul and rock ‘n’ roll. Even hip-hop has elements of blues.”
Castro says the band is looking forward to Monterey and plans a no-holds-barred performance – which again doesn’t sound like someone looking for a reprieve from the grind. Still, Castro insists he plans to wind down.
On this current tour, the band has a gift for its fans. Take proof of a concert ticket to their website and it will be entered into a drawing for a blues cruise for two. “We’re not doing as many gigs as we normally do, so the odds are good,” he says.
And yes, Castro laughs again at his version of taking a rest.
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