Upper Lake >> The Daniel Castro Band may not be young whippersnappers anymore — piling gear into the back of a van and throwing a mattress on top, sprawling across backseats to catch an hour of shuteye, eating pizza like it’s a food group — but their touring schedule is just as full as ever.
Since their last show here in Lake County — Library Park for the 2015 Summer Concert Series — they’ve been hitting up the Northwest, from Idaho, to Seattle to Spokane. While the road can be grueling, the long drives are worth it. The Daniel Castro Band has been busy gaining new fans, reaching different audiences and making more friends.
Over the past year of traveling, they’ve had some really exciting opportunities. Highlights include two separate opening performances, once for Robert Cray and another gig for Robben Ford. In general though, being the musician isn’t about one or two performances. It’s about stepping out on stage every night, no matter the venue size. “It’s just the opportunity to play in front of people and have people receive what you do,” Castro said. “Those are the special moments.”
But often people don’t realize how difficult life on the road can be. The ratio of time spent driving to time on the stage is startlingly disproportionate. Band leader Daniel Castro recalled reading an article about Eric Clapton, who mentioned that he was thinking about retiring. This is a musician who flies first class, stays in four star hotels and plays all the best gigs. If Clapton finds touring tough, imagine musicians who don’t have those amenities.
However, that doesn’t mean Castro is looking to give up the guitar. The word retirement isn’t really in his vocabulary. “If I’m fortunate enough to die on the stage that would be great,” he said, amending that he didn’t mean to sound quite so morbid. “We all want to play our hearts out each and every day and hope God gives you the time to do those things,” he added.
The Daniel Castro Band have been playing their blues rooted music together going on five years now. The group is regularly a trio with Johnny Yu on bass, David Perper on drums and Castro on guitar and lead vocals. All three sing harmonies. They’ll be performing at the Blue Wing Blues Festival tonight in Upper Lake, and joining them will be Tony “Macaroni” Lufrano on keyboards and saxophonist Nancy Wright.
While blues is Castro’s one true love, he never sits down with the intention of writing a blues song. He just writes what he’s experienced. “The stuff that we write is really just about life itself, so I don’t know what you would call that,” Castro said. “You gotta grab what you can get and what comes to you.”
Usually it comes out as a mixture of blues, Americana and roots. They tend to shy away from the droning, melancholy blues vibe. Their version of I Got My Mojo Working is a little bit funky and a little hip hop.
The Daniel Castro Band will take to the patio in front of the Tallman Hotel, which they’ve graced two times already. Castro is always eager to make a return visit to the popular Upper Lake show. The Blue Wing staff are exceptional, the venue is beautiful and every person there for the show is an avid music lover. “That’s all the fixings for a real good evening in music, to tell you the truth,” Castro said.
Rev Rabia opens for the Daniel Castro Band tonight. Sunday night will feature Chris Cain and his band. The show is from 6-9 p.m. and includes dinner. Tickets are $50 in advance or $55 at the gate. Call 275-2244 ext. 0 for tickets.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
