10496 - TOMMY CASTRO & THE PAINKILLERS - METHOD TO MY MADNESS (2015)
TOMMY CASTRO & THE PAINKILLERS
''METHOD TO MY MADNESS''
OCTOBER23 2015
50:08
**********
1 Common Ground 04:14 (Kevin Bowe, Tommy Castro)
2 Shine A Light 04:34 (Tommy Castro, Ron Alan Cohen)
3 Method To My Madness 03:14 (Kevin Bowe, Tommy Castro)
4 Died And Gone To Heaven 05:02 (Tommy Castro, Ron Alan Cohen)
5 Got A Lot 03:50 (Tommy Castro)
6 No Such Luck 04:23 (Tommy Castro)
7 Two Hearts 03:40 (Tommy Castro)
8 I'm Qualified 03:10 (Rick Hall, Quin Ivy)
9 Ride 04:40 (Tommy Castro, Randy McDonald)
10 Lose Lose 05:17 (Tommy Castro, Joe Louis Walker)
11 All About The Cash 04:31 (Tommy Castro, Rick Estrin)
12 Bad Luck 03:27 (Jules Bihari, B.B.King)
**********
Amber Morris/Vocals (Background)
Bowen Brown/Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Tommy Castro/Guitar, Vocals
Mike Emerson/Keyboards
Randy McDonald/Bass Guitar, Vocals (Background)
Ari Rios/Percussion, Vocals (Background)
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Thom Jurek
On 2014's The Devil You Know, California bluesman Tommy Castro pared his band back to a quartet called The Painkillers and returned his guitar playing and singing to the forefront of his attack. Though the album was chock-full of guest stars, its arrangements were largely uncluttered -- no horns, strings, or other gimmickry. Method To My Madness strips back the veneer even further. The tightrope of energy, grit, and inspiration on display in these 12 tunes -- ten originals and two excellent covers -- are usually reserved for live shows. For the first time, Castro has produced an album by himself. Recorded at Ari Rios' Laughing Tiger Studio in San Francisco, he and The Painkillers -- bassist Randy McDonald, keyboardist Michael Emerson, and drummer Bowen Brown -- cut the music live from the floor with minimal overdubs. Much has been made of Castro's vocal style being influenced by the singers from the vintage Stax/Volt era. While that's somewhat true, Method To My Madness reveals, perhaps for the first time, an even deeper debt to funky soul and country-blues singer Delbert McClinton. "Common Ground" is a swaggering gospel-tinged soul blues. The melody and choral refrain nod at Sly Stone, but Castro lets his McClinton flag fly with a gritty delivery atop a cracking snare and driving Wurlitzer groove. "Shine a Light" is dirtier; it's a razor-wire, rocking soul-blues with double-timed drumming, bumping bassline, and killer slide guitar and B-3 work, with great backing vocals from Rios and Amber Morris adding gospel fuel to the fire. The title track is a wrangling guitar-driven boogie, where funky rock meets the 12-bar blues head on. Castro testifies in his delivery, leaving no room for doubt about his intentions and attitude. While "Lose Lose" is a simmering "Stormy Monday"-esque deep blues, its proceeding tune, "Died and Gone to Heaven," is a swelling, souled-out, rousing, gospel-tinged love song. Both tracks offer excellent guitar breaks. "Got a Lot" is a rave-up, hard-grooving house rocker. Clarence Carter's "I'm Qualified" is thoroughly reinvented via stomping, hard, bluesy funk and it works as well -- if not better -- than the band's live rendition. On the cover of B.B. King's standard "Bad Luck," Castro pays warm tribute to the giant, and lets his biting guitar lead the attack, pushing his vocal and the band in the process. It's a hell of a send-off to the late bluesman, and it closes Method To My Madness on a high point -- one of many on one of Castro's finest recordings.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Cub Koda
According to all the press and hype and hoopla for a time during the 1990s, Tommy Castro was pegged as the next big star of the blues. Long a favorite among Bay Area music fans, Castro -- in the space of two album releases -- took his music around the world and back again with a sheaf of praise from critics and old-time blues musicians alike. His music was a combination of soul-inflected rockers with the occasional slow blues or shuffle thrown into the mix to keep it honest. His vocals were laid-back and always a hair behind the beat, while his scorching guitar tone was Stevie Ray Stratocaster-approved. Crossover success did not seem out of the question.
Born and raised in San Jose, California, Castro started playing guitar at the tender age of ten. Initially inspired by Mike Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, and Elvin Bishop, he started the inevitable journey into the roots of his heroes and discovered and quickly became enamored of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and Freddie King. His vocal styling came from constant listening to Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, and Otis Redding. After playing with numerous Bay Area groups honing his chops, he landed a gig playing guitar for the San Francisco band the Dynatones, who were then signed to Warner Bros. The two-year stint augured well for Castro, playing to the biggest crowds he had seen up to that point and backing artists as diverse as Carla Thomas and Albert King.
Returning to San Francisco, Castro formed his own group and in 1993 released his first self-produced album, No Foolin', on the dime-sized Saloon label. That same year also saw him winning the Bay Area Music Award for Best Club Band, an honor he duplicated the following year. In 1997, he won Bammies for Outstanding Blues Musician and for Outstanding Blues Album for his debut release on Blind Pig Records, Exception to the Rule. Also in 1997, Castro and his band began a three-year stint working as the house band on NBC's Comedy Showcase, which aired after Saturday Night Live.
Live at the Fillmore was released in early 2000, and with everyone from industry insiders to B.B. King singing his praises, Castro appeared to be headed for bigger and better things. It was not to be, however, as in 2001 he left Blind Pig Records and recorded Guilty of Love for the small 33rd Street label. Blind Pig closed the books on their association with Castro in 2002 by releasing the career retrospective The Essential Tommy Castro. Gratitude appeared from Heart and Soul in 2003, followed by Triple Trouble (with Jimmy Hall and Lloyd Jones) later that same year from Telarc. In 2005 Castro returned to the Blind Pig label for the release of Soul Shaker, followed by Painkiller in 2007.
The relatively smooth and polished Hard Believer appeared from Alligator Records in 2009, followed in 2011 by The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue: Live!, a collection of highlights from Castro's recent live performances, also on Alligator Records. The Devil You Know, which featured Castro's stripped-down new touring band the Pain Killers and a host of guest artists, appeared early in 2014. Working at Laughing Tiger Studio in San Rafael, California, Castro used a more skeletal approach for 2015's Method To My Madness. It was the first time the bandleader acted as his own producer and, as such, the feeling of the record, which was cut live from the floor, best reflected the group's concert performances. It was released in late October of that year.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''METHOD TO MY MADNESS''
OCTOBER23 2015
50:08
**********
1 Common Ground 04:14 (Kevin Bowe, Tommy Castro)
2 Shine A Light 04:34 (Tommy Castro, Ron Alan Cohen)
3 Method To My Madness 03:14 (Kevin Bowe, Tommy Castro)
4 Died And Gone To Heaven 05:02 (Tommy Castro, Ron Alan Cohen)
5 Got A Lot 03:50 (Tommy Castro)
6 No Such Luck 04:23 (Tommy Castro)
7 Two Hearts 03:40 (Tommy Castro)
8 I'm Qualified 03:10 (Rick Hall, Quin Ivy)
9 Ride 04:40 (Tommy Castro, Randy McDonald)
10 Lose Lose 05:17 (Tommy Castro, Joe Louis Walker)
11 All About The Cash 04:31 (Tommy Castro, Rick Estrin)
12 Bad Luck 03:27 (Jules Bihari, B.B.King)
**********
Amber Morris/Vocals (Background)
Bowen Brown/Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Tommy Castro/Guitar, Vocals
Mike Emerson/Keyboards
Randy McDonald/Bass Guitar, Vocals (Background)
Ari Rios/Percussion, Vocals (Background)
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Thom Jurek
On 2014's The Devil You Know, California bluesman Tommy Castro pared his band back to a quartet called The Painkillers and returned his guitar playing and singing to the forefront of his attack. Though the album was chock-full of guest stars, its arrangements were largely uncluttered -- no horns, strings, or other gimmickry. Method To My Madness strips back the veneer even further. The tightrope of energy, grit, and inspiration on display in these 12 tunes -- ten originals and two excellent covers -- are usually reserved for live shows. For the first time, Castro has produced an album by himself. Recorded at Ari Rios' Laughing Tiger Studio in San Francisco, he and The Painkillers -- bassist Randy McDonald, keyboardist Michael Emerson, and drummer Bowen Brown -- cut the music live from the floor with minimal overdubs. Much has been made of Castro's vocal style being influenced by the singers from the vintage Stax/Volt era. While that's somewhat true, Method To My Madness reveals, perhaps for the first time, an even deeper debt to funky soul and country-blues singer Delbert McClinton. "Common Ground" is a swaggering gospel-tinged soul blues. The melody and choral refrain nod at Sly Stone, but Castro lets his McClinton flag fly with a gritty delivery atop a cracking snare and driving Wurlitzer groove. "Shine a Light" is dirtier; it's a razor-wire, rocking soul-blues with double-timed drumming, bumping bassline, and killer slide guitar and B-3 work, with great backing vocals from Rios and Amber Morris adding gospel fuel to the fire. The title track is a wrangling guitar-driven boogie, where funky rock meets the 12-bar blues head on. Castro testifies in his delivery, leaving no room for doubt about his intentions and attitude. While "Lose Lose" is a simmering "Stormy Monday"-esque deep blues, its proceeding tune, "Died and Gone to Heaven," is a swelling, souled-out, rousing, gospel-tinged love song. Both tracks offer excellent guitar breaks. "Got a Lot" is a rave-up, hard-grooving house rocker. Clarence Carter's "I'm Qualified" is thoroughly reinvented via stomping, hard, bluesy funk and it works as well -- if not better -- than the band's live rendition. On the cover of B.B. King's standard "Bad Luck," Castro pays warm tribute to the giant, and lets his biting guitar lead the attack, pushing his vocal and the band in the process. It's a hell of a send-off to the late bluesman, and it closes Method To My Madness on a high point -- one of many on one of Castro's finest recordings.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Cub Koda
According to all the press and hype and hoopla for a time during the 1990s, Tommy Castro was pegged as the next big star of the blues. Long a favorite among Bay Area music fans, Castro -- in the space of two album releases -- took his music around the world and back again with a sheaf of praise from critics and old-time blues musicians alike. His music was a combination of soul-inflected rockers with the occasional slow blues or shuffle thrown into the mix to keep it honest. His vocals were laid-back and always a hair behind the beat, while his scorching guitar tone was Stevie Ray Stratocaster-approved. Crossover success did not seem out of the question.
Born and raised in San Jose, California, Castro started playing guitar at the tender age of ten. Initially inspired by Mike Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, and Elvin Bishop, he started the inevitable journey into the roots of his heroes and discovered and quickly became enamored of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and Freddie King. His vocal styling came from constant listening to Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, and Otis Redding. After playing with numerous Bay Area groups honing his chops, he landed a gig playing guitar for the San Francisco band the Dynatones, who were then signed to Warner Bros. The two-year stint augured well for Castro, playing to the biggest crowds he had seen up to that point and backing artists as diverse as Carla Thomas and Albert King.
Returning to San Francisco, Castro formed his own group and in 1993 released his first self-produced album, No Foolin', on the dime-sized Saloon label. That same year also saw him winning the Bay Area Music Award for Best Club Band, an honor he duplicated the following year. In 1997, he won Bammies for Outstanding Blues Musician and for Outstanding Blues Album for his debut release on Blind Pig Records, Exception to the Rule. Also in 1997, Castro and his band began a three-year stint working as the house band on NBC's Comedy Showcase, which aired after Saturday Night Live.
Live at the Fillmore was released in early 2000, and with everyone from industry insiders to B.B. King singing his praises, Castro appeared to be headed for bigger and better things. It was not to be, however, as in 2001 he left Blind Pig Records and recorded Guilty of Love for the small 33rd Street label. Blind Pig closed the books on their association with Castro in 2002 by releasing the career retrospective The Essential Tommy Castro. Gratitude appeared from Heart and Soul in 2003, followed by Triple Trouble (with Jimmy Hall and Lloyd Jones) later that same year from Telarc. In 2005 Castro returned to the Blind Pig label for the release of Soul Shaker, followed by Painkiller in 2007.
The relatively smooth and polished Hard Believer appeared from Alligator Records in 2009, followed in 2011 by The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue: Live!, a collection of highlights from Castro's recent live performances, also on Alligator Records. The Devil You Know, which featured Castro's stripped-down new touring band the Pain Killers and a host of guest artists, appeared early in 2014. Working at Laughing Tiger Studio in San Rafael, California, Castro used a more skeletal approach for 2015's Method To My Madness. It was the first time the bandleader acted as his own producer and, as such, the feeling of the record, which was cut live from the floor, best reflected the group's concert performances. It was released in late October of that year.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
