Tommy Castro is a charismatic and personable musician that tends to work year round. His fellow musicians are also seasoned veterans not afraid to tackle an ambitious touring schedule. But Castro may have to do some convincing to get his bandmates to join him for two January shows in Connecticut. Castro and the boys are scheduled to visit Black Eyed Sally’s in Hartford on Thursday, January 22nd and follow that show with a trip to Uncasville and an appearance in the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun the very next night. But the Connecticut winter weather might be a bit of a shock to Castro and company, who will be fresh off a show schedule that includes New Year’s Eve in Southern California followed by the Delbert McClinton Sandy Beaches Cruise to the Bahamas January 11th-18th (those interested might want to check out www.delbert.com and consider booking for 2005 since this year’s cruise is sold out). Castro’s Connecticut stop appears to be part of a “cold weather sandwich” with dates scheduled in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland as well, followed by the band’s second tropical cruise of the year, the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise from February 7th-14th. Not a bad way to start the New Year. “We feel super lucky to get on both cruises again,” said Castro on his return invite to cruise the Bahamas. “I’ll guess I’ll just enjoy this while it lasts”.

Tommy Castro grew up in San Jose, California and was influenced by his older brother Raymond to play the guitar at the early age of 10. His self-described musical style is identified as a combination of traditional blues, classic soul, and roots rock and roll. “We combine all of those styles and then play what we like,” said Castro of his final product. Consider Castro’s extensive influences, starting with the great B.B. King and running the gamut from singer/songwriters Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, John Hiatt, Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison to rock/blues staples like Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards. It’s no wonder Castro’s sound can’t be pinned down to a single genre. As Castro simply states about his band’s choice of material, “We play what we like”.

After stints in a number of Bay Area bands, Castro fronted his own band and released his self-produced debut record “No Foolin’” in 1993 before cranking out four strong efforts on the Blind Pig label: “Exception To The Rule” (1995), “Can’t Keep A Good Man Down” (1997), “Right As Rain” (1999), and “Live At The Fillmore” (2000). Those recordings, along with Castro and his band’s three year gig as the house band for NBC’s “Comedy Showcase”, brought Tommy Castro and his music into the national spotlight and provided greater exposure. “Guilty Of Love” was released in 2001 on the 33rd Street label (Blind Pig also offered “The Essentials Tommy Castro” that same year, comprised of a dozen selections from his four Blind Pig records as well as a bonus video track). Since then, Castro and his Manager Miki Nord co-founded Heart and Soul Records and have released “Gratitude”, Castro’s 7th record and first on Heart and Soul. “Gratitude” has Castro returning to his musical roots with a tribute record paying homage to many of his major influences over the years. “The record was a tribute to the people that I was inspired by the most,” explains Castro of the record’s concept. “Although to cover them all, I really would have needed two discs. The rehearsals reminded me of being a kid again; just jamming along. We were just doing some of the songs we love. Some were songs that we had been playing for a long time, so we didn’t try to sound like the original. They were definitely our versions of the songs. Besides, they’ve already been done better than I can do it,” Castro laughs. He sums up the “Gratitude” effort best by offering his approach to playing music: “Everything I do is totally shaped and inspired by these artists. Then I try to let my influence shape what I do”.

Most recently, Castro joined fellow singer/songwriters Lloyd Jones (guitar) and Jimmy Hall (harmonica, tenor saxophone) on a project for Telarc Records titled “Triple Trouble”. While some All-Star jam recordings suffer from a general lack of direction or overcompensation of competing musicianship, “Triple Trouble” avoids that trap, finding three musicians who compliment each other’s musical personas quite nicely with inspiring results. Mix in the rhythm section of bassist Tommy Layton, drummer Chris Layton, and keyboardist Reese Wynans (better known as “Double Trouble” when supporting another pretty well-know blues guitar slinger a decade ago), and the result is six veteran musicians with an affinity for classic blues and soul music cranking out some of their favorite tunes to the likes of James Brown, B.B. King, and the Beatles. “I really admire Lloyd and Jimmy, and thought it would be helpful to expose them more to my fan base as well,” explains Castro of his decision to accept an invitation to play on the record. “And then add the guys from Double Trouble, and it was a great musical combination. They basically just threw us in a room together. We got some ideas and brought in a few originals and that was it.” Fans that have heard the disc hope to hear more from Castro and Triple Trouble, including a possibility of a tour sometime in the future.

Right now, Castro and the band are busy preparing for a busy 2004. His bass player Randy McDonald recently released his own debut record entitled “On The Wildside”, a collection of four original compositions and seven covers. The band has also added a new drummer, Chris Sandoval, who replaces Billy Lee Lewis and will be joining the band on their upcoming our. And Castro continues to ride the wave of success and appears to have no plans to slow down anytime soon. “We have a great fan base that keeps telling us they like what we’re doing,” said Castro of his success in the industry. “We wouldn’t want to do this if nobody wanted to hear us”.