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Event
Tommy Castro and The Painkillers
$15 advanced tickets
Doors 6:30 pm/Show 7:30 pm
21 and over
ABOUT TOMMY CASTRO AND THE PAINKILLERS
Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Tommy Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. He fell under the spell of Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal, Mike Bloomfield and other blues-rockers. Almost every major rock and soul act, from Ike and Tina Turner to Janis Joplin to Elvin Bishop to Taj Mahal, toured through the area, and Castro was at every show. He saw John Lee Hooker, Albert King and Buddy Guy and Junior Wells at the same local blues bar, JJs, where he often jammed, dreaming of one day busting out. Mixing the blues-rock he loved and the soul music he heard blasting out from his Mexican friends lowriders, Tommy started to create his own personal sound and style. He honed his guitar skills and intense vocals, learning how to capture an audience as he performed on San Joses highly competitive bar scene. As his reputation spread, Tommy played in a variety of Bay Area blues and soul bands, soon making a name for himself as a hotter-than-hot live artist bursting at the seams with talent. In 1985, he was recruited to become lead singer and guitarist for the regionally popular blues band NiteCry, gigging regularly throughout Northern California.
Castro joined Warner Brothers artists The Dynatones in the late 1980s, performing all over the country. He formed the first Tommy Castro Band in 1991, releasing his debut album in 1996 on the Blind Pig label. In the mid-1990s The Tommy Castro Band served as the house band for three seasons on NBC Televisions Comedy Showcase (airing right after Saturday Night Live), bringing him in front of millions of viewers every week. During the 1990s and into the 2000s, Castro recorded 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.
Castro joined Alligator Records in 2009, releasing Hard Believer to massive acclaim. He won four of his six career Blues Music Awards, including the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award (the very highest award a blues performer can receive). His next release, 2011s Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues RevueLive!, was a boisterous and searing collection of highlights from a series of live performances anchored by Castro and an all-star collection of blues giants, including Rick Estrin, Michael Iron Man Burks and Joe Louis Walker. His relentless road-dog approachgig after gig, night after nighthas won him loyal, lifelong fans everywhere he plays. The Washington Post says Castro is phenomenal and funky with soulful vocals and inspired blues-rock guitar.
Castro formed the first incarnation of The Painkillers in 2012, and by 2014 (with Brown and Emerson taking over drums and keys respectively) they had become a lean, mean four-piece lineup, delivering soul-shaking, muscular music. The current band released Method To My Madness in 2015 and Stompin Ground in 2017, with critics shouting praise and admirers cheering the groups every move. Castro had stripped his music down to its raw essence with the new, smaller band, creating a larger than life sound. Blues Revue said simply, Tommy Castro can do no wrong.
Live on stage, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers road-hardened musicianship brings an unmatched passion to Castros blue-eyed California soul and hard-rocking, good-time songs. The San Francisco Chronicle describes Castros music as, funky Southern soul, big city blues and classic rocksilvery guitar licks that simultaneously sound familiar and fresh. No Depression says Castro plays gritty, string-bending blues like a runaway soul traina glorious blend that rocks the soul and lifts the spirits.
With the group seemingly hitting new heights with every performance, Castro knew the time was right to answer his fans demands for a live album. Killin ItLive captures the band at the peak of their creative and improvisational powers, and features one unforgettable, unpredictable performance after another. This is the best band weve ever had, says Castro. We really got something going on beyond just being good musicians. Every song we play live now has that right feelall the dynamics. It allows us to jam out more on stage. Killin ItLive is what you hear when you see us live.
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LocationGreat Northern Bar and Grill (View)
27 Central Ave.
Whitefish, MT 59937
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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