Southern Soul, Blues & Classic Rock: Tommy Castro and The Painkillers Confirm Two Concerts in Montana
Soulful and funky blues rockers Tommy Castro and The Painkillers will make their way to Montana for two shows early 2020 — first at the Top Hat in Missoula on March 9th and then at the Rialto in Bozeman on March 10th.
Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Tommy Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. Since then, he’s gone on to become a key player in several acclaimed acts. He joined The Dynatones in the late 1980s and performed all over the country. Later in 1991, he formed the first Tommy Castro Band and released his debut album in 1996. In the mid-1990s The Tommy Castro Band served as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television’s 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). 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 group’s every move.
The San Francisco Chronicle describes Castro’s music as, “funky Southern soul, big city blues and classic rock…silvery guitar licks that simultaneously sound familiar and fresh.” No Depression says “Castro plays gritty, string-bending blues like a runaway soul train…a glorious blend that rocks the soul and lifts the spirits.”
Tickets are on sale now. Complete details can be found in each of the event pages below.
