Life-affirming moments come in various forms, from times of quiet reflection to exhilarating successes. For Damon Castillo of the Damon Castillo Band, such a moment came in the form of a brush with death that confirmed music was his destiny.
After the band’s tour van flipped five times on the freeway en route to a gig, the members began to salvage equipment from the glass and wreckage. Castillo found his microphone in the middle of the freeway. And it still worked.
“It was in a road case,” he said, “and it somehow busted through the road case, busted through the glass window, and landed in the middle of the freeway. And it worked fine.”
He still uses that microphone at gigs.
And he still draws lyrical inspiration from what he knows and what he’s experienced. Over the last decade, the band has honed its sound: a combination of R&B, rock, and jazz influences, which Castillo called “real musicians, playing real tunes, not manufactured music.” The result is a real down-to-earth, raw sound. Think Train with a little bit of Maroon 5—an experienced, soulful noise with a rhythmic stride.
The band describes the van crash in “Close Call,” a song off their latest album, Laurel Lane. A year in the making, the album is a testament to the ups and downs, the rough times and the inspiring ones.
In “I Know You Know,” the band pays tribute to friend and founding bassist Matt Taylor who died from cancer in 2002. In “Claim to Fame,” they address their present struggles to produce a great album, and the successes the band members have found by being true to themselves.
Castillo, a Santa Maria native, will team up with his longtime friend Rick Manson of Chef Rick’s in Orcutt for an evening of food, wine, and music, in support of Laurel Lane. The performance is a bit of a homecoming for Castillo. Shortly after returning to Santa Maria from studying music in Boston, Castillo came to Manson for a job.
“Like most young starting-out musicians, I hadn’t made my millions yet, so Rick was gracious enough to let me serve there,” Castillo said.
Castillo worked there about six months, but stayed in touch after he left: “I made sure to stick around so I could still eat the food because it’s so good,” he said.
Audiences can expect to hear some new tracks from Laurel Lane, as well as old favorites and a few surprises. The night will feature Larry Kim on sax, Kristian Ducharme on keys, Jennings Jacobsen on drums, Forrest Williams on bass, and Damon Castillo on guitar and vocals.
The album was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer, Ross Hogarth. It also features some other well-known artists, including Sheila E., Rami Jaffe (Wallflowers, Foo Fighters), Lee Thornburg (Tower of Power, Supertramp), Lon Price (Elvis Presley, Alan Toussaint, Ziggy Marley), and Sean Hurley (Alicia Keys, John Mayer).
Castillo is excited about introducing locals to Laurel Lane at Chef Rick’s, but more than anything, he wants the audience to have a memorable experience.
“I hope the audience gets what I get out of it, and that’s having a great time and connecting with the music,” he said.
Music connects with Arts Editor Shelly Cone. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 22-29, 2009.
