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DEL CASTILLO
DEL CASTILLO has
become a symbol of the
cross-cultural power of music
with their eclectic blend of
Flamenco, Rock, Latin, Blues,
and World music.
It all began in late 2000 when
Rick and Mark del Castillo
decided to put together an album
of Latin/Flamenco-style songs
for their parents and friends in
their hometown of Brownsville,
Texas. The brothers, who had
always played electric guitar in
separate rock bands, had never
played together and for the
first time ever they began
collaborating on songs on
acoustic guitars.
Their good friend,
vocalist/guitarist Alex Ruiz,
began adding lyrics to the
brothers’ instrumentals, and
soon after, the other band
members joined them. After
receiving positive and
encouraging responses from
everyone who heard the songs
they created together, the
project began to evolve into a
real band. Del Castillo was
born!
They began writing material
fusing many styles and
influences, all the while
retaining a solid Latin element,
and in late 2001 they decided to
test the waters as a live
performance band. They played
their first show in Austin,
Texas, where they all live, and
simultaneously, they released
their first CD, Brothers of the
Castle. Both the performance and
CD received rave reviews from
fans and critics alike.
In early 2002, the Austin
American Statesman wrote, “…For
a band that played its first gig
only six months ago, Del
Castillo is, indeed, going
places.” Encouraged by the
immediate response and
acceptance, they started playing
regular shows in Austin and
quickly built a following. In
March of that year, they
received the first of what would
be many awards that would follow
at the Austin Music Awards
during South By Southwest –
“Best World Music Band” and
“Best Mexican/Traditional Latino
Band.”
During that time,
the band had met filmmaker
Robert Rodriguez, and he was now
studying guitar with Rick. He
invited Rick to contribute
guitar on the soundtrack of his
film “Spy Kids 3D: Game Over,”
and at the premier of the film
in Austin in 2003 the band
performed live with Robert
joining Rick and Mark on guitar.
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All the while,
the band continued to write and
record new songs, and in late
2002 they released their
follow-up CD, Vida, which took
them to the next level. The
Austin Chronicle wrote, “…if
Vida is proof, their road to
fame will be as short as an I-35
entrance ramp.” Robert filmed
the band’s performance at the CD
release party for Vida for a
live DVD.
By 2003, Del Castillo had become
one of Austin’s most popular
bands and they swept the Austin
Music Awards that year, winning
seven awards including “Band of
the Year” and “Album of the
Year” for Vida. They continued
to work with Robert, and Rick,
Mark, and Alex contributed music
on his next film, “Once Upon a
Time in Mexico.” In addition to
the music, Alex appeared in the
film. The premier for the film
was held in New York that year
and Del Castillo performed live,
joined on stage by Robert,
Antonio Banderas, Cheech Marin,
and Patricia Vonne.
The Del Castillo LIVE DVD,
filmed and edited by Robert
Rodriguez, was released in early
2004. Also that year, Quentin
Tarrantino used a Del Castillo
song in “Kill Bill, Vol. 2,”
performed by Chingon, Robert
Rodriguez’ musical collective of
some of his closest musical
compadres, including members of
Del Castillo. Del Castillo, with
Robert, performed as Chingon at
the premier of the film in Los
Angeles.
By now, the band was performing
with great success throughout
Texas. They joined the roster of
CAA in 2004, which opened the
door for extensive touring
across the country, playing
shows with such artists as
Ozomatli, Los Lonely Boys, Los
Lobos, Kinky, deSol, and others.
They toured non-stop through
2006. They performed at three of
Willie Nelson’s 4th Of July
Picnics, and at Eric Clapton’s
Crossroads Guitar Festival, and
they have made numerous national
and local TV appearances.
Brotherhood, the band’s third
CD, was released in the Spring
of 2006 and it was immediately
acclaimed by the media across
the board. Billboard Magazine
said, “…Whether Del Castillo
works in Spanish or English, it
rocks righteously…They pull
together Latin music’s romance
and rock’s grit.” At SXSW 2007,
Brotherhood won “Album of the
Year” at the 2006/2007 Austin
Music Awards. The band continues
to tour throughout the country,
thriving on performing live and
building new audiences, and
songwriting and recording are a
priority during breaks in their
tour schedule.
Del
Castillo Links:
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