Tommy Castro & The Painkillers Announce KILLIN' IT LIVE Tour

  TOMMY CASTRO & THE PAINKILLERS ANNOUNCE 2019 NORTH AMERICAN

KILLIN' IT LIVE TOUR

New Album Killin' It Live Set For March 1 Release In US And Canada

   

"Castro’s aggressive, inspired attack on vocals and guitar is phenomenal."

–Washington Post

"Tommy Castro & The Painkillers showcase the power of the blues, soul and down-and-dirty rock ‘n’ roll...rousing and infectious. This is energizing, scorching, soul-shaking music….pure pleasure."

–Living Blues

Tommy Castro & The Painkillers have announced plans for their 2019 Killin' It Live North American tour. Killin’ It Live -- the band's new CD set for March 1 release in the US and Canada -- is a nonstop, spirited mix of blues, rock and soul, with rollicking, hypnotic grooves fueled by Castro’s fervent vocals and the band's muscular musicianship. On that same date, the band will begin their tour in Castro's longtime stomping ground of Northern California before making their way to Canada, and then heading to the Midwest and the east coast. Full dates and locations are below and can also be found here.

Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Tommy Castro has released 15 albums ranging from horn-fueled soul and R&B to piping hot blues to fiery rock ‘n’ roll. He’s performed all over the world, earning countless fans with his legendary, sweat-drenched, exhilarating live shows. The Painkillers—bassist Randy McDonald, drummer Bowen Brown  and keyboardist Michael Emerson—have now been playing together over four years. After hundreds of live shows, they have coalesced into one of the telepathically tightest units Castro has ever assembled, making them one of the most in-demand live roots music acts performing today. Blues Revue said simply, “Tommy Castro can do no wrong."

With the group firing on all cylinders, Castro knew the time was right to answer his fans’ demands for a live album. Killin’ It Live 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 we’ve ever had,” says Castro. We really got something going on beyond just being good musicians. Every song we play live now has that right feel—all the dynamics. It allows us to jam out more on stage. Killin’ It Live is what you hear when you see us live.” Featuring songs from throughout Castro’s career, Killin’ It Live was produced by Castro and engineer/songwriter Ron Alan Cohen and recorded at venues in Texas, New York, Michigan and California during 2018. The album includes eight Castro originals spanning his entire career and two Castro-ized covers, each showing a slightly different side of his multifaceted musical personality.

KILLIN' IT LIVE 2019 North American Tour:

March 01, 2019   Yoshi's, Oakland, CA    

March 02, 2019   Crest Theatre (co-bill with Elvin Bishop), Sacramento, CA           

March 08, 2019   Jazzbones, Tacoma, WA   

March 09, 2019   Festival Place, Sherwood Park, AB, CANADA   

March 10, 2019   Mikey’s on 12th Avenue, Calgary, AB, CANADA         

March 12, 2019   The Triple Door, Seattle, WA     

March 13, 2019   Conway Muse, Conway, WA    

March 14, 2019   Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, OR    

March 15, 2019   The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, Eugene, OR     

March 22, 2019   Rancho Nicasio, Nicasio, CA     

March 23, 2019   Rancho Nicasio, Nicasio, CA     

March 29, 2019   Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts, Fond du Lac, WI           

March 30, 2019   Medina Entertainment Center, Medina, MN   

  

April 02, 2019   Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI 

April 03, 2019   The Castle Theatre, Bloomington, IL

April 04, 2019   City Winery, Chicago, IL

April 05, 2019   Music Box Supper Club (co-bill with Ronnie Baker Brooks), Cleveland, OH 

April 06, 2019   Rhine Haus Bier Hall, Youngstown, OH

April 07, 2019   Moondog’s, Blawnox, PA          

April 09, 2019   The Loft at City Winery, New York, NY  

April 10, 2019   Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ    

April 11, 2019   Daryl’s House, Pawling, NY     

April 12, 2019   Bridge Street Live, Collinsville, CT

April 13, 2019   Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA  

April 14, 2019   City Winery, The Haymarket Lounge, Boston, MA      

April 16, 2019   Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA           

April 18, 2019   Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA

April 19, 2019   Pearl Street Warehouse, Washington, DC           

April 20, 2019   Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis, MD 

April 26, 2019   Callahan’s Music Hall, Auburn Hills, MI           

April 27, 2019   Franke Center for the Arts, Marshall, MI    

April 28, 2019   Natalie's, Worthington OH

April 30, 2019   The Southgate House Revival, Newport, KY    

May 01, 2019   Lincoln Theatre, Belleville, IL     

May 03, 2019   Rose Music Hall, Columbia, MO  

May 04, 2019   Knuckleheads Saloon, Kansas City, MO
May 05, 2019   Zoo Bar, Lincoln NE        

Shemekia Copeland To Sing National Anthem at Giants Vs. Saints NFL Game On Sept. 30

SHEMEKIA COPELAND TO SING NATIONAL ANTHEM AT NEW YORK GIANTS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS NFL GAME ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

Grammy-nominated singer Shemekia Copeland will perform the national anthem on Sunday, September 30 at the NFL game between the New York Giants and the New Orleans Saints. The game, broadcast live on CBS Television, begins at 4:25pm Eastern time at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Copeland is currently on tour, bringing music from her critically acclaimed, powerful new album, America’s Child (released August 3), to fans all across the country. NPR Music says Copeland is "head-turning and outspoken. America’s Child is a true hybrid of simmering, real-talking spirit and emphatic, folkie-and soul-style statement-making. Copeland sings slow-burning soul and rollicking country-blues with growling vigor and potent conviction."

Produced by Americana Instrumentalist Of The Year winner Will Kimbrough (who also plays guitar on the album) and recorded in Nashville, America's Child is a courageous and fiery statement of purpose, a major step forward for the singer whose musical consciousness continues to expand as her star continues to rise. With guests including John Prine, Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Gauthier, Emmylou Harris, Steve Cropper, J.D. Wilkes, Al Perkins and members of the Time Jumpers, America’s Child bursts with Copeland’s bravado and embraces with her tenderness.

The Philadelphia Inquirer declares, "Shemekia Copeland is an antidote to artifice. She is a commanding presence, a powerhouse vocalist delivering the truth."

Alligator Records artist: Curtis Salgado & Alan Hager – Rough Cut - New release review - Stilladog - Guest Writer

Driving home from work the other day I heard a song called “I Want My Dog To Live Longer” on the Bluesville channel on Sirius XM. It was done by Curtis Salgado & Alan Hager. I know Curtis and have seen him play a number of times but I did not know Alan who is a guitarist from Portland, OR where Curtis lives also. These two have played together off and on for quite a number of years. So now that Alan is the guitarist for Curtis’ road band I guess they figured the time was right. So it’s here and it’s called Rough Cut. Based on that one track I had to check it out. Once I heard it I had to tell Bman how much I liked it and he asked me to review it.

The album starts off with a very John Lee Hooker sounding track entitled “I Will Not Surrender.” This is a very personal blues written by Salgado. You can almost feel him fighting death as he sings. He’s survived liver cancer, lung cancer (twice), addiction, and quadruple bypass surgery. So he knows about not surrendering. A great opener for the album which turns out to be far from the blue-eyed soul Cutis is known for. This is definitely traditional blues, originals and covers both.

On the second track, “So Near To Nowhere,” Salgado breaks out his harp for the first time and the best lyrics on the album. “I’m asking God why I ain’t dead yet. He said, I warned ya boy but you never listen. The devil don’t want the competition.”

It’s mostly just a duo with Hager on guitar, Salgado on harp and vocals, although Curtis plays piano on one track. A few others have minimal accompaniment but otherwise it’s just two friends playing blues.

The duo cover a number of Blues classics such as Muddy Water’s I Can’t Be Satisfied which gets the country blues slide treatment from Hager which is strong in its own right and complements Salgado’s vocals perfectly. This theme repeats itself with many of the other covers such as Depot Blues by Son House and Long Train Blues by Robert Wilkins which is strong on harp as well.

The cover songs are absolutely great and also include Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Too Young To Die,” Big Bill Broonzy’s “I Want You By My Side,” and Elmore James’ version (not the Mississippi Fred McDowell one) of “You Got To Move” which contains some awesome Elmo slide by Hager. The tune entitled “Morning Train” is also commonly known as “Get Right Church,” and may be the strongest cover on the album.

Which brings us back around to “I Want My Dog To Live Longer.” This song touches the heart of anybody who ever had, or has, a faithful canine companion. I can’t say it’s my favorite song on the record but it is obvious that Curtis Salgado and I see eye to eye on what enrichment dogs bring into our lives.

That all said, I really think this is going to be one of the overall strongest blues albums of 2018. The blend of originals and covers is a perfect balance. No flash guitar, no hot horns, just solid blues music which is not so easy to come by these days. It may be a Rough Cut but it is smoothly done.

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Five Alligator Artists Receive 11 Blues Music Award Nominations

FIVE ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE ELEVEN BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS

Toronzo Cannon Leads With Four, Followed By Curtis Salgado With Three

Lil' Ed Williams Receives Two Award Nominations

Shemekia Copeland and Moreland & Arbuckle Receive One Nomination Each

On Monday, January 9, 2017, The Blues Foundation announced the nominees for the 38th Annual Blues Music Awards, the blues world's highest honors. Five Alligator recording artists received a total of eleven nominations.

Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon received four nominations, including Album Of The Year and Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for his Alligator debut, The Chicago Way. He was also nominated for Song Of The Year (for Walk It Off) and Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year. Cannon has one previous nomination.

Soul and R&B singer Curtis Salgado received three nominations including Soul Blues Album Of The Year (for The Beautiful Lowdown) and Song Of The Year (for Walk A Mile In My Blues). He also received a nod for Soul Blues Male Artist of The Year. Salgado has 13 previous nominations and five wins.

Lil' Ed Williams received two top nominations, one for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year, the other for the coveted Band Of The Year for Lil' Ed And The Blues Imperials. Williams has 20 previous nominations and two wins.

Singing sensation Shemekia Copeland received a nomination for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year. Copeland has 34 previous nominations and has won a total of eight awards.

Moreland & Arbuckle received a nomination in the Best Blues Rock Album Of The Year category for their Alligator debut, Promised Land Or Bust. This is the group's first nomination.

The 38th Annual Blues Music Awards will be presented in Memphis on May 11, 2017 at the Cook Convention Center.

Alligator artists and nominations are as follows:

TORONZO CANNON:

Album Of The Year: The Chicago Way

Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year: The Chicago Way

Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year

Song Of The Year: Walk It Off, by Toronzo Cannon
 

CURTIS SALGADO:

Soul Blues Album Of The Year: The Beautiful Lowdown

Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year

Song Of The Year: Walk A Mile In My Blues, by David Duncan, Curtis Salgado and Mike Finnigan

 

LIL' ED WILLIAMS:

B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year - Lil' Ed Williams

Band Of The Year - Lil' Ed And The Blues Imperials

SHEMEKIA COPELAND:

Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year

MORELAND & ARBUCKLE:

Rock Blues Album Of The Year: Promised Land Or Bust

Five Alligator Artists Nominated For Eight Blues Blast Awards

 

FIVE ALLIGATOR ARTISTS NOMINATED FOR EIGHT BLUES BLAST MUSIC AWARDS Blues Blast, the internet blues magazine, has announced the nominees for its 2016 Blues Blast Music Awards. Five Alligator Records artists received a total of eight nominations. Shemekia Copeland, Curtis Salgado and Toronzo Cannon each received two nominations. Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials and Tommy Castro & The Painkillers each received one. Voting is free and open to the public at www.bluesblastmagazine.com beginning July 1 and running through August 15. Winners will be announced at the 2016 Blues Blast Music Awards ceremony, held at The Fluid Events Center in Champaign, Illinois on September 23rd, 2016. Alligator nominees are as follows: SHEMEKIA COPELAND: Contemporary Blues Album - for Outskirts Of Love Female Blues Artist CURTIS SALGADO: Soul Blues Album - for The Beautiful Lowdown Male Blues Artist TORONZO CANNON: Contemporary Blues Album - for The Chicago Way Male Blues Artist  LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS: Blues Band TOMMY CASTRO & THE PAINKILLERS: Rock Blues Album - for Method To My Madness ### www.ALLIGATOR.com

ALLIGATOR RECORDS 45TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION Set For June 10 Release

Alligator Records has set a June 10, 2016 release date for the Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection. The 2CDs-for-the-price-of-one set -- boasting over 148 minutes of music -- features career-defining performances from blues royalty past, present and future.

The blues and roots music Alligator Records has been releasing since 1971 -- created by iconic giants of the genre like Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, James Cotton, Elvin Bishop and Mavis Staples, and label-nurtured legends including Son Seals, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Saffire—The Uppity Blues Women and Michael “Iron Man” Burks -- has more than stood the test of time. With the Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection, label founder and president Bruce Iglauer, along with his 15-person staff (many of whom have been on board for well over 20 years) celebrate Alligator’s extraordinary past, history-in-the-making present, and a future filled with more "Genuine Houserockin’ Music."

The Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection clearly lays out Alligator’s wide-ranging, forward-looking vision with tracks from newer voices – Selwyn Birchwood, Toronzo Cannon, Shemekia Copeland, Moreland & Arbuckle and Jarekus Singleton – seamlessly programmed next to legendary artists including Curtis Salgado, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Joe Louis Walker, Delbert McClinton, Anders Osborne, The Holmes Brothers, Guitar Shorty, JJ Grey & Mofro, Ann Rabson and Roomful Of Blues. Together, the Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection presents a comprehensive portrait of this singular, rooted, soul-stirring American music.

On June 10, the day of the album's release, the City Of Chicago will celebrate the label's 45th anniversary during the 33rd Annual Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park. Alligator artists scheduled to perform are Shemekia Copeland, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Curtis Salgado, Toronzo Cannon, Moreland & Arbuckle, Corky Siegel and Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater.

The history of Alligator Records, founded by blues-bitten Bruce Iglauer in 1971 for the express purpose of releasing an album by Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, reads like a history of contemporary blues and roots music. Iglauer, a native of Cincinnati, first fell in love with the blues in 1966. A live performance by the great Mississippi Fred McDowell struck him deep inside. "It was as if he reached out and grabbed me by the collar, shook me and spoke directly to me," he recalls. After that show, Iglauer, a student at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, immersed himself in the blues. In 1968, he made his initial pilgrimage to experience Chicago's thriving blues scene. His first stop was the famous Jazz Record Mart, where he met proprietor Bob Koester, also the owner of the prestigious blues and jazz label Delmark Records. With Koester as his de facto guide, Iglauer began making regular visits to Chicago to see Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, J.B. Hutto, Carey Bell and many other stars in the ghetto blues clubs.

Koester was impressed with Iglauer's passion for the music and his promotion of two sold-out Luther Allison performances at Lawrence. When Iglauer moved to Chicago for good at the beginning of 1970, Koester hired him as a $30-per-week shipping clerk. Almost every night, Iglauer hung out in the funky South and West Side bars, spellbound by the blues men and women performing on their home turf. He accompanied Koester to the studio for every Delmark session, where he watched blues greats such as Junior Wells, Roosevelt Sykes and Robert Lockwood, Jr. create classic blues albums. Iglauer wanted Delmark to release an album by his favorite band, Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers. But Koester wasn’t interested, so Iglauer gathered up what little money he had and decided to do it himself, soaking up everything he could learn about record production before heading into the studio with Hound Dog in 1971.

Iglauer became producer, booking agent, business manager, roadie, promotion man and publicist for Hound Dog. He ran Alligator out of his tiny apartment, filled with stacks of record cartons and a shipping table next to the bed. For years, each record had to finance the next one, which meant Alligator released about one record a year. Luckily, those records continued to impress fans and critics and sell enough to keep the label going. Albums by Big Walter Horton, Son Seals and Fenton Robinson all contributed to getting the fledgling company off the ground. When Koko Taylor came aboard in 1975, the label was taking larger steps, soon attracting giants like Albert Collins, Roy Buchanan and Johnny Winter.

Now, Alligator Records is the largest independent blues label in the world, and has been repeatedly honored for its achievements. Three Alligator recordings have won Grammy Awards, and 41 titles have been nominated. The label and its artists have received well over 100 Blues Music Awards and more than 70 Living Blues Awards. But even with all of the accolades, Alligator Records never rests on its laurels. According to Iglauer, "Alligator should be the label that's exposing the next generation of blues artists and bringing their music to the next generation of blues fans. I want the future of the blues and the future of Alligator Records to be one and the same. I want to keep bringing blues and roots music to new fans and getting them as excited about the music as I am." With those goals, Alligator Records is still fueled by the same principles that it first established in 1971. The staff continues to push forward, still bucking the odds, with everybody working long hours on a shoestring budget.

Throughout its history, Alligator has operated not only as a business, but also as a tight-knit family. Relationships between the staff and the artists are personal and run deep. It's not at all uncommon for an artist performing a Chicago show to drop by the office for an unannounced visit. Musicians regularly call Iglauer at any hour, looking to have CDs shipped out at the last minute, or to discuss their upcoming recording sessions or sing new tunes over the phone. Iglauer has opened his house to musicians needing a place to live during times of personal trouble.

From the early days of recording only Chicago talent, to attracting national and international musicians, to the label's commitment to nurturing the next generation of blues artists, Alligator continues to break new ground. Now, as clearly proven by the Alligator Records 45^th Anniversary Collection, the label is still dedicated to recording and promoting great talent, confirming that the passion, energy and soul-healing power of Alligator’s music is strong, genuine, and capable of rocking the house with no end in sight.