May 22, 2025
Carlos Santana once proclaimed about Castro: “The blues is in good hands.” Courtesy photo
One of the most popular blues and roots music artists performing today, acclaimed musician Tommy Castro with his band the Painkillers has been igniting audiences for more than 30 years. A 10-time Blues Music Award winner on albums like “Method to My Madness,” Castro artfully fused elements of classic soul and R&B, with some tracks recalling greats from the Stax Records’ days.
The Washington Post praised it as “Phenomenal and funky … soulful vocals and inspired blues-rock guitar.”
“My formula, if there is one, is a combination of Memphis soul and blues and rock ‘n’ roll,” he explained. “I’ve never been just a straight-up blues artist, though I’m crazy about that stuff. I’m a lover of the great soul singers, especially the magic that happened at Stax.”
Castro and the Painkillers return to Maui to headline the Mixed Plate Music Fest on May 31 at the South Maui Gardens. He previously played the Kihei fest in 2024 and headlined Willie K’s Blues Fest in 2017 and 2019.
He recalled first seeing Willie K at a festival in Colorado. “What a talent, what a voice,” he marveled.
Beginning playing guitar when he was 10 years old, Castro initially gravitated to blues-rockers such as Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield. Later, he immersed himself in the music of Muddy Waters and the other blues masters.
“I loved (blues) for the feeling,” he said. “I like a good song and a heart-felt performance. The stuff that appealed to me was the simplest, groovy hooks and soulful performance. I was listening to the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton as a kid. I didn’t find out about the deep blues stuff until later on.”
In time, he would collaborate and play with blues legends like B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and Buddy Guy, along with Dr. John, Elvin Bishop and Carlos Santana. In praising Castro, Santana once proclaimed: “The blues is in good hands. This is the person who has the voice, the sound and the intentions to touch everybody’s heart.”
In 2001 and 2002, King invited Castro to open his summer concert tours, with the Bay Area musician joining in during the nightly finale. “I couldn’t believe anything like that could happen to me,” he recalled. “I really was in heaven.”
Friends joining him on records have included guitarist Joe Bonamassa and singer Marcia Ball, and on his 2001 album “Guilty of Love,” blues icon John Lee Hooker performed his last recording session before his death.
“John lived in Northern California and we got to be friends,” he explained. “We asked him to sing on our album and it turned out to be the last vocal performance of his life.”
Mostly performing original material, when Castro takes on a cover, they’re smoking hot from Bob Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” to James Brown’s “Sex Machine.” On “Method to My Madness,” he included two terrific covers, B.B. King’s swinging “Bad Luck,” and Otis Clay’s soul classic “I’m Qualified.”
In February he released the scorching blues of “Closer To The Bone,” mixing originals with inspired versions of songs by Ray Charles (A Fool for You), Johnny “Guitar” Watson, and Brownie McGhee. “This is a real blues record, the way they would have made them back in the day,” Castro reported. “I am at my most authentic.”
“Tommy Castro could have been a successful soulman,” noted a No Depression review. On his latest release, Castro makes it abundantly clear that this is an old-school blues record.”
With Castro on vocals and guitar, The Painkillers include keyboard player Michael Emerson, who worked with Elvin Bishop, Carlene Carter and Percy Sledge, Randy McDonald on bass and vocals, and drummer Bowen Brown, who backed John Lee Hooker for 6 years.
Castro and the Painkillers will headline the Mixed Plate Music Fest at 4 p.m. May 31 at South Maui Gardens in Kihei. Justin Morris and Company will open. Tickets are $50 plus tax in advance, and $55 on event day. Low beach chairs and blankets are encouraged.
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