Thursday, August 5, 2021

EMILIO CASTILLO FOUNDER OF LEGENDARY FUNK BAND 'TOWER OF POWER' EXCLUSIVE ZOOM TV INTERVIEW WITH RAY SHASHO

 

E M I L I O  C A S T I L L O

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

Legendary Soul/Funk/R&B 

T O W E R  O F  P O W E R

EXCLUSIVE ZOOM TV

with RAY SHASHO

on INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS


EMILIO CASTILLO

ZOOM INTERVIEW

CLICK BELOW 

TO WATCH IN ITS ENTIRETY


When sax player Emilio Castillo put together the band that would evolve into Tower of Power in 1968, he had no grand expectations. “We were hoping to get good enough to play the Fillmore,” Castillo said. “I started the band in Fremont, at John F. Kennedy High, with my brother Jack, who was the original drummer. The band moved up to Oakland and took off, packing clubs with their horn-driven sound. “Oakland is our sound,” Castillo said. “I always say, ‘You can take the boy out of Oakland, but you can’t take Oakland out of the boy.’ Looking back on the band’s history, Castillo said he’s satisfied with what they’ve accomplished. “We’re not a band that reinvents itself every time we go into the studio. We sound like Tower of Power and there’s nothing we can do about it.

At first, I thought it was a curse but, as we kept evolving, I realized it was a blessing. We kept chipping away at the sculpture we were creating. The aim is to arrive at a masterpiece. You have to tell us if we’ve succeeded.” 

The groups latest release is TOWER OF POWER 50TH ANNIVERSARY 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater captures Tower of Power’s storied career with no-holds-barred victory lap concerts in Oakland, CA on June 1 & 2, 2018, performing their full spectrum of life-affirming funk and soul hits. 


Available as a 3-LP set, 2-CD/1-DVD package, standalone DVD and digital audio configuration, these historic performances include special guests Lenny Pickett (musical director of the Saturday Night Live band); keyboardist Chester Thompson (Santana); guitarist Bruce Conte and former vocalist Ray Greene, who shows off his trombone prowess. TOWER OF POWER 50TH ANNIVERSARY is available now at amazon.com. 

Purchase

TOWER OF POWER

 50TH ANNIVERSARY

50 Years of 

Funk & Soul: 

Live at the Fox Theater 

captures Tower of Power’s storied career with no-holds-barred victory lap concerts in Oakland, CA on June 1 & 2, 2018, performing their full spectrum of life-affirming funk and soul hits. Available as a 3-LP set, 2-CD/1-DVD package, standalone DVD and digital audio configuration, these historic performances include special guests Chester Thompson, Lenny Pickett, Francis ‘Rocco’ Prestia, Bruce Conte and Ray Greene. 

Available at amazon.com

Here’s the full track listing for the live album:

1. Stroke ‘75
2. Ain’t Nothing Stopping Us Now
3. You Ought to be Having Fun
4. Soul with a Capital “S”
5. Stop
6. You’re So Wonderful, So Marvelous
7. On the Serious Side
8. Just When We Start Makin’ It
9. Soul Vaccination
10. What is Hip? / Soul Power
11. Do You Like That?
12. Drop It in the Slot

1. Can’t You See (You Doin Me Wrong)?
2. Maybe It’ll Rub Off
3. Don’t Change Horses
4. Squib Cakes
5. On the Soul Side of Town
6. Diggin’ on James Brown (Medley)
7. So Very Hard to Go
8. Knock Yourself Out
9. You’re Still a Young Man
10. Souled Out

For more information

about

Emilio Castillo

and

TOWER OF POWER

Visit

www.towerofpower.com

official website

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTowerOfPowerBand/

facebook

https://twitter.com/OfficialTOPBand

twitter

https://www.instagram.com/towerofpower/

Instagram


TOWER OF POWER DISCOGRAPHY

Studio albums 

    1970: East Bay Grease

    1972: Bump City

    1973: Tower of Power - US gold

    1974: Back to Oakland

    1975: Urban Renewal - US #22

    1975: In the Slot

    1976: Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now

    1978: We Came to Play!

    1979: Back on the Streets

    1981: Direct

    1986: TOP (Europe only release)

    1987: Power (US version of TOP album)

    1991: Monster on a Leash

    1993: T.O.P.

    1995: Souled Out

    1997: Rhythm & Business

    1997: Direct Plus (reissue of Direct with alternate takes)

    1999: Dinosaur Tracks (recorded 1980–1983)

    2003: Oakland Zone

    2009: The Great American Soulbook

    2018: Soul Side of Town

    2020: Step Up

 

Live albums

    1976: Live And In Living Color

    1999: Soul Vaccination: Tower of Power Live

    2008: The East Bay Archive Volume 1 (recorded April 1973 at K-K-K-Katy's, Boston, MA)

    2011: 40th Anniversary: The Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco

    2013: Hipper Than Hip: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (Live On The Air & In The Studio 1974)

    2021: 50 Years Of Funk & Soul - Live At The Fox Theater Oakland CA ° June 2018









MY NEW BOOK 

IS FINALLY OUT!

ENTITLED

THE

 ROCK STAR

 CHRONICLES

SERIES ONE

CHRONICLES, TRUTHS, CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS 

THAT SET US FREE!

 


…Order yours today on (Collector edition) Hardcover

 or E-book

 at bookbaby.com and amazon.com

Featuring over 45 intimate 

conversations with some of

the greatest rock legends 

the world will ever know.

CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA…  JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER...  RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER...  ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST

 

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER


BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show. 

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan. 

Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives. 

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music.  The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/   Gold Award Winner


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