So you say you want a story? Try this one on for size. Virginia native, Jerry Castle, moved from a rural town called Abingdon to Nashville, TN in 1998. While in Nashville, Jerry worked in the studio and played live shows with former members of Black Crowes, Wilco, Ryan Adams, Hank III, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Unfortunately, his brand of "no bullshit, straight-shooting, rock-n-roll" had no place on any of the Music City record labels, and it was time for a change. So what’s a straight-shooting, no bullshit, southerner to do? Move to Hollywood, CA of course. So on August 2nd, 2004, Castle loaded everything that he could fit into his van and drove himself to Hollywood. Since arriving, Jerry has put together a new backing band and has played seven shows, including winning the first round of New York City’s MEANY FEST that was held at the world famous CBGB’S nightclub. And his music? It hits you like a stout beer. This heavy knock-you-around southerner will drive you to drink, or be the soundtrack for when life drives you to drink. The songs on his current record, Back Side of Down, embrace the highs and lows of life and the ability to keep on trucking. Jerry Castle's sound is a combination of rock, Americana, pop, and punk. His songwriting and no-whining, blue-collar vocal delivery make you believe every single word that he says. Like Bruce Springsteen (had Springsteen been born in Virginia instead of New Jersey), Castle sings forcefully about wily women, lost opportunity, and desperately trying to turn things around. The bulk of the current release, Back Side of Down, was recorded during October 2003. However, the record actually began as just a 3-song demo in February of the same year. Three-time Grammy winner Warren Riker (The Fugees, Lauryn Hill, Santana) produced mixed and engineered the 3 songs. When asked why he agreed to continue working with an unsigned artist, Riker stated, "No doubt it’s the songs. Most writers in the roots rock vein of music are one dimensional, Jerry is a very multidimensional songwriter." There is never a moment on one of the thirteen tracks on Back Side of Down that you are let down. From the rowdy hard-rocking opening track "Guilty" to the eloquent sparse but lush closing track "Broken Wing" the record "Brings the Magic" at all times. Since releasing Back Side of Down in March of 2004, Jerry has sold over 900 copies and has already completed one half of his next record that is tentatively called Bonehead. Major cities that Jerry Castle & The Stride have played in support of Back Side of Down include LA, NYC, Nashville, Atlanta, and St. Louis. In addition, the band has played several smaller markets in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Orange County, California. Nowadays in Hollywood, the new lineup of Jerry Castle and the Stride includes drummer Atsuki Inoue from Tokyo, Japan, who is a graduate of MI, and California native Neal Kemp on bass. If you think that a 3-piece band can’t have a full sound, you’re going to have to hear these guys live and you’ll soon think differently. Even though Jerry Castle first put his name out front in 2003, he is no newcomer to the music scene. He spent four years fronting the popular Virginia jam band TOAST and three years fronting the hard rock band THE WORLD OUTSIDE. While with TOAST, Jerry released two full-length records, 1997’s "Game Called Life" and 1999’s "Simple Pleasures"; the two records sold a combined 4000 copies. The support of these two records carried Jerry to colleges and clubs throughout all of the Southeast United States. In 2000, Jerry formed THE WORLD OUTSIDE and in 2002 Jerry took his band, van, trailer, and home demos to remote regions in the Midwest and Great Plains United States. He played a whopping 264 dates during the year and he sold copies of his home demos in states like Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Jerry Castle’s new record is shaping up to be even more impressive than Back Side of Down. The style is more aggressive, more rocking, and less roots-rock. In light of the fact that Jerry now calls Hollywood, CA home, this should be a strength that works to his advantage. |
