Spotlight Sessions Mr Castle Blues Band

"Mr Castle" is basically what happens when you translate "El señor Castillo" into English and give it a guitar. The band came together around a simple idea: play the blues with respect for where it came from, but never like it belongs in a museum. We wanted it loud, alive, spontaneous and a little dangerous; the way good Blues should feel. Different musicians have joined the journey along the way, but the mission has stayed the same: serve the song, leave room for improvisation, and make sure nobody leaves without feeling something.

Expect the unexpected. We know where the songs start, but we don't always know where they'll end up. There's plenty of blues, a bit of rock & roll, long conversations between guitars and musicians, and the occasional musical detour nobody planned - including us. We take the music seriously, but never ourselves. If by the end of the night you've danced, laughed, shouted something at the stage and forgotten to check your phone for a while, we've done our job.

The usual suspects are definitely in there: B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix have all left fingerprints on the way I play. But then things get slightly less predictable. Santana taught me that one note can sometimes say more than twenty, and there's probably more Latin music hiding in my phrasing than I consciously realise. But if I had to name my single biggest influence, it would be Johnny Winter. He taught me the value of expression, intensity and sheer fierceness: that playing the blues isn't just about the notes you choose, but about having the courage to put your whole soul into them.

That's a difficult one, because music has been incredibly generous to me. I've had unforgettable moments playing, for instance, at the Suwałki Blues Festival in Poland, the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival, and some wonderful venues across Lithuania. But if I had to choose one in Ireland, it would probably be playing the Rory Gallagher Place stage at the International Rory Gallagher Festival in 2024. There was something special about standing there, guitar in hand, surrounded by people who genuinely live and breathe this music, in a place so deeply connected to Rory's legacy. As a Blues guitarist, you're very aware that you're standing on some sacred ground (no pressure!) ;) It was one of those moments when you stop for a second and think, "How on earth did a Venezuelan kid with a guitar end up here?" And then you plug in, turn up, and do what brought you there in the first place: play the Blues.

I could mention many, but my first pick would definitely be the Winter Brothers, Johnny and Edgar Winter.

There was one gig at Fibber Magees where I managed to break four strings in the same show. Four. At that point it stops being bad luck and starts feeling personal. 😂 I'm still convinced I had some kind of excessive static energy running through my body that night, because the guitar was clearly in a very bad mood. Of course, the more scientifically minded explanation might be that I was simply playing way too hard... but I prefer my theory. Somehow we made it through the gig, and it taught me two valuable lessons: always bring spare strings, and never underestimate a temperamental guitar

Quite a lot, actually! Mr Castle Blues Band has plenty of gigs coming up, and we're really enjoying this chapter of the band. Check my website out: www.mistercastlemusic.com. We're taking the blues into different rooms, meeting new audiences and keeping every show as alive and unpredictable as possible.

And the big plan? Keep moving. More gigs, more festivals, more travelling, more music and hopefully a few opportunities I can't even see coming yet. I've learned that a music career rarely follows a straight line, which is probably a good thing, because straight lines make terrible blues solos.