Del Castillo - History

History

Del Castillo began as a Latin flamenco-style project between two brothers, Rick and Mark del Castillo in the fall of 2000. The brothers, who had always played electric guitar in separate rock bands, had never played together and for the first time ever they began collaborating on songs on acoustic guitars. Their parents had never been able to relate to their music, rock -blues in Rick's case, rock and some metal in Mark's, so the two decided to record some music together that their family could listen and relate to. Their good friend, vocalist/guitarist Alex Ruiz, began adding lyrics to the brothers' instrumentals, and soon after, the other band members joined them. Rick recruited his friend Albert Besteiro, Jr., on bass, and Mark brought in drummer Mike Zeoli, from their other joint project, Milhouse. The last member to join was Rick "The Rev" Holeman, on percussion. After receiving positive and encouraging responses from everyone who heard the songs they created together, the project began to evolve into a real band. They began playing regularly around the Austin area, most notably the Tuesday night slot at Momo's. The intensity of the band's live performance centers around the two guitar-playing brothers. Though not flamenco players by training, the two have proven to be equal to the likes of the Gypsy Kings, and Strunz and Farah. The speed, accuracy and expertise of these two, backed by a strong rhythm section, and fronted by the enigmatic Ruiz, draws fans and newcomers to the foot of the stage almost every performance.

With the line-up complete, Del Castillo began writing material, fusing many styles and influences, all while retaining a solid Latin element. The band released their debut CD Brothers of the Castle in 2001, which met with rave reviews from critics and music fans alike.

As the once "project band" solidified into a family of musicians, the band crafted their follow-up release, Vida, which took the band to the next level. And recognition, if not fame, came calling in the form of an invitation to appear on the soundtrack of director Robert Rodríguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico and the honor of winning "Best Austin Band of the Year" at the 2002-2003 Austin Music Awards.

The Del Castillo Live DVD, filmed and edited by Robert Rodríguez, was released in early 2004. Filmed at the famous Steamboat Springs on 6th Street in Austin, it captured the fire and intensity of their live performances. Also that year, Quentin Tarantino used a Del Castillo song in Kill Bill Vol. 2, performed by Chingon, Robert Rodríguez's musical collective of some of his closest musical compadres, including members of Del Castillo. Del Castillo, with Robert, performed as Chingon at the premier of the film in Los Angeles.

In the Spring of 2006, Del Castillo released their third CD, Brotherhood, which was immediately acclaimed by the media across the board.

In late 2006, Rick Holeman decided to retire from the band, and the group found a new percussionist, Carmelo Torres, to take his spot. Hailing from Los Angeles, but now living in Austin, Carmelo has proven a strong addition to the band, as musician and songwriter. The years 2007 and 2008 have found the group touring extensively, playing coast to coast, including many festivals. Wherever they go, they bring back more fans, and the legend continues to grow.

On 10 September 2012 Del Castillo announced on FaceBook: "Dear Del Castillo Fans, After 12 years of making great music together, the time has come for Del Castillo and Alex Ruiz to go our separate ways. We ask that you continue to support him and we wish him all the luck and success with his future projects. We will be finishing out the rest of this year's shows with guest vocalists and friends, and look forward to taking a much needed BREAK afterwar ds to regroup, refocus our energies, reorganize our business, and come back sometime next year with newfound energy and excitement, and an even bolder new sound. We hope that you will continue to celebrate Peace, Love, and Latin music with us until then, as we still have some amazing Del Castillo shows lined up for the rest of 2012!"