Geoffrey Castle
Interview
By Rock N Write
(SugarBuzz Las Vegas)
SugarBuzz Magazine
Get ready Los Angeles for a unique musical experience and a rare event this Saturday (6/26/10) with electric violinist Geoffrey Castle. What can you expect at his show? An out-of-the-box approach to the violin filled with high energy, genre after genre of music played by a true virtuoso, and nothing short of a great time. While classical artists have set the violin as the ambiance or the mood setters so-to-speak, modern day violist Geoffrey Castle has busted forward, bringing the nouveaux electric violin front and center stage.
I caught up with Castle over the phone and corresponded with him to further delve into the world of electric violins, what drives him as an artist, and what to expect at his upcoming show here in LA.
Tell us briefly what you do:
I play six string electric violin. I'm one of the only guys in the country who does what I do - creating my own live backing tracks and everything with one instrument. It's like a magic show. And it rocks. My favorite audience is an audience that doesn't think they'll like a violin concert. I'm on a mission to change the way people think of the violin, forever.
What genres do you play?
I've had a very strange musical journey... I've played pretty much everything from Blues and Funk and Classic Rock and Jazz to Balkan Wedding music, flamenco, and chants in sanskrit... Lately though I've been getting heavily into Celtic music, melodies from Ireland, and Scotland... There is so much you can do with music - it's a deep, deep well that you'll never get to the bottom of...
What can we expect at one of your shows?
This Saturday at Molly Malone's your audience should be prepared to be dazzled! Bamboozled! Flabbergasted! And, inebriated! LOL! It's like a magic show - if you've never seen or heard me before you're in for a treat.
Have you worked with any celebrity artists?
Yes. I'm in a band now that was put together by Alan White - the drummer for Yes, who also played and recorded with John Lennon and George Harrison - that includes members of Queen, Journey, Tower of Power, the Pretenders, Bad Company, the Hooters ... it's like Classic Rock Heaven, man! LOL!
I've also played with Blues Traveler, all the past and current members of Heart, Alice in Chains, members of Soundgarden...
But really, most of what I do is my own thing - these were just chance encounters...
Hey, speaking of celebrities, this Saturday the other band on the bill is called Cranky George and I'll be sitting in with them: the group features the accordion player from the Pogues (HUGE Irish rock band) and Dermot and Keiran Mulroney. You've seen Dermot at the movies. He was the best friend in My Best Friend's Wedding with Julia Roberts, and he was hilarious in About Schmidt with Jack Nicholson. He and his
brother are both very talented actors and directors, AND amazing musicians as well.
This will be a bit of a reunion gig for me: Dermot and I were friends back in High School and we were in a string quartet together, if you can believe it. This will be the first time we've played together in a long, long, long time. I can't wait!
What brings you to LA?
Two things: The show this Saturday night at Molly Malone's on S. Fairfax - show starts at 9pm: Get there early and say you're there to see Geoffrey Castle so I can get paid, okay? The club has this weird deal...
I'm also in LA to see my wife's twin boys graduate from High School! Congratulations Nick and Nathan!
My web site: www.GeoffreyCastle.com
Check out Geoffrey's show this Saturday, June 26, 2010:
Molly Malone's
9:00pm-11:30pm
575 South Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA