Del Castillo homecoming show

Del Castillo
WHEN: Sunday, May 4
8 p.m.
WHERE: Cine El Rey, 311 S. 17th St., downtown McAllen
COST: $15
FOR MORE INFO: www.cineelrey.com 

By Miriam Ramirez
mramirez@themonitor.com

 It's almost three in the afternoon and Del Castillo frontman Alex Ruiz just rolled out of bed.

Still a little bit groggy from the night before and his voice not yet fully functional, the first thing he can muster is, "we ran over a huge jackalope."

The singer shakes off the sleep, chuckles and and admits it was a long night.

"And tonight is going to be a long night too," Ruiz said from the band's hotel room in El Paso.

Since 2000 it has been non stop for the Austin-based (by way of Brownsville) Latin five-piece. If they're not collaborating with famed director Robert Rodriguez or rubbing elbows with Willie Nelson you can find them on stage across the Lone Star State and beyond.

But between their busy schedules, taking home Austin Music Awards and hometown love Del Castillo, an eclectic blend of Flamenco, Rock, Latin, Blues, and World music, hope they can finally break through to the mainstream where their musical counterparts and good friends Los Lonely Boys and Ozomatli, for example, sit comfortably.

They recently parted ways with their management company Lone Wolf Management and want to get back into the thick of everything Del Castillo related-that's business dealings, schedules, studio time,and of course working material.

For the last five years, the guys had felt slightly alienated and somewhat powerless. Ideally they could fill up any given venue in Austin and hot spots around the country but the band still hasn't quite made their mark in the music industry as they would like.

"We wanted to be more involved in what they were doing," Ruiz said of his bandmates, Mark and Rick Del Castillo, bassist Albert Besteiro, and drummer Mike Zeoli. "But that's what happens when you get into a corporate world, where it's all about the money."

Finally Del Castillo can express how they really feel.

"Corporate America says lemme hear a hit, lemme hear a hit and we haven't even crossed that threshold but we felt it-we've been feeling the squeeze."

Many times all of that pressure turns into a hindrance where music is concerned, he said. Del Castillo hasn't conformed to any mass market strategies or ways to exploit the Hispanic card. Their only strategy is to stick to what they know.

"We just feel like it will come when it will come, you can't force it," Ruiz said. "We're out here growing...from pollitos to roosters. We know there are people out there who will help us, back us up and help us follow our dreams. I feel like we can do it."

The band is working on their fourth full length album (the follow-up to Brotherhood) and putting the finishing touches on a live DVD which includes some unreleased material.

"It's a daily progress," Ruiz said. "Everyday It's a different occasion, we see the horizon and we're just trying to reach for it. Our biggest thing is going mainstream but not mainstream like changing our music...mainstream so that everybody knows who we are. We're very proud of everything we're doing and everything is coming together."

A breakdown of Brotherhood:

The Austin-based Latino sextet's third album adds a few more English language songs to its predominantly Spanish repertoire, but otherwise it's a natural extension of the flamenco, blues, rock and world music Del Castillo has perfected since its 2001 inception. The focus remains on brothers Rick and Mark del Castillo's fiery and usually frantic fret-slashing work on Spanish (ie: acoustic, nylon stringed) guitars, but the duo add their flashy fireworks to this hour-long disc with admirable restraint. Alternately bubbly and sizzling percussion from percussionist Rik Holeman along with enthusiastic singer Alex Ruiz fuels a set of predominantly originals that finds its groove between the band's Tex-Mex roots and the brother's jazz-tinged guitar work. Supporter and fellow Austin-ite Willie Nelson contributes lead vocals on his "I Never Cared for You," as a Spanish/English duet with Ruiz, with Asleep at the Wheel's Ray Benson handling production for the track. Not nearly as bluesy or Stevie Ray Vaughan-influenced as los Lonely Boys but with as much soul, this should appeal to pop fans as well as admirers of Al di Meola and Paco de Lucia's work. "Ganate el Mundo" swings on a walking bassline similar to a Mexican "Stray Cat Strut," especially in the guitar solo, and the spirits of los Lobos and Carlos Santana are never far from the surface. The mix of ballads with upbeat tunes, English and Spanish lyrics, is well-sequenced and should attract a larger audience. The sound is crisp and beautifully recorded, with the acoustic guitars perfectly balanced in the mix, making this a logical album to break Del Castillo into the wider recognition it obviously deserves and is gearing towards.

Miriam Ramirez covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4468.