The Castros

Columbus, OH-based indie-folk duo The Castros just released their My Dear EP earlier this week and they’re celebrating by offering the cinematic title track as a digital single here on NoiseTrade. Led by vocalist Sara Castro’s cooling croon, “My Dear” starts out as a quiet, plaintive ballad that quickly evolves into a percussive, slinky Civil Wars-esque groove. Perfect for the season, “My Dear” will definitely end up on a lot of playlists this fall. - Noisetrade

With spot on harmonies and a variety of different musical arrangements, each song could stand on its own as a single, but will leave you thrilled they found their way together on this EP. - Tuned Up Magazine

Couple’s musical backgrounds combine to form ‘indie-folk pop’ band
-
Take a background in fine arts and songwriting, add a keen interest in music and lifelong exposure to Latin rhythms, and what do you get?

Answer: the Castros, a local band headed up by Westerville couple Marco and Sara Castro.

The band refers to its sound as “indie-folk pop.”

“I like the simplicity of it,” Sara says.

The couple, who met in Savannah, Ga., have been married for seven years, and have been performing together for four. Sara plays guitar and tambourine and sings; Marco plays guitar and percussion.

Though he was already a musician, Marco had nev

er played guitar before he met Sara – she’s the one who taught him to play – and while Sara had been writing songs for some time, she had never performed one until Marco encouraged her.

“I probably wouldn’t be doing it without him, honestly,” she says.

Sara started writing poetry in high school and soon transitioned to music.

“I probably first started turning it into songs in the early 2000s,” she says. “In 2002 or 2003 … I wrote my first song, (though) I didn’t show it to anybody, of course.”

The Castros started out playing in small venues such as coffee shops, and are now finding their way onto the bills at festivals and larger venues. They’ve also taken on supporting musicians – including harmonist Hannah DeBoer, bassist Jeff DeBoer, drummer Noah Tolson and cellist Andrew Gordon-Seifert – who’ve helped add depth, Sara says.

In August, they had a chance to be part of Songs & Whispers, a program that brings international musicians to play a month-long series of gigs in Germany. They also booked shows in Sweden and Denmark, and made visits to England and Ireland.

“We did a little bit of a European tour, I guess you could say,” Sara says. “That was a really great experience that we might not have gotten without music.”

The band was featured on Celebrating Columbus in Song, the CD put out for Columbus’ bicentennial, performing its song “Here in Columbus.”

Marco is influenced by a variety of genres, including the music of his native Costa Rica, while Sara – who grew up in Newark – is primarily a fan of folk and classic rock. Sara writes the songs. Though the Castros do play an occasional cover, the vast majority of their music is original.

Sara considers herself an emotional person, and that drives a lot of her writing. She has also been inspired by such musicians as Jewel, Ingrid Michaelson and Thrice.

“I’m influenced by music, but I think I’m more influenced by life and the things I encounter personally,” she says.

Love is a major theme in the band’s music, but spirituality, encouragement and even humor factor in as well.

Sara might be recognizable to Westerville residents through her work as a customer service librarian at the Westerville Public Library. She might also be known through her artwork. In addition to album cover designs, including the Castros’, she does cartoon portraits, graphic design, painting, drawing and more, making use of her associate’s degree in fine arts from The Ohio State University.

Some of her work – including “cute” versions of famous paintings such as Magritte’s Son of Man and Munch’s The Scream – can be seen and purchased at her Etsy page, Made with Love by Sara. The “cute” series was inspired by a Van Gogh print she saw while working at the library.

“I thought it would be cute to try to do that in my style,” Sara says.

The Castros are booked to perform at Java Central Dec. 6 as part of the Uptown Westerville coffee shop’s Saturday night live music series. The show begins at 7 p.m.

by Garth Bishop
October 31, 2014
10:43 AM - City Scene Columbus

Jumping the line to Thanksgiving... The Castros sing a song about "Pumpkin Pie". But its not just a song about "Pumpkin Pie". It's a song about love. Love of "Pumpkin Pie". No, wait, that's not it. It's a song about unrequited love (sort of). And, maybe, as you're staring into the eyes of the object of your affection, maybe, maybe you're thinking, "Hey, I bet she'd like me if I was a Pumpkin Pie. She couldn't resist me, then. She'd realize how delicious I am." Only your inner voice doesn't sound quite so stalkery. It's more of an Indie Folk/Sunshine Pop inner voice. Yeah, that's the ticket. I keed, I keed. But this song from The Castros is irresistible. As irresistible as "Pumpkin Pie" (do you ever feel you're caught up in an Abbott & Costello mind loop?).

"Pumpkin Pie" is a track from the latest Castros EP, "My Dear", which you can find on Bandcamp (in CD or digital formats) and pretty much everywhere else. And, as it turns out, all of their music seems to be equally as irresistible as "Pumpkin Pie". Have a slice. Go on. MMmmm. Good, isn't it? It's free from Noisetrade. Enjoy. You'll be back for more soon enough. - The Castros - Pumpkin Pie

Maybe you’re trying to lose that winter body, in which case you don’t want to go derailing your progress by cramming a giant slice of pie in your face. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still celebrate National Pi Day with pie! When you are at the gym later, you can totally load up your iPod with ALL OF THE PIE SONGS, which I will give to you RIGHT NOW:

The Castros – Pumpkin Pie - Brightest Young Things

What’s Thanksgiving dinner without a little (overindulgence on) dessert? The Castros are an indie-folk duo that mix a variety of genres together to create their own brand of Latin-flavored, acoustic- based pop songs. “Pumpkin Pie” is a plucky little ode to unrequited (or is it?) love and it cleverly uses the oh-so-delicious nature of the winter-squash-meets-Cool-Whip confection as a metaphor for desire and longing. Or maybe they just like pumpkin pie. “Pumpkin Pie” can be found on last year’s My Dear, a totally fall-friendly EP (of which two more tracks are currently available on our site as well).

[Original link OFFLINE: http://blog.noisetrade.com/2015/11/wills-weekend-wrap-up-the-dollyrots-rick-gallagher-the-castros-and-john-vorhaus/] - Use new link - Noisetrade

3.1416 Pi(e) Set #1:

Golden Smog: Pecan Pie

The Castros: Pumpkin Pie

Debi Smith (w/Doc Watson): Pie - WRIR

The Castros: My Dear: My Dear
Cody Jinks: Dirt: Adobe Sessions
Lana Del Rey: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: Honeymoon
Lydia Loveless: I Would Die 4 U: Single - WRIR 97.3FM

Das US-Folk-Duo „The Castros“ mit Sarah Castros unverwechselbarer, klarer Stimme verzauberte den Alten Markt. / The US-folk duo "The Castro" with Sarah Castro's unmistakable, clear voice enchanted the Old Market. - Kreiszeitung [Germany]

Here's a rousing set of songs about them for your listening pleasure. Enjoy! ~ JH

8) The Castros ~ “Pumpkin Pie” - Wax and Tracks

Doch auch und vielleicht gerade in dieser reduzierten Fassung erreicht der zumeist einfach strukturierte Akustikpop des Paars, der im Gros Melancholie mit dezenten lateinamerikanischen Einflüssen kombiniert, augenscheinlich direkt und ohne Umwege die Emotionen der Zuhörer: An CD- und Autogrammanfragen mangelt es den Castros nach ihrem Auftritt jedenfalls nicht. „Das ist genau die richtige Musik für einen solchen Abend. Die lateinamerikanische Leichtigkeit bringt zumindest ein bisschen Sommergefühl zurück“, befindet eine Zuhörerin. - Weser-Kurier [Germany]

Gegen Abend sorgte schließlich die Combo von The Castros aus den USA und Costa Rica für beste Stimmung. - Weser-Kurier [Germany]

Hauptgruppe am Sonntag ist das das amerikanische Folk-Duo „The Castros“. Im Sommer 2006 veränderten sich Sara und Marco Castros Lebenswelten schlagartig, als sich beide in Savannah, Georgia, begegneten – sie fanden zu einem Indie-Folk-Duo zusammen und kamen sich auch privat näher.

Marco Castro stammt aus Costa Rica und wurde von einer großen musikalischen Vielfalt beeinflusst, die von Heavy Music bis hin zu lateinischen Rhythmen reicht. Sara wuchs in Newark, Ohio, auf und war dem Classic Rock und der Folk-Musik verbunden. - Kreiszeitung [Germany]

Mittlerweile sind The Castros nicht mehr weg zu denken aus der Musikszene von Columbus, der Hauptstadt Ohios, wo sie auserwählt wurden, die Stadt mit einem Song anlässlich des zweihundertjährigen Jubiläums zu repräsentieren und sogar zur besten lokalen Band im Jahr 2013 gewählt wurden. In 2011 nahm das Duo die EP mit dem Titel „The Tiny Airplane“ auf. Zur Zeit sind sie mit der Aufnahme eines kompletten Albums beschäftigt – einen Vorgeschmack darauf wird es anlässlich ihrer ersten Europatour im August 2014 geben.

The Castros versuchen ihre Songs so zu schmieden, dass sie einen tiefen Sinn und große Bedeutung bekommen. Das ist die Essenz, woraus The Castros gemacht sind: Eine musikalisches Vergnügen für das Herz. - Waterfront Mall, Bremen Germany

The Castros och Grand trunk travellers

Creperie Lemoni 25/7 2014

Denna unika europapremiär för the castros från Columbus, Ohio. Till förband har de valt Grand trunk travellers. Denna lilla spelning på stans creperia är mysig och intim. Det är verkligen nära mellan publik och band vilket inte alls känns fel. Castros och gtt känns som en given kombination där musiken från de båda överlappar varandra genremässigt. Det är verkligen en kväll där bandet hänger med oss i publiken. En lysande kväll och betyget blir 10/10



MY Dear – The Castros20140805_132849

Svensk distribution: Jono media

The castros är ett spännande popband från Ohio med rötterna i Costa Rica. De gör trevlig klassisk indiepop i stil med Vaselines och Popsicle. De gjorde livedebut i europa i Uppsala den 25 juli 2014. Jag gillar verkligen enkelheten i deras musik. Samtidigt finns det svärta och inte minst djup i låtarna och en stor dos experimentlusta vilket inte överraskar med tanke på att latino möter USA. De lyckas med att få in latino utan att det blir Herb Alpert and the Tijuana brass. Betyget blir 8/10 och vi ska få höra första låten Pumpkin Pie med The Castros. - Kulturspanaren - Radio Fyris [Uppsala, Sweden]

They have infused their sounds with the influence of everything from Latin rhythms to classic folk.
A musical feast for the heart, some may say. And we agree - Indie Mag

Discovered these guys while looking for a cool opening band in Columbus, Ohio and was blown away. Such a cool vibe and a great sound - Checkered Owl

"If you listen closely to their self-described indie-pop folk, you can hear elements of salsa music, heavy metal and classic rock. Not the average recipe for music made by two acoustic guitars and minimal percussion, but they pushed each other in the right directions to create something that is different and familiar all at the same time" - The Columbus Magazine

“The Castros are doing meaningful work to further a cultural conversation. The next time you find yourself in central Ohio you might walk into a coffee shop or other venue and hear The Castros. I hope you do... ” - Working Rhythms

"There is something that differentiates this from the "coffee house" crowd. The haunting & beautiful voice, the simplicity of the music, and the sincere delivery shines a light on an amazing composition of a pop legend. Well done."
— THE SPIRITUALIST (Jan 20, 2012) - Working Rhythms

"This World (The Tiny Airplane) is one of those great, powerful songs that can take you to another, better place. Lovely, soft, lilting melody; beautiful singing."
— Frank Smith (Nov 07, 2011) - Sills & Smith

Before Monday open mic kicks off, enjoy a special set from Columbus, Ohio-based folk duo The Castros. A husband and wife team, Ohioan Sara Castro sings and plays acoustic guitar while Costa Rica native Marco Castro plays piano, glockenspiel, and acoustic guitar.

The two met in Savannah and have a track dedicated to the city that they released in February. Lush harmonies tell a story of falling in love beneath The Hostess City’s unforgettable Spanish moss and by our lovely river. Throughout their catalog, the band captures the same heartfelt, gentle nature.

Monday, May 28, 9 p.m., free, 21+ - Savannah Connect

The Castros: "Pumpkin Pie" [mp3]
The Castros: My Dear single [mp3]
The Castros: The Tiny Airplane EP [mp3] - Largehearted Boy