5 Questions with.... Tommy Castro

 1. Your move from Blind Pig Records to Alligator took a lot of people by surprise. Why the change?
I had a good experience with Blind Pig. They are good people, they worked hard for me, and we made some good records together. I believe Alligator can do more for me at this stage of my career. They have a great team and we share a similar vision.

2. The tracks sound fuller than the tracks on your previous works. How did you develop the arrangements?
I rely on a very talented producer and talented musicians. I have a good idea of what I want; then I let things happen organically. We go with the best ideas. We have a new rhythm section, too, and I think that might have something to do with it.

3. You use home-made baffles in the front and back of your blackface Super Reverb amp, and mic both areas. Is this the secret to your tone?
Don’t get me started on tone. I’ve been using a RedPlate amp lately and for the most part, I like it better. But I miss my old Super sometimes. I’ve been experimenting with [stomp] boxes, too. The reason for the baffles is that we use in-ear monitors. The sound of my guitar is very bright when it comes through my vocal mic, which is EQ’d with a lot of highs. We baffle so I only hear the guitar amp in my in-ears. This also helps my front-of-house engineer, Steve Spirn, get a better mix. Guitar amps can be very directional.

4 Do you ever play the same solo twice?
Yes, there are some, like “Hard Believer,” that I play live very close to the recording. But most of my solos vary from show to show. I’m always trying things to keep it fresh. That’s more fun and fits me better.

5. Is there anything happening in today’s blues scene that catches your ear?
The Blues Cruise thing is cool. Top blues acts on a ship in the middle of the ocean jamming until six in the morning—that’s never happened before. The exposure, networking and collaboration that results from having everyone together for a week has been a huge boost to the scene. I also dig the blues/jam band thing, à la Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Jackie Greene, and cats like that. It set a stage for young and older musicians to get together and create new sounds. Combining the energy of youth and the wisdom of age is very cool. —Jeff Schroedl