Check Out Rick del Castillo’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick del Castillo.

Hi Rick, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Brownsville, Texas. I’ve been playing guitar for over 40 years. I’ve toured throughout the ’80’s & 90’s with my rock band Akasha. I played the local Blues circuit and started honing my recording skills while living in Seattle for three years. I moved to Austin in 1995 where I started playing locally while teaching guitar and recording local musicians at my home studio, Smilin’ Castle Productions. In 2000 my brother Mark and I started the band Del Castillo. We began playing in Austin and quickly gained a great reputation earning 17 SXSW awards (I received Producer of the Year-2x’s) and grabbing the attention of filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. We’ve been working with him ever since and have created a side project for his movies called Chingon. In 2008, I got married and moved to Kyle and built my dream studio. Del Castillo has recorded with Carlos Santana & Willie Nelson and has toured the US and Europe performing with bands such as Los Lobos, Styx, Los Lonely Boys & Don Henley to name a few. I’ve continued to work with Robert Rodriguez on his movies while working with Del Castillo and recording local musicians. At the moment, I’m working on two sings through musicals while giving online guitar lessons.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I was a kid, I always dreamed of “making it big”, getting signed to a label and touring the world. That never happened. But I didn’t know what else to do other than music so I kept plowing. When I moved from Seattle to Austin, I was exhausted. I came from a band that had the same five members and crew for ten years to playing with 25 different musicians in three years. When I arrived in Austin, I began working construction while slowly beginning to get guitar students. This was the lowest point in my life. I thought, “well, this is it, my dream never happened”. Then the band Del Castillo came out of nowhere and I have been blessed to have been able to sustain a career in music ever since.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m primarily known as a guitarist and record producer. I’m also known as a musician who composes music for film, tv & commercials. I’m very proud of the accomplishments and awards my band “Del Castillo” has garnered over the years. I guess my greatest accomplishment to date was watching a 32 piece orchestra at London’s Abbey Road Studios perform music I composed for the short film Killing Snakes in studio II, the same studio The Beatles recorded most of their music! I’m very proud of a project I did called “Costello Roquero” where Alex Ruiz (singer for Del Castillo) and I recorded our versions of famous late ’60’s and early 70’s Italian songs. There are some amazing songs on that cd. What sets me apart from others is I can pretty much do it all when it comes to writing, performing, recording and producing. With recording and producing, I feel like I connect with the people I work with and help them feel at ease so they can relax while expressing their dreams.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My wife. She’s what makes everything I do so beautiful! With Love, all things are possible.

Pricing:

• Studio Recording Rate $60.00 Hr.

Contact Info:

• Email: rick@smilincastle.com
• Website: smilincastle.com
• Instagram: smilin castle
• Facebook: smilin castle productions
• Youtube: Del Castillo

Image Credits
David Barrow, Mark del Castillo, Alan Williamson