Reader Spotlight: Lou Castro
Meet Lou Castro, our bassist in the spotlight for March 16th, 2010.
Bio:
I’ve worked or played with Arthur Adams, Mandrill, Vivian Campbell, Keiko Matsui, Wayne Newton, Chuck Berry, Johnny Tillotson, Don Was, Mitchell Froom, Dave Smallen, etc.
Location:
North Hollywood, CA, USA
Day gig:
This is my day job!
Years experience:
I’ve been playing since 1969!
Bands & Gigs:
I gig with Arthur Adams (DeltaGroove Records). I also hacve a trio called Oui’ 3. I’m also hired gun for different people’s projects or gigs.
Gear:
- SWR 750 with (2) Goliath 4-10 cabinets.
- Mackie M-1400 with an Alembic F-2B pre-amp
- Line 6 LD 400 Pro
- Ampeg SVT with 8-10 cabinet
Why I play the bass:
It seemed to me that there were too many guitar players and not enough bass players. And there’s usually only one in the band. However, everyone has an opinion on what they want to hear which is not a bad thing. You learn to hear different perspectives in a song and help the artist bring their vision to fruition.
My bass superpower/claim to fame
I’m very versatile as player. I also sing lead and background vocals, play upright, keyboards, some guitar, and percussion. I also produce, arrange, and write.
My influences
James Jamerson, Paul McCartney, Chris Squire, Berry Oakley, Paul Jackson, Francis Rocco Prestia, Jaco Pastorious, Marcus Miller, John Wetton, Jimmy Johnson, Jimmy Haslip, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Charles Mingus, John Paul Jones, Willie Dixon, Lee Sklar, Will Lee, Gary Peacock, Allan Woody, Bernard Oden, and about 50 million others.
More on the web:
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