Multiple award-winning guitarist, vocalist, and bandleader Tommy Castro is a California-based blues and rock powerhouse. For over four decades, he’s captivated audiences with his soul-drenched vocals, searing guitar work, and high-energy live shows. As frontman of the telepathically tight and wildly raucous Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, he’s released 17 albums that span a wide stylistic range—from horn-driven R&B and hot-blooded soul to gritty, stripped-down rock and electric blues. With his latest and eighth Alligator Records release, Closer To The Bone, Castro returns to his roots, delivering what he calls “a real blues record, the way they would have made them back in the day.” Produced by guitar master Christoffer “Kid” Andersen at San Jose’s Greaseland Studio, the album is Castro’s rawest and most direct blues effort to date.