Tommy Castro & The Painkillers Celebrate New Album in Europe!

Tommy Castro & The Painkillers Celebrate New Album in Europe! Award-winning, California-based blues and rock sensation Tommy Castro will celebrate the release of his trailblazing new album, Closer To The Bone, with live Tommy Castro & The Painkillers performances in Europe from April 13 through May 3, 2025. Castro is the guitar slinging, soul-singing leader of the telepathically tight and wildly raucous Tommy Castro & The Painkillers. With Closer To The Bone......... Tommy Castro & The Painkillers Celebrate New Album in Europe! Award-winning, California-based blues and rock sensation Tommy Castro & The Painkillers Celebrate New Album in Europe! will celebrate the release of his trailblazing new album, Closer To The Bone, with live Tommy Castro & The Painkillers performances in Europe from April 13 through May 3, 2025. Castro is the guitar slinging, soul-singing leader of the telepathically tight and wildly raucous Tommy Castro & The Painkillers. With Closer To The Bone, Castro -- the four-time Blues Music Award-winner for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year -- delivers what he calls, “a record I’ve always wanted to make.” Closer To The Bone is the most unvarnished, straight-ahead blues release of Castro’s career, one that bristles with every ounce of his dynamic energy and raw emotion. “A great artist...impassioned vocals and pure inventiveness in his stellar guitar solos…He makes playing rough feel easy.” --Blues Music Magazine   “With a sterling reputation, guitarist and vocalist Tommy Castro is one of the foremost practitioners of electric blues. Searing delivery…rousing and teeming with emotion. [He is] a sheer, soaring tour-de-force.” --Living Blues “Castro plays gritty, string-bending blues like a runaway train...a glorious blend that rocks the soul and lifts the spirits.” --No Depression “Soaring vocals and swirling leads…showcasing Castro's testifying, confessional vocals [and] resonant emotional power as a singer.” --AllMusic Sunday, April 13, 2025 KIFF 7:30pm Aarau, Switzerland www.kiff.ch Tuesday, April 15, 2025 Jazzhaus 8:00pm Freiburg, Germany www.jazzhaus.de Wednesday, April 16, 2025 Colos-Saal 8:00pm Aschaffenburg, Germany www.colos-saal.de Thursday, April 17, 2025 Kleine Freiheit 8:00pm Osnabrück, Germany www.kleinefreiheit.info/index.php Sunday, April 20, 2025 Quasimodo 10:30pm Berlin, Germany www.quasimodo.club Tuesday, April 22, 2025 Meisenfrei Blues Club 8:00pm Bremen, Germany www.meisenfrei.de Wednesday, April 23, 2025 Museumskeller 8:00pm Erfurt, Germany www.hsd-erfurt.de Saturday, April 26, 2025 Augustibluus’ Season Opening Party 6:00pm Lubja, Estonia www.augustibluus.ee Wednesday, April 30, 2025 De Casino 8:30pm Sint-Niklaas, Belgium www.decasino.be Thursday, May 1, 2025 Metropool 8:30pm Enschede, Netherlands www.metropool.nl Friday, May 2, 2025 Moulin Blues 12:00pm Ospel, Netherlands www.moulinblues.nl Saturday, May 3, 2025 De Oosterpoort Rhythm & Blues Night 12:00pm Da Groningen, Netherlands www.spotgroningen.nl On Closer To The Bone (Castro’s 8th Alligator release), Castro and his Painkillers – bassist Randy McDonald, keyboardist Mike Emerson and drummer Bowen Brown – mix new Castro originals (Ain’t Worth The Heartache, Can’t Catch A Break, Crazy Woman Blues) with songs originally performed by many of Castro’s friends and heroes. Artists and their songs include Johnny Nitro (One More Night, on which Castro plays his treasured 1966 black Fender Stratocaster, a guitar once owned by Nitro himself), Magic Slim (Hole In The Wall), Ron Thompson (Freight Train) and Mike Duke (Keep Your Dog Inside). Castro additionally chose obscure songs by Wynonie Harris (Bloodshot Eyes), Eddie Taylor (Stroll Out West), Jimmy Nolen (The Way You Do) and Johnny “Guitar” Watson (She Moves Me). According to Castro, “These are not the obvious artists people generally cover, and that was most definitely on purpose.”   Closer To The Bone was produced by master guitarist and studio wizard Christoffer "Kid" Andersen (producer of over 100 albums and member of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats), at his now-famous Greaseland Studio in San Jose, California. Closer To The Bone finds Castro at the top of his game, bringing his seemingly limitless energy and boundless talent to the studio. Guests on the album include labelmates Andersen, Rick Estrin, Chris Cain and Billy Branch, along with saxophone player/vocalist Deanna Bogart, keyboard wizard Jim Pugh and, on three songs, the voices of The Sons Of The Soul Revivers.   After a series of successful releases on the Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street labels, Tommy Castro joined Alligator Records in 2009. His label debut, Hard Believer, launched to massive popular and critical acclaim. 2011 saw the release of the raucous Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue—Live!. In 2014, Castro & The Painkillers released The Devil You Know, followed by Method To My Madness in 2015, Stompin' Ground in 2017, and the irresistible Killin' It—Live in 2019. With 2021’s A Bluesman Came To Town, Castro told the story of a young musician's journey through the blues world. AllMusic said the album was "a towering achievement."   Castro received his fourth prestigious and coveted Blues Music Award for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year in 2023. He's taken home a total of 10 Blues Music Awards and is among the genre's most decorated artists. Castro's relentless road-dog approach--gig after gig, 150 nights a year--continues to earn him loyal, lifelong fans everywhere he plays. The Washington Post says Castro is "phenomenal and funky" with "soulful vocals and inspired blues guitar." Famed guitarist Joe Bonamassa says, "Tommy has always been top of the heap among blues guitar players. He always puts on a great show."   Tommy Castro & The Painkillers' deceptively simple approach on Closer To The Bone delivers one thrilling performance after another. Says Castro, “Here, I'm not the contemporary guy, not the rock guy, not the soul guy. This is the deeper blues side of me. I know, with these songs, I am at my most authentic.