By: Shelby Lum
Jerry Castle isn’t concerned with churning out pop hit after pop hit, or even country hits for that matter. He’s working for something a little bit more for himself.
Nashville based Castle said that the way artists try and create popular songs today just isn’t conducive to an artist mentality.
So he began to make music for himself.
“I decided then that I was going to write whatever came out and I was going to record it however I wanted to record it,” Castle said.
After his sister left his jam band, Toast, which the sibling duo led, he found it necessary to strike out on his own, and began to create music different from his jam band roots. “Once my sister left the band…she was missed…so I was left trying to fill that void,” he said.
Castle didn’t start playing music until he was 20-years-old, but despite his late start, his childhood was surrounded by music. His father’s side of the family were all musicians, and Castle experienced that influence from a young age. “All of them had a volatile love-hate relationship,” Castle said. When they did get together they were happiest singing songs, he said.
“I remember from a very young age, that feeling magical to me,” he said.
After receiving a guitar for Christmas when he was 20-years-old, he was out touring a year later. This year’s release, Desperate Parade is a continuation of his skills as a singer-songwriter. The musician’s country-rock style of songwriting is filled with emotion, something he avidly attempts to push into his own music. His newest album shows his depth, and even allowed him to play around more with his own songwriting skills.
Look for Jerry Castle at Smith’s Olde Bar in the Atlanta Room on Friday June 14th. He might have a protein bar in hand (which he can’t travel without).
