Rick Estrin and the Nightcats Light Up The Torch Club

2012-04-01T22:25:52Z

First, a disclaimer: I have been a fan of The Nightcats since “Little Charlie” Baty fronted the band in the 80’s.

Balancing this potential (but not actual) bias, however, was my lack of enthusiasm at the idea of venturing out, dateless, into the pouring rain on Saturday night to see them perform.

But venture I did.

I arrived at The Torch Club little after the beginning of the first set—which, by the way, lasted an amazingly energetic hour and fifteen minutes—and the place was already wall-to-wall people. I claimed the last empty barstool, and wished I’d dressed for the weather indoors, which was about ten degrees warmer than the nastiness outside. What little dance floor exists in front of the stage was crowded with couples, trios, and girls who just wanted to have fun. The Nightcats’ beat tends to be contagious, so there were a lot a lot of people sort of bouncing at bar tables, and, as the night wore on, clusters of people created small makeshift dance floors in various spots around the room.

The Torch Club is really the ideal venue for Rick Estrin and the Nightcats, old school and intimate, but able to draw a crowd as diverse as its Downtown neighbors. This night was no exception. The crowd ran the gamut from twenties to sixties, easily. There were girls in party dresses, and good old boys in cowboy hats. Bartenders slid everything from coffee drinks with four inches of whipped cream to vodka cranberries to countless bottles of beer across the bar.

Up front, Rick Estrin was a powerhouse on the harmonica, belting out songs from their longtime repertoire, engaging the audience in tunes like “Dump That Chump,” and also showcasing new material from an upcoming CD. Always slick in a signature sharkskin suit, Estrin played the crowd as smoothly as he played the harp. The most recent addition to the band, guitarist Chris “Kid” Andersen, who came from playing with Charlie Musselwhite, showed some crazy skills of his own. Strutting across the stage, hair flying, fingers on fire, he makes a more than fine showing in the position once held by the ban’s former front man, Little Charlie.

It’s true that I have a history with the Nightcats, first fronted by great guitar man Charlie Baty, and now in the title role, their long-time vocalist and harp player, Rick Estrin. But as with so many artists I have loved over a lifetime, every time I buy a ticket, I think, Is this going to be it? Is this the show that will be one too many? The one I wish I hadn’t seen? Or more accurately, heard? I’ve already experienced that show with a few of the bigger names, but Rick Estrin? Not even close.

Tommy Castro to Rock the Powerhouse Pub

2011-12-09T07:02:51Z

This Saturday, Tommy Castro – deemed one of the hardest working musicians in any genre – will bring his signature sound, a blend of blues, R&B and roots rock ’n’ roll, to Folsom’s Powerhouse Pub.

“Castro navigates seriously funky Southern soul, gritty big city blues and scorching rock,” Carlos Santana has said. “His silvery guitar licks simultaneously sound familiar and fresh. He has the voice and the sound to touch everybody’s heart.”

Castro began playing guitar at age 10, and he cites Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield among his early influences and Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and B.B. King among his later guitar influences. Soul singers like Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett and James Brown provided Castro’s vocal influences.

Castro’s résumé is lengthy, dating back to the late 1980s when he joined Warner Bros. artists The Dynatones, a rocking soul band that toured the United States and had an extended fan base. The first Tommy Castro Band formed in 1991 and won the Bay Area Music Award for Best Club Band in 1993 and 1994.

Castro’s second album, “Exception to the Rule,” on the Blind Pig label, won him the 1997 Bay Area Music Award for Outstanding Blues Album. That same year, Castro garnered the Outstanding Blues Musician award.

More albums followed a three-season stint on NBC’s “Comedy Showcase” as the house band. Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street Records produced critically acclaimed albums from 1995’s award-winning “Exception to the Rule” to 2007’s “Painkiller.” In 2003, Castro also released “Gratitude” under his own Heart and Soul label.

In 2001 and 2002, Castro was invited to open B.B. King’s summer concert tours. King also extended an open invitation to join in the nightly finales.

In 2010, Castro won four blues music awards including his second B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award, the most coveted and highest award a blues performer can receive. He also took home the Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year, the Contemporary Blues Album of the Year and Band of the Year awards.

Castro’s latest offering from Alligator records is “Tommy Castro Presents the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue – Live!” featuring Castro with Rick Estrin, Janiva Magness, Debbie Davies, Theodis Ealey, Joe Louis Walker and others. About the newest release, Castro said that the artists represent the span of the United States and the different styles of blues within.

Attendees at Saturday’s concert can expect Castro performing songs from his 2009 award-winning Alligator Records release, “Hard Believer.” Castro said that this will be the last performance in the Sacramento area with the current band members, that changes would be made after the first of the year for artistic purposes.

The show begins at 10 p.m., and tickets are $15 in advance or at the door.

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Rick Estrin and the Nightcats Light Up The Torch Club

Tommy Castro to Rock the Powerhouse Pub