"A tunesmith of almost scary vision, narrative acumen and hooky instinct... writing songs is utterly programmed into his DNA"
- Rick Koster, The New London (CT) Day
"A rising Americana stand-out (his songs are) packed full of imagery and interesting chord progressions, all layered over some close harmonies and rhythms that are sometimes textbook country and sometimes a little more funky.”
- Folk Alley
"A multi-faceted diamond in a Kentucky coal mine. Chris Castle is a hidden gem that shines with diverse life experience. Great songs, great singing - deeply connected to the earth in which he was formed.”
- Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan, Levon Helm)
"Hollow Bones in Monotone was the best Folk album of 2007. The Drenched Earth Tour was one of the greatest musical experiences of my life."
- Shawn Henderson (106.1 fm WSCA)
"His songs are so well-written, they never seem sparse, despite their minimal production."
- The Cleveland Free Times
"A broken 'cotton leather pouch bucket guitarist' — that’s folk for genius."
- The Erie Wire
"Chris Castle sings his unique songs of depth and beauty with a voice well textured by life's experiences."
- Tommy Ramone (The Ramones)
"The Ohio Troubadour writes and sings in a style that combines elements of rock, country and folk with a literary slant that recalls the best work of Eric Brace, Peter Cooper and Buddy Miller."
- No Depression
"An authentic connection to the world-weary soul of American roots music."
- Cleveland Magazine
BIOGRAPHY
I was born a first-generation midwesterner, and raised in an Ohio trailer park by Pentecostal coalminers from eastern Kentucky. They'd migrated north, chasing factory jobs and a better life for their kids. They settled on concrete and music. I was singing in churches and at local festivals by the time I could hold a microphone, and playing bars at nine years old. When I was fourteen, my mother sold the trailer and moved us to Nashville, where I signed my first staff-writing deal before I was old enough to drive.
Songwriters like Casey Kelly (the Cowboy Rides Away), Wood Newton (Twenty Years Ago) and Earl Bud Lee (Friends In Low Places) taught me how to craft tunes, how to shave, and how to drive a stick shift. But the corporate side of Nash Vegas had instilled a deep distrust in me by the time I turned 21, and I left Music Row to self-release more than a dozen albums over the next quarter century. In that time, I've handled most of my own booking, press, and radio promotion; touring all 48 states in the continental US and breaking the top 10 on multiple Americana radio charts.
I've also built a dedicated fanbase using the Noah's Ark model... two by two. Not exactly a model for fame or fortune, but it has provided me a unique life far from that Ohio trailer park. I've made music with Americana OG's who I grew up admiring, and I've done it on my own terms.
MISCELLANEOUS PAST SHOWS
The Bluebird Cafe, Douglas Corner Cafe, Gilley's (Nashville, TN) The Crow's Nest (Youngstown, OH) The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Wilbert's Music Hall, The Winchester (Cleveland, OH) The Outer Space (Hamden, CT) The Stone Church (New Market, NH) Hygienic Art Park, Oasis Pub, Hanafin's (New London, CT) Jackie O's (Athens, OH) Marietta Brewing Co. (Marietta, OH) Lakeside Lounge (New York, NY) Natasha's Bistro (Lexington, KY) Bearsville Theater (Woodstock, NY) Black Eyed Susan (Angelica, NY) Words & Music (Vaughn, WA) The Filling Station (Bozeman, MT) Rhythm Records (Bismark, ND) Eddie's Attic (Atlanta, GA) Perks & Corks (Westerly, RI) Presque Isle Gallery (Erie, PA) The Electric Brew (Goshen, IN) Boyd's Jig & Reel, Preservation Pub, WDVX Blue Plate Special (Knoxville, TN) Taylor Books (Charleston, WV) The Mockingbird Cafe (Tallahassee, FL) Gram's Place (Tampa, FL) The Sentient Bean (Savannah, GA) Civic Media Center (Gainesville, FL) The Evening Muse (Charlotte, NC) The Cave (Chapel Hill, NC) John & Peter's (New Hope, PA) The Buttonwood Tree (Middletown, CT) Providence Social Club (Providence, RI) HALO Live, Everwild Spirits (Sandusky, OH) Ohio Music Fest (Mansfield, OH) The Ark (Ann Arbor, MI) Elysium Arts (Rollinsford, NH) Abilene (Rochester, NY) Kafe Kerouac (Columbus, OH) The Blue Mermaid (Portsmouth, NH) Spinoza's (Dayton, OH) Foundry Hall (South Haven, MI) Jackson Coffee (Jackson, MI) The Blue Mermaid (Portsmouth, NH) The Blue Bottle (Muncie, IN) Foundry Hall (South Haven, MI) The Ritz Theater (Tiffin, OH) The Red Square (Albany, NY)