Tommy Castro, Marcia Ball, Earl Thomas April 22, 2011

A night of Serious Blues and Dance Your Ass off Boogie Woogie featuring Tommy Castro, Marcia Ball and Earl Thomas.

Ever since he first picked up a guitar and started making music, Tommy Castro believed. He believed he would not only be able to make a living playing music, but could develop his own signature sound and style. From his start playing in local Bay Area cover bands to joining the much-loved Dynatones to touring the world with his own band, Castro’s belief in himself has been rewarded. Today he is famed not only for his hard-hitting, impassioned vocals and his blues-infused, rocking R&B sound, but also for his striking, original songwriting and exhilarating stage show. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, “Castro navigates seriously funky Southern soul, gritty big city blues and scorching rock…his silvery guitar licks simultaneously sound familiar and fresh.”

Four time GRAMMY Nominee and winner of eight Blues Music Awards, singer/pianist Marcia Ball knows how to raise roofs and tear down walls with her infectious, intelligent and deeply emotional brand of southern boogie, rollicking, roadhouse blues and heartfelt ballads. Over the course of her three-decade career, Ball has earned a huge and intensely loyal following all over the world. Her exquisite piano playing and passionate, playful vocals fuse New Orleans and Gulf Coast R&B with Austin's deep songwriting tradition into a sound No Depression described as "a little rock, a lot of roll, a pinch of rhythm and a handful of blues."

The story of Earl Thomas begins at a historical crossroads where African rhythms merge with European folk music and where sorrow creates soul. Interpreting a uniquely American music, this Tennessee born, San Francisco based artist achieves his distinctive sound from the international heritage of the blues, reflected in the multi-ethnic composition of his six-piece band comprised of musicians of African, East Indian, European and Asian descents. The Blues Ambassadors embody both San Francisco’s cultural diversity and the stylistic roots of the blues collaborating in performances that fuse contemporary style with rich melody and compelling showmanship. Considered one of the preeminent blues performers, Earl Thomas made his world stage debut in 1992 at Switzerland’s prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival and has released fourteen critically acclaimed CDs with Etta James, Solomon Burke, Janiva Magness, and Sir Tom Jones covering his songs. In his music the cadence of the Blue Ridge Mountains blends with San Francisco city lights weaving through an American national identity redefining the blues for a new audience and a global generation.

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