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As a child of the 90s living in the South Texas town of Edinburg, Matt Castillo grew up listening to Garth Brooks, Dwight Yoakum, George Strait and Randy Rogers on CD. Having moved to the Valley from Austin when he was in the third grade, Castillo carried the music of these next-generation legends with him, letting it seep into his bones to influence his own unique style of country.
Castillo, who has carved out a D.I.Y niche as an Indie country artist, is set to play Cheatham Street Warehouse at 8 p.m. on Oct. 23, which will be par of his biggest tour to date, supporting his third album and first national release titled How the River Flows.
“We wanted to keep the South Texas flavor, but also to give it a universal vibe that will resonate with a wide range of listeners,” said Castillo of the 12- song album, which was recorded in Nashville with producer/songwriter Roger Brown.
Though Castillo carries with him the regional traditions of South Texas music, he infuses it with his own blend of oldschool country vocals and honky tonk dance vibes. His latest single “Say It” embodies the kind of infectious Matt Castillo charisma and energy that has made him a popular staple in Texas clubs and dance halls.
Castillo says that music has been a recurring theme throughout his life, but his journey in the Indie country music scene began in 2013.
“I found a group of guys here in Edinburg,” Castillo said. “We got together and started cutting our teeth in honky tonks.”
Castillo and his band released two self-produced albums, Small Town Stories and Still Sane. The second record, Still Sane — which was recorded at Yellow Dog Studios in Wimberley — gave their online presence a major push with their single “For You,” which racked up more than 100,000 streams. “We got a little bit of radio success,” Castillo said. “But it was a big challenge because we were kind of isolated from the rest of the Texas Music scene.”
Those albums set the creative stage for How the River Flows as Castillo discovered not only his own voice but more of what he wanted to say.
“That was part of my goal,” Castillo said. “This album took me two and a half years to write. I wanted to write really good music. To write songs with a strong message. Songs I could fall in love with.”
Castillo participated in writing 10 of the 12 songs on How the River Flows, working with songwriters like Brown, Neil McCoy, Karen Staley, Byron Hill, Tommy Conners and Don Rollins.
“I’m always trying to grow as an artist and songwriter,” Castillo said. “It hasn’t always come easy, but I’m always working at it.”
Castillo went on to say that How the River Flows is something like the soundtrack of his life through the transition phase from South Texas back to Austin. He recalled influential performances at the Nutty Brown Cafe in Austin and Randy Rogers Band at Billy Bobs that helped sharpen his focus on his own music.
“When I started in this music scene, this was the route I wanted to go,” Castillo said. “Those guys have been really good to me. Everybody’s so nice to each other. It’s not about competition. I try to take it from them and then help out the next person. If I’m confident, then there’s no need for me to have envy, or be jealous. I think, ‘What would Randy Rogers do?’ because there’s always going to be somebody coming up.”
That collaborative mentality has helped Castillo focus on what he can bring to the table as an independent country musician. “I’m a guy coming out of the Valley,” he said. “There’s not a lot of guys doing what we’re doing. I’m proud of that. I just want people to know that I’m doing this because I love it. I have a big heart in Country. I hope that when they see us live that solidifies what they already know.” Castillo went on to say that playing
Castillo went on to say that playing Cheatham Street has been one for his Bucket List of shows. “It’s been a goal of time to eventually sell out Cheatham Street,” he said. “It was really hard during quarantine because that’s how we make our money, so it’ll be a good night out. Good honky tonk with some dancing and music. We’re taking over Texas, one show at a time.”
Listen to Matt Castillo’s radio single “Say It” on Spotify and watch the video on YouTube. You can find more of Matt Castillo’s music on Facebook at facebook. com/MattCastilloMusic/ and on Instagram at instagram.com/mattcastillomusic
For tickets, visit cheathamstreet.com or call 512-353-3777.
Who's playing:
Matt Castillo at Cheatham Street Warehouse
Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $8 at cheathamstreet.com $10 Day of Show
