{"id":37895,"date":"2026-04-18T08:50:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T12:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=37895"},"modified":"2026-04-18T09:04:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T13:04:41","slug":"on-stage-extra-longtime-bluesmen-bring-show-to-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=37895","title":{"rendered":"On Stage (Extra): Longtime bluesmen bring show to area"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/div>\n
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Tinsel Ellis<\/p><\/div>\n

There are two shows coming to the area over the next few days that feature two similar musicians \u2013 two versatile and veteran musicians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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They both excel at playing guitar, writing songs and singing with emotion.<\/div>\n
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They both have been playing music for more than 50 years and have released more than 20 albums each.<\/div>\n
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Another similarity is that both are Alligator Records artists.<\/div>\n
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One has released his last eight albums since 2009 on Alligator Records while the other\u2019s five most recent albums since 2018 have been on the same Chicago-based label.<\/div>\n

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However, the similarity that binds the two together the most is that they are blues masters.<\/div>\n
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Tinsley Ellis, who turns 69 in June, has been making music since 1975. Tommy Castro, who just turned 71 on April 15, has been making music since 1970.<\/div>\n
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Fortunately, fans of blues music can get to hear both of the masters play live over the next few days just by taking two short drives to Bucks County.<\/div>\n
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Ellis will perform at Dharma Bums (4935 River Road, New Hope, www.dbums.com<\/a>) on April 19. Castro will headline a show at the <\/a><\/a>Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a><\/a>) on April 21.<\/div>\n
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Ellis\u00a0will celebrate the release of his new Alligator Records album,\u00a0\u201cLabor Of Love,\u201d\u00a0with a live solo acoustic performance at Dharma Bums in New Hope.<\/div>\n
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\u201cLabor Of Love\u201d\u00a0is his second acoustic album (after 2024\u2019s Blues Music Award-nominated\u00a0\u201cNaked Truth\u201d) and first acoustic album to contain all original material.<\/div>\n
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When the pandemic shutdown hit in March 2020, Ellis was forced to cancel the tour promoting his just-released album,\u00a0\u201cIce Cream In Hell,\u201d just six weeks into the 60-date run.<\/div>\n
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This would be the first time in 40 years he\u2019d be off the road, and as he drove the 2400 miles home from Reno to Atlanta, he was already formulating his future plans.<\/div>\n
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Ellis resolved to dedicate his pandemic-forced downtime to creating new songs and growing as a songwriter. To get back to his musical roots, he began composing on amps and guitars that he hadn\u2019t used for decades.<\/div>\n
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He explored obscure studio and live recordings from some of his greatest musical heroes, such as the Allman Brothers, Freddie King, Michael Bloomfield, and B.B. King and was inspired by his favorite artists all over again. Eighteen months later, Ellis had written an astonishing 200 new songs.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI was on the road non-stop and then it screeched to a halt,\u201d said Ellis, during a phone interview last week<\/div>\n
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\u201cI was off the road for two years, so I spent a lot of time songwriting \u2013 and staring into the abyss. I wrote a couple hundred songs in those two COVID years.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI did a lot of writing and re-writing. I\u2019d send the ones I liked to Bruce Iglauer (owner of Alligator Records) and he\u2019d give me an honest opinion.<\/div>\n
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\u201cBruce was like my mentor. I\u2019d send him the instrumentals for a song. When he asked me for lyrics, I knew he liked the song. He\u2019s like a taskmaster.\u00a0He\u2019s given me tough love.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Since the 2024 release of\u00a0\u201cNaked Truth,\u201d Ellis has been travelling on his own, performing solo all over the country in his jokingly named \u201cTwo Guitars And A Car\u201d tour. For Ellis, playing solo, acoustic blues has helped him tap into the raw essence of the music.<\/div>\n
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According to Ellis, \u201cI love doing these shows. No matter what I play, I like to have an edge. For me, just playing this music is a labor of love.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI sat at the feet of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Howlin\u2019 Wolf. I got into this music because of them. I always told myself if I could just make a living playing the blues, I\u2019d be, at least in my own mind, successful.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Solo shows and acoustic numbers are nothing new for Ellis.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI had always done some acoustic stuff in the middle of shows,\u201d said Ellis. \u201cI started looking forward to it.<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been an extension of myself and I love it. The fans seem to love it too.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Since his first Alligator album more than 30 years ago, Ellis has become a bona fide worldwide guitar hero. Ellis has performed in all 50 United States as well as in Canada, Western and Eastern Europe, Australia and South America — picking up legions of fans with his guitar virtuosity, passionate vocals and memorable original songs.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI started in 1979 on the road,\u201d said Ellis. \u201cIt\u2019s great to be playing shows. When we play new songs live, they start as the studio version and then we add to them and modify them.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Born in Atlanta in 1957, Ellis was raised in southern Florida. He found the blues through the back door of British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, The Animals, Cream, The Rolling Stones and Southern rockers like The Allman Brothers.<\/div>\n
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As he discovered the roots of these bands, he attended shows by B.B. King, Howlin\u2019 Wolf, Muddy Waters and every other blues artist who came through town.<\/div>\n
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Already an accomplished teenaged musician, Ellis returned to Atlanta and started playing with local bands. In 1981, along with veteran blues singer and harpist Chicago Bob Nelson,\u00a0Tinsley\u00a0formed The Heartfixers, a group that would become Atlanta’s top-drawing blues band. After cutting three Heartfixers albums for the Landslide label, Ellis was ready to head out on his own.<\/div>\n
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It\u2019s now 2026 and Tinsley is still happily on the road \u2013 and happily making a return visit to Dharma Bums.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI played Dharma Bums about two years ago,\u201d said Ellis. \u201cI had a good time. They\u2019ve got a really special vibe.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for\u00a0Tinsley\u00a0Ellis — www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ubWXTMdR24w<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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The show at Dharma Bums on April 19 will start at 7 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Tickets are $27.50.<\/div>\n
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Tommy Castro<\/p><\/div>\n

Tommy\u00a0Castro\u00a0and his band The Painkillers will bring their brand of blues to the Sellersville Theater \u2013 a venue he has played several times over the last decade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tommy\u00a0Castro\u00a0& The Painkillers featuring bassist Randy McDonald, keyboardist Dave Fleschner and drummer Stewart Burr are doing what they do most of the year \u2013 touring.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m ready to go back on the road,\u201d said\u00a0Castro, during a phone interview last week from his home in Palm Springs, California.<\/div>\n
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\u201cLive shows \u2013 that\u2019s our bread and butter. The bulk of money we make is from live shows.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Castro\u00a0is celebrating the release of his trailblazing new album,\u00a0\u201cCloser To The Bone.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Castro\u00a0— the four-time Blues Music Award-winner for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year — delivers what he calls, \u201ca record I\u2019ve always wanted to make.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cCloser To The Bone\u201d\u00a0is the most unvarnished, straight-ahead blues release of\u00a0Castro\u2019s career, one that bristles with every ounce of his dynamic energy and raw emotion.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI wanted to make a real low-down blues record \u2013 music I liked,\u201d said Castro. \u201cWe tried to create our own music based on our influences \u2013 blues, R&B, rock and roll.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI just wanted to make a real blues record. We did mostly covers. There were a handful of originals \u2013 songs to keep us honest. We kept the style of playing.\u201d<\/div>\n
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According to Castro, \u201cHere, I\u2019m not the contemporary guy, not the rock guy, not the soul guy. This is the deeper blues side of me. I know, with these songs, I am at my most authentic.\u201d<\/div>\n
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On \u201cCloser To The Bone,\u201d Castro mixes new originals (\u201cAin\u2019t Worth The Heartache,\u201d \u201cCan\u2019t Catch A Break,\u201d \u201cCrazy Woman Blues\u201d) with songs originally performed by many of his friends and heroes.<\/div>\n
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Artists and their songs include Johnny Nitro (\u201cOne More Night,\u201d on which Castro plays his treasured 1966 black Fender Stratocaster, a guitar once owned by Nitro himself), Magic Slim (\u201cHole In The Wall\u201d), Ron Thompson (\u201cFreight Train\u201d), Mike Duke (\u201cKeep Your Dog Inside\u201d) and\u00a0Chris Cain\u00a0(\u201cWoke Up And Smelled The Coffee\u201d).<\/div>\n
Castro additionally chose obscure songs by Wynonie Harris (\u201cBloodshot Eyes\u201d), Eddie Taylor (\u201cStroll Out West\u201d), Jimmy Nolen (\u201cThe Way You Do\u201d) and Johnny \u201cGuitar\u201d Watson (\u201cShe Moves Me\u201d).<\/div>\n
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According to Castro, \u201cThese are not the obvious artists people generally cover, and that was most definitely on purpose.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Tommy\u00a0Castro\u00a0& The Painkillers are currently nominated for three 2026 Blues Music Awards: Album Of The Year (\u201cCloser To The Bone\u201d), Song Of The Year (\u201cCan\u2019t Catch a Break\u201d) and Blues Rock Artist (\u201cTommy\u00a0Castro\u201d).<\/div>\n
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Castro\u00a0won\u00a0Blues Blast\u00a0magazine\u2019s 2025 Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year Award for\u00a0\u201cCloser To The Bone.\u201d The album placed #1 on The Big Blues Chart\u2019s Top 100 chart for most played albums of 2025.<\/div>\n
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When it was time to record the album, Castro knew which studio and producer he wanted to use.<\/div>\n
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\u201cCloser To The Bone\u201d\u00a0was produced by master guitarist and studio wizard Christoffer \u201cKid\u201d Andersen (producer of more than 100 albums) at his now-famous Greaseland Studio in San Jose, California.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe made the album in a couple of sessions,\u201d said Castro. \u201cWe played everything live. Then, we added a few things later.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. He fell under the spell of six-string stars like Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal and Mike Bloomfield. Almost every major rock and soul act, from Ike and Tina Turner to Janis Joplin to Tower Of Power, toured through the area, and Castro was at every show.<\/div>\n
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He saw John Lee Hooker, Albert King, and Buddy Guy and Junior Wells at a local club, JJ\u2019s Blues Bar.<\/div>\n
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\u201cJJ\u2019s was a little blues joint that opened in San Jose in the 80\u2019s,\u201d said Castro.<\/div>\n
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Castro often jammed at JJ\u2019s, dreaming of busting out and making a name for himself. He created his own personal sound and style by mixing the blues, R&B and funk music he loved into his own, instantly recognizable brand of uplifting, soul-healing music.<\/div>\n
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As his reputation spread, Castro played in several Bay Area bands, quickly making a name for himself as a hotter-than-hot live artist bursting at the seams with talent.<\/div>\n
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He formed the first Tommy Castro Band in 1992 and has not stopped touring since. In 1995, soon after releasing their first album on Blind Pig Records, The Tommy Castro Band were selected as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television’s\u00a0Comedy Showcase\u00a0(airing right after\u00a0Saturday Night Live).<\/div>\n
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Castro joined Alligator Records in 2009. His label debut,\u00a0\u201cHard Believer,\u201d launched to massive popular and critical acclaim. 2011 saw the release of the raucous\u00a0\u201cTommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue\u2014Live!\u201d<\/div>\n
In 2014, Castro & The Painkillers released\u00a0\u201cThe Devil You Know,\u201d followed by\u00a0\u201cMethod To My Madness\u201d\u00a0in 2015,\u00a0\u201cStompin\u2019 Ground\u201d\u00a0in 2017, and \u201cKillin\u2019 It — Live\u201d\u00a0in 2019. With 2021\u2019s \u201cA Bluesman Came To Town,\u201d Castro told the story of a young musician\u2019s journey through the blues world.<\/div>\n
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For Castro, it\u2019s always about the blues.<\/div>\n
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Referring to \u201cCloser To The Bone,\u201d Castro said, \u201cI just really loved making this blues album. And I love coming back to the Sellersville Theater.<\/div>\n
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“Sellersville is a gig we look forward to. You can count on it being a great evening. The audience is there on purpose.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for Tommy Castro \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/q7NBPDCwGF8<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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The show at Sellersville Theater on April 21 will start at 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Tickets start at $29.50.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times There are two shows coming to the area over the next few days that feature two similar musicians \u2013 two versatile and veteran musicians. They both excel at playing guitar, writing songs and singing with emotion. They both have been playing music for more than 50 years and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37893,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5166],"tags":[3912,5344,7159],"class_list":["post-37895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-tinsely-ellis","tag-tommy-castro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37895"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37903,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37895\/revisions\/37903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}