Soul-blues rocker Tommy Castro is an unofficial ambassador for the San Jose music scene, having grown up in the South Bay’s musical mixing bowl of lowrider soul, San Francisco hippie rock, and Bay Area blues. He picked up a guitar at the age of 10, and went to as many concerts as he could as a young man, where he studied legendary musicians like Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal and Mike Bloomfield. Now Castro is the one onstage, inspiring future generations of artists in the South Bay and beyond. On Jan. 28, he and his band the Painkillers hit Moe’s Alley to celebrate the release of their new album, Stompin’ Ground.Â
INFO: 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 22 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.
