E M I L I O  C A S T I L L O

FOUNDER

of

Legendary soul/funk/R&B/jazz/group 

T O W E R  O F  P O W E R

EXCLUSIVE ZOOM INTERVIEW

with RAY SHASHO

on INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

When sax player Emilio Castillo put together the band that would evolve into Tower of Power in 1968, he had no grand expectations. “We were hoping to get good enough to play the Fillmore,” Castillo said. “I started the band in Fremont, at John F. Kennedy High, with my brother Jack, who was the original drummer. The band moved up to Oakland and took off, packing clubs with their horn-driven sound. “Oakland is our sound,” Castillo said. “I always say, ‘You can take the boy out of Oakland, but you can’t take Oakland out of the boy.’ Looking back on the band’s history, Castillo said he’s satisfied with what they’ve accomplished. “We’re not a band that reinvents itself every time we go into the studio. We sound like Tower of Power and there’s nothing we can do about it. At first, I thought it was a curse but, as we kept evolving, I realized it was a blessing. We kept chipping away at the sculpture we were creating. The aim is to arrive at a masterpiece. You have to tell us if we’ve succeeded.” 

The groups latest release is TOWER OF POWER 50TH ANNIVERSARY 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater captures Tower of Power’s storied career with no-holds-barred victory lap concerts in Oakland, CA on June 1 & 2, 2018, performing their full spectrum of life-affirming funk and soul hits.

Available as a 3-LP set, 2-CD/1-DVD package, standalone DVD and digital audio configuration, these historic performances include special guests Lenny Pickett (musical director of the Saturday Night Live band); keyboardist Chester Thompson (Santana); guitarist Bruce Conte and former vocalist Ray Greene, who shows off his trombone prowess. TOWER OF POWER 50TH ANNIVERSARY is available now at amazon.com.

Purchase

TOWER OF POWER 50TH ANNIVERSARY

OUT NOW!

50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater captures Tower of Power’s storied career with no-holds-barred victory lap concerts in Oakland, CA on June 1 & 2, 2018, performing their full spectrum of life-affirming funk and soul hits.

Available as a 3-LP set, 2-CD/1-DVD package, standalone DVD and digital audio configuration, these historic performances include special guests Chester Thompson, Lenny Pickett, Francis ‘Rocco’ Prestia, Bruce Conte and Ray Greene.

Available at amazon.com

Here’s the full track listing for the live album:

1. Stroke ‘75

2. Ain’t Nothing Stopping Us Now

3. You Ought to be Having Fun

4. Soul with a Capital “S”

5. Stop

6. You’re So Wonderful, So Marvelous

7. On the Serious Side

8. Just When We Start Makin’ It

9. Soul Vaccination

10. What is Hip? / Soul Power

11. Do You Like That?

12. Drop It in the Slot

1. Can’t You See (You Doin Me Wrong)?

2. Maybe It’ll Rub Off

3. Don’t Change Horses

4. Squib Cakes

5. On the Soul Side of Town

6. Diggin’ on James Brown (Medley)

7. So Very Hard to Go

8. Knock Yourself Out

9. You’re Still a Young Man

10. Souled Out

For more information

about

Emilio Castillo

and

TOWER OF POWER

Visit

www.towerofpower.com

official website

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTowerOfPowerBand/

facebook

https://twitter.com/OfficialTOPBand

twitter

https://www.instagram.com/towerofpower/

Instagram

Athalia was born and raised in Chicago, IL, and is a mom of two young adults. Last year, during the Pandemic, she self-published her first book “Why the Secrets”, a story about a family secret that caused a lot of hurt, confusion, frustration, and division. There are multiple messages here, which include the importance of open, honest communication, and how having it in this situation, could have alleviated all of this. The book can be purchased online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Google Books.

She also launched her online business, "Pouches By ALAHTA", during the Pandemic, using a stylish hairbrush pouch she uniquely designed for traveling needs, which accommodates different sizes and shapes of hairbrushes and combs. Pouches are available at https://pouchesbyalahta.com/.

"I’m a firm believer of working hard at your passion, living out your dreams, and just never giving up. Being able to help people in whatever way I can has always been a part of my life. With this Podcast, I’m hoping to do just that, help as many people as possible with the conversations and information shared. Hopefully, someone will experience personal or professional growth, maybe both".

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Patricia Kurgan is the founder and President of Astro Logistics, Inc., a business consulting and transportation logistics firm, and researcher for The Kim Monson Show. Patti has extensive interaction with businesses, community boards and constituents on policy issues through grassroots efforts. Additionally, she has testified numerous times on behalf of small business owners and constituents in state hearings. Patti enjoys the beauty of Colorado and hiking with her family.

Joel Franco tells compelling stories with an elegant voice, a crisp Italian sensibility and beautiful pictures. Franco’s experience, vision and intensity bring leadership, heart, and an eye for detail to his films. His understanding of the human condition and his passion for authenticity combine to create artistic, highly commercial works that draw the audience in and make them feel. Franco’s genuine desire to protect the integrity of each story and to bring out the best in the actors and crew have made him a trusted source for getting the job done. Colleagues trust his refreshing character and understand that he is a man of commitment and does what he says he will do, when he says he will do it.



Joel Franco was born in Italy and came to the United States in his late teens where he quickly immersed himself in American culture and film. According to Franco, “I have always admired American films. The American school of acting has a long history of producing great actors and I wanted to be a part of the world of film–a place where captivating stories are unveiled. The creation of film plays into my strengths: I love that magic is the result of the creative process. There must be passion to nurture the momentum of the story. And one must have intense focus to get the job done.” 



Influenced by American filmmaker Sidney Lumet for his vigorous storytelling and Italian director Robert Rossellini for his social realism, Franco is dedicated to staying true to the story in a fast paced, realistic and refined style. 



In 2006, Franco partnered with Solidaris LLC to found Chesapeake Films, LLC. Chesapeake Films has option agreements to produce several feature films and plans to produce two features per year in-house and to collaborate with established film companies for additional opportunities.



Joel Franco is a graduate of University of Maryland/Baltimore, a graduate of the USC-Universal Producing and Directing Program, and holds an M.F.A. in film production from the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

joelfranco@youthsports-themovie.com