If you want edgy, talk to Randy Castello. He's earned a rep for nurturing emergent sounds and scenes as the talent buyer for Drunken Unicorn and the man behind Tight Bros Network promotions company. When he announced his split from Drunken Unicorn last week (due to undisclosed, irreconcilable differences), it sounded like the perfect time to talk to him about his evolution and how he has, in turn, affected Atlanta's.
"I started booking at the old Eyedrum [in late '99] 'cause I really wanted to start kicking some ass and getting [the scene] on.
"I remember when I was a kid seeing Smoke and a lot of that post-Destroy All Music [scene] was kinda still lingering. And then it just seems like it just died one day. There was no place facilitating it.... It just seemed like everything got lost and there really was no cohesive scene going on. And the local bands that were getting the local press from Creative Loafing were kinda shitty. You know, like these shitty pop-punk bands.
"I think putting on good shows gets people excited to go out and form a band or form a group. Towards the latter part of my tenure at Drunken Unicorn with all those hip-hop shows, I could see it on all those kids' faces like, 'Man, I wanna be up there. I can do that.' And that's all it takes is that little spark to ignite someone to jump in the studio or jump on the stage and kill it."
Castello will mark his return to booking shows at Eyedrum on July 4, when he hosts Two Live Crew. www.tightbros.net.
COMMENTS
RE: Randy Castello
Posted by Cold Coconut on 06.10.08 @ 05:40 PM
Meet this guy named Randy, who was promoting a show I was playing with my band that night, at 11 am at a park in Atlanta because he has no home to send us to.
"Dudes, before we go to where y'all are gonna stay tonight we just gotta swing by this pizza place old baller works at."
Dude walks out of said pizza parlour at 11:30 in the morning with a slice in a to-go-box.
"Yo...you gonna eat that or what?"
"No man, the more you eat the more you wanna eat, so I'm just gonna save it."
Day progresses:
-- we visit home we were meant to sleep in.
-- Randy picks up a briefcase and a set of golfing clubs
-- we go golfing
-- we wander looking for things to get into. I think we found them.
-- after soundcheck we offer Randy to join us for dinner at El Myr.
"No thanks guys, got this slice" still in the box untouched.
-- At 9:00 am at 24/7 dance club with the sun long past rising exposing our busted separating capilaries, me and my band ask Randy if he wanted to come crash at that house he hooked up for us.
"No thanks dudes, got good peeps still on their way. Tons a hos, tons a dawgs, coming down."
Slice of pizza in the box in his hand untouched.
RE: Randy Castello
Posted by Big L ovator on 06.03.08 @ 07:53 AM
I was lucky enough to experience randy the roomate... not only is he a musical genious but hes hysterical, i mean laugh til' you pee funny, he's handy (he'll catch fruit flies faster than a frog), and hes a good teacher. I'm an idiot when it comes to music but he's introduced me and showed me other music genres as well as some AWESOME underground music I would never have thought to listen to. He's the ballenest kirkwooder in the ATL! love u randy! misss you too ={
RE: Randy Castello
Posted by cha on 05.31.08 @ 08:43 AM
randy has been a major force in the ATL music and arts scene comeabout without, fortunatly, being pretentious for a minute. its funny, i live in austin, and have been going to MJQ for years when in town-so, a visitor. the last time i went, i was thinking, are these the coolest high school seniors in the world? cause the tude was so thick i tasted it in my PBR. im just glad that atlanta still has the true blue folks like mr costello to keep it real. much love randy.