Fatherhood, cross-country road trips, wartime stories passed from one generation to the next, and philosophical skatepark conversations stitch together the fabric of Tody Castillo’s third full-length offering and 2022 debut album for Strolling Bones Records, Old Rodriguez. On his first body of work in 13 years, the Kingsville-born and Austin-based singer and songwriter ponders the past, present, and future across ten tracks. He shares his story through eloquently crafted songs steeped in rock, folk, and heartland traditions.
After gigging relentlessly throughout the nineties and two-thousands, he unveiled his self-titled debut, Tody Castillo, in 2004. It translated the horsepower of “getting in the van and playing shows” into fourteen tunes. 2009’s Windhorse saw him grapple with the passing of his brother. Simultaneously, he relocated from Houston to Austin with his wife and two sons. Not long after, he began to write songs for what would become Old Rodriguez. It took a little longer than expected but the album is on its way.
Producing the album himself, he recorded with GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Steve Christensen [Steve Earle, Robert Ellis, Khruangbin, Paul McCartney] joined by drummer Falcon Valdez [The Hold Steady, Ian Moore, The Happen-Ins], top notch keyboard player and record producer, Eddy Hobizal [Christopher Cross], and late great bassist and record producer George Reiff [Courtyard Hounds, Jakob Dylan, Joe Walsh]. Eventually, Old Rodriguez landed in the hands of Strolling Bones who signed Tody in 2021 with a plan to release not only this latest LP, but also properly re-release Tody Castillo and Windhorse.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Highway 59,” a standout track on the new record. This heavily melodic power pop rocker brings together revving guitar, crashing drums, and Tody’s catchy vocals that find him lyrically drawing from his experience as a young father in a small apartment in Houston. There is a folksy sensibility in the way he delivers his lyrics, but this song shows that he isn’t afraid to rock out.
Tody describes the inspiration behind the tune:
“This is about a man entering fatherhood in a crowded and noisy city. Longing for peace and quiet, but uncertain what to do when it arrives. Also, coming to terms with the fact that a peaceful quiet life may not be his anymore, or maybe never was.”
LISTEN:
