11/3/2022 0 Comments Tower of power![]() ![]() I thought, ‘Man, if I could just get to Sacramento that would be it.’ That's literally how small my vision was.” The band has long since surpassed Castillo’s admittedly modest aspirations, traveling the world, enjoying hit singles on their own and backing some of the most legendary artists of the last 50 years – a list that includes Otis Redding, Elton John, Santana, the Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others. My idols were a local band called The Spyders and they had gigged in Sacramento. “I had no vision at all,” he recalls now. It's been very rewarding.” Castillo was only 17 years old when he met Kupka and started to assemble the band that would become Tower of Power. We've affected a lot of people's lives and done a lot of work that we're very proud of. We've been through a lot of ups and downs and learned a lot along the way. “You can't believe it? I'm the one that can't believe it. “People come up to me all the time and say, ‘Wow man, 50 years! We can't believe it,’” laughs Castillo. Adding a bittersweet tinge is the presence of founding bassist Francis “Rocco” Prestia, who passed away in September 2020. They join the renowned modern line-up of the band, featuring co-founder Stephen “Doc” Kupka on baritone sax, longtime drummer David Garibaldi, and lead vocalist Marcus Scott. Bandleader and saxophonist Emilio Castillo also invited back a few elite ToP alumni, including saxophonist 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. Fittingly for such a special occasion, Tower of Power went all out for these hometown shows, supplementing the core 10-piece band and its iconic horn section with additional horns and a string section. Released as a 3-LP set, a 2-CD/DVD combo, a standalone DVD, as well as digitally, 50 Years of Funk & Soul is the next best thing to hearing these brilliant musicians in person. ![]() Now available from Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group, the high-spirited live album and video offers a reminder of the communal joys of the live music experience, something that’s been sorely missed over this staggering pandemic year. The window-rattling grooves and raucous party spirit of ToP has been a balm for the soul throughout the band’s half-century existence, but the release of 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater – Oakland, CA – June 2018 couldn’t have come at a better time. Over the course of two memorable evenings in June 2018, legendary soul-funk-R&B outfit Tower of Power returned to Oakland, the city that started it all, to celebrate its landmark 50th anniversary with a few thousand friends, family and fans. ![]()
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