The Rambling Gypsy

Porch-Side Strumming with Matt Castillo

• The Rambling Gypsy • Season 1 • Episode 10

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Join me and my special guest, Texas country music artist Matt Castillo, for an intimate porch-side session that will stir your soul. We dive into Matt's musical evolution from a '90s country lover to a seasoned artist, sharing laughter-filled memories and musings on small-town dreams. We get candid about the emotions and trials of life on stage, paving our own paths, and following our passions. From starting a band to the magic of album-making, our conversation is a tapestry of stories that will leave a lasting impression. So join us on this episode of The Rambling Gypsy Podcast, where every chord strikes a story and every tale sings.

Matt Castillo Links
Website: https://mattcastillomusic.com 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/mattcastillomusicllc
Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/mattcastillomusic
TikTok:   https://www.tiktok.com/@mattcastillomusic 

The Rambling Gypsy podcast is a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of real Texans doing real sh*t. We're pulling back the curtains on our daily lives - and you're invited to laugh and learn along with us.

Links:
http://www.youtube.com/@TheRamblingGypsy
https://www.facebook.com/GypsyMammaTiff/
https://www.instagram.com/GypsyMammaTiff/
https://www.theramblinggypsypodcast.com/
https://www.ramblinggypsy.boutique/

Speaker 1:

Hey everybody, I'm Tiffany Foy. Welcome to the Rambling Gypsy podcast. Oh, we're already starting, we are starting. Oh, we are here, you're on my porch, you have a beautiful porch, by the way.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, I love it.

Speaker 1:

Thank you. So um you guys, this is Matt Castillo. Today is Matt Castillo day. I love it Check out my hat If you want to see my hat. He's got some amazing merch, but um, yes, so this is my porch. This is where me and Kel Kel tell um, we solve all the world's problems. And this is where we talk shit.

Speaker 2:

And this is where we we talk about all the goofy things that happen, and it's awesome yeah, as I get out of that Tracy Lawrence song if the world had a front porch. There you go. Yeah, we gossip, we talk trash and we. I love that. That's the best kind we cry, we, laugh, we, whatever. So what is that? Saying it ain't? It ain't talking shit?

Speaker 1:

If it's true, there you go, so, and you are my first, first guest on my podcast.

Speaker 2:

Well, thank you, what an honor.

Speaker 1:

I'm so excited that you're here.

Speaker 2:

Look, I've seen this place, but now that I'm very like I'm in golf now this is beautiful and I like being on the front porch.

Speaker 1:

It's so good to hang out on the porch we're going to get drunk on the front porch. There you go, I'm in yes.

Speaker 2:

It's been a long week, so we're good.

Speaker 1:

So I want to um um. Mackistio is a musician, a Texas musician, musician say that Artist musician entertainer entertainer uh, go getter, there you go. There you go, you guys, and um, that might be a song.

Speaker 2:

That might be a song. Might have heard that song, and then the window, yeah, so let's talk about um who is Mackistio?

Speaker 1:

Let's tell everybody. Let's introduce Mackistio and this, let's start.

Speaker 2:

Let's start there, let's start.

Speaker 1:

I want to know um, how did this whole thing start for you? When? When's the first time you picked up a guitar? When was the first time that you thought you know what?

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

This is what I'm going to do.

Speaker 2:

Well, go back to. I was born in Austin, texas. There you go.

Speaker 2:

I was raised in Edinburgh, texas, and so my mom is a huge 90s country fan, right. So the story's just complicated. It just kind of goes back and forth. But I always remember listening to 90s country with my mom in the car, whether it be you know on the radio or just you know pop a show or age like cassette tapes and CDs and stuff like that. So I always enjoyed opening up a CD and looking at the cover and then looking at the notes and like all this they had a bunch of pictures and I guess you know.

Speaker 2:

So I was like this is awesome. And so when I moved down to the valley, um, I moved with my aunt and uncle to get an education and my mom was working two jobs trying to put her roof over her head. It's just kind of hard and growing up now I kind of understand the sacrifice that she made for me to get an education to get all these things.

Speaker 2:

So when I was in Edinburgh going to school, I leaned on 90s country you know, and it was still around you know, you said all this stuff so, but I just woke up every day listening to it you know and I'll call my mom and I try to remember, I'll try to memorize the song.

Speaker 2:

So if I saw her during the holiday, like if it's spring, spring break right now, so I'd be coming up to Austin and I'd we'd be in the car and I'd try to learn all the songs that she liked and to impress her, and so they kind of just became part of my everyday, like breathing right 90s was. Was that so? When I got into high school, my sophomore year asked my mom for a guitar, and so one Christmas she came in, she hand me this guitar, and I was like oh crap.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

What are all these things? What are these frets? What are these? How do I figure?

Speaker 1:

this out. What do I do with this thing?

Speaker 2:

You know, and so I just started learning on my own and my uncle had a book. I would go back home to Edinburgh and my uncle had a book of chords, so I would memorize the chords and learn them and then at the time you can print out lyrics and chord sheets and learn. So the first song I ever learned on my guitar was a much too young to feel this damn old.

Speaker 2:

So, I remember playing that from my mom and she was just. I don't know if she could hear me over the phone or not.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I assumed that she was impressed.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

So then that just kind of cultivated into more. And then my boys would come over, my friends would come over and we jam out to all my favorite country covers, and so that just kind of started and went into college Fast forward. I go to college and I'm not ready for college and I get kicked out of college. I was on academic probation and I skip class and I think my first semester I got a. I joined a fraternity and then I got my grades at the end of the semester. No, my GPA was 1.0 and I was like holy crap.

Speaker 1:

You got something on the board there.

Speaker 2:

I mean, at least you got something.

Speaker 1:

That one was a big one, that was a big one Thank you to that teacher, professor, anyways.

Speaker 2:

So that happened a few times because I was not ready and so I got kicked out and I lied to my aunt and uncle and I lied to my mom and said I just miss Austin, I don't want to, I don't want to tell him. I got kicked out of college, right, they probably knew, they just wanted to save me from their moms.

Speaker 1:

I can promise you, they knew Exactly. I get kicked out. I have three boys. I'm yeah, so I lied.

Speaker 2:

I'm like I miss home. I want to go back, I want to start. So I go up to Austin, I go to ACC, and, and that's when I find Texas country, and so I was like holy crap. What is this so rebel? Do your own thing, Do your own way.

Speaker 1:

And did you know that that was typical of Austin?

Speaker 2:

No, I didn't. No, I didn't. What made you?

Speaker 1:

head to Austin. Was it? Was it the school or was it I?

Speaker 2:

mean, you know, because my mom is from Austin and so I just wanted to come home.

Speaker 1:

Got you. So it's just a tie between that being home and then I just so happened to be. The bonus was music. Yeah, I just happened to be the right place, right time and I didn't even know that was going to be it.

Speaker 2:

And so I started learning about, you know, the Randy Rogers band, the Jason Bone, jason Bowen, straggler, stoney Wade Bowen, all these guys, yes, and then and then Kavit used to have every Wednesday or something live at forgot the name of the place, but then it went and moved over to Nutty Brown. But I would listen to the radio. I said what is this? It would be just acoustic.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

And then I found that and I fell in love with that. I started learning. I would remember I would put in the DVD live at Billy Bob's or Randy Rogers band and I look at Randy playing his chords and I try to, you know, emulate exactly what he's doing and learning exactly the way he plays, and so. Randy was kind of the staple of the introduction of Texas Country and learned his whole album from start to finish.

Speaker 1:

Got you.

Speaker 2:

I knew all the songs and even the deep cuts, the ones that were on YouTube, and I remember being at ACC and in the library or the computer. Do not sit doing homework. I'm listening and looking at YouTube.

Speaker 1:

Right, right. Yeah, you know there's.

Speaker 2:

He had one for fourth was a fat. Fort Worth was a fabulous waste of time that he had. And then he had another one as a well on my way, and all these, all these jams, yes. So then, a buddy of mine, when I was in Austin, I had to have a job, so I used to work at Team Spirit Barton Creek Mall, and my buddy that I ended up knowing his name is Jordan Daughtery. He was across this, His was a fit locker, and I saw somewhere on Facebook that he played guitar.

Speaker 1:

I said dude, you play guitar Right.

Speaker 2:

And he's like, yeah, so well, we got to jam out.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So we got together, we started playing, we started going to Nutty Brown and doing open mics and that turned into an opportunity to open up for one of his buddies. So we traded off a song swap and then that's when I got the bug. I was just like this is awesome, how can I do this more? And I got.

Speaker 1:

Were you nervous when you did your very first song swap? I mean, was that oh?

Speaker 2:

man, One thing that people need to understand about me my biggest insecurity is singing. Like that's my biggest insecurity. I could do everything else, but singing wise it's like.

Speaker 1:

So in that moment I was so nervous, Right, I was like cotton mouth, I don't think so many people that you know, as so many musicians that I know on the stage and off the stage, I don't think that so many people will actually realize how different y'all are on stage and off the stage that we don't understand that you do have insecurities, or that. Oh, definitely Nobody even thinks oh, my goodness, I bet that you know.

Speaker 2:

that just seems so natural when y'all are up there and you're playing, and I mean I've seen you live that it's just, but it's, yeah, it's one of those things you don't think about them puking before they get on stage and thinking, holy shit, this is very real, like there's people staring at me and it's just me and I was like how many so?

Speaker 1:

that's a different, different gig, especially in a song swap situation.

Speaker 2:

I was like how many Wissy Cokes do I need to finally feel?

Speaker 1:

relaxed, that's not the way to do it Right, right it turns into problems, yeah.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, I got my first taste and I was like what do I got to do to do this? So long story short, I get my grades back up, I go back down to South Texas because I need to finish college. It was a goal of mine to be the first one to graduate college in my family.

Speaker 1:

Love it.

Speaker 2:

And so that was really an inspiration for my mom and my aunt who helped raise me. So I did that and I graduated, got my degree.

Speaker 1:

Not a boy.

Speaker 2:

And the day of graduation. Later that day we were going to go play this thing called the Pig Pachanga, uh-huh and what does that mean? A pig party.

Speaker 1:

Oh, gotcha, and it's like a bunch of people have barbecues out there. There's really no pigs, it's just a pachanga.

Speaker 2:

Another reason to drink, by the way, and so we're sitting in the kitchen.

Speaker 1:

So like a fiesta yeah a big old fiesta. Yeah, there you go.

Speaker 2:

That's wild. I always liked that and I remember sitting on the counter and I looked at my mom and I said, mom, you know I've been really thinking Because at the time forgot to mention this. When I was getting my degree, towards the very end, I had started a band in South Texas. We used to be I used to be called Matt and the Herdsmen. And so me and the guys we would go sell barbecue tickets to get enough money to make a record. Our first record Small Town Stories.

Speaker 1:

So what was the inspiration behind the Herdsmen?

Speaker 2:

Well, the Texas music scene. All the episodes I ever saw were Jason Bowling, the stragglers, wade Bowling and the West, you know, and the Stony LaRue and the Arsenal. So I was like oh crap, maybe I need a name, so it used to be Matt and the. Herdsmen, but then it turned out to be just Matt and the Herdsmen, and then I was like, ok, so that was that, and we sold a bunch of barbecue tickets to cut our first record, which was Small Town Stories.

Speaker 2:

We put a couple of stuff on radio and so I was like I really want to do this. Started playing around our scene and becoming kind of well known in our South Texas, and then I remember it was time to graduate and so the day of graduation I did all my stuff and we had a show that night and my mom went to the show and so when we got back I told her mom I think I want to do this full time.

Speaker 2:

I think, I really want to try this. And you know, she kind of looked at me with a blank stare and then the words that came out of her mouth were like she said then why in the fuck did I pay for your college?

Speaker 1:

I was. I love your mom. I just had this conversation yesterday with a friend of mine and we were talking about my you know I've got three boys and was talking about my middle son. It was the same deal. College is just not for every. I mean, it's just not for everyone. And it's kind of like me. I'm just not for we're not. We're for some, but not for everyone and that's just.

Speaker 1:

But it was the same thing and you know, gavin gave it a shot, he gave it a try and he was, and he was like it's just, and I finally had that conversation, I said look, Gavin, if this is not your gig, it's, it's okay. Me and my pocketbook and my financials are we're all okay with this.

Speaker 2:

If you want to do, let's talk about it, and so let's just not, let's just yeah, I can see this is not for you and you and there's no point in hiding it but yeah. You know it, and the college taught me a lot irresponsible, obviously, in finishing things and seeing things through and I felt like I was never going to graduate and and they had to running. My family had a running bet on me how long it was going to take me to graduate college.

Speaker 1:

I won and I should have gotten the money.

Speaker 2:

They did it. Obviously it's okay, because they put it back in tuition.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

And I remember, you know, mom, my mom struggling to, to put money in my bank account to pay for college. Like I, I remember those days and my mom had to work two jobs and we had an emergency loan at the, at the university, and you had like 30 days or 60 days to pay it half upfront. It was a.

Speaker 1:

It was a it's a full day.

Speaker 2:

And I feel bad that I put my mom through that, but you know, the idea was to get an education and the diploma was for both of them and for my aunt and my mom. And so I said I want to do this full time. But I knew that I had to drive Like I. I started when I was like 23, 24. Right, so I felt like I was a little bit more mature, like I had goals and I had all these things planned out, and so I just got into that rhythm of just doing it. And so when I told my mom she was pissed, but I knew that I told her I'll show you that it's not going to be a waste of time. Right that that what you put me through in college has taught me a lot about what I'm going to do outside of it.

Speaker 1:

She's got to be proud. The fact that you know you, you're saying how you you. You got there, you started, you had a reality check. Somebody kicked you in the ass, whether it was you yourself or or somebody but you enough to go back and and say I'm going to finish what I started, but I'm going to take this guitar with me and do it Exactly. It's a, really a. That is a very epic story. There's some. It takes a very strong will and not giving up, and the music business is very, very, very hard.

Speaker 2:

It is very tough. It is probably the toughest. I I mean and the cause cause it's a lot of sitting and waiting, even though you are doing everything right you're physically, mentally, building, trying to go after those opportunities, but it still feels a lot like I always feel like they moved the goalpost. You're almost there.

Speaker 1:

And then nope, a little bit further, the more Tim Warrie, or 30 days, yeah, holy crap, yup. You know, and then their highs and lows change in the game.

Speaker 2:

I just remember. I just remember like I didn't know what this world like, what this life was going to be like. But I remember having a conversation with with the man upstairs and I said I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know what you have planned for me, but I'll stick it out. Like I know there's going to be some really good highs and there's going to be some really really low lows. Yeah, I'm ready for that. You know, I know I can lean on you when it's really low and I can be very thankful when it's really high. But I know it's going to mess with me and it has. Mentally, if I'm being honest, it has fucked with me. Yeah, you know, and I and I just keep pushing one more day Just when I think I'm like I'm fucking tired.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'm done. Something happens in the most positive way, exactly.

Speaker 2:

Like that's the most coolest thing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I just put up my hands and I'm like Lord, I'm done.

Speaker 1:

Yes, like I'm freaking tired, I'm tired. And all of a sudden he was like nope, not yet Exactly.

Speaker 2:

And then something wonderful happens and I was like okay, I can keep going.

Speaker 1:

This is enough fuel to keep me going another six months, two years, that's been a huge part of my life as well, and it's you know I've had my hands in a little bit of everything.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, now you do. You're a very good entrepreneur.

Speaker 1:

But I have found myself where I was like that a couple of years ago and you would think as many things that I have going on that you know how in the hell could you get bored, or? Think you're losing yourself or you're tapping out like we're talking about. I agree, I just reach out and I grab ahold of something or find something. I just feel like I was losing my creativity. And so boom, here we are.

Speaker 2:

The other thing too is I realized and I was like I had to have a top like a heart to heart myself as like if I'm going to do this, I'm going to miss out on a lot of family opportunity stuff like birthdays and graduations and events and I'm okay with that. I'm fine, and I thought I was going to have a problem with it, but no, I mean the boys were going to go to Vegas and go you know have fun and blah, blah blah.

Speaker 2:

I'm like I'd love to be there, but also do like making money and playing, and playing music and I like this job a lot more. It has its perks, but yeah, it's stuff like that, or miss birthdays and look, I can catch up on Facebook.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Facebook will catch me up.

Speaker 1:

Instagram will do it.

Speaker 2:

All those other things would be fine. But it's been a journey, but I'm very happy with it. I'm not saying, but as a human being, mentally it can be draining. It can be like you're not really moving. I always, I always say I feel like my, my legs and my feet are just concrete and I'm moving my arms but I'm not moving anywhere. But when you take a step back, you're like oh, I have come a long, a long way, I always think about Scooby-Doo and the where he's trying to run and he's just standing there and just spinning yeah.

Speaker 1:

And then all of a sudden, it takes forever and then he just takes off it takes off. Sometimes I feel like I'm just standing there and, like you're saying, my legs are going, but I'm not getting anywhere.

Speaker 2:

Exactly, and but I mean I'm very blessed, you know I'm. I'm rich in other ways you know I might be struggling. I'm a struggling musician. Trying to just seems like the only thing going at coming into bills and my money keeps leaving me.

Speaker 1:

I don't even get a chance to have it Well, if it makes you feel any better. But yeah, you know it's, whether you're a musician or you're a me, or it's always something. Yes, it's always something, and that's just the just the way the world does what it is.

Speaker 2:

It is yes, that's just the reality of it, but I'm I'm very happy and, like where I'm at now, I'm so happy that I'm here now. I've had a wonderful group of supporting people in my life that I'm very, very thankful for, and if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here where I'm at you know, and I owe it to them and so very thankful. I always tell them thank you for putting up with my ass even the days that I could be, you know.

Speaker 2:

Anyhow but it's been a cool journey. So now we're releasing new music. We have a lot more music coming up, but that's kind of how I started everything. I love that and this kind of did it on her own, you know DIY.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Until you can't anymore. So I've worn a lot of hats the booking hat, the manager, the tour manager. Being able to manage a band with four other personalities, trying to have the perfect harmony, doesn't always work out, but you find the right people to come in and everybody you know. It's a page in a book. You know a page in the story.

Speaker 1:

Right Just to turn the page and hear what's happening. The transition in that type in the music business is difficult. I mean not only they're your family. I mean you guys when you're hitting the road. I mean you're hitting the road and it makes it you know, in a bigger business or whatever. I mean, if you don't like your coworker, you don't, it's okay, they're going to their other office or their whatever.

Speaker 2:

You know what I'm saying?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but when you're loading up, in a van and you're going down the road and you're thinking this guy's being a fucking prick man, yeah, you know.

Speaker 2:

So Now I gotta get a look at him when I'm playing.

Speaker 1:

Right and I mean yeah, and then you've got. You want to get rid of that person, you got to change this. It's a totally different ball game in the music business if you think about it Not only do you have to replace the talent you've got. You've got to think about vocals. You've got to think about harmonies You've got to think about, there's so many attributes and things that you need to think about when.

Speaker 2:

When I'm playing a show. There's a hundred things going in my mind as I'm playing the show, like what am I gonna do tomorrow? What do I got?

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

You know I'm saying, I'm on autopilot sometimes. Yeah, yeah, and I know that's kind of bad to say, but I mean you're looking at the crowd, you're reading the crowd, you're reading the room. And then all of a sudden this happens somebody misses a note, you're like okay, stream pops, yeah Do we need to go back, it's just moving things but you know you give the best you can. But that's true, it's like a million things going through your mind.

Speaker 2:

But no, it's been a fun journey. I'm very happy, and so if I could do it all over again, I would. I'm glad I started.

Speaker 1:

That was a question I was gonna ask you If you could do it. I mean, would this be, would this be?

Speaker 2:

what I give it.

Speaker 1:

Macastee, or would you? Yeah, it would definitely be the music thing.

Speaker 2:

Definitely I love it. I thoroughly enjoy, you know, trying to write songs.

Speaker 1:

So how long have you been doing this?

Speaker 2:

Well, if you count COVID, it'd be 10 years.

Speaker 1:

Nice.

Speaker 2:

But if you don't count it then it'd be nine. You gotta count it, Count it.

Speaker 1:

It was a hellacious time, but yeah.

Speaker 2:

I really enjoy it. I'm not gonna lie, I kind of miss it. I enjoyed that time in my life. It's cool, but now I wanna go out and really make something to myself, so I also like what I'm doing now. The goal is to not be just a Texas act. The goal is to be a national act, to go far and wide, go all the way to the east coast, to the west coast and then between the flyover states and just play country music and just change people's lives, Like make them be happy you know, right Good songs.

Speaker 2:

Yes music definitely is a Timeless songs, which is hard, but that is the challenge, and so hopefully we'll be able to accomplish that. Well, hopefully we have.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

And put out something new for people to listen to.

Speaker 1:

So you're on the road all year long, all year long, all year long.

Speaker 2:

I think we did 125 shows last year.

Speaker 1:

Nice.

Speaker 2:

I think we wanna do 135 this year, Nice, and I enjoyed it. You know, sometimes shows get canceled and you're like man more than you take that time to just relax.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Have fun, go hang out with your boys.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Boys are in town, you know.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, life on the road. I know that a bigger artist will do four month span and then have like two weeks off and then another four months. Eventually, I love to get to that point, but right now it's like every weekend we're on the road and so, like this past week, we played Friday, saturday, sunday and Monday.

Speaker 1:

Nice.

Speaker 2:

And then drove up today to be on your wonderful podcast. So, we've done a lot of shows. We've done 11 shows in 12 days at one point and we've done so. Four is easy to me. It's becoming easy but, before it was like, oh my God, that's all shows, yeah, but yeah, it's been really fun. So Life on the Road teaches you a lot of some very valuable lessons.

Speaker 1:

So you were down at the keys with us. Yeah, and that was your first keys trip.

Speaker 2:

No, that was my third. Third.

Speaker 1:

That was the first time for that. That time for that January.

Speaker 2:

We've always gone in July. Okay, oh, yeah, because yep, Yep, my third time, but it was the first time there in July, so you know. They invited me to go out. I was like, are you sure? Yeah, it was great, so it was the best two weeks to start the new year.

Speaker 1:

Right, you know Right.

Speaker 2:

Didn't have it. We had a great New Year's Eve show and then we had a couple of days off. The next thing, you know, we were like, oh crap, we got to go to Florida.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Had to drive out there. So, it was a good 22 hour haul but yeah, it's a drive.

Speaker 1:

Once you get out there, you're fine, so yeah it was a good time I enjoy the smoking.

Speaker 2:

Tuna, yeah, and a Key Western Fest.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it is a very good time.

Speaker 2:

It was great. I love it, a lot of drinking.

Speaker 1:

It is yeah.

Speaker 2:

Not on my part.

Speaker 1:

Well, you know we all have to do our jobs and we have to help and you know you got to get some liquid drinks we got to support.

Speaker 2:

No, the other cool thing about it, cause I was telling management I was like man, what are we going to do out there?

Speaker 1:

Like what yeah.

Speaker 2:

We're going to get the ammo set again and again Like what are we really going to get out of it?

Speaker 1:

Were you concerned about that? Because you did play 11 shows?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, At the same bar. Yeah, I was. My concern was these people don't want to hear original music.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

They just want a jukebox of a band to play nothing but covers.

Speaker 1:

And.

Speaker 2:

I don't like that. Right, I worked too hard To write, to write my music. Put it out spend money making album. I am going to play my music. I'm going to play everything, even I'd have to lie about it. But we had a small section in the set. Yeah, four or five covers that I love to play Right 90s, that match what we were doing. And you know what. Everybody enjoyed it. They enjoyed the original show. You know, when I had a few people come up and asked for some covers, so I just lied, I go hey, this is a John Anderson deep cut.

Speaker 1:

It was actually my song, right?

Speaker 2:

So I played it and they're like can you name that song? I couldn't. They did. They lied yeah, drunk ass yeah. So I did that Like maybe four or five times.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

But I think it was a last night. We ended the last night at the Key Western and there was a guy in the crowd and something told me about this feeling. And prior to that, before we took off, I was telling the management. I said I don't even know if this is going to be like. What are we?

Speaker 1:

doing, but we're gone, he goes.

Speaker 2:

Matt, there's opportunity waiting for you there.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Go Right. You're going to regret if you don't go.

Speaker 1:

If you don't go.

Speaker 2:

I said OK. So I went down there. Not only did I get to meet you and network, a lot of things came out of QS that have put me here today, and one of them was a guy that really has my back in country music, is saving country music, and his name is Trigger and he was like Matt is the traditionalist artist I might screw it up, but criminally overrated in the business, criminally overrated.

Speaker 1:

Criminally overrated.

Speaker 2:

Not overrated, overseen or under, I don't know. I got to pull it up. I pull this thing up because I don't want to get it wrong, because I'm over here trashing myself.

Speaker 1:

Well, I want to. I want to get this right. I want to analyze the what's.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to get this right, sorry, sorry.

Speaker 1:

No, you're good.

Speaker 2:

Castillo continues to be the one of the greatest traditionalist of our time, who is criminally overlooked in the industry.

Speaker 1:

Criminally overlooked.

Speaker 2:

One of the greatest traditionalists of our time, who is criminally overlooked Sorry, overlooked and I said I said fuck yeah, that's right. So that motivated me. We were coming back from Florida and I was like I'm going to be just honest, I'll be like they are right and it's just a matter of time.

Speaker 1:

It's not crazy how you? I mean, if that wouldn't have happened, if he wouldn't have sent this to you, isn't it? What I'm trying to say is, isn't it kind of crazy how words, just a little word like that, just a little bit of inspiration, or just something that you don't necessarily see yourself and somebody from the outside sees that in you and it turns around and you're like holy shit that just made me think yeah, you understand.

Speaker 2:

you see, it's hard to look at other people and see their career, where it's going, and you're like man, when is it my turn? In that regard but everybody has their own path and so to be overlooked. That's the frustrating part, because I know we have a great show, we know we have great music, I know that we have all these things that we work really hard for behind the scenes for this exact purpose and reason.

Speaker 2:

So it's just, it's who you know, it's I don't know. I'm not saying that they're gatekeepers out there, but I don't know who knows. There's people in the way. People are not in the way, but to me, to have him say that about me, I was very inspired and I was like it really was okay, cool, somebody's looking out for me and I felt that more now that more people are, and then we just can run in and gun in and like, screw it, we'll just keep our head down.

Speaker 1:

Exactly.

Speaker 2:

We'll keep our head down and we're gonna keep rocking. You know, something good has to come our way. It has to. We work so hard to spend all this time and money Throwing up gum at the wall.

Speaker 1:

something's gonna stick eventually.

Speaker 2:

Everything is well thought out, from head, from top to bottom. Well thought out, from the shows, from how we start the show to how we ended and in between is well thought out to give the best live music experience that you see a show of mine, and that also reflects transitions over to the business side. It's very well thought out. It's very strategic, very, because we don't wanna miss an opportunity or we wanna strike when the iron's hot and we're not lazy. I hate those times. I'm like at home being lazy, but I'm not. I'm thinking of something.

Speaker 1:

It's always been. I understand that wholeheartedly. But to be criminally overlooked.

Speaker 2:

I thought that was the sweetest and most honest thing anybody said.

Speaker 1:

I love that description.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and so we kinda just.

Speaker 1:

And I love that. It took you to a level that you needed to be or that you needed to it was a time when you hear it. Exactly that you needed to hear that.

Speaker 2:

It's like you go to Key West and you're like man, I'm not an artist for the Mousyra, I'm just the after party. So how do I play that game? I'm like no, I don't wanna do that, I don't wanna play my music.

Speaker 1:

I love the fact that you said that you went down there and you had 11 shows and it was at the same venue and a lot of people just don't think like you did how do I change this up? How do I get creative? I mean that's a lot. Back to back 11 shows. But then you've gotta think I mean, george ain't gonna be sitting there. If George's sitting there for 11 days, he's gotta VIP seat and better have his name on it, exactly. But the other thing, too.

Speaker 2:

They weren't all the same people, those 11 days.

Speaker 1:

Exactly that's what I'm trying to say. They gave me peace of mind.

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna see somebody that I've never seen before, who should deserve to have the same type of show, and I talked to the owners and I was like Mandy, you know, like Give me some insight on what's where am I walking into?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, she just said do you, do you?

Speaker 2:

you're great, you know what you're doing, just play your show. And I said, well, thank you for that. And so we did. And I gotta give a big shout out to my guys, my boys in the band. I'm gonna tell you this right now I love these guys. They are not complainers.

Speaker 1:

How long have you and the guys been together?

Speaker 2:

For two of the guys my lead guitar and bass. They probably been with me for about three months. The drummer we just brought on and we just brought on a pale steel guy. But everybody has something unique to bring to the table. But one thing we all have in common is we don't bitch and complain. I love that. I love that about these boys, they were there for 11 days and we all walked to the tuna because where they had a stain was miles away, which is fine, but we walked every day to the gig.

Speaker 2:

Yeah no-transcript it was. It was a very humbling and and cool and fun to kind of get to know the boys. But every time we went to the show these boys turned it on yeah at the moment they got off stage, they let loose. They'd never complain. They never. You know. I was like when's that shoe gonna drop?

Speaker 2:

right and they did and when we left, I told them, I think the last day. I told them, boys, one thing that I'm really impressed with and I've gained a lot of respect that, yes, you're gonna complain, not one day, mm-hmm, not one day impressive yeah yeah, a change up the set, change up the song order. All right, cool, where you want to do. Nice, I love that.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome.

Speaker 2:

You know, so I I've have that perspective now, the band that I do want. Mm-hmm and the band that I did have is not the band that I want right now right. So I'm like thank you, lord, Thank you for giving me.

Speaker 1:

Yeah that team players, yes, hey, let's, let's go important, yeah, these guys are awesome, so they.

Speaker 2:

That was cool about that, because it's hard to manage Five other guys for the guys and in a place that you're always at all the time and the and the times are always changing. You play at four o'clock right at nine, then you play 1130. Yes it's always moving, yeah, but they did great, so I'm truly happy with that. Now we know I can't hit the road with these guys. Yeah and be perfectly fine.

Speaker 2:

That's all we did a four-day run. Well, we do a six-day run. We go out to the West Coast, we go somewhere. I know we're gonna be fine. I'll take care of them because I know they're not gonna complain and that was a hell of a trial run there buddy. Yeah, well, just I mean I.

Speaker 1:

I mean for somebody to go. Hey, here's a group of dudes. Are you grabbed them and let's go on a 22-hour haul?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and decide if we like each other. Yep and then let's go hang out for 12 days, and then I'm gonna go ahead and switch up the lineup and then, yeah, and that was that was the cool part and I said, look, if you guys can last Key West, then you deserve to be on the road. Yeah, if you can't, then that's gonna tell you if the road is test, this is this is a big, big test and it tested us too, because on the way, back on the way back from Florida we got, we got stuck in Baton Rouge.

Speaker 2:

We my sprinter broke down and we had to lay over right and I felt bad. I want to get the boys home. You're, they were missing home. They were gone for two weeks. I wanted to get them right and I told the boys we went to go eat in the morning I said, look guys, if I had the money in the world I would have flown you guys out of Baton.

Speaker 2:

Rouge. Now I would have just stayed with the sprinter and took it home. But I said still have it. But thank you guys for being so kind and understanding right. I promise you I'm not lollygagging.

Speaker 1:

We're trying to get this, as we can get home right and I promise you we're gonna get home.

Speaker 2:

So we stayed one day Baton Rouge, woke up the next day and Got the sprinter by six o'clock pm and we were right back home, you know, in the morning, like whatever time that was. But I was like you have my respect.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. That's awesome. I don't know that there's too many people that I could ride with for 22 hours, much less well, group of dudes, we have this thing.

Speaker 2:

Where we're, we pass the phone around and everybody plays a song on Spotify nice, but if they mess up and they press it. They skip a turn. You got to wait for your song.

Speaker 1:

It kind of keeps the.

Speaker 2:

Whoever is the driver gets to pick the songs and whatever they have, it makes whatever makes you happy and whatever it can make you drive Four or five hours do it, you know pull over. What do you need?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, anything yeah.

Speaker 2:

Okay, all right, cool, good, awesome good some fly seats work perfect, I am.

Speaker 1:

I am a dill pickle sunflower seed. Machine and you know who started me on that, robbie, and this was before they had them here. We would, because we'd go down to the coast all the time. Oh yeah and they only had him down there and it got to the point where I would text him and I'm like, hey, are you down? Are you down at the coaster? I'm like, yeah, I'm like bring me, I need two, three bags.

Speaker 1:

Bring them, because they didn't have them here now, I mean it's like this is ridiculous, like they were making fun of me here at the studio. We're like maybe you should get them to sponsor you or something, because I always have there's a big old bag of them, my rig right now.

Speaker 2:

I need to add that to my rider some yeah, more on the road, just yeah, oh yeah, go, go, go.

Speaker 1:

I played baseball as a kid my boys baseball. So I mean we'd buy the big five gallon buckets of yeah Seeds. I remember playing track.

Speaker 2:

I was in the traveling team up here in Austin most when I was living up here, little kid. We would travel and all the moms would give us these little baggies gummy bears, yeah, yeah quench.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, it was fun.

Speaker 2:

Okay, it was where I would play baseball. But yeah, I love sunflower seeds. Yeah yeah, I'm in so, but all is good over here though.

Speaker 1:

I love it.

Speaker 2:

Thank you for just inviting me. Let me tell my story. It's kind of boring, but it's really not, though.

Speaker 1:

It just loved it and Dive in people. Yeah, I just I always like to know how, how things get started and how things and where you're at and so, let's talk about your CD that you have out now.

Speaker 2:

Well, I have a few songs out and I have a. How the river flows was my last album, full album, and then we released an EP called the river continues and and then now we're working on a new album and we released a few songs, which is go get her and then I see, though, and then we're gonna be releasing some more before the album drops in the summertime and so that's the exciting part.

Speaker 2:

But it's happening so fast. I love it. It's okay. You know we went. I went to go record this album last year on my birthday and you know we just got back all the songs and takes a while when you have 14 tracks. Yeah it's 14 songs. People think I'm crazy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I might be a little bit.

Speaker 1:

But 14 songs about that on a different show, yeah like 14 songs.

Speaker 2:

So I'm like, wow, okay, we can release a few and then drop the whole album for these fine folks that you have never heard of me or or expecting music. So yeah, I'm excited for that, but I'm like, holy crap, it's four months out.

Speaker 1:

Oh man.

Speaker 2:

Okay, I got to get to work, but we already are working already are doing yeah so I'm excited for it's called pushing borders and it's has that South Texas flare. When I say that, I mean accordion and and Just that country stuff.

Speaker 1:

I really tested the boy.

Speaker 2:

I have to give it up to my producer. Big shout out to Roger Brown. He's really pushed the that comfort right uncomfortableness of what I thought I wanted, and then I'm a guy that trusts the process.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

I'm that type of person. I will hear it out, I will try it, I'll do it and I'm like. Okay, whether I like it, I don't, at least I gave it a shot. I can say that I gave it. So you know, this album is one of those where you just we push, that come right, for me right and so Now let's just see what happens. See what happens when the album comes out.

Speaker 1:

How long did you work on this album before it was? I just want to give everybody an idea on what it takes to really put an album together.

Speaker 2:

What well, we, we were probably writing for six months to a year, I think, before we found the songs we were looking for got you, and once we found what the idea of the album was, we just went after those songs, and so that was a cool thing about it. And and now it's like, well, a whole year, I think, of writing and then you have your songs. You know like holy crap. Okay, it's time to go in the studio right.

Speaker 2:

Then you go in the studio there for two days whip out 14 songs, and then you go cut your vocals and then you wait.

Speaker 1:

Another nine. Yeah, it's a hurry up and wait game.

Speaker 2:

But they are working their magic. Oh yeah, you know the engineer on this album, jeff Sylvie did amazing job. Roger did some of the background vocals. We had to get a background another guy's. Just a lot of moving parts there is and if you're not used to that, you feels like they're just dragging their feet. But right, they're all trying to make magic.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

Everybody's doing their job.

Speaker 1:

Yes magic.

Speaker 2:

So there's a lot. Of this is the first album I'm gonna have, like strings, nice, an orchestra behind it I love it very, very, very colorful. Yes like a you know, so, you, I, that was the hard part was the waiting, but once it's in my hands and I got the music, now Let me go play yes, I'm in the playground.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I get the ball right.

Speaker 2:

Let me do what I want with it, because I'm that's gonna make me happy right because at the end of the day, it's I have to be happy where you just ecstatic. I mean explain to people when you mean it's like literally.

Speaker 1:

It's like I got the album.

Speaker 2:

I was listening to it. I'm like this is what I want to do. This is what I Everybody get out of my way.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I know what I want.

Speaker 2:

I know what kind of videos I want to do. I know what I want to do this, this, this and this. I want to release this, this and this. Don't tell me anything. I'm your job is done. I am going to have fun.

Speaker 1:

Yes, please, yeah, turn me, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And so that's, that's the freedom that I have and that gives me a lot of joy that they can trust me, because this is where the when we talked about this the marketing Right side of my brain and the creativeness and how detailed I can be, it's like I really want to give the album it's light and shine, and so I have those ideas of what I want to do because these songwriters are great and and they deserve that recognition right, and they deserve the love of every song, right, and so that's kind of my approach.

Speaker 2:

God bless our songwriters. And so this was a good, challenging Process and to finally get it done and was was fun, so it's it's. I'm excited to release it finally.

Speaker 1:

So, from beginning to end, you're say what it?

Speaker 2:

two years, two years, two years so a lot of people do it differently. But when you have a 14 track out, me kind of want to be very, very Want to be sure right thousand percent.

Speaker 1:

Sure you don't want to be 90%.

Speaker 2:

You want to be a thousand percent sure. This is the right.

Speaker 1:

This is the way to do it.

Speaker 2:

This is what yeah and then, and then you go back and you analyze everything. It's okay, I could have done this better, or maybe I could have blah, blah, blah. But then you think about all the other positives right. New music. Yeah another album right another thing to go tour right. Another thing to go put on radio. Another good thing to get ready for do.

Speaker 1:

I think a lot of people out there don't realize that the time that it takes or the time that is involved in what all is involved in putting an album together but how quickly after that one is released to how Quickly you jump into another one, or even if oh yeah, I mean, the one thing I don't ever want to stop doing is making records right writing songs and making records and touring Like that's all I want to do.

Speaker 2:

Right, I can have the freedom to go put out an album, then start writing for another one and then go put out another album right after that. I that's what I want to do. I love it, I want to leave as many songs I can out to people to listen to, with the good substance, good songwriting, right, good delivery, good subject matter, and and and. Just release it and you go. Just that's all I want to do.

Speaker 1:

That was one of the really one of the first times that we set down and visited. That was one thing that impressed me about you was the fact that you always say I want to leave. Leave the world with my music and let them carry it for as long as they possibly can generation to generation to generation. Yeah and the fact that you're thinking that far ahead is so impressive well I those are the stuff that I learned with the the 90s country right right there.

Speaker 2:

They left, they had all the albums and people are again not against albums but they just know value or no return.

Speaker 1:

But I'm not.

Speaker 2:

When you go put out an album, I'm not looking for a huge return, I just want a good album. Right, I'll make it up eventually. Right, like nowadays, you, let's, let's, let's say that a typical album at an independent artist, 14 songs, probably cost you about 30 grand.

Speaker 2:

Right just be honest 30, 40 grand. Once you're done with all the marketing, all the duplications or all that stuff that goes with with the CDs, the physical part, and then all the advertisement, and then paint everybody and then get all this thing worked out, you're probably in the hole ready 40 grand. There's no way you're gonna make that money back On the streaming side, maybe on your CDs, maybe that's.

Speaker 1:

That's something else that I don't think the world understands. It. I mean, and if it's, well, here not the day of where you had to go buy the CDs or you had to go buy the vinyl, and what have you to get?

Speaker 2:

and finally, you can probably get some really good stuff, but I mean, I'm just saying that you're not gonna make it back up. So that that 40, whatever that number is the way I see it and I might be wrong and people may disagree but that's money that I'm never gonna get back. So, let me do what I want right. Let me have the freedom to make that decision of what's gonna make me happy. I'm ready. 40 grand in the hole, mm-hmm, let me do whatever the yeah, and.

Speaker 2:

Don't and not be in my way, right, because this is what's gonna make me happy, right? And then we're gonna go tour and we hope that we catch fire and we hope that we catch attention. Yes, let everything come back, and then we'll do it all over again. I don't care about that. Let me just go make some money that I can go make another album right.

Speaker 2:

Let me go tour to save my money. So I know in the ballpark I need to be to go. When I'm ready to make another album, I get to make it when I'm ready right, and so that's the kind of frustrating part that you deal with, but once you're on stage, all that goes away. Oh yeah like all that you could have. You can have the most Crazy day you know and then, once you hop on stage, just let your frustration out, just let everything out and just I mean it's fun, it's so yeah, so.

Speaker 2:

So if you look at all these things, it can get very depressing. You know, you think all this money's right, blah, blah blah, but you want to leave Great songs behind and that's kind of my box I have to check off when, I'm right, you say is who left things behind for you?

Speaker 1:

Who is your who? Well, they have hired you. I mean he'll they haven't left. They haven't left yet.

Speaker 2:

You know they haven't left the ad, they haven't left this world. But you know, like your George Straits, your Garth Barrow, your Alan Jackson, Dwight. Yocum, all these guys, everybody in the 90s. By the way, they all had great songwriters, right songs. You know, like George, for instance, has amazing circle of songwriters who are timeless writers. Right, I want that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I want to be in the room with those writers and write great songs.

Speaker 1:

You're right.

Speaker 2:

I feel it just pour out, you know, and so those are the guys that I know I can go back and listen to their album back in 1992, three, four, five. Right and be like oh my God, that is a killer album.

Speaker 1:

I can't believe that.

Speaker 2:

Oh, that line right there just gave me goosebumps.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Man, I wish I would have written that song.

Speaker 1:

I wish I would have done this Right.

Speaker 2:

So you try to apply it today, today's world, today where we're at, and do that, but all those guys that wrote those hits back in the 90s are probably not doing it anymore, those writers, because there's no money in it, right. And I have to. That's what I'm saying to whoever's left to write these songs was like my producer, roger Brown, tommy Connors, jeff Sylvie, all these guys. They have had their time in making some massive hits Right.

Speaker 2:

So the fact that they're still doing it allow me to be part of that it's amazing Like I'm very grateful for that. I love that so like, let's keep writing great songs, but it's just kind of how all that comes to be. But that's what my goal is to leave behind great, well-written songs.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. That's awesome, yeah. So where are you at from here? Where are you going? Where are we?

Speaker 2:

You played, so we have rodeo also on Thursday. Then I have a few days off and then we go to Oklahoma City with Tristan Mottas, and then we go to spring Texas, and then we have another few days off and then just keep hitting the road there you go. So hopefully we get to see more people at our shows.

Speaker 1:

Tell everybody where they can find you.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so they can find me on my website, matcustiomusiccom. Instagram is matcustiomusic, facebook is matcustiomusic. All your Spotify, apple, amazon, pandora, tidal, you know they don't have, didn't they use to have Google music? Or something like that. They don't have any more. But you know, it's all the streaming. Anywhere you can find your music and you stream your music you can find me under matcustiom.

Speaker 1:

Matcustiom Merch Merch. On my website he has amazing merch. See my hand. I tried to show you already.

Speaker 2:

Just in case you didn't get it, there's another shot. That's how we get down the road. Yes as well, merch. Thanks for having me. It was fun, I am so glad you were here. You're welcome on my porch anytime. I would love to be back again. We'll do this, like in six months.

Speaker 1:

Let's do it again, we'll come. Oh yeah, I appreciate it. Then let's do it.

Speaker 2:

I thought there was going to be a little bit more crazier. It's kind of calm and tame. Maybe the next one will be wild.

Speaker 1:

I can make it as wild as you want. This is actually very. You know, I usually have Kel here and Kel's a little bit of a spaz all the time. I love her and yes, we miss you on the porch, kel Kel, but it was really cool. I just love to have you know. Being in the music side and telling everybody.

Speaker 2:

just want everybody to undersea Well that means a lot and thank you for letting me tell my story. Hopefully it continues to be told. It will be, there's not a doubt in my mind.

Speaker 1:

There's not a doubt in my mind You've got big places to go, things to do You're not even. You haven't even put a dent in it yet.

Speaker 2:

No, not yet let's go. Thanks for having me. Thanks for coming.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for coming, you guys. Hey, we'll see you. See you next week. Thanks for joining Ramel and Gypsy podcast. Like, share, follow, do all the things Y'all. Go see my guy, matt Castillo. Yeah, you can find him everywhere all over.

Speaker 2:

Anywhere yeah.

Speaker 1:

Everywhere All right, thanks guys, take care Bye, thank you.