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Shannon Connor Castle
Gary's Choices—
my Dad's blog on Iran!
KWJZ 98.9 FM
KMPS—Ichabod and
the waking crew
Alan White
The Triple Door
Adrian Xavier
Bowed Electricity
Children of the Revolution
Twisted Fiddle Music
Handful of Luvin'
Bob and Mark
Heart
Mode Studios
Press Kit
Photos
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Bio
One man, one violin. Doesn't sound like much does it? It doesn't that is until you've heard one in the hands of electric violinist Geoffrey Castle! A unique voice on an unusual instrument, Castle's career includes time spent as a street musician in New York City, performing in the Broadway production of the Tony Award-winning M. Butterfly with Tony Randall, playing with rock greats like Blues Traveler, Jimmy Buffet, Alan White, Buddy Miles, Roger Fisher, Mike Derosier, Ann & Nancy Wilson, and lots more.
Comfortable in a huge diversity of styles, Castle has been in demand as a session violinist both in New York, Los Angeles, and in the Seattle area, with credits as diverse as Bob River's Twisted Christmas, The Children of the Revolution (flamenco rock), the soundtracks to The Gift (Paramount Pictures), Wooly Boys (with Peter Fonda and Kris Kristofferson), and an Italian music CD with Grammy winning guitarist Eric Tingstad—just to name a few.
As a solo performer, however, Castle truly stands out. Combining state of the art technology and the stage presence of a magician at work, Castle creates the sound and the power of a full band, all live in front of amazed audiences from Alaska to Aguascalientes, Mexico. This new approach to performance led to the recording of his first solo CD, Mist on the Mountain, which was called a "masterpiece" by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
As a show producer and band leader, Castle loves to bring his many, varied, and very talented friends to theater audiences with his Celtic Celebrations. With a core band that includes Ben Smith (the drummer for Heart), Grammy winner Garey Shelton on bass, and the inspired keyboards of Eric Robert, special guests have included folks like Alan White (drummer for Yes), vocalist James Cowan, members of the Coats, Celtic Dancers from the award winning Comerford School of Irish Dance (Kelly, Connor, and Maggie!), Finn McGinty (Setanta, Suffering Gaels), independent recording artist-songwriter-guitarist Dan Connolly, multi-instrumentalist John Schussler, and bassist Geoff Duncan.
"Jaw-Dropping Rock Violinist" was the headline when a reporter from the Anchorage Daily News happened to catch the Castle band in action recently, and the diversity of Castle's approach to the instrument makes him a favorite with stations as different as hard rock (KWHL, Anchorage), KMPS (Country Radio, Seattle's #1 Station!), and KWJZ Smooth Jazz FM, not to mention PBS, Fox TV, and National Public Radio.
Changing the public's perception of what is possible on the violin has long been a theme of Castle's career, and it has led him to take challenging bookings including assembly and workshop performances in elementary, junior high, and high schools, and even the occasional maximum security facility. Some of his community outreach exploits have been documented on prestigious sites such the National Endowment for the Arts Web site.
A graduate of Columbia University, Geoffrey Castle lives in Kenmore Washington with his wife Shannon, and has called the state of Washington home since 1995.
What They're Saying
"On his solo album, Mist on the Mountain, the Seattle violinist offers an eleven-track collection of stunning originals showcasing his pioneering talent on six-string electric violin. Tapping ancient Celtic melodies and modern pop, rock, and jazz, Castle has created a pure, uncluttered masterpiece. Among the gems is the ethereal Underhill's Waltz, and a remarkable version of Miles Davis' All Blues.
"IF YOU MISSED IT, KICK YOURSELF!"
"Seattle's Geoffrey Castle's one-man-band skills had heads bobbing and brought screams of appreciation from the crowd of about 1,000 at the Egan Center."
"Castle moved through the audience like a master magician, casting a spell on all he passed. It was an evening of pure magic."
"The White Sox All-Star Band was very good. Especially the guy on the fiddle, he was playing so hard and so fast that he went through bows like they were disposable."
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Benefit Concert
Some Notable Performances
Benaroya Hall
(Multiple performances including
Democratic Party fundraiser
featuring Bill Clinton)
Tsunami Benefit Concert
(Alice in Chains Reunion)
Chateau Ste. Michelle Concerts
Summer Nights at South Lake Union
The Triple Door Theater
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts
The Egan Center (Katrina Benefit) – Anchorage
The Paramount Theater – Seattle
The Hult Center – Eugene
Meany Hall – Seattle
The Meydenbauer Theater – Bellevue, Washington
Experience Music Project, Sky Church – Seattle
Bumbershoot – Seattle
NW Folklife – Seattle
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Benefit Concert – Cary, NC
(with Alan White, Eric Bazilian, and Bernt Bodal)
…and many more!