Mark del Castillo
Encyclopedia
Mark del Castillo is a guitarist, vocalist, composer and songwriter.
Mark del Castillo was born in Brownsville, Texas
, United States
. Raised in a family with many musical influences, he started learning guitar at age 14, following after his talented older brother Rick del Castillo. For some time Mark studied guitar by himself; then in year 1990 he entered the University of Texas at Brownsville and became a Music Major. There Mark studied Music Theory, Ear Training, and Applied Guitar and played in University Latin/Jazz band.
In 1991, Mark started to play with a cover band called Kickstart as a guitarist and spent over three years with them. He left Kickstart, and went to Texas A&M University
to study in the College of Biomedical Science. There Mark and several his student friends came together to play as a band called Vivid. They graduated in 1996 and moved to Austin, Texas
, where they started to perform on the famous 6th Street circuit. As Vivid they played in other cities in Texas
and even had some show trips to Europe
.
At that time Mark del Castillo also joined the rock band called Milhouse, where he for the first time met Mike Zeoli (drummer of Del Castillo
). Mark's brother Rick recorded and produced the first Milhouse CD, for which Mark wrote and performed an instrumental Latin-flamenco track named “Para Mija Linda”. Written for his future wife, this song inspired him very much, and he started to write more guitar music in different Spanish styles. Mark created a few instrumentals and then began collaboration with Alex Ruiz, who wrote lyrics to several of songs. Mark offered these songs to his brother Rick del Castillo. Rick liked them very much. The brothers realized that they had never worked together before and decided to start writing and playing music together.
Mark now plays guitar and sings in the Del Castillo
band he founded together with his brother Rick. Along with the other members of Del Castillo
Mark also plays in Robert Rodríguez
's Chingon
band.
Mark and Rick del Castillo were honored of being two of only about six musicians worldwide to launch the Gibson Dark Fire
guitar. The Del Castillo Brothers presented the Dark Fire at Antone's club in Austin, Texas
, on December 15, 2008.
Equipment list
Mark del Castillo was born in Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Raised in a family with many musical influences, he started learning guitar at age 14, following after his talented older brother Rick del Castillo. For some time Mark studied guitar by himself; then in year 1990 he entered the University of Texas at Brownsville and became a Music Major. There Mark studied Music Theory, Ear Training, and Applied Guitar and played in University Latin/Jazz band.
In 1991, Mark started to play with a cover band called Kickstart as a guitarist and spent over three years with them. He left Kickstart, and went to Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
to study in the College of Biomedical Science. There Mark and several his student friends came together to play as a band called Vivid. They graduated in 1996 and moved to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, where they started to perform on the famous 6th Street circuit. As Vivid they played in other cities in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and even had some show trips to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
At that time Mark del Castillo also joined the rock band called Milhouse, where he for the first time met Mike Zeoli (drummer of Del Castillo
Del Castillo
Del Castillo is a Latin rock band based in Austin, Texas. The band's name comes from the last name of two brothers, Rick and Mark del Castillo, who founded the group.-History:...
). Mark's brother Rick recorded and produced the first Milhouse CD, for which Mark wrote and performed an instrumental Latin-flamenco track named “Para Mija Linda”. Written for his future wife, this song inspired him very much, and he started to write more guitar music in different Spanish styles. Mark created a few instrumentals and then began collaboration with Alex Ruiz, who wrote lyrics to several of songs. Mark offered these songs to his brother Rick del Castillo. Rick liked them very much. The brothers realized that they had never worked together before and decided to start writing and playing music together.
Mark now plays guitar and sings in the Del Castillo
Del Castillo
Del Castillo is a Latin rock band based in Austin, Texas. The band's name comes from the last name of two brothers, Rick and Mark del Castillo, who founded the group.-History:...
band he founded together with his brother Rick. Along with the other members of Del Castillo
Del Castillo
Del Castillo is a Latin rock band based in Austin, Texas. The band's name comes from the last name of two brothers, Rick and Mark del Castillo, who founded the group.-History:...
Mark also plays in Robert Rodríguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
's Chingon
Chingon
Chingon or chingón may refer to:*Chingon, a band started by director Robert Rodríguez*Chingón, a Mexican slang word for "badass"...
band.
Mark and Rick del Castillo were honored of being two of only about six musicians worldwide to launch the Gibson Dark Fire
Gibson Dark Fire
The Gibson Dark Fire, a variant of the Gibson Les Paul, is an electric solid body guitar produced by Gibson Guitar Corporation. The guitar is a second generation Robot Guitar, using an updated version of the Powertune self-tuning system produced by Tronical Gmbh...
guitar. The Del Castillo Brothers presented the Dark Fire at Antone's club in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, on December 15, 2008.
Equipment list
- Takamine Classical Nylon customized by Peter Mark
- Yamaha APX10NA Classical Guitar customized by Peter Mark (main performance guitar)
- Genz Benz Shen Pro Acoustic Amplifier
- RMC Poly Drive IV Pickup System
- Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
- Boss DD-3 Digital Delay Pedal
- BOSS 7-Band Graphic EQ Pedal
- Boss Tuner Pedal
- Electro-Harmonix "Black Finger" Compressor Pedal
- Jim Dunlop "Mark del Castillo Signature" Tortex Picks (black/gold)
- D'Addario Hard Tension Nylon Strings
Del Castillo
- Brothers of the Castle (2001)
- VidaVidaVida is a word meaning "life" in languages such as Occitan, Catalan, Portuguese and Spanish. It is also a female given name. It may refer to:In sports:*Club Deportivo y Social Vida, a football team from HondurasIn arts and entertainment:...
(2002) - Del Castillo Live DVD (2004)
- Brotherhood (2006)
- Del Castillo (self-titled) (2009)