stardust beach studio: 2024

The Castellows - House of Blues, Cleveland, Ohio - March 15, 2024 - A Little Goes a Long Way Tour

I had the pleasure of seeing these talented, future country music stars (and all around great role models) at the House of Blues in Cleveland. A sold out show for good reason. Below are some pics and links to videos from the show.

"Completely" sold out :

ICYMI here is the full show with a few songs per video:

Ways to Go

Heartline Hill

I Know It'll Never End

Callin' Baton Rouge (cover)

A Little Goes a Long Way

God's Time

Sleeping on the Blacktop (cover)

The Part Where You Break My Heart

Travelling Soldier (cover)

*** Sheltered [unreleased - not on set list]

Homecoming (unreleased)

Come Together (The Beatles cover)

No. 7 Road

Grass is Always Bluer

Cowgirl Blues

Cowboy Kind of Love

I Was Born With a Shotgun In My Hand (cover)

Crazy on You [Ellie rocks]

House of the Rising Sun (cover)

Hurricane (cover)

The highlight for me was Lily pointing to me during The Beatles Come Together, mouthing the lyrics "I know you, you know me" - what an engaging entertainer. Of course I was singing many of the words, was wearing The Castellows ball cap, and gave her and her sisters a small gift at the show the night before in Ann Arbor. I had a few name tags made for them:

This is me giving the band a copy of The Castellow Wanted poster and the name tags above:

The ladies were generous with their time at the merch table, signing things for everyone. They signed a Fender Telecaster pick guard I brought:

The plan is to make a new kind of guitar called a Castellowcaster :)

Best show and meet and greet ever:

So maybe the Wanted Poster (see pics here: http://www.stardustbeach.com/2024/03/the-castellows-wanted-poster-blind-pig.html) and the names tags was a little TOO MUCH. But you know what the gals say - A Little Goes a Long Way :)

Do support these talented ladies: https://www.thecastellowsmusic.com/

The Castellows - Wanted Poster - Blind Pig show Ann Arbor, Michigan - March 14, 2024 - A Little Goes a Long Way Tour

Check out The Castellows - I did and I had to book a few more shows to see these rising country stars play. Check out their tour dates and merchandise on their site: https://www.thecastellowsmusic.com/

Above and below is the poster I taped up to poles around The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Michigan:

The show was OUTSTANDING. What a talented group of gals !!! Here is the whole show I recorded (except for I was Born With a Shotgun in My Hand):

And this is Ellie's set list (I was right up front).

For my thoughts on the show, I'll repeat my YouTube video description:

The Castellows are what we ALL need MORE of today! Talented, fun, energetic, young ladies with a great 7-song EP A Little Goes a Long Way and more great unreleased tracks on the way, like at this show.

The music of these singer-songwriter sisters Lillian (Lily), Eleanor (Ellie) and Powell Balkcom covers the range from quiet and thoughtful (In God's Time, Miss America - both unreleased) to upbeat, sing-along catchy numbers (No. 7 Road, A Little Goes a Long Way, The Part Where You Break My Heart). Their cover songs show their diverse musical roots spanning The Beatles to The Boss to The Chicks in concert, to Levon Helm's Hurricane on the EP.

Their love and respect for each other is evident and openly expressed in the show. Kudos to Mr. and Mrs. Balkcom for 'home-school' raising such ambitious, poised and professional gals aged 18 to 20 or so (with Ellie and Powell being 2 of three triplets). The gals should be role models for others on what hard work can achieve. The gals' unreleased song in this set Miss America has these lyrics:

"But I miss America, on the front porch, before she ever had to lock her doors, and she was still outspoken. Back before her heart got broken. I miss America, bare feet in the dirt, John 3:16, wasn't scared to work and they all dreamed of her. She's mine and I still love her. But I miss America."

Definitely these gals are not scared to work (e.g., see Ellie rounding up cattle to get to market when she says prices are up in Instagram). BTW I've put the chords and lyrics the Miss America on Ultimate Guitar https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/the-castellows/miss-america-chords-5183592 ... plus I played a bit of it at the Cleveland Rock & Roll Hall of Fame the next day (see video https://youtu.be/V-9CDLoObVA - truly inspirational music).

PS - I say full show but I do miss out part of a couple songs having my battery die and switching phones. Check out my recording in Cleveland the next day - https://youtu.be/93_vHy5pjFM - it is the whole show though they swapped in unreleased Sheltered for Miss America and skipped I'm on Fire.

The Blind Pig set list:

00:00:00 (Intro) I'm Shipping Up To Boston 00:00:29 Ways To Go 00:03:10 Heartline Hill 00:05:59 Talk Break 00:06:45 I Know It'll Never End 00:09:40 Callin' Baton Rouge (cover) 00:12:16 A Little Goes a Long Way 00:16:00 God's Time 00:19:30 Sleeping on the Blacktop (cover) 00:22:43 The Part Where You Break My Heart 00:26:18 Talk Break 00:27:18 I'm on Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover) 00:30:02 Miss America (unreleased) 00:33:40 Homecoming (unreleased) 00:37:58 Come Together (The Beatles cover) 00:41:51 No. 7 Road 00:45:21 Grass is Always Bluer (unreleased) 00:45:07 Cowgirl Blues (unreleased) 00:54:01 Cowboy Kind of Love 00:57:20 Cripple Creek (Powell Banjo) Not recorded - I Was Born With a Shotgun In My Hand 00:57:42 Crazy on You [Oh My !!! Ellie rocks !!!!] 00:58:20 House of the Rising Sun (cover) 01:02:50 Hurricane (cover)

Do support these talented ladies as they share their music and make the world a better place: https://www.thecastellowsmusic.com/

The Castellows - Sheltered

* The Castellows – Shelter

* Standard tuning. Capo 3rd fret

* Debut live performance at Cleveland House of Blues, March 15, 2024

* check out video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah6dWu_ybTk

* a better quality video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEBzzPBMm34

This is based on the live debut of the unreleased song Shelter (although it could be "Sheltered"). I'll repeat my Youtube Description:

The Castellows played this unreleased song Shelter (or perhaps "Sheltered") during their "A Little Goes a Long Way" debut EP tour. The chords and lyrics are also below (so we can all play along!). The intro by Lily and Ellie provides some background on the inspiration for the song. As the gals in the band (Lily Balkcom, Ellie Balkcom, and Powell Balkcom) were home-schooled, Ellie notes such kids are called 'sheltered', a as a derogatory term, e.g., poorly-adjusted, poorly developed, etc.. Well if home-schooling produces such poised and talented young people, being 'sheltered' and nurtured in they way the gals have been could never be a criticism. We all see the Instagram right? Working the farm, hunting, fishing, riding, the song-writing/recording/touring. The ladies are clearly role models IMHO, showing home-schooling must. So as Mick would say Gimme Shelter :) Bravo to Mr. and Mrs. Balkcom - it must not be easy but boy it appears to have been well worth it. Thanks in advance for any corrections :)

Intro

Em7 G/D C9

Verse 1

Am D G C

Sleepin’ on a pull-out mattress in a town where no one knows my name

Am D G C

Nothin’ but a dream and a blue ridge(?), and a cloth in a picture frame.

C9 D G C9

Went to college for a piece of paper, I didn’t even learn a thing.

Am G D

I went to school at home so I taught myself to sing.

Chorus

C Em G C

Maybe I’m sheltered, maybe I’m foolish, maybe I don’t understand.

C Em G C

Maybe I’m a princess in your El Camino driving through the promised land.

Em G

Through the promised land, past the silos, that’s where we go.

C D

Runnin’ wild and free, but you can shelter me.

Instrumental

Em7 G/D C9

Verse 2

Am D G C

I’ve got a rhinestone sewn on a Sunday dress and light shinin' off the dirt.

Am D G C

My sisters say the “You’re a little too wild”, they don’t want me to get hurt.

C9 D G C9

I’ll take my soul on this rabbit trail, I’ll take off in this plane.

Am G D

Even though those City lights won’t call my name.

Chorus

C Em G C

Maybe I’m sheltered, maybe I’m foolish, maybe I don’t understand.

C Em G C

Maybe I’m a princess in your El Camino driving through the promised land.

Em G

Through the promised land, past the silos, that’s where we go.

C D

Runnin’ wild and free, but you can shelter me.

Instrumental

Em7 G/D C9

Oooo oooo oooo oooo, ooo you can shelter me

Oooo oooo oooo oooo, ooo

Chorus

C Em G C

Maybe I’m sheltered, maybe I’m foolish, maybe I don’t understand.

C Em G C

Maybe I’m a princess in your El Camino driving through the promised land.

Em G

Through the promised land, past the silos, that’s where we go.

C D

Runnin’ wild and free, but you can shelter me.

Outro

Em7 G/D C9

Oooo oooo oooo oooo, ooo you can shelter me

Oooo oooo oooo oooo, ooo

Em7

The Castellows - Miss America (Lyrics and Chords)

These are the lyrics and chords to a great unreleased song from The Castellows, played live on their debut EP "A Little Goes a Long Way" tour. A great metaphor and future hit song no doubt. There are a couple guesses/gaps in the lyrics - please email beachdust@gmail.com for corrections - thank you!

[Intro]

C F

[Verse]

C F

She was some kinda of renegade born on a summer day, fireworks in her

C F

eyes. She was wild child, seventeen growin' up evergreen, headed west for the big sky

C F

Little brown-eyed blue jean baby in a pink house pretty as a daisy

C F

She got a rocky mountain high and left a few roots behind, but I miss

[Chorus]

C F

America, on the front porch, before she ever had to lock her doors, and she was

Am G F

still outspoken. Back before her heart got broken. I miss

C F

America, bare feet in the dirt, John 3:16, wasn't scared to work and they

Am G F

all dreamed of her. She's mine and I still love her. But I miss

C F

America.

[Verse]

C F

Ya I can see her with her hair down, walkin' through my home town, after a football

C F

game. I can hear her in a hay field singin' with the whipper wills, and I kinda hate the way

C F

She ran away and got a little bit older. Had a big city chip on her

C F

shoulder. That ain't the way that she was raised. What can I say? I miss

[Chorus]

C F

America, on the front porch, before she ever had to lock her doors, and she was

Am G F

still outspoken. Back before her heart got broken. I miss

C F

America, bare feet in the dirt, John 3:16, wasn't scared to work and they

Am G F

all dreamed of her. She's mine and I still love her. But I miss

C F

America

[Break]

She was some kinda of renegade born on a summer day. But I miss

[Chorus]

C F

America, on the front porch, before she ever had to lock her doors, and she was

Am G F

still outspoken. Back before her heart got broken. I miss

C F

America, bare feet in the dirt, John 3:16, wasn't scared to work and they

Am G F

all dreamed of her. She's mine and I still love her. But I miss

C F

America

[Outro]

C F C F

Ya I miss America. Ya I miss America

C F

***

Thanks to Chuck Pickelsimer for recording the live performance of this gem at The Barrel House Ballroom in Chattanooga, TN. Friday, March 8th, 2024:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43uCB2Cjtws

I got a chance to play a verse and chorus at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in their jam studio! : https://youtu.be/V-9CDLoObVA