5 Questions with Patty Castillo Davis
by Monica Barber
In a business known for being predominately male and quite difficult to navigate, singer-songwriter Patty Castillo Davis has made it look easy by managing, for many years over, to maintain not only the adoration of her family and fans but the admiration of her peer musicians, both male and female, in the community. She’s been honored with a Woman of Distinction award by Soroptomists International of California and the MAMA’s [Modesto Area Music Awards] multiple times over, again triumphantly winning Best Americana in 2016.
She is professionally victorious and personally enlightened with words of wisdom for anyone willing to listen. If there is one quality that marks Castillo Davis, it is her extraordinary sense of gratitude and lack of bitterness. The fact of the matter is that she has earned respect among her peers and fans for being a phenomenally generous human being in addition to being a powerhouse vocalist.
This year looks like another good one for Castillo Davis. She has recording plans with a producer in Nashville, Tennessee and is currently scoring and writing a track for an indie film. Castillo Davis is clearly at a pivotal time in her career. With a humble gratitude she takes a moment of time away from rehearsal for her upcoming performance at Sundays at CBS concert series on January 22nd to answers a few questions about life, compassion and what empowers her as a female musician…
MV: Tell us about yourself?
PCD: I am an Accidental Country Girl by virtue of being crazy in love with a Cowboy for 13 years. I live in Ceres in the country with my Husband Scott aka Cowboy Daddy and our youngest daughter, Maya, where we are surrounded by nature and animals. I work as a Music Liturgist at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Modesto and acknowledged my 35th anniversary there this past Fall.
MV: What are you working on right now?
PCD: I am in preproduction with Mark Polack a Producer in Nashville and right now of course I am in rehearsals for a performance for the prestigious Sundays at CBS concert series. The theme is honoring women and their role as caretakers of this planet. I’ll be performing original songs in English, Ladino, Portuguese and some surprise material. I’ve invited some outstanding Sister Artists to share their music and poetry and of course, David Rogers, Joe Barretta and Tim Allen my band of Super Stars! I am also currently writing songs and scoring for an Indie film called, “Aid and Comfort.”
MV: What inspires your music?
PCD: Real life inspires my music. I can only write what I know. I am real transparent. If you listen closely you might feel like you want to call me a shrink or buy me a drink. My Muse lies within my circle. The happy, sad, broken, hope and faithful all flow between the notes.
MV: Tell us a little about performing, songwriting and being a woman in a predominately male driven industry?
PCD: Performing is exhilarating. It becomes an intimate connection between folks that is unsurpassed. People just want to be validated and want to feel that they are not in their space alone. When the songs that I write strike a chord in them and make them FEEL something, anything, it is solidified-THAT is why I was born. At the MAMA Awards this past Fall, I performed an original song I wrote that was inspired by the untimely death of my good friend and fellow songwriter, Ryan Russell from the perspective of his wife Tara, because my first response after the tragedy was, “There for the grace of God go I”. The song was extremely painful yet flowed effortless. I wanted this to feel like a love song to the Russell family when I played the stage. The feedback was tremendous and so well received, it’s going to Nashville.
Today there are still miles to go when it comes to equality in the music business. I will never stop engaging, educating and influencing to dramatically improve gender balance in music, starting here. In our community alone, the male fronted acts far outweigh the women fronted ones. The Patty Castillo Davis Band is part of less than a handful of female music leads that are consistently opening national shows and filling venues. It is not sufficient to indiscriminately create entities “just for women” and think that this will get the woman artist balanced with the men. Real talent can never be denied and pulling the “Chick Card” is an insult to those of us who work beyond hard and gladly go head to head on a level playing field with our Brothers. I have big love and respect for my male peers and Promoters who invite me to play shows alongside them and trust my ability and fight for me to open shows for big artists.
MV: Who would you like to collaborate with and why?
PCD: I would love to collaborate with Roots Singer Songwriters Brandi Carlile and Maia Sharp. These women have an honest, visceral feeling to their brand of Alternative Americana that has an underlying tone from Country music, which is similar to my stuff. Their lyrics are intimate and lovely, reflecting utter heartbreak and they have a super keen sense of melody. I am a sucker for a melancholy song that gives a vivid picture.
Thanks Patty Castillo Davis! Catch her performance at Sundays at CBS on January 22nd. More information about her upcoming shows and music is available on her website http://www.pattycastillodavis.com/
