Daniel Castro and The Alameda All Stars – Livermore, CA

21+ Bar opens one hour before showtime. The Alameda All Stars plays at 6:30 pm. Daniel Castro Band plays at 7:45 pm. Both bands play together at 8:45 pm. 

Two incredible blues rock bands, one night! Daniel Castro Band and The Alameda All Stars will each perform a full set, plus a combined final set where they will rock the stage together.  

Blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Daniel Castro and his band wow with soulful, polished, and intense performances, shifting from one scintillating groove to the next. Strong arrangements, including three-part harmonies leave audiences in awe. Describing Daniel Castro as a blues artist only begins to scratch the surface: he is a highly accomplished guitarist and singer/songwriter with a strong musical point of view, grounded in the very best blues traditions. 

The Alameda All Stars consists of Tom Miller, Dean Allen, David Perper, Marke “Jellyroll” Burgstahler, and Tommy Thompson. The band celebrates the music of Gregg Allman based on the time they spent with him touring and recording between the years 1990-2004 as band mates in his solo band, Gregg Allman & Friends. They have performed for crowds of over 100,000 and backed up diverse artists such as Warren Haynes and Allen Woody (The Allman Brothers Band), Joe Satriani, Harvey Mandel (The Rolling Stones), Norman Greenbaum, Greg Douglas (Steve Miller Band), and many others.

See them live at Almost Famous Wine Lounge, an award-winning, new tasting room and venue located on Vasco Road in the heart of Livermore’s wine, spirits and brewery district. Almost Famous Wine makes fifteen wines in diverse styles, and earned over 50 top industry awards since our debut in 2021.

ABOUT DANIEL CASTRO

Describing Daniel Castro as a blues artist doesn’t begin to tell the whole story. A highly accomplished guitarist and singer/songwriter with a strong musical point of view grounded in the very best blues traditions is more like it. Combine those talents with original blues-based material and you begin to understand Daniel’s strengths as an artist. Well-known for being a dynamic performer who “leaves it all on the stage” night after night, Daniel brings crowds to their feet with his blistering solos, soulful singing, and tight arrangements. Daniel has always played with seasoned musicians, but with his newest incarnation, the Daniel Castro Band raises the bar and is truly a force to be reckoned with.  

Daniel grew up in the L.A. area and was heavily influenced by the blues greats Albert King, B.B. King and Albert Collins. As a kid, Daniel would hang outside clubs like the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach to hear these blues legends perform and wait for a glimpse of them through the curtains. After cutting his teeth in South Central L.A. blues clubs with “Mighty Mouth” Delmar Evans, who worked with the Johnny Otis Show, Castro backed other great artists from Otis’ band, including Pee Wee Crayton and Little Ester Phillips. He also recorded and toured with many other artists including legendary Small Faces singer-bassist Ronnie Lane. Moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995, Daniel formed the Daniel Castro Band and quickly became a hot draw in the burgeoning local blues scene. In 1999, Daniel recorded his first release, No Surrender, followed in 2003 with Live at The Saloon, a double CD recorded at San Francisco’s oldest bar and mecca for the blues faithful. Both CDs highlight the talents of Daniel’s playing, songwriting, and arranging and feature stellar performances by some of the Bay Area’s best sidemen.  

In 2011, Daniel began looking to form a new band. He had always been surrounded by great players but wanted to focus on his original material, which required working with musicians that shared his passion, would commit to strenuous rehearsals, and had the natural chemistry needed to help him realize the music’s potential.  

Daniel began getting together with bassist Johnny Yu, whom he had played with in the past and who had recorded several cuts on his “No Surrender” CD. They quickly became a team, working out arrangements to many of Daniel’s new original tunes and forming the nucleus of the new band. Daniel and Johnny began performing as a trio, using a platoon of drummers as they searched for the elusive third member of the band. In early 2012, Johnny reconnected with drummer David Perper, who he had worked with in a variety of settings over many years. David got together with Daniel and Johnny at their rehearsal space and it soon became obvious to all that they collectively had something special. With Johnny and David, Daniel has an intuitive and explosive rhythm section, able to anticipate each other’s moves and support Daniel’s music as it deserves.  

A Daniel Castro Band performance is soulful, polished, and intense as the group shifts from one scintillating groove to the next. Daniel covers lead vocals and rhythm and lead guitar with amazing dexterity. Musical chemistry is obvious from the first note the band plays and it never lets up. The group’s strong arrangements, including three-part harmonies, and its use of dynamics and feel, propel each song forward and leave audiences in awe of a trio that sounds so full. “We play big,” says Perper. Others agree. “I can’t believe how full the band sounds. I close my eyes and am sure you’re a five or six piece band–unbelievable!” says Bernard Butcher, producer of the Blue Wing Blues Festival. 

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ABOUT THE ALAMEDA ALL STARS

The Alameda All Stars consists of Tom Miller, Dean Allen, David Perper, Marke “Jellyroll” Burgstahler, and Tommy Thompson.

“The band is really tight. They are very easy to work with.” – Gregg Allman

“The Alameda All Stars are one of my all-time favorite Gregg Allman bands.” – Bud Snyder, FOH Sound Man for Gregg Allman & Friends and The Allman Brothers Band

Founded in 1979, The Alameda All Stars has a new mission: Celebrating the Music of Gregg Allman. This musical approach is to honor Gregory’s memory based on the time we spent with him between the years 1990-2004 as band mates in his solo band, Gregg Allman & Friends.

Besides extensive yearly tours throughout the U.S., Canada and Japan during that time, the AAS also recorded with Gregg on two of his solo albums: “Searching For Simplicity” (1997 Sony) — which was produced by Tom Dowd — and “No Stranger to the Dark: The Best of Gregg Allman” (2002 — Sony).

In 1994, GAF performed at SF’s Bay to Breakers run held at the Polo Grounds in Golden Gate Park. Jay Leno was the MC for the event. The crowd was estimated at over 200,000.

And then in 2007, The Alameda All Stars backed up ultra-keyboardist Brian Auger for the 40th Anniversary of the Summer of Love which was held at fabled Speedway Meadows in SF’s Golden Gate Park. Over 100,000 people attended.

Two years later in 2009, The Alameda All Stars were back again at Speedway Meadows to perform at West Fest – which was held to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock. This time backing up Lesley West (Mountain), and Denny Laine (The Moody Blues and Paul McCartney’s touring band). Once again, the crowd was over 100,000 strong.

The AAS has also performed onstage as a backup band for a number of very diverse artists. This partial list includes: Warren Haynes and Allen Woody (The Allman Brothers Band), Joe Satriani, Harvey Mandel (The Rolling Stones), David & Linda LaFlamme (It’s a Beautiful Day), Norman Greenbaum, Dickie Petersen (Blue Cheer), Greg Douglas (Steve Miller Band), Maria Muldaur, Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie Band), Lester Chambers (The Chambers Brothers), Greg Kihn, as well as AAS Alumni members Brad Gillis (Ozzy Osbourn, Night Ranger), Dan Chauncey (.38 Special), and many others.

In 2021, The AAS recorded “Crooked Road,” written by Preston Thrall & Tom Miller. It was engineered & produced by Pat Thrall who also played some guitar on it.

Over their 43-year history, The Alameda All Stars has always kept up a high level of musicianship, along with a professional approach to entertaining audiences by means of a well-planned stage show. And ever since those early days back in ’79, the band has never looked back… we’re just looking forward to many more years of music, fun, and friendship with each other, our alumni band members, and our fans.

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VENUE INFORMATION

There is a two drink minimum for each guest. With a menu of 15 wines in diverse styles and sophisticated non-alcoholic options, there’s something for everyone.

Set times and ticket prices are subject to change, and sales are final.

Dancing is encouraged at Almost Famous, and usually takes place in front of and to the side of the stage. If a dance party breaks out, we cannot guarantee a completely unobstructed view to those sitting in the bistro table seats.

Please visit www.almostfamous.wine for our other venue policies.