5/14/08, 5:25 pm EST
Last week’s American Idol castoff Jason Castro stopped by our office to chat about his time on the show, the upcoming Idol tour and his plans for an album. He also offered an explanation for his “Mr. Tambourine Man” lyric fumble during last week’s broadcast: “I think I learn slower than others,” he laughs. “I usually just take my time, spending a week learning an song and connecting with it. I like the connection in music, and I didn’t have time to make that connection last week.”
“At this point, the competition is dependent on who goes home,” Castro adds. “Even if someone messed up before, their performance was still better than another singer. Now everyone is really good and really talented, so it’s like, ‘Who’s going to mess up?’”
While he was admittedly still tired from his post-show media blitz, Castro was also visibly relieved to not be singing three songs tonight. “It’s nice to be doing something different, and not stressing,” he says. “My biggest worry now is that I’ll say something stupid.”
Not that he’ll necessarily be stress-free in the near future; after a cameo in the audience during tonight’s results show, Castro begins rehearsals for the finale tomorrow and starts tour rehearsals on June 1st. “They’re letting us have more input,” he says of the tour, adding each performer will get to sing three songs each. Castro says he’s considering Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” (his audition song at home and during Hollywood week) and his ukulele rendition of “Over the Rainbow.”
After the tour, Castro says he wants to take some time off and create material for an upcoming album. No deals have been confirmed, but Castro says he’s been taking a look at producers of people he likes, including Ray Lamontagne and Ben Harper. “But I don’t even know how you get in touch with those people,” he laughs. “We’ll see if they want to work.”
Though Castro says he didn’t walk away from Idol with a best friend, he certainly acquired a legion of devoted fans, the Dreadheads. “My fans came up with the idea to send me postcards, and I’d get at least 50 a day from all over the world,” he says. “I also got 150 balloons whenever I was sick, and a life size stuffed black panther. Everyone who sees it gets scared — it was sitting on the floor when David Archuleta opened the door and he jumped!”
One thing not on his horizon is school — Castro’s newfound fame has finally given him the chance to put it off for a while, something he says his parents are okay with. “I think what American Idol does is let people know who you are,” he says. “And now that people have heard who Jason Castro is, maybe they’ll take a listen. That’s all I want.”
from: RollingStones.com
Jason Castro's legion of fans like what they've heard and seen-- His amazing voice and his humble and charismatic personality played a major part in expecting a bright future in music for this young man. All his fans, including me, are stoked to hear more of his songs, in his genre, in the very near future. We are all wishing him the best and that we hope we will see more of him in the days and months to come.
My advise Jason is to strike while the iron is hot. Don't let yourself fade away as popularity is fleeting, here today, gone tomorrow. Take advantage of the fact that your fans are ready to listen to your songs and make the journey of your life in the music world something that you will enjoy to remember later on in your life. Stay as humble, uncomplicated and down to earth as you are and don't let fame get to your head and you could be set for life, the way the other music artists' careers endured-- good to mention is Mr. Pretty Amazing Grace himself, Neil Diamond. Neil's current album Home Before Dark charted on Billboard's 200 as #1. I am buying that CD album...