Chris Castino: Fresh Pickles, Chicken Wire Empire, and the soul of Jackson County

May 26, 2022
Tim Newby

Chris Castino / photo: Tyler Hellbeck

Chris Castino first came to prominence with the Big Wu, a band he helped found in 1992. The band established itself as a mainstay of the roots and jamband scene, releasing five studio and five live albums and earning a reputation as one of the hardest touring bands on the scene. As the Big Wu slowed their heavy touring schedule, Castino stayed busy and when the COVID pandemic shut the world down, he dove head-first into a new project highlighting his lifelong passion for bluegrass.

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Quarantine Life, part 3

May 1, 2020
Slide & Banjo

For the most part, our planet is still hunkered down. For better or for worse, certain states are starting to slowly try to get back to normal. But, performing arts venues of all sorts are the type of business that’s still on lockdown. Here’s part three of our feature on musicians and how they’re handling stay-at-home orders. Check out parts one and two if you haven’t.

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Chris Castino and Brazil – the long answer

March 10, 2020
Tim Newby

Chris Casino

“The guy behind the record is someone who has been playing music a long time and has awakened to a reality of wanting to go as deep as I can into music, and this is my first step towards that,” explains Chris Castino of the Big Wu about his first solo album, Brazil.  It is an album Castino describes as “more of a folk-rock album with a groove to it.”

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