Castle Pines, Castle Pines Review
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Hailing from Corona, CA, Castle Pines is a four-piece Alternative Rock Band featuring Leandro Barrientos (vocalist) and Ricky Garvey (lead guitarist), Sterling Fairfield (percussionist) and Jesse Briseno (bassist). Castle Pines has a unique background story. Basing the band’s name from the tragedy of losing a family home in the market crash of 2008. Their song crafting is built on emotional and impassioned tunes. They have branded themselves as the “blue collar” indie-alternative heroes of their hometown, the “non-cool kids” that fell through cracks of Suburban America. Their debut album Bless this House was an EP released in 2010. In 2014, Castle Pines released their full-length album Summer Blood and in 2017, Castle Pines founded a publishing company “CP Por Vida Music Publishing,” using the trended hashtag of their own creation #CPporVida. Their upcoming album Por Vida is taken from the Spanish word for life. The album will highlight a collection of seven singles with companion music videos curated by different film makers to give the album a unique visual and sonic experience from the perspective of different auteurs. Their first single “Castle Pines,” is a homage to the bands continued journey, and the growth of each member along the way individually and as a band.
Positives:
The struggle and fortitude of Castle Pines is reflected in their lyrics, theirs is a story of perseverance and its reflected in note of their music.
Bottom Line:
The self-titled single documents the trials and tribulations the band has endured from homelessness, to jail, depression, to finding a renewed sense of purpose. The one shining light has always been a constant is the comradery of the band and its members. Even while recording the single drummer Sterling Fairfield was rushed to an emergency operation due to complications of Crohn’s Disease. He nearly died on several occasions and had his entire lower intestine removed. Sterling, being the die-hard loyalist to the band and message, struggled through weeks of recording in a cottage in Southern California, stitches fresh from an incision down his chest, and performed beautifully for the album. The single offers a depth of story that is real, that comes from an honest place of struggle and still beating the odds. Each member contributes to the overall sound for a breathtaking melancholy listen. A tune that is about thrashing the odds and the enduring friendship that Castle Pines the single, the band, and the place, that rings of coming of age.