Cosmic Cowboy Jerry Castle to Release 'Midnight Testaments' on Oct 16th

Article Contributed by Devious Planet | Published on Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Jerry Castle’s recent singles have seen the singer-songwriter tipped for bigger things. His heartfelt, booze-soaked Americana simmers with the energy of southern rock, pure country attitude and the emotive power of heartland rock. Though the release of his new album, Midnight Testaments, is still a couple of months away, he is already off to the races with major outlets jumping aboard to premiere the cluster of animated videos that Jerry has produced. Those that have participated thus far includes The Boot, Wide Open Country, PopMatters, American Songwriter, The Bluegrass Situation, and Glide Magazine.

Now Jerry builds upon his growing acclaim by sharing his new single "Make Do," out on Friday, Aug 21. The song opens with a gritty, spiraling guitar riff before Castle’s husky, world-weary vocal exudes the virtues of kicking back to forget about your problems.  It’s an anthem ready built for escapism, regardless of the cause of your troubles.

“I was set to release the album in April of 2020 but because of the Covid pandemic, the release ended up being delayed indefinitely.  In May of 2020, after two months of being quarantined, I was having a hard time keeping it together”, says Castle.  “I had to come to the realization that I had absolutely zero control over everything that was going on.  That’s when I sat down and wrote ‘Make Do’.  It’s a song about accepting things as they are and making the most of the hand you’re dealt”.

Midnight Testaments finds Castle revisiting and revitalizing his “Cosmic Country meets Appalachian Soul” sound. Jumpstarted by the boozy, bar-band bombast of “Tequila and Tears”, Midnight Testaments showcases Jerry at his best, matching his guitar skills with a deep driving voice that’s equally electric. The eleven-track collection is music for the highway, the heartland, the happy, and the heartbroken. Midnight Testaments is music for all hours.

Castle adds, “Life isn’t static and music shouldn’t be either.  I’ve never had any interest in writing or recording the same type of songs with the same energy over and over again. To me, each song should have a life of it’s own.”

Castle isn’t one for looking back, but his back-story gives some insight as to where he is now.  Raised in the rural Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, his music has taken him to living in Los Angeles and working as a songwriter in the heart of the Nashville scene. He’s released critically acclaimed independent albums and played thousands of shows. Highlights include a five-week run at the top of the Roots Music Folk Rock Charts with his single "She Kills", plus praise from Rolling Stone, who described his 2018 track "Lil Bit" as “one of the most instantly catchy – and danceable – songs about being pissed off this year.”

Throughout Midnight Testaments, Castle looks far beyond his Tennessee home for inspiration, creating a signature sound that plants one foot in his native Appalachia, while pointing the other foot toward broader influences.  Welcome to the world of “Cosmic Country meets Appalachian Soul.”  Welcome to the world of Jerry Castle.