Castro's

Fraser / Daley
2025-04-18 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-05-02 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-05-16 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Toronto)
A popular concert and recording act for over 14 years, Toronto-based Fraser/Daley has released three CDs of original music and performed widely, consistently entertaining audiences with their large and varied repertoire, big sound and spontaneous sense of fun. Alec Fraser hails from Glasgow, Scotland and is a respected bassist and Juno and Maple Blues Award winner. Mike Daley was dubbed by Jeff Healey ‘one of Canada’s finest guitarists’ and has a long list of live and studio credits. Alec and Mike met while working in Healey’s touring band in the mid-2000s and found that they enjoyed singing together after the gig. In 2008 they began playing together regularly in Toronto as Alec perfected a unique bass-drums combination instrument that gives this duo the unmistakable sound of a trio. Their three albums, Fraser/Daley, The Whole Fam Damily and Fifty Miles of Elbow Room have garnered steady sales and strong airplay on blues and folk radio, and Alec and Mike have become sought after for their versatile performances, playing everything from intimate house concerts to street dances. Learn more at fraserdaley.com.

Craig Robertson & The Really Live
2025-04-19 17:00 - 19:00
It’s now been a decade since Craig Robertson released his debut solo album, and during that time the Canadian singer/songwriter has made five more recordings that have found him grow into one of the most compelling voices within the roots music community.

The 501 East
2025-04-21 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-05-19 18:00 - 20:00

Mike Daley & Tim Bovaconti
2025-04-24 18:00 - 20:00
Mike Daley is a guitarist and singer based in Toronto. A professional musician for over 30 years, Mike has toured Canada, the United States and England and has recorded extensively in a variety of musical styles. He is a longtime member of Fraser/Daley with bassist Alec Fraser and is also proud to work with a variety of bands around Toronto including the Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation, the Travellers and others.
Tim Bovaconti grew up on (Toronto’s) Ward’s Island where he played his first gig at the age of 14.Since then Tim has fronted a few bands (The Love Cows,Pop Vultures) and developed a reputation as a talented multi-instumentalist, performing, touring and recording with the likes of Ron Sexsmith,Burton Cummings,Randy Bachman,Don Stevenson (Moby Grape),Broadway star Gavin Creel,The Kelele Brothers,Leonard Cohen, Kim Stockwood, The Sattalites, Jason Wilson,Fergus Hambleton,Dave Swarbrick (Fairport Convention),Dick Gaughan,Strato-Chief, The Supers, Andrea Koziol, Shonen Knife, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lost Dakotas, Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo), Andy Kim (“Sugar,Sugar”), Mad Violet,Sean Cullen,Revival Dear,The Nines,Kim Jarrett,C. Kenn,Robbie Roth,Julian Taylor,Ben Spivak,David Hein (come from away) and many others. He is also in demand as a producer having helped out Toronto songwriting talent Jerry Leger and his band the Situation on their past 3 albums as well as working with James Mckie on his upcoming release.

Sugar Rush
2025-04-25 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-05-09 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-05-23 17:30 - 19:30
Sugar Rush is the ultimate party band, playing really fun, upbeat covers spanning different genres from classic rock, funk, soul, blues, country, jazz, disco, 80s, motown, hard rock, reggae, oldies, R&B, and folk! Get ready for a full evening of dancing, singalongs and just really good music!
Sugar Rush has been a GTA staple since 2007, returning to the circuit after a brief hiatus, familiar to many a musician and music fan for their jam nights at the Curzon, their Friday night residency at the Loaded Dog, beach parties and corporate events. Anchored by Frankie Dee and Tony Carpino with a rotation of top notch players with special surprise guests and currently featuring Gary Lee Hill. This dynamic crew brings all the best classic rock, funk, soul, blues and much more to keep the floor filled. Always guaranteed sweet sounds with Sugar Rush.

Danny Marks
2025-04-26 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-05-24 17:00 - 19:00
This iconic rocker’s roots go back to the sixties as a founding member of Capitol Records’ group, Edward Bear. After a span as a journey man session musician throughout the seventies, Danny settled in to the club scene, establishing a cult following as a genre bender in music and humor.
A house band gig at Toronto’s famed Albert’s Hall led him to host his own nation-wide TV show, Stormy Monday. Through the eighties, Danny starred in CBC radio’s hit series the Hum Line.
Most recently, Danny Marks recorded two original music albums, Guitarchaeology and True, before paying tribute to Toronto’s R&B roots with Big Town Boy in 2005.
Danny’s in his thirteenth year as the radio host of JAZZ.FM91’s Saturday night blues show, bluz.fm.
As a child, young Danny would lock himself in his room with a stack of 45’s, an old Seabreeze record player, and a fantasy of having his own radio show. More than a few years later this pre-pubescent propensity paid off.

Dan Mock
2025-04-27 15:00 - 18:00
Dan works as a full time professional musician. Areas of expertise include live performance, touring, session work, and music instruction – primarily on guitar (electric and acoustic), bass (electric and upright), and voice.
Jerry Leger
Full-time member of Latent recording artist and touring act Jerry Leger & The Situation. Recorded on well over a dozen albums and tours regularly in Canada, US, and overseas, including the most recent tour of Europe and the UK in April/May, 2022.
Quique Escamilla
The chief bassist in Quique’s band from 2010 to 2022, recorded in his self titled debut and on his Juno Award winning record 500 Years Of Night (2014), as well as performed on all tours and festivals throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. Currently performs on bass, when available, as Quique’s chief fill-in bassist.
Freelance Musician
Performs throughout Canada as a freelance musician at private events, festivals, and music venues in bands such as The Del Fi’s, Ricky Toledo, iSpy, The Chasers, Hora Machine, The Wanted, Alan Zemaitis Organ Trio, and his own self-titled band Dan Mock. Also regularly fills in for fellow musicians in a variety of other bands and genres.

Mike Daley & Dylan Bell
2025-05-01 18:00 - 20:00
Mike Daley is a guitarist and singer based in Toronto. A professional musician for over 30 years, Mike has toured Canada, the United States and England and has recorded extensively in a variety of musical styles. He is a longtime member of Fraser/Daley with bassist Alec Fraser and is also proud to work with a variety of bands around Toronto including the Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation, the Travellers and others.
In a word… multifaceted. Juno-nominated Dylan Bell is a vocalist, instrumentalist (piano, bass, guitar, percussion), composer/arranger, music director and producer/engineer. Dylan has worked with groups ranging from vocal jazz, (Cadence, Hampton Avenue, the Swingle Singers, FreePlay Duo, The Watch), to vocal pop (Retrocity, the Nylons) to eclectic jazz and world music (Autorickshaw, Ray Montford Group), to classical (Nathaniel Dett Chorale; Lara St John) to flat-out rock ‘n’ roll (Honeymoon Suite). He’s played stages across the world from his native Toronto, to Stockholm, Sweden, to Calcutta, India, and his compositions and arrangements are performed across the world from Arnprior to Zurich. His book “A Cappella Arranging” (co-written with Deke Sharon) was published in 2013.

DJ Rob
2025-05-02 22:00 - 2025-05-03 02:00

Red Velvet
2025-05-03 17:00 - 19:00
Red Velvet is a high energy band that loves to entertain and get people to dance and rock out! We love playing music and we have a ton of fun doing it together!

D.B. Buxton
2025-05-04 15:00 - 18:00
Started off in music as a busker. Began working with bands in 2003. Began semi-professionally producing Hip Hop and Electronica in 2005. Released his first solo record in 2008. Is currently working on his 4th official release. He also scored his first film in 2012 and has worked in volunteer radio, hosting and producing programs and ads since 2007.

Trivia Night @ Castros
2025-05-06 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-20 19:00 - 21:00
Join us for a fun and friendly trivia night on the 1st Tuesday of every month at Castros. Free to play and prizes for the winners.

Mike Daley & Chris Chambers
2025-05-08 18:00 - 20:00
Mike Daley is a guitarist and singer based in Toronto. A professional musician for over 30 years, Mike has toured Canada, the United States and England and has recorded extensively in a variety of musical styles. He is a longtime member of Fraser/Daley with bassist Alec Fraser and is also proud to work with a variety of bands around Toronto including the Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation, the Travellers and others.
Chris Chambers is a guitar player, singer, songwriter and producer having performed for over 20 years. As a solo artist, Chambers has released two independent records and various singles and toured in Canada, Europe and parts of the US.
Chambers has shared the stage with artists such as Steve Earle, Trooper, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Randy Bachman, Teenage Head, Philip Sayce, Tony Springer, Morgan Davis, Matt Schofield, The Georgia Satellites, Sue Foley and is a regular in the summer festival circuit (Cavendish Beach Music Festival, Canada’s Largest Rifest, the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)) as a featured artist as well as a sideman as well as performing historic venues like The Great Hall at Hamilton Place as well as Ivor Wynne Stadium (Tim Hortons Field) and Copps Coliseum (First Ontario Place)
As a session musician, Chambers has also performed on numerous independent releases and worked alongside notable producers such as Tim Tickner & Nick Blagona (The Police, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd). He has written and produced music for international ad campaigns for companies such as Volkswagen.

Will Whitwham & Jared Craig
2025-05-10 17:00 - 19:00
Will Whitwham is one of Canada’s most prolific and talented singer/songwriters. As a founding member of the Wilderness of Manitoba, he has written and recorded five albums and three EPs. The group was nominated for a JUNO award. The Wilderness of Manitoba toured Canada, the US, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany including performances at the End of the Road Festival, WOMAD, SXSW and the Reeperbahn Festival.
He has also written and recorded two albums as Lake Forest, an EP for the Whateverly Brothers, an album for Pyramid Tropic, and collaborated with recording artists Martha Johnson, Eamon McGrath and Delhi 2 Dublin. The Wilderness of Manitoba was nominated for Sync Artist or Songwriter of the Year at the first Canadian Sync Awards during Canadian Music Week. Their songs (written by Whitwham) have appeared in such US television series as This Is Us, Elementary, Parenthood and No Tomorrow among others. Whitwham’s next project is an EP under his own name called End of Dreams.

Morgan Davis
2025-05-11 15:00 - 18:00
For nearly four decades Morgan Davis has been on the road travelling across Canada, the United States and Europe. His performances draw from a rich tradition of country blues, as well as his own contemporary songs infused with wit and a large dose of humour.

Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation
2025-05-12 19:30 - 22:00
The Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation (TWAC) comprise of some of the best musicians in all of Toronto coming together for their love of Tom Waits and paying Tribute to him and his music!

Mike Daley & Mike Ferolia
2025-05-15 18:00 - 20:00
Mike Ferolia began his career singing in bars and clubs in Kitchener and Toronto Ontario. Having had the pleasure of singing in bands with some of the best musicians in Canada, his career progressed quickly. With as many as three weekly gigs at any time from 2006 to 2016, Mike was able to hone a performance style that remains refreshingly engaging to this day.
The stage wasn’t Mike’s only domain. In the 2010s, the booming Toronto session scene also embraced him as a vocalist and even occasionally, a voice-over actor. Mike could be heard on the radio for years on the heels of commercials for Molson Canadian, Swiss Chalet, Mini Wheats, Casino Rama & more. He can also be heard on Jesse Cook’s ‘Nomad’, and Amy Sky’s ‘With This Kiss’ albums as well as countless independent records as both a bassist & vocalist.
In the mid to late 2010s, as the venues he frequented began to close (Joe Mama’s, Bar Italia, College Street Bar), Mike knew it was time for a change. By that time he had already begun honing a new skill, the bass guitar. Under the influence of some of his musical heroes, most notably, Sting, Mike found a new outlet and a fresh connection to music. From 2012 up to the present day, he’s been able to transform his successful and widely diverse career primarily as a vocalist, now working nearly exclusively as a vocalist/bassist.
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Mike Daley is a guitarist and singer based in Toronto. A professional musician for over 30 years, Mike has toured Canada, the United States and England and has recorded extensively in a variety of musical styles. He is a longtime member of Fraser/Daley with bassist Alec Fraser and is also proud to work with a variety of bands around Toronto including the Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation, the Travellers and others.

Divine Brown
2025-05-17 17:00 - 19:00
Divine Brown, formerly known as Divine Earth Essence, is a Canadian-born R&B singer whose expansive octave range and engaging soul sound has made her one of Canada’s most prominent R&B artists in the new millennium.

The Del-Fis
2025-05-18 15:00 - 18:00
I don’t know what The Del Fi’s are; the more I think about it, the more I don’t know what to say. But I know it’s right, and I know it’s good. I know it works. I mean, it’s Jerry Leger’s thing, but when I asked him what he would say The Del Fi’s are, all he would tell me is that I (meaning me) am The Del Fi’s, just as you (meaning you) are The Del Fi’s. And because you are you, you understand. Don’t you?
Okay, maybe we should try this again. Jerry Leger is a Toronto singer/songwriter, and one of the best in the world, as far as I’m concerned. If you haven’t heard him, you have no right to be one of these people constantly moaning about how music was so much better when people actually played instruments, blah, blah, blah.
Jerry loves Bob Dylan, Neil Young and John Lennon. Sometimes it sounds as though all three are fighting for space in his songs. But those songs are his own, the product of a natural born storyteller with a sense of rhythm that would make Little Richard’s big toe shoot up in his boot.
Jerry’s songs hit deep in your soul, but he also often loves just making music with folks just to flex some of his old time rock and roll muscles, and explore some of the paths his songwriting normally doesn’t take. That’s kinda where The Del Fi’s come in.
It’s rock and roll that we all care about right? I’m sure you wouldn’t still be reading this if you didn’t agree. So I guess that does make you a Del Fi. Welcome aboard and grab an instrument, we’ve got a show to do.

Mike Daley & Tyler Yarema
2025-05-22 18:00 - 20:00
Tyler Yarema is a Canadian Toronto-based singer/songwriter. A self-taught pianist, Yarema’s early influences in music stem from the stride genre, and he takes his cues from musicians such as Willie “the Lion” Smith, Fats Waller, Pete Johnson, Lionel Hampton, and Duke Ellington. Yarema’s bands specialize in a unique hybrid of blues, jump-blues, swing, boogie-woogie, and original popular music.
After moving from Thunder Bay to Toronto in 1994, Yarema became a nightclub regular. He gained traction by playing alongside the late Jeff Healey, Chris Whiteley, King Biscuit Boy, Downchild Blues Band, and the late Doug Riley before forming his own band entitled Tyler Yarema and His Rhythm. Yarema has since played, produced, arranged, and sung on over 40 albums.
Currently, Yarema is working on a recording project through the vehicle of his band Empire Avenue that steers away from traditional jazz and blues and focuses on an original sounding adult pop.
Tyler joined Downchild Blues Band in 2021, after the death of their long-serving keyboard player Michael Fonfara.
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Mike Daley is a guitarist and singer based in Toronto. A professional musician for over 30 years, Mike has toured Canada, the United States and England and has recorded extensively in a variety of musical styles. He is a longtime member of Fraser/Daley with bassist Alec Fraser and is also proud to work with a variety of bands around Toronto including the Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation, the Travellers and others.

Hayden Ryann
2025-05-24 20:30 - 22:30
Hayden Ryann is a prolific artist with 100+ songs, blending modern and legacy sounds. Inspired by her Beaches neighborhood, she’s recorded in NASH, TO, and MTL.

Lucas Stagg & The Junctioneers
2025-05-25 15:00 - 18:00
Based in the heart of Toronto’s Junction, Stagg has toured endlessly and released over a dozen albums in the past two decades, each a reflection of his choice of the troubadour life. By turns confessional and narrative, the songs are presented in an unadorned performance style that throws their lyrical and melodic content into sharp relief. It’s edgy and cartoony; country, blues and rock ‘n’ roll.

Music Bingo @ Castros
2025-05-27 19:00 - 21:00
