Exhibit covers open landscapes by a who’s who of NM artists
Randy Castillo is a legendary drummer who found himself touring with Ozzy Osborne, Mötley Crüe and Lita Ford in the 1980s and ’90s.
He’s a product of New Mexico and his story will be told in the documentary, “The Life, Blood and Rhythm of Randy Castillo.”
For nine years, Mike Bell and Chris Castillo worked together on the project.
Chris Castillo wanted to pay homage to her brother, who died on March 26, 2002.
There will be a screening of the documentary at 7 p.m. March 26 at the KiMo Theatre on the anniversary of Randy Castillo’s death. The screening also is being presented by the Albuquerque Film and Music Experience.
Bell produced the documentary, which was filmed in both New Mexico and Los Angeles.
Bell discovered Castillo while growing up in Witchita, Kan. A drummer himself, Bell and three other friends would always catch Castillo’s band, The Wumblies, when it was performing in town.
“I was 16 and three of my buddies snuck into the stage door to watch them play,” he says. “Randy started to become an influence and we would just watch him and burn his playing style into our heads.”
For the documentary, Bell interviewed more than 30 musicians who Castillo worked with over the course of his career. He says though the documentary runs just
more than 60 minutes, a lot of the interviews are featured in the bonus footage.
“There wasn’t one person who turned us down once they knew who we were doing the documentary on,” he says. “Randy was so respected in this community.”
The documentary is narrated by Lita Ford, who Castillo played with for many years.
It goes all the way back to Castillo growing up in Albuquerque and graduating from West Mesa High School.
Bell says the documentary is full of insight from actual musicians. He says the late Mark Russo helped him get many of the interviews for the documentary.
“These are the stories that all of them experienced with Randy,” he says. “Mark passed away a few years ago and never got to see the documentary.”
In fact, Bell says the inception for supergroup Velvet Revolver took place at Castillo’s memorial at the Key Club in Los Angeles in 2002.
“The band gave him some credit in the liner notes,” he says. “He really touched a lot of people.”
After the screening, there will be an after-party at Rock & Brews.
Bell says the guest list for the event will include:
New Mexico native Jay Schellan, who went on to drum for Hurricane and Asia; Stevie Salas, guitarist for Rod Stewart; Carmine Rojas, bass player David Bowie; James Kottak, drummer for Scorpions; Athena Kottak, member of Femme Fatale; Phil Soussan, toured with Osborne and Billy Idol; and Mike Inez, bassist for Alice in Chains.
“Randy made an impact on all of these people’s lives,” he says. “They all wanted to be a part of this.”
FUN IN BLUEBELL: Bill Parks stars in the CW drama, “Hart of Dixie” as “Chicken Truitt.”
He shines alongside “The O.C.” star Rachel Bilson, who plays “Zoe Hart,” a doctor who starts a new life in the small town of Bluebell, Ala., and faces a love triangle between her and bad boy Wade Kinsella, played by Wilson Bethel, and lawyer George Tucker, played by Scott Porter. Visit ABQjournal.com/reelnm to read more about the show and Parks.
SEND ME YOUR TIPS: If you know of a movie filming in the state, or are curious about one, email film@ ABQjournal.com. Follow me on Twitter @agomezART.