By Jenn Sheridan ·
Nov. 29 | 7:30 p.m.
Harrah’s Lake Tahoe | Stateline, Nev.
$47.30
A legacy that began in 1968, Tower of Power continues to rock with the same intensity as the past 47 years. With no sign of slowing down, Tower of Power transcends generations showing that the desire for soulful music that gets the crowd dancing never goes out of style. It started with a group of kids from the same East Bay neighborhood in California.
“We didn’t know how to play,” said tenor sax player and founding member Emilio Castillo reminiscing about the early days with bass player Francis Rocco Prestia. “We learned to play together.”
Drawing from a strong influence from soul artists such as Sly and the Family Stone and Roger Collins, the group morphed into the Motowns that began to play a few gigs around the East Bay. Tower of Power didn’t come into its own until a year later. Castillo met Stephen “Doc” Kupka after a show at the Alameda County Fair Ground. Kupka played a quick audition and soon the baritone saxophone player became one of the founding member of what was to be Tower of Power.
After an audition at the Fillmore in San Francisco in 1970, Tower of Power signed with Bill Graham’s San Francisco Records and began work on their first album, “East Bay Grease.”
Tower of Power has been on the recording and hitting the road every year since. Though the group has seen some changes in the line up over the years, many of the founding members remain, including Castillo, Prestia and Kupka. The current 10-member line up settled with the most recent addition of a new lead vocalist, Ray Greene.
“Ray is an incredible performer with a stunning voice. I feel blessed to have him,” said Castillo, who joined the group in 2013.
Tower of Power is currently working on a new record. With 47 years of music under the name, the group has chosen to take their time to carefully select only the best tracks for the album. The group has recorded nearly 20 tracks, and there are plans to cut a few more jams before narrowing the final track listing to the 12 best songs.
“It’s been a huge undertaking, but it’s coming out really well. We’re pleased,” said Castillo. “We’re hoping to finish before we hit 50.”
Castillo has always drawn influence from singers and songwriters. The group spent years studying the chord progressions, vocal patterns and rhythms of their favorite songwriters before developing their own writing style. The bands most recent release is a flash from the past. “Hipper than Hip,” which hit stores toward the end of this summer, is a 1974 live-in-the-studio show recorded when the band was “clearly at the top of our game firing on all 10 cylinders,” according to Castillo.
In between writing and recording, the group still maintains a busy touring schedule. After a recent leg in Europe, Tower of Power returns to South Lake Tahoe. No strangers to the Tahoe region, the band has headlined shows with Ike and Tina Turner, Carlos Santana and have appeared in venues including Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, Sand Harbor and more. Catch the band’s triumphant return on Nov. 29 at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.
To purchase tickets, visit harrahslaketahoe.com.
