Austin, Texas
22 Years Old
Singer-Songwriter

writer profile >

"A little pride goes a long way..."

BIOGRAPHY

”I've never heard anyone who sounds like Wes Casto...He is a true original. He possesses that rare "whatever you call it, can't put your finger on it, but know that it is right on it" quality in his sound, performance, and writing. Smart observations of real life situations that reach beyond his 22 years"
                            -Todd Burge, singer/songwriter

Raised at the crossroads of the Midwest and Appalachia, Wes Casto is a singer-songwriter with the depth of John Prine and the soulful appeal of John Mayer. While audience members have likened Casto to Todd Snider, Loudon Wainright III, and John Prine, his combination of folk and pop influences has created a sound that Todd Burge calls "truly original".

In 2008, Casto was named a finalist in the Newsong and Great American Song contests, and lyrics to his song "Ripple" were featured in American Songwriter Magazine (Nov/Dec 2008). His success continues in 2009 with being named the Midwest winner of the Newsong Contest and vying to perform on the internationally-broadcast radio program, Mountain Stage. Wes was also selected as the winner of the 2009 Ozark Folk Festival Songwriting Contest in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Casto's first LP, Never Heard Tell, features 11 original songs recorded in the summer of 2009. The songs range from ballads dealing with the uncertainties of growing up to personal commentaries on war, politics, love, and faith. The entire album is free to download through Sonicbids and Reverbnation.

LEVEL

semi-pro

GENRES

Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Country, Folk

Contact

Booking: www.wescastomusic.com
Administrative: michaelwestoncasto@gmail.com

INSTRUMENTS

acoustic guitar

INFLUENCES

John Prine Martin Sexton Woody Guthrie John Steinbeck Appalachia The Oilfield Distance Females Homemade Wine Front Porches Kitchen Tables Campfires Jeep Cherokees Regular Cherokees The Cracker Barrel

I AM INTERESTED IN

in co writing online
in co writing in person
in networking with songwriters
in pitching songs to artist
in pitching songs to tv
in getting a record deal
in getting a publishing deal

I WRITE:

It's my second job

I Also Write:
by myself
with others
for myself
for others

I Prefer To Write:
lyrics
melody
music

experience >

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Honorable Mention in American Songwriter Nov/Dec 2008 Lyric Contest ("Ripple"). Regional Finalist (Midwest) in 2008 Newsong Contest. Honorable Mention in 2008 Great American Song Contest ("The Road to Love"). Winner of the Midwest region of the 2009 Newsong Contest. Winner of the 2009 Ozark Folk Festival Songwriting Contest.

>>

Legends: Bobby Braddock

In Nashville, most successful songwriters have a fairly short run. On hit, one year, two years, five years. Occasionally, we get one whose career approaches the length of a real career or, more often, one who has a few years success, then slips into oblivion, only to emerge again for another brief era of hit-making.

>>

Legends: Rickie Lee Jones

She speaks softly, not unlike the way she sings --soft, soulful passages, almost like secrets to the closest of friends --punctuated by bursts of exaltation. It's much like the span of emotion in her work, and in her new record, Balm in Gilead, which veers from the pure, naked heartbreak of "Bonfires" to the elation of "Old Enough," to the beautiful "Wild Girl," which celebrates the 21st birthday of her daughter, while simultaneously reflecting on the unchained fervor of her own wild days.

>>

Legends: Robert Earl Keen

As singer/songwriters go, Robert Earl Keen doesn't seem like the kind of artist who could honestly be accused of sloth. But despite a catalog choked with characters and conversations pulled from a colorful life, he makes that very claim on "Something That I Do," a track where he brags of his ability to not let work get in the way of an otherwise pleasant afternoon.

>>

Townes Van Zandt: Facets, Faults & Fractures

It's 10 o'clock at night on an abandoned Music Row. The year is 1985. In a third-floor office in an old house that serves as the offices for the Oak Ridge Boys' Silverline/Goldline Music Publishing, Steve Earle brings the chair he's leaning back in down hard, flipping his hair out of his eyes for emphasis.