Tower of Power Bricks Signature Funk Sound to Vail

Aspen —Emilio Castillo has a simple rule for his band. They can play the phone book and it will still sound like Tower of Power.

The co-founder says that consistency is the key to their identity. He learned it long ago. A singer in the early 1990s put it best.

“We can’t help it,” Castillo told the Vail Daily. “I think that’s really the key for an artist, is to find your signature — your voice — and own it.”

That signature sound arrives Thursday at the Vilar Performing Arts Center. The band is coming to Beaver Creek. They are not here to chase trends. They are here to play funk and soul the way they have since 1968.

The lineup reflects that stability. Guitarist Jerry Cortez has been with them since 2010. Bassist Marc van Wageningen joined permanently by 2018. Newer faces include trumpeter Dave Richards, drummer Pete Antunes, and lead vocalist Jordan John.

Castillo notes that new members must pass through "Tower of Power 101." It is an orientation lasting a few weeks to a month. The goal is simple. New players must learn the concept. They must understand the rhythm and interpretation.

“We clip our notes, and we play things short,” Castillo said. “We just do certain quirky little things that are ours, as it were.”

He compares their style to sweating. It just happens. It is natural.

Listeners can expect hits like “You’re Still A Young Man” and “Down to The Nightclub.” Radio classics such as “So Very Hard to Go” and “What Is Hip?” will also be on the setlist.

Some interviewers in the 1980s called their style “retro.” Castillo never bought into that label. He does not measure music by time frames. A song is just a song. It does not need to sound like the 1960s or the 1970s.

The younger musicians in the band bring a different perspective. They grew up with modern music. They hear things differently than the founders. Yet, they adapt quickly. They play the way the band plays. The result sounds like Tower of Power.

The Vilar Performing Arts Center is ready for the big horns. The event is scheduled for Thursday night.

This is not a nostalgia trip. It is a working band with decades of history. The musicians have survived fads. They have ignored new-fangled tunes. They remain true to their sound.

Locals in Beaver Creek get a chance to see that consistency up close. The price of admission is just the cost of a ticket. The value is in hearing 60 musicians rotate through over the decades, all adhering to that specific, clipped, funky style.

Castillo’s point stands. You do not need to put a time frame on it. The music speaks for itself.