The Castros perform three songs off of their EP in The Lantern podcast studio on Feb. 12. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Photo Editor
Six months after moving to Savannah, Georgia, from Costa Rica in 2006, Marco Castro met his current wife Sara Castro, and the music quickly followed.
It wasn’t until 2009, though, that their band officially formed, when they played their first gig at the Crimson Cup on North High Street.
The couple met when a mutual friend brought Sara to a restaurant where Marco was working. She set them up believing the two would get along. She was right.
“I think she was a little shocked at how much we hit it off,” Sara said.
Making music together wasn’t so much a conscious choice, but a natural progression of their relationship.
“I just sort of kept [my songs] to myself, very privately and I shared one with him shortly after we met and he was like ‘That’s yours? I can’t believe that!’” Sara said.
However, it was Marco who really pushed Sara to start pursuing her music.
“He was the one who encouraged me to start playing more … which was difficult at first,” Sara said. “I’m such an introvert so I think without him I might not do [music].”
Marco said he was blown away not only by Sara’s singing and songwriting skills, but also the fact that she wasn’t sharing them with people other than him. That’s when he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“She was like, ‘I don’t want to play on my own,’ so she taught me [guitar],” Marco said.
Sara, who writes all the band’s lyrics, said her main goal is to ensure that their music spreads “joyfulness and love,” something that clearly comes across when the pair performs together.
Sometimes, the process of recording and producing songs can take some time, but this doesn’t bother either of them.
“We’re just trying to do things little by little,” Marco said. “We’re trying to do things right. We’re not trying to rush just because.”
Their song “Tin Cans” is a clear example of how the two use their lyrics to tell a story, more specifically, their story. A bilingual ballad, the track features a few verses in English and some in Spanish –– Marco’s native language.
“I like music where people write their own stuff and really have something to say,” Sara said.
For Marco and Sara, music is a binding factor in their relationship, and their individual personalities balance each other out in the best possible ways.
“It’s weird being by yourself up [on a stage],” Sara said. “But [having Marco there] makes all the difference.”
The Castros’ newest single, “Savannah,” will debut on Bandcamp Friday, and will be available on other streaming platforms such as iTunes and Amazon Music this weekend.
