Rising Stars: Meet Perfecto De Castro of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Perfecto De Castro

Hi Perfecto, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My Music career started in early 90s Philippines, started teaching guitar at age 15 and gained notoriety as a guitar player performing and recording with both underground and mainstream artists. At age 19 when I was part of one of the biggest bands at the time, Rivermaya and released a platinum-selling record, toured the country and played the biggest venues. I left the band after a year to pursue my other musical interests: producing records for Sony Music Philippines while continuing to hone my guitar skills and musicianship. Awards include 1998 Guitarist of the Year from NU 107 Rock Awards and Awit Award for Best Instrumental Performance.

In the 2000s I entered the next phase of my career, this time as a concert guitarist playing a 10-string classical guitar. I went back to Music College and earned Bachelor Degrees in Guitar Performance and Music Educations and went to tour and perform in both solo, guitar quartet and orchestral settings. My family moved to Los Angeles in 2005 where I had to start my career over both as a concert classical guitarist and music instructor, eventually releasing 2 solo 10-string CDs “A Journey through 10 strings” and “Caparison” (out on all streaming platforms), performing in and out of state solo and ensemble recitals from house concerts to coffee shops to the Walt Disney Hall.

It was also around this time when I started my YouTube channel.

After the 2009 concert season I developed a neurological disorder called musican’s focal dystonia with which I lost fine motor skills in my right hand. This condition kept me from performing classical guitar at the highest level and had me feeling lost and depressed for the next few years. Realizing I could still perform using a pick, I went back to electric guitar playing, performing with local bands around Los Angeles and Orange Counties while building my online video presence through YouTube guitar lessons and gear demos. This led to tours with Arnel Pineda (Journey), RockStallion and regular performances and engagements for different musical instrument brands at the annual winter NAMM show.

During the pandemic, I dove into YouTube full-time growing my channel and establishing my work as a guitar content creator offering online guitar lessons and tutorials as well as guitar and gear demos/reviews. This led to more work when the world opened up again and I get to travel the world performing shows, giving workshops, collaborating and creating content with international creators and brands. Since 2021 my activities have brought me to Anaheim Winter NAMM Show, Guitar Summit Mannheim Germany, Yokohama Music Style Japan, TDT Sao Paulo Brazil, and homecoming shows and workshops in the Philippines. In 2023 I was one of the featured artists for YouTube’s Asian Pacific American Heritage month.

I turned 50 in 2024 and I’m excited to see what lies ahead for my my ongoing musical journey

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not smooth at all. Relocating from a scene where I was established to a new place where I was a virtual unknown was a huge undertaking and came with the typical struggle of learning the environment, struggling to fit in and find my footing while at the same time making ends meet for my family.

Once I got a good sense of what to do career-wise the next challenge is the constant tug-of-war between personal satisfaction and financial reward since for artists these two aren’t always hand in hand.

But we learn from mistakes, chalk up experiences, adapt, pivot then try again.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a full-time guitarist musician as already mentioned in my story. My work ranges from guitar and music lessons, guitarist/industry interviews to gear demo reviews and performances on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Throughout the year I also get to travel, perform and teach at international events, trade shows and venues.

I am also the top Google result when you search for “Filipino Guitar Players”

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Learn the business of your craft. Creatives tend to ignore the business side of things and that leaves them open and vulnerable to be taken advantage of. And you don’t have to learn every single thing, start with knowing your income/expenses ratio and how to pitch and market yourself/your craft. That will be enough to inform you so you make good decisions as to where to take your career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://perfectodecastro.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/perfdecastro
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/officialperfdecastro
• Youtube: http://youtube.com/@officialperfectodecastro

Image Credits
Molimar Molina
Jun de Leon
Phillip Fernandez
Nick Ruiz