He's Mean and Green and He Can't Get Clean...
The Story of The Boog...
Back in 2022, Delaware filmmaker Brian Wild reached out, asking if I wanted a small speaking role in a short film he was developing called The Boog. He had his fingers crossed in hopes I would contribute an original tune for the film’s fight sequence as well. A few years prior, he used a Mighty Joe Castro and the Gravamen song, There Are No Secrets Here, in his film Boxanne. It all sounded fun so I immediately reached out to The Failing Hearts…
For years, I would periodically get together with my pals Jay and Steve to record music in their home studios, mostly improvised-on-the-spot jams or songs we’d write and record in one day. We released these recordings under The Failing Hearts. Creatively, the whole experience is very freeing, as you don’t have any time or pressure to take things too seriously. And Jay is a master at coming up with great lyrics on the spot, while for me lyric writing is something I love but agonize over. Knowing their shared appreciation of b-movies, I thought they’d be perfect for this.
Below is what we pulled together one afternoon for the theme song. Give it a loud listen…
As for my big speaking role (eleven words total!), it was shot April 29, 2023 at a sound stage in Wilmington, De. Upon early arrival that Saturday morning, Brian excitedly informed me I would be acting with Lloyd Kaufman. I smiled and said “cool” - not admitting I had no idea who that was. After a quick web search though, I realized Lloyd was the man behind Troma, and he’d made The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke ‘Em High, and other films I loved as a teen in the late 1980s. Lloyd was easy to work with and the rest of The Failing Hearts got cameos as reporters as well. The whole experience was a blast. Somewhere deep inside, teenage Joe was stoked.
After taking the movie around to various film festivals, Brian has made it available for free on his youtube channel. Clocking in at 7 minutes flat, it’s a quick (but fun) watch so go ahead, hit play and enjoy…
And since then, The Failing Hearts have done music for a few other film projects. More on those to come.
Upcoming Shows
Sun January 26 / 118 North, Wayne, PA w/ Lyons Lane (Tickets available here)
Fri February 7 / Starving Artists Cafe, Stockton, NJ (MJC solo acoustic show w/ Anthony Porter)
Sat February 22 / Get Weird Anniversary Party - Otto’s Shrunken Head, New York, NY
Wed March 5 / Elkton Music Hall, Elkton, MD w/ Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys
Artwork Spotlight
Even Your Broken Heart Will Find Room for Hope
Paper collage using images hand cut from vintage magazines and other ephemera and dry adhered to paper. The original is roughly 17 x 14 inches and was completed in June 2024.
Bookshelf
When we released our 2020 single, There Are No Secrets Here, multiple reviewers compared my writing to Raymond Chandler. Fully aware of his reputation, I was honored by the comparison but, up until then, I hadn’t read a word. When the pandemic awarded ample free time, I took a deep dive into his writing and absolutely fell in love with it. (I then became obsessed with what was soon known in my house as “the 3 Rays” - Chandler, Bradbury and Carver.) The Little Sister is the last of the Phillip Marlowe books I hadn’t read. And so far, it’s fantastic.
If you’ve got good book recommendations, drop a comment as I’d love to hear to them.
You can also follow along on Goodreads
As always, thank you for the continued love and support.
Cheers,
Mighty Joe Castro
Hey Joe: Every time I get asked for a book recommendation these days, as you've done here, I jump at the chance to plug Nick Harkaway's "Angelmaker." It's indescribable, in a great way -- a time-traveling, globe hopping crime story, kinda, but also a spy story, and sort of steampunk. And funny. With some really moving father-and-son dynamics. Harkaway is my current favorite contemporary writer and -- fun fact -- son of the late John le Carré. I really can't say enough good things about him and about this title in particular. It's one of those books you want to tell everybody about.