Perfecto "Perf" de Castro (born August 14, 1974) is a Filipino musician currently based in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

best known for having been a celebrated fixture in the Philippine alternative rock scene during the 1990s. During the course of that decade, he was one of the original members of the alternative rock band

Rivermaya Rivermaya is a Filipino alternative rock band. Formed in 1994, it is one of the several bands who spearheaded the 1990s Philippine alternative rock explosion. Rivermaya is currently composed of original members Mark Escueta and Nathan Azarcon ...

, founded the band Triaxis, and also collaborated with the seminal Filipino rapper

Francis Magalona Francis Michael Durango Magalona (October 4, 1964 – March 6, 2009), also known by the moniker Francis M, was a Filipino rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, actor, and television personality. Born in Manila, He became a significant influ ...

and Filipino hard rock band

Wolfgang Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words ''wolf'', meaning "wolf", and ''gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regula ...

, all of which received critical and commercial acclaim. De Castro is also known for being adept at Classical and

Flamenco music Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

played on the

Ten-string guitar There are many varieties of ten-string guitar, including: * Both electric and acoustic guitars. * Instruments used principally for classical, folk and popular music. * Both coursed and uncoursed instruments. Uncoursed ten-stringed guitars ...

Life and career

De Castro started learning classical guitar at 13 but switched to electric guitar after less than a year, and spent the next decade learning, playing and teaching electric guitar. He was introduced to the ten-string classical guitar by musician Jose Valdez in 1998, and has since then concentrated on this instrument. He uses a unique tuning adapted from the Valdez tuning. His most notable awards as a musician include the 1998 Katha Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance and Composition and the 1998

NU Rock Award The NU Rock Awards was an annual accolade presented from 1994 to 2010 by the Metro Manila-based radio station NU 107, known for prominent performances by the most influential pinoy rock artists of each year. History The first NU 107 Rock Award ...

for Guitarist of the Year. He is also widely recognized as an acclaimed album producer and sound engineer, with his works including the multi-platinum albums of

(“ Semenelin”), Francis M (''

FreeMan Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

'' and '' FreeMan II''), and Marc Velasco (eponymous). From these, he received numerous accolades, including the Producer of the Year Award in the 1998 NU 107 Rock Awards and the 2001

Awit Award The Awit Awards are music awards in the Philippines given annually by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) to recognize the outstanding achievements in the music industry. The word "Awit" means "song" literally in Filipino. Th ...

for Best Rap Recording for a song done in collaboration with Magalona. In 2004, de Castro relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, CA where he continues to record, perform and teach the guitar through his website and social media. He also formed a band name RockStallion, with members David Aguirre, Wolf Gemora, Mark Yap, and Raffy Mendoza. In 2006, de Castro produced a benefit album called "Leyte: The Benefit CD". It consists of compilation of songs from Filipino and

Filipino-American Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New S ...

artists aimed at helping the victims of the

2006 Southern Leyte mudslide On February 17, 2006, a massive rock slide-debris avalanche occurred in the Philippine province of Southern Leyte, causing widespread damage and loss of life. The deadly landslide (or debris flow) followed a 10-day period of heavy rain and a ...

and the proceeds went to relief organizations in the Philippines, such as the

Philippine National Red Cross The Philippine Red Cross (PRC; fil, Krus na Pula ng Pilipinas) is a non-profit humanitarian organization and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The PRC was established in 1947, with roots in the Philippine Rev ...

and the

Department of Social Welfare and Development The Philippines' Department of Social Welfare and Development ( fil, Kagawaran ng Kagalingan at Pagpapaunlad Panlipunan, Kagawaran ng Kagalingang Panlipunan at Pagpapaunlad, abbreviated as DSWD) is the executive department of the Philippine Go ...

, to fund their relief efforts to the people affected by the Leyte mudslide disaster. On January 9, 2016, de Castro re-united with his former

co-members,

Nathan Azarcon Nathan Peter Hachero Azarcon (born January 29, 1975) is a Filipino musician, nationalist, songwriter, and producer. He is currently the bassist, vocalist and one of the founding members of Filipino rock band Rivermaya. He was also a member of the ...

Mark Escueta Mark Edward Penabella Escueta (; born 9 January 1976) is a Filipino musician and one of the founding members of the Filipino rock band Rivermaya. Escueta has been the only constant member of Rivermaya since its inception in 1994. Early life E ...

and

Rico Blanco Rico Rene Granados Blanco (born March 17, 1973) is a Filipino singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actor, endorser and entrepreneur. He began his career as one of the founding members, and served as the chief songwriter, ...

for a "secret mini semi-reunion", following his gig at 19 East,

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig ( fil, Lungsod ng Taguig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 886,722 people. Located in the northwestern shores of ...

. On September 7, 2018, de Castro performed in the launching of the Hollywood Wish Bus at

Universal CityWalk Universal CityWalk is the name shared by the entertainment and retail districts located adjacent to the theme parks of Universal Parks & Resorts. CityWalk began as an expansion of Universal's first park, Universal Studios Hollywood, and serves as ...

with 90s OPM band

Introvoys INTRoVOYS is a Filipino pop rock band formed in 1986 by 3rd-G Cristobal, Paco Arespacochaga and Jonathan Buencamino. The band is now based in Los Angeles, California. History Formation and early years: 1986-1988 INTRoVOYS was formed in Manila, ...

and Robin Nievera, the DJ for ''The Roadshow'' program of Wish 107.5. In February 2021 he collaborated with Gloc 9 in his latest album on the song "Payong".

Awards

* 1998 NU 107 Rock Awards Guitarist of the Year (won) * 1998 NU 107 Rock Awards Producer of the Year (nominated) * 1998 Katha Award for Best Instrumental Performance and Arrangement for “Perf’s Boogie”, Triaxis * January 1999 Artist of the Month, VirtualTunes.com * 3rd place 1999 NAMCYA Classical Guitar Category C * January 2000 Artist of the Month, Musiko.com * 2001 Awit Award for Best Rap Recording, “Luv 4 Lyf”, Francis M artist and co-producer.

Discography

;as a performer * 1994 ''

RiverMaya Rivermaya is a Filipino alternative rock band. Formed in 1994, it is one of the several bands who spearheaded the 1990s Philippine alternative rock explosion. Rivermaya is currently composed of original members Mark Escueta and Nathan Azarcon ...

'',

, BMG Pilipinas * 1995 ''

'', Francis M., BMG Pilipinas (guest artist) * 1995 '' Semenelin'',

, Epic / Sony Music (guest artist) * 1996 ''Further Down the Bend'', Triaxis, Epic/Sony Music * 1997 ''The Shadowland Deep'', Backdraft, NEO/Viva Records (guest artist) * 1998 ''Who We Are'', Triaxis, Epic / Sony Music * 1999 ''Marc Velasco'', Marc Velasco, Epic/Sony Music (guest artist) * 2000 ''Nescafe Open Up Party'', various artists/''Mike Hanopol'', Mike Hanopol, BMG Pilipinas (guest artist) * 2000 ''

FreeMan 2 ''FreeMan 2'' is the eighth album by Filipino rapper Francis Magalona, released on September 23, 2000, by BMG Records (Pilipinas) and Greater East Asia Music. The album is the follow-up to 1995's ''FreeMan''. The song "Watawat" was previously re ...

'', Francis M, BMG Pilipinas (guest artist) * 2001 ''Impressions'',

Nonoy Zuñiga Zeno "Nonoy" Obong Zuñiga, popularly known as Nonoy Zuñiga, is a Filipino musician, television presenter and physician. Career Zuñiga's singing career spans more than 3 decades, as a folk singer from 1971 to 1975 and then as one of the lead s ...

, Columbia / Sony Music (guest artist) * 2006 ''A Journey Through Ten Strings'', Perfecto de Castro, Independent release * 2006 ''Leyte: The Benefit Album'', Independent release * 2009 ''Caparison'', Perfecto de Castro, Independent release * 2021 ''Poot at Pag-ibig'',

Gloc 9 Aristotle Condenuevo Pollisco (born October 18, 1977), known professionally as Gloc-9, is a Filipino rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as one of the best Filipino rappers of all-time, his fast-flowing vocal style has made him one of th ...

, Independent release ;as a producer * 1994 ''

, BMG Pilipinas * 1995 Semenelin, Wolfgang, Epic / Sony Music * 1996 Further Down the Bend, Triaxis, Epic / Sony Music * 1997 The Shadowland Deep, Backdraft, NEO/Viva Records * 1998 Who We Are, Triaxis, Epic / Sony Music * 1999 Marc Velasco, Marc Velasco, Epic / Sony Music * 2000

, Francis M., BMG Pilipinas * 2001 ''Impressions'',

References

External links

*
Perf de Castro, The Pinoy Rocker interview

*https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19960925&printsec=frontpage&hl=en *https://web.archive.org/web/20051221105548/http://www.philmusic.com/blog/index.php?p=22 *https://web.archive.org/web/20090409181827/http://philmusic.com/main/content/view/66/1/ *https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6mUVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0goEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1874%2C1977545 *https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bWwVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TwsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4485%2C3364256 *https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-GUVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0goEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6220%2C4332296 {{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Perfecto De 1974 births Living people Filipino guitarists Filipino rock guitarists Filipino classical guitarists Lead guitarists Filipino rock musicians Music educators Rivermaya members Filipino emigrants to the United States