THE WESTERN EXPRESS
An eclectic collection of well-written, melodic songs that offer a keen and sincere perspective into love, romance, humour, and the overall human experience. Storytelling at its very best.
~Honky Tonk Times
Their musical approach is far deeper than prevailing tastes in music. The record is rich with fast songs and haunting Texas balladry.
~Americana Highways
One of the best new names from Austin, who play it right and play it real. Recommended for lovers, poets, and the occasional lunatic.
~Lonesome Highway
2024 is shaping up to be the most eventful year yet for The Western Express. For five years, they have focused on building an audience in the Texas dance halls, while promoting music to Texas and Americana radio. This year will see the boys play the Houston Rodeo for the third year running, as well as Luckenbach, Rodeo Austin, and their weekly residency on the East Side of Austin. Not to mention a long list of new venues in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska.
The songs are and will always be the most important part of what they do. Their first two Texas Radio singles broke the top-30 in 2023, and the band is following up with their third. The March 5th release of You and Me and the Neon is the culmination of years of hard work on their music craft. Now it’s time to push their way to the top of the charts.
Stephen Castillo is the lead singer, songwriter, creative director, and band manager. He takes the artistry and aesthetic very seriously, drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical genres, movies, history, and even political theory. But above all, his creativity is fueled by life experiences: love, loss, mental illness, honky tonkin’, and the desert mountains of West Texas.
“The Western Express started as just an idea for a sound,” Stephen says. “My first trip to Big Bend, I wrote a minor key murder ballad called Leyenda. It really set the tone and aesthetic for the band, even before I had a band.”
In the desert hills of Big Bend, Stephen learned to slow down, listen carefully to his surroundings and himself, and dig deep to create songs that fit the sound and themes he kept hearing in his head.
“From the beginning, I’ve had a clear idea of how I wanted the music to sound, and the high standard I wanted every aspect of the band to hold itself to,” he says. “We started from literally nothing—no band members, no gigs; just a handful of songs I’d written. I could see how long the journey from the bottom would be. And I knew that every single song, t-shirt design, website design, and photo needed to be the absolute highest standard in order for us to get there.”
This is the same driving pushing the boys into 2024 success and beyond.
Check out The Western Express’s newest Texas Country Radio single, You and Me and the Neon, releasing March 5 to Red Dirt stations across Texas and the US.
