Video Premiere: Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia ‘A Thousand Heartaches’ feat. Joe Bonamassa

Mike Zito, Albert Castiglia, photo, A Thousand Heartaches video premiere

Photo: Mike Zito, Albert Castiglia by Norma Touchette, ‘A Thousand Heartaches’

Rock & Blues Muse is pleased to exclusively premiere Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia’s new video “A Thousand Heartaches” featuring Joe Bonamassa, from their upcoming album Blood Brothers set to release March 17 on Gulf Coast records.

Produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, Blood Brothers is one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year. Multi Blues Music Award-winners Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia are true “Blood Brothers” in real life and in the music they create.

Blues/rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and Gulf Coast records label owner Mike Zito won the 2022 Blues Music Award for “Blues Rock Album” and blues/rock guitarist, singer, songwriter Albert Castiglia won the BMA for “Blues Rock Artist.”

“A Thousand Heartaches” is a delicate and vulnerable acoustic torch song that will absolutely get your feels in a bunch. Unrequited love is a universal human experience and Castiglia’s plain-spoken lyrics and vocal performance communicate his own pain and longing in a profound way. Factor in Joe Bonamassa’s eloquent presence on lead guitar and this becomes one for the ages. Sometimes, the quietest songs have the most power and “A Thousand Heartaches” is very much one of those times. And a beautiful song it is.

Albert Castiglia says, “The making of ‘A Thousand Heartaches’ was quite magical. The song really lent itself to Joe Bonamassa & Josh Smith’s style of producing. We built it from the ground up. We started with just Josh’s acoustic guitar, a click track and my scratch vocal. The band then came in and played over it. They loved the demo I had sent them and played it as if they had been playing it their whole lives. They really dug in.

“Lewis Stephens’s piano part on it was some of the most beautiful playing I had ever heard and it really inspired my vocals,” Albert adds. “Mike was originally supposed to lay down the guitar solo but after I was done recording my vocals, Mike told me Joe wanted in on it. Who am I to argue? Joe did four passes on the solo and any one of them could’ve been it. The one we agreed on was simply amazing. The track at that point was awesome but Joe & Josh decided to take it to another level and added Jade Macrae and Dannielle Deandrea from Joe’s band to layer background vocals. What became the only song I wrote on the album turned out to be the best song I’ve written and recorded since ‘Masterpiece.’”

Watch “A Thousand Heartaches”

Pre-order the Blood Brothers CD HERE

Mike Zito asked Albert Castiglia to write a ballad for Blood Brothers. Ever since he was a kid, Castiglia wanted to write an unrequited love song like “Bell Bottom Blues” by Derek & The Dominos. Admitting he’d been through unreciprocated and forbidden love in his life, he never felt he had the songwriting chops to express how he felt when in the midst of it. He dug into his past and wrote “A Thousand Heartaches”.

The musicians include Mike Zito (vocals/guitars), Albert Castiglia (vocals/guitars) Douglas Byrkit (bass guitar), Matt Johnson (drums/percussion), Ephraim Lowell (drums/percussion), and Lewis Stephens (piano/organ). Josh Smith provided his additional talents on guitar and Joe Bonamassa is the featured artist on “A Thousand Heartaches.” Jade Macrae and Dannielle DeAndrea sing background vocals.

Zito and Castiglia are hitting the road again in support of their new Blood Brothers album. With over 45 years combined in the music business, Zito and Castiglia have toured the world spreading joy and bringing the music to the people. For the upcoming “Blood Brothers” tour, both Mike and Albert will be onstage performing together for the entire show.