Joseph William Castillo (born March 30, 1966) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known for being the drummer of the hard rock band

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line ...

from 2002 to 2012. He is currently a member of

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Cir ...

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

and Zakk Sabbath, with former bands including Danzig,

Wasted Youth Wasted Youth may refer to: * Wasted Youth (American band), a 1980s hardcore punk band * Wasted Youth (British band) Wasted Youth were an English post-punk band from London, England, active between 1979 and 1982, which blended post-punk/pre-Got ...

, Eagles of Death Metal, California Breed, Sugartooth,

Zilch Zilch means " nothing" or " zero". Zilch may also refer to: * Zilch (software), a compiler used by Infocom to create Z-machine games * Zilch (electromagnetism), a group of conserved quantities of the electromagnetic field * Zilch (game), an altern ...

, and

Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts Scott Richard Weiland (; né Kline, October 27, 1967 – December 3, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. During a career spanning three decades, Weiland was best known as the lead singer of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots fro ...

. From 1994 to 2002, Castillo was the drummer of Danzig, recording three studio albums with the band before joining Queens of the Stone Age in 2002 to tour in support of their breakthrough album, ''

Songs for the Deaf ''Songs for the Deaf'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on August 27, 2002 by Interscope Records. It features guest musicians including drummer Dave Grohl, and was the last Queens of the Ston ...

''. He recorded two albums, '' Lullabies to Paralyze'' (2005), '' Era Vulgaris'' (2007), and half of '' ...Like Clockwork'' (2013) before being fired by founding member

Josh Homme Joshua Michael Homme ( ; born May 17, 1973) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the founder, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he for ...

during the process. Since leaving Queens of the Stone Age and Homme side project Eagles of Death Metal in 2012, Castillo joined California Breed, replacing founding member

Jason Bonham Jason John Bonham (born 15 July 1966) is an English drummer. He is the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Since his father's death in September 1980, he has performed with the surviving three members of Led Zeppelin on several occasi ...

, joined

, touring with the band before the singer's death in 2015, and joined three groups with former Queens of the Stone Age bandmate

Nick Oliveri Nick Steven Oliveri (born October 21, 1971) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as a former bassist of Kyuss and later Queens of the Stone Age from 1998 to 2004. Oliveri is also a solo artist and ...

: supergroups Bloodclot (with John Joseph of

Cro-Mags Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among t ...

and Todd Youth, former Danzig and Murphy's Law guitarist), Royale Daemons (with Wino), and historic punk band Bl'ast. Castillo also has joined Zakk Wylde-led

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped de ...

cover band Zakk Sabbath.

Musical career

A native of Gardena, California, Castillo began playing drums at age 15, when his grandmother loaned him the money to buy a drum kit. His playing is influenced by War,

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are c ...

, the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

, and Black Flag. He started off his drumming career by joining the Los Angeles punk band

in 1984. After recording two albums and several tours, he left

and joined Sugartooth in 1991. During the summer of 1994, he formed a short-lived punk rock band called Chronic Halitosis. They played punk covers of bands like Misfits and Black Flag. In 1994, Castillo left Sugartooth and joined Danzig, having turned down previous offers from Slayer and

Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, Los Angeles, Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, ...

. He worked as Chuck Biscuit's drum tech circa '90-'93 and finally replaced him as live drummer on the '94 tours, following the release of Danzig 4. From that point on, he was (with exception for Glenn) the only constant Danzig member for almost ten years, performing all percussion duties on

Blackacidevil ''Danzig 5: Blackacidevil'' is the fifth studio album by American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Danzig (band), Danzig. It was released in 1996 on Hollywood Records, and was reissued through E-Magine Records in 2000 with three extra tracks ...

(1996), Satan's Child (1999) and

I Luciferi ''Danzig 777: I Luciferi'' () is the seventh album from Danzig. It was released in 2002 on Glenn Danzig's Evilive label and distributed by Spitfire Records. Danzig stated that this album was the last in a series of seven numbered albums, each w ...

(2002). In 1996, he was featured on

Robert Trujillo Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz (; born October 23, 1964) is an American musician, best known as the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica since 2003. He first rose to prominence as the bassist of crossover thrash ban ...

's solo album, and in 1998 he joined

. He replaced

Goatsnake Goatsnake is an American stoner/ doom metal band from Los Angeles, California. They have released three studio albums, the first being 1999's '' Goatsnake Vol. 1''. Biography Goatsnake was formed in 1996 after the disbanding of The Obses ...

's original drummer after his departure in 2001, but that was short lived when they split up shortly after. Castillo auditioned for

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

in 1997, but did not join the band. In 2001 he did backing vocals and drums for some tracks on Son of Sam's album Songs From The Earth. Castillo joined Queens of the Stone Age without an audition, playing through half a song (Avon) at a last-minute rehearsal when frontman

reportedly walked out of the room, and returned saying "I just fired the drummer. The tour starts tomorrow," offering Castillo the gig, for which he remained for 10 years. Castillo also played on side projects including

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the ...

's solo album Bubblegum,

Desert Sessions The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, founded by Josh Homme in 1997. Artists such as Brant Bjork, PJ Harvey, Twiggy Ramirez, Dave Catching, Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan, John McBain, Ben Shepherd, Josh Freese, Chris Goss, Al ...

Vol. 9 & 10 and Eagles of Death Metal's second and third albums '' Death by Sexy'' (2006) & '' Heart On'' (2008), touring with the latter. After leaving QotSA in 2012, Castillo has had great demand as a session player, touring musician as well as becoming a proper band member in numerous projects, as aforementioned. Notably, on June 25, 2017, Castillo, along with

Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, whi ...

Mariqueen Maandig Reznor Mariqueen Maandig Reznor (''née'' Maandig; born April 5, 1981) is a Filipino-American singer, songwriter, and musician. She is the vocalist for How to Destroy Angels & the former vocalist of Los Angeles-based rock band West Indian Girl. Care ...

Robin Finck Robert John "Robin" Finck (born November 7, 1971) is an American guitarist. Finck is the longest-serving touring musician for Nine Inch Nails, performing with the band from 1994 to 2000, and returning in 2008. With Nine Inch Nails, Finck contribu ...

, Atticus Ross, and

Alessandro Cortini Alessandro Cortini (born 24 May 1976) is an Italian musician best known for being the keyboard, guitar, and bass player in the industrial band Nine Inch Nails. Cortini is also the frontman for the Los Angeles-based electronic- alternative b ...

appeared as "The Nine Inch Nails" in Episode 8 of Twin Peaks: The Return on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...

, performing an alternate live rendition of the song "She's Gone Away" which previously appeared on

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the ban ...

' 2016 album " Not the Actual Events" In 2018, Joey joined The Bronx, after founding member Jorma Vik left to play with Castillo's former band Eagles of Death Metal. The following year, he toured in a session capacity with

The Hives The Hives are a Swedish rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the album '' Veni Vidi Vicious'', containing the single " Hate to Say I Told You So ...

. In July 2021,

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pu ...

band

announced that Castillo would be their new drummer and he would join them on their reunion tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their 1980 album, ''

Group Sex Group sex is sexual behavior involving more than two participants. Participants in group sex can be of any sexual orientation or gender. Any form of sexual activity can be adopted to involve more than two participants, but some forms have t ...

''. The tour was originally announced in 2019 and planned for 2020 however it was postponed until 2021 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

Personal life

Castillo currently resides in Joshua Tree,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

with his three children and his wife. Joey Castillo w Queens of the Stone Age

Equipment

Castillo currently uses Tama drums, pedals and hardware, Zildjian cymbals,

Vater Vater () means " father" in German. It is also a surname. It may refer to: * Abraham Vater, a German anatomist ** Ampulla of Vater, an anatomic area named after Abraham Vater * VACTERL association, sometimes called VATER syndrome, a group of cong ...

sticks and LP equipment. In 2018, he switched back to Tama after over ten years with

Oxnard, California Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

Drum Workshop Drum Workshop, Inc. (also known as DW Drums or DW) is an American drum kit and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is ...

and five years with San Pedro's Q Drum Co. Pre-QOTSA he was known to use Tama drums,

Paiste Paiste (English pronunciation: , ) is a Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. is an Estonian word that means "shine". Apart from cymbals and gon ...

cymbals and Easton sticks. Castillo is famous for his use of the LP Jam block. The tone of the jam block appears solo at the outset of the Queens of the Stone Age single " Little Sister" from the album '' Lullabies to Paralyze'', Castillo's first studio album with the band. Castillo also has two drumkits which belonged to Chuck Biscuits and considers them his most prized possessions.

2018-Present

Tama Star Maple Drums (Gloss Natural Curly Maple Finh) *26"x14" Bass Drum *15"x12" Rack Tom *20"x18" Floor Tom *14"x8" Q Drum Co. Aluminum Plate Snare Tama Hardware *Tama HC52F "The Classic Stand" (3x) *Tama HH915D Speed Cobra 910 Hi-Hat Stand or HH55F "The Classic" *Tama HP910LN Speed Cobra 910 single pedal Zildjian Cymbals *15" K Sweet Hi-Hats *20" K Dark Crash Thin *24" Z Heavy Power Ride *21" K Crash/Ride

“ROCK” Drumsticks

Remo Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and hardware. History Drummer and founder R ...

Drumheads *Snare - Emperor X *Toms - Coated Emperors (Batter) / Clear Ambassadors (Resonant) *Bass - Coated Powerstroke P3 (Batter) / Smooth White and Ebony Powerstroke P3s (Resonant) Castillo has also been seen using Ebony Pinstripes and clear Controlled Sounds on his toms.

2013-2018

Q Drum Co drums (Clear seamless Acrylic or Black Stain Mahogany) *26"x14" Bass Drum *14"x10" Rack Tom *18"x16" Floor Tom *14"x8" Aluminum Plate Snare DW Hardware *DW 6710 straight cymbal stands (3x) *DW 5000 Hi-Hat Stand *DW 9000 bass pedal Zildjian Cymbals *Zildjian 24-inch K Light ride *Zildjian 21-inch K Crash Ride *Zildjian 20-inch K Crash *Zildjian 16-inch K Light Hi Hats Vater Sticks *Vater Rock, Power 5B and Power 3A

Heads *Snare: Remo Emperor X *Toms: Remo Clear Emperor's *Bass: Remo Clear Powerstroke III with Falam Slam

QOTSA Era Gear (2002–2012)

Reissue tours equipment (2010–2012)

DW Drums Jazz Series (Silver Sparkle) *24"x16" Bass Drum *14"x10" Mounted Tom *16"x16" Floor Tom (not used in 2011) *18"x16" Floor Tom *14"x8" Steel Sonor Snare formerly owned by Chuck Biscuits DW Hardware *DW 6710 straight cymbal stands (x3) *DW 6500 Hi-Hat Stand *DW 9300 Snare Stand (x2) *DW 9000 Bass Drum Pedal *DW 9100AL Airlift throne Zildjian Cymbals *Zildjian 24" A Medium Ride (2010) 24-inch K Light ride (2011) *Zildjian 21" K Crash Ride *Zildjian 19" K Custom Hybrid crash *Zildjian 14.25" K Custom Hybrid Hi-Hats

Vic Firth Everett Joseph "Vic" Firth (June 2, 1930 – July 26, 2015) was an American musician and the founder of Vic Firth Company (formerly Vic Firth, Inc.), a company that makes percussion sticks and mallets. Biography Vic Firth was born June 2, ...

Sticks *Vic Firth Extreme 5B sticks

Heads *Snare: Remo Controlled Sound Clear *Toms: Remo Controlled Sound *Bass: Remo Clear Powerstroke III with Falam Slam

Latin Percussion {{for, the company, Latin Percussion Latin percussion is a family of percussion, membranophone, lamellophone and idiophone instruments used in Latin music. Instruments Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican styles Folkloric and Santeria *Trap drums * Abak ...

*LP160 Cyclops Tambourine Brass and Steel (as configured below) *LP1208-K Stealth Jam Block *LP Matador Wood Bongos Black/Chrome

Heart On (Eagles of Death Metal) tour equipment (2008–2012)

DW Drums Classic Series (Brown to Black Duco) *22"x14" Bass Drum *16x16" Floor Tom *14"x8" Steel Sonor Snare formerly owned by Chuck Biscuits DW Hardware *DW 6710 straight cymbal stands (x3) *DW 6500 Hi-Hat Stand *DW 9300 Snare Stand *DW 9000 Bass Drum Pedal *DW 9100AL Airlift throne Zildjian Cymbals *Zildjian 16" Oriental China *Zildjian 15" A Crash *Zildjian 14" New Beat Hi-Hats

Sticks *Vic Firth Extreme 5B sticks

Heads *Snare: Remo Controlled Sound Clear *Toms: Remo Controlled Sound *Bass: Remo Clear Powerstroke III with Falam Slam

*LP160 Cyclops Tambourine Steel (on hi-hat) and Brass (bass drum mounted) *LP1207 Jam Block (on stand)

Era Vulgaris tour equipment (2007–2008)

Castillo used larger sized tom drums than ever before, while moving to a smaller bass drum, the opposite of the ''Lullabies''-era configuration. He continued using

sticks, DW drums with

OCDP Orange County Drum and Percussion (abbreviated OCDP) is an American custom drum manufacturer located in Orange County, California. The company began as a retail drum shop and eventually started custom-building drums for several influential dru ...

clear acrylic shells, DW pedals and hardware, but switched from using

to Zildjian cymbals. DW Drums *22"x18" Bass Drum with rail consolette cymbal mount for Cup Chime *14"x12" Mounted Concert Tom *18"x16" Floor Concert Tom *14"x6.5" Cast Bronze Snare with wood top hoop DW Hardware *5000TD Delta3 Turbo Single Bass Drum Pedal, 9000 Series Pedal (2008) *5500TD Delta Turbo Hi-Hat Stand *9300 Snare Drum Stand (x2) *6710 Straight Cymbal Stand (x3) *9101 Low Drum Throne

Sticks *Vic Firth American Classic Series X5A & X5B Zildjian Cymbals *13.25" (early 2007), 14.25" Zildjian K Custom Hybrid Hi-Hats *17" Zildjian K Custom Hybrid Crash (early 2007), 19" K Custom Hybrid Crash *24" Zildjian K Light Ride *18" Zildjian K Crash Ride (early 2007), 21" K Prototype Crash *18" Zildjian K China (on song for song basis) *13" Paiste Mega Cup Chime (2007)

Heads *Snare: Remo Emperor X (2007), Remo Clear Controlled Sound (2008) *Toms: Remo Controlled Sound *Bass: Remo Controlled Sound with Falam Slam

*LP160 Cyclops Tambourine Brass and Steel (as configured below) *LP1207 Stealth Jam Block (Black) Additional Joey also used Rtom Moongel on Toms and Snare and Remo 0 ring on Snare

Lullabies To Paralyze tour equipment (2005–2006)

For the ''Lullabies'' tour, Castillo continued to use DW drums,

cymbals and

heads. Though during this tour he started using

sticks instead of

. Joey also dropped his second floor tom and LP bongos during this tour and added on an LP jamblock to his drumkit. From this tour and on, he would use the toms to play "Better Living Through Chemistry" during the verses. During the Lullabies tour Joey started removing his bottom heads on both his toms To achieve the "concert tom" sound which gave his toms a punchy, fatter sound DW Drums *26"x20" Bass Drum *13"x10" Rack Tom *16"x14" Floor Tom *14"x6.5" Cast Bronze Snare with wood top hoop DW Hardware *5000TD Delta3 Turbo Single Bass Drum Pedal *5500TD Delta Turbo Hi-Hat Stand *9300 Snare Drum Stand (x2) *6710 Straight Cymbal Stand (x3) *9101 Low Drum Throne

Sticks *Vic Firth American Classic Series X5B

Cymbals *14" 2002 Medium Hi-Hats *19" Black Rude Thin Crash *20" Black Rude Thin Crash *24" 2002 Ride

Heads *Snare: CS Coated Power Dot on top or Emperor X, Remo Ambassador Snare Side on bottom *Toms: Coated Emperor tops, Clear Ambassador bottoms (Later in the tour Joey replaced the Coated Emperors with CS Clears on tops but removed the bottoms for the Concert Tom sound) *Bass: Clear Powerstroke 3 on batter, DW Ambassador resonant side

*LP160 Cyclops Tambourine Brass (mounted off cymbal stand next to floor tom) and Steel (mounted on bass drum rim, interchanged with jam block) *LP1207 Jam Block (Red) Additional Joey also used Rtom Moongel on Toms and Snare and Remo 0 ring on Snare

Songs for the Deaf tour equipment (2002–2004)

Castillo used DW drums and hardware,

cymbals and

heads during the

tour, occasionally using PDP kits for one-off performances. DW Drums (Ebony Satin Stain, Broken Glass) *24"x18" Bass Drum *13"x11" Rack Tom *16"x14" Floor Tom *18"x16" Floor Tom *14"x6.5" Cast Bronze Snare Drum DW Hardware *5000TD Delta3 Turbo Single Bass Drum Pedal *5500TD Delta Turbo Hi-Hat Stand *9300 Snare Drum Stand (x2) *9710 Straight Cymbal Stand (x2) *9700 Straight/Boom Cymbal Stand *9101 Low Drum Throne

Sticks * Vater Rock and Power 5A

Cymbals *15" 2002 Sound Edge Hi-Hats *18" 2002 Medium Crash *20" 2002 Medium Crash *24" 2002 Ride (All White by Lollapalooza 2003)

Heads *Snare: CS Coated Power Dot on top, Remo Ambassador Snare Side on bottom *Toms: Coated Emperor tops, Clear Ambassador bottoms *Bass: Clear Powerstroke 3 on batter, DW Ambassador resonant side

*LP160 Cyclops Tambourine Brass *LP201A-2 Generation II Bongos

Discography

References

External links

LPmusic.com
- LP Music page of Joey Castillo {{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo, Joey 1966 births American people of Salvadoran descent American rock drummers Tambourine players Queens of the Stone Age members Danzig (band) members People from Gardena, California Living people American heavy metal drummers American punk rock drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers California Breed members Goatsnake members Zilch (band) members Wasted Youth (American band) members Eagles of Death Metal members