UC Davis' free SummerMusic series opened July 15 with a concert by Tcheka, the 23-year-old Afro-pop singer and guitarist from Cape Verde off the northwest coast of Africa.

Joe Martin, public relations manager for the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, relayed reports that Tcheka gave "an outstanding performance" to an "energetic crowd" estimated in size at 750 people.

SummerMusic 2008, presented by the Mondavi Center and sponsored by UC Davis Summer Sessions, comprises three concerts, all on the Quad on weeknights and open to the public.

Due on stage for the second concert, Monday, July 28, is the Texas-based Latin rock band Del Castillo, featuring acoustic guitars, a driving rhythm section, impassioned vocals in Spanish and English, and a strong flamenco influence.

Del Castillo got its start in late 2000 when Mark and Rick Del Castillo of Austin, Texas, decided to record some flamenco music for their parents. The brothers had for several years been playing electric guitar in separate bands, but had never collaborated before they began writing songs together on acoustic guitars.

Alex Ruiz, a friend, added vocals to the songs they had composed, and other band members quickly joined the project as the recordings met with an encouraging response. The group forged a collective identity drawing on a wide range of musical influences, but remained strongly grounded in the Latin element that had brought it together.

In 2001, Del Castillo played its first concerts and released a CD, Brothers of the Castle, which received a favorable response. "For a band that played its first gig only six months ago, Del Castillo is, indeed, going places," wrote the Austin American-Statesman.

Del Castillo began touring around Texas and continued to meet with enthusiastic reactions from audiences and critics, winning the first of many Austin Music Awards in 2002 for Best World Music Band and Best Mexican-Traditional Latin Band.

The band's second CD, Vida (2002), also received general acclaim, and around that time, the band met filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, director of films including El Mariachi and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Rodriguez began studying guitar with Rick Del Castillo and became a friend and frequent collaborator, filming and editing a live DVD for Del Castillo, calling upon the group to perform at movie premieres, and using the band's music in such films as Kill Bill, Vol. 2.

Since 2004, Del Castillo has toured almost continuously, opening concerts for Ozomatli, Los Lonely Boys, Los Lobos, Kinky, deSol and others. The band has performed at three of Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnics, at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, and made numerous national and local television appearances.

Brotherhood, the band's third CD, was released in the spring of 2006, again to general acclaim.

"Whether Del Castillo works in Spanish or English, it rocks righteously," Billboard wrote regarding the CD. "The Spanish guitars' flamenco vibe gives a dramatic flair, abetted by Alex Ruiz's passionate vocals."

SUMMERMUSIC 2008

July 28 (Monday) -- Del Castillo, Texas-based Latin rock band.

Aug. 25 (Monday) -- Phoebe Snow, folksinger with a four-octave voice.

All shows start at 7:30 p.m., with the Quad opening for picnics at 6:30 p.m. Under university policy, alcoholic beverages are not permitted.

Free and open to the public.

For more information, click here.