Artist Bio:
Ideal is from La Buga, Livingston, Guatamala. He and his sister, Alicia Castillo, lived with his grandfather in Gangaduali, a remote village between Livingston and Los Altares. There in the bush, he learned the basic life of the original Garifuna, planting food, fishing, cooking, and growing and preparing the medicinal plants of the tribe.
Ideal went to school in Livingston and Puerto Barrios, and when he was 11, moved to Belize City with his mother. There, Ideal met Rene Crisanto, who encouraged him and taught him some skills in music. Rene, with Ideal and some other musicians like the great Chukupen Paulino, formed the original Larunihati Band.
When Ideal was 17, he moved to Dangriga and met up with Pen Cayetano and Mohobub Flores. Soon, he became the youngest member of the Turtle Shell Band. With the Turtle Shell Band, Ideal grew in his skills in punta rock, from its inventor, Pen Cayetano.
Ideal also expanded his ability with the turtle shells, learning from Mohobub Flores and Higgins Higginio. He even learned some advanced drumming skills and techniques from Isabel Flores, a legendary drummer and leader of the Garifunas.
At 21, Ideal returned to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, with his friend and Larunihati Band member Lusby Baltazar. He and Lusby started a culture band called Suamen Boys and a dance group called Amistad Juvenil. It was during this time that Ideal had a major influence in the development of punta rock in the Guatemalan Garifuna community.
Ideal then joined the Guatemalan Combo Naval (Navy Band) ,and they traveled to Los Angeles to perform. It was with the Navy that Ideal expanded his skills in other types of music and began performing as a lead singer and drummer.
When Ideal came to the United States, he introduced punta rock to the Garifuna people living in the Bronx. He formed the legendary punta rock band Isanigu Punta Rock Soul-Jas. They performed for almost ten years before the band members decided to move on to other things. During this time, they recorded two albums: Riza in 1994, and Anahan Isanigu in 1998.
During the 1990s, Ideal also played with Chico Ramos in Sounds Incorporated, and performed with Andy Palacio, Titiman, and other great artists from Belize.
Ideal also has worked as a solo act. He released two short solo albums: Lideredan in 1991 and Dunguayadina in 1995. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ideal traveled around the world with various artists performing in festivals such as the Caribbean Festival in Hoogstraten, Belgium, the Midem Concert, in Cannes, France, and at Ontario Park in Madison Wisconsin, and the Chicago Ideal in concert in Belgium, 2002 African Festival. Ideal has also performed in concerts that promote and demonstrate Garifuna music and culture, such as at the Richmond Virginia Museum of Art, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. He has also played in popular clubs such as the Lions Den, SOBs, the StoneChurch, Red Hook Brewery, and others.
Ideal now lives in sunny Florida with his wife, Laura, and visits his family in the United States and Central America and spends as much time with his kids as he can. His contributions to punta rock, Garifuna history, and cultural preservation are just beginning.
Ideal just recorded his first full-length solo CD with TAB Studio's Dayaan Ellis (a.k.a. Nuru) —Courtesy Calabash Music
