A+E

Many years ago, when I was a teenager, I snagged a ticket to one of Eureka’s various blues music by the bay festivals, where as an aspiring bass player I had hoped to study some of the low end wranglers jamming in the assorted rhythm sections under the blue skies. A lot of acts played that day, but one that caught my attention enough to form a lasting memory all these years later was Tommy Castro, a Bay Area blues guitarist and singer who leans heavily on the Memphis soul and protofunk that made Stax Records an international name in the middle of the 20th century. Along with his band The Painkillers, Castro plays a world class form of electric blues music which is irresistible in its emotional punch. Tonight at 8 p.m. the group returns to Humbrews for the first time in a few years to rattle the boards ($30, $25 advance).