In that role, he oversees all business negotiations with a life-long love of music, Jeff Castelaz, the owner and co-founder of Dangerbird Records, began his career as a DJ at local radio station WMSE, and concurrently was also a music writer for the now-defunct Downtown Edition and other area magazines. But he soon found himself managing what was then Brew City's hottest band, Citizen King, and he did it with a mix of street smarts, sweet talk and astonishing dedication. His passion and hard work guaranteed that by the time the band exploded, Jeff had already built enough of an empire that a continued career in the music business was guaranteed.
Jeff relocated to L.A. in 2000, after “commuting,” during the early stages of Citizen King’s tenure with Warner Bros Records, between Milwaukee and L.A. or New York. Moving to L.A. was a very pleasant transition for him. In addition to Citizen King, Jeff began to also manage other hot bands, including Cupcakes who were on Dreamworks Records, The Promise Ring, producer Tony Hoffer (who had been Beck's guitarist and went on to produce Beck's Midnite Vultures), and other significant acts.
In 2004, Jeff co-founded Dangerbird Records along with partner Peter Walker. Realizing that the music industry was changing, Jeff and Peter took the opportunity to preserve the creation of great bands, instead of focusing on churning out “hit” acts, which meant developing bands “from the streets to the charts.” Dangerbird Records enjoyed early success with the band Silversun Pickups, whose first album sold over 400,000 copies worldwide. Their second album debuted at # 7 on the Billboard Charts, while their first single from the second album hit # 1 on the Modern Rock Radio Charts.
Jeff says, “Dangerbird Records is something I've been building toward all my life, without even knowing it. It turns out that the credits transfer -- after years of managing bands and producers, you can take what you've learned, and the relationships you have, to go higher up the food chain, to actually own the masters and take the risk of putting your money where your mouth is.”
Realizing three years ago that he was neglecting his physical health, Jeff began working with a nutritionist and began a physical exercise regime. Recalling his love of bike riding as a child, Jeff bought a used bike on eBay, and soon thereafter owned six of them. Today, Jeff has a bike coach, and his company sponsors both a bike riding club and bike riding team based in Pasadena, CA.
When Jeff met Adam Simon, the two men instantly bonded over their mutual love for the sport of bike riding. Today, the men ride for hours on a regular basis, during which time they talk about life, music, business and family. Their favorite places to go riding are in the San Gabriel Mountains, including Big Tujunga Road, as well as in the Angeles Crest Forest, along Glendora Mountain Road, and along Highway 39.
Jeff lives in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, with his wife, JoAnn, and son Grady, 15. Another son, Pablo, passed away from cancer at the age of 6 in 2009. The Castelaz Family founded the Pablove
Organization Charity in his memory.
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