NEW YORK, New York –(Marketwire) – Atlantic recording artist Jason Castro has announced plans for his first-ever headlining tour. The dates herald the release of his much-anticipated debut LP, “JASON CASTRO,” which arrives in stores and at all online retailers on April 13th.

Castro will kick off his first headlining tour in his home state of Texas with an April 17th show at Dallas’s The Loft. The trek will then traverse the US through mid-May (see itinerary below). A further slate of summer tour dates will be announced shortly.

“JASON CASTRO” is highlighted by the new single, “That’s What I’m Here For,” which is currently scoring at Hot AC radio outlets nationwide. The track — coupled with an exclusive rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” one of the songs that helped earn Castro a third runner-up finish on the 2008 season of Fox’s American Idol — is on sale now at digital retailers everywhere. Castro recently performed both songs on the ABC special The Bachelor: Jason and Molly’s Wedding.

What’s more, a second season of Castro’s “That’s What I’m Here For” web series has just kicked off, with additional webisodes premiering each following Tuesday at Jason’s official site, www.jasoncastromusic.com. The light-hearted series playfully answers the often posed question, “what would you be doing if you hadn’t been on American Idol?”

“JASON CASTRO” brims with toe-tapping pop, strummy folk, and electrifying rock — all cleverly balanced, rooted in the classic, melody-minded singer-songwriter tradition, with heart-on-sleeve lyrics and acoustic guitar-driven arrangements. Featured alongside the new single “That’s What I’m Here For” and the buoyant first single, “Let’s Just Fall In Love Again” is a stunning version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” (which Castro performed on American Idol, citing Jeff Buckley’s interpretation as a huge inspiration to him as an artist).

To fully capture the moods he wanted, Castro collaborated with producer Eric Rosse (Sara Bareilles, Tori Amos) and a host of top-notch songwriters — including Marc Roberge of O.A.R., Gregg Wattenberg (Five For Fighting), Zac Maloy (David Cook), and Espionage (Train) — all of whom helped make “JASON CASTRO” an ideal showcase for his considerable gifts as a vocalist, songwriter, and musician.

In addition to its standard release, a deluxe edition of “JASON CASTRO” will be available via all DSPs on April 13th. The 14-track collection adds a number of previously unreleased tracks, as well as B-sides including “Over The Rainbow” and songs previously found on Castro’s acclaimed “THE LOVE UNCOMPROMISED EP,” which hit the Top 5 on the iTunes album chart upon its January release. The five-track EP — highlighted by three of the album’s brightest moments, including “You Can Always Come Home,” a tender duet featuring Atlantic labelmate Serena Ryder — was hailed in the New York Times as being “among the most sure-footed records, debut or otherwise, by an ‘Idol’ contestant from any season.”

The Texas-based tunesmith recently wrapped a major US tour, his first full-fledged trek in support of his own music. Jason received rapturous reviews along the way, with the New York Times declaring his set “magnetic… 1960s pop with bright guitars, slashed through with a contrarian streak… Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz should be nervous.”

As if all that isn’t enough, Castro was recently named the inaugural “Stayin’ Alive Ambassador” for Malaria No More, a non-profit organization aimed at ending malaria deaths in Africa by 2015. Castro was introduced to Malaria No More and their efforts while still an American Idol finalist through the organization’s involvement with Idol Gives Back. Castro joins an impressive list of top celebrities involved with Malaria No More, including Ashton Kutcher and Will Smith, among others. The “Stayin’ Alive” program is Malaria No More’s flagship grassroots movement, focused on empowering American students to fight malaria through school dances and other events.

In concert with the partnership, fans will have a chance to win a pair of tickets to one of Castro’s upcoming concerts, as well as an introduction to the star after the show. For more details, please visit www.MalariaNoMore.org.

Castro’s philanthropic efforts continue with his participation at this year’s “Live in the Vineyard” event. The annual private event in Northern California features a weekend with Napa’s finest boutique wineries, celebrity chefs, and top rock and pop music artists. Castro joins this year’s lineup alongside Train, Macy Gray, and labelmates Serena Ryder and Ryan Star, among others. “Live in the Vineyard” has partnered with the City Of Hope by putting a pair of tickets up for auction at Ebay, allowing the public a chance to bid on the opportunity to attend this exclusive weekend event with all proceeds going to charity. Fans can enter their bid at Ebay.

(TOUR ITINERARY ATTACHED BELOW) Tickets available here

JASON CASTRO
ON TOUR 2010
APRIL
17 Dallas, TX The Loft
22 Phoenix, AZ Chasers
23 San Diego, CA House of Blues
25 Los Angeles, CA The Troubadour
27 Kansas City, MO Bottleneck Blues Bar
28 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
30 Detroit, MI Pike Room

MAY
1 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
2 Columbus, OH The Basement
3 Orlando, FL Walt Disney World
4 Atlanta, GA Vinyl
6 Nashville, TN Rocketown
8 Clearwater, FL Capitol Theatre
12 New York, NY Joe’s Pub
13 Vienna, VA Jammin Java
15 Boston, MA Café 939
16 Philadelphia , PA The Note

SOURCE: Atlantic Records