Clem Castro

Guitarist/Singer-Songwriter of Orange & Lemons, The Camerawalls and Dragonfly Collector. Curator of Lilystars Records. An outdoorsman and an incurable optimist.

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

Still feels surreal seeing this map laid out.

From the songs we wrote in small rooms to stages across Europe. Grateful to carry our music a little farther this year. If you’re anywhere along this route, come through and say hi.

See you out there.

[Orange & Lemons @moonlanegardens]

We’re taking the songs across Europe.

Dublin → London → Birmingham → Liverpool then Geneva, Milan, Madrid, Frankfurt, Stavanger, Amsterdam, Marseille, Paris

If you’ve been listening, this is where we meet.

#OrangeAndLemons #EuropeTour2026

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

In case you haven’t heard it yet. https://t.co/6OYD4cxdhd

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

Still on tour with Orange & Lemons in Southern Leyte, taking a moment to thank everyone who already streamed “Too Young To Be old”. We hope you like it.

[radar PH @radarph_media]

Orange and Lemons is going global.

From the all-Filipino, kundiman- and rondalla-inspired album "La Bulaqueña" in 2022, the band shifts to all-English with the upcoming "Vision of Amber"—drawing from '50s to '60s ballads.

Frontman Clem Castro explains to radar what prompted the pivot.

(✍️ and 📸: Nikko Miguel Garcia)

#radarph

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

#NewProfilePic

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

From Dublin to Paris!

[Orange & Lemons @moonlanegardens]

Orange & Lemons Europe Tour 2026 🇪🇺
See you in your city.

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

Tried working out like a real adult today. Did 3 sets of pretending the dumbbells were vintage compressors. Still waiting for my muscles to sound warmer and more analog.

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

YOU ARE ALL INVITED.
Experience “Too Young To Be Old” LIVE and hear the Stereo Master before release during a one and a half hour show.

April 16 • Teatrino
🎟️ Tickets: https://t.co/Y3lWW0h8VL

[Orange & Lemons @moonlanegardens]

TOO YOUNG TO BE OLD
April 24
The joke is on time.

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

I’m not a virtuoso. I just try to make the guitar feel what I’m feeling. My fingers don’t race. They wander. And sometimes they find something beautiful.

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

ANGELES CITY, I’ll be doing an acoustic set at Tita Aida's Kusina Grill and Restobar on the 16th. See you! 🧡

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

After my successful solo tour in UK last May, it’s time to bring the whole band. See you again London! 🧡

[Orange & Lemons @moonlanegardens]

Hello, London! We are coming to see you! Get your early bird tickets here: https://t.co/8TAGDgTyAV

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

ON COVER BANDS:

We have seen the rise of cover bands and artists to stardom, even commanding a vast audience and hefty talent fees. It’s a strange phenomenon, and I have no qualms about it. This is their time, and I understand the hard work involved in achieving the kind of success they are getting. They work full time, embracing technology, understanding the evolving audience preferences on social media, and finding new ways to share their music and connect.

In the 90s and 2000s, being a cover band translated to a working band. The term “puwesto” refers to a place where they play regularly in bars or clubs professionally for a living. For others, it’s a way to hone their skills as musician, be tight as a band, and emulate their favorite artists.

Before Orange & Lemons came into the picture, I was in a cover band playing New Wave and Beatles repertoire. It was a full-time endeavor, which eventually led to songwriting. When O&L formed, we were still playing mostly covers, eventually injecting our originals to test them live. When the originals started sounding better than the covers, that is when we decided to become recording artists. It wasn’t easy back then. Studios are not cheap, and getting a record deal is a pain in the ass. It took us 7 years to get a break.

Nowadays, everything is easy because of technology. Cover bands have more platforms to showcase their live performances and renditions. From social media to the big stage of festivals (which are often streamed live), where they are discovered instantly for their versions, showmanship, and even their antics. As their following grows, so does the demand, reaching a point where they can charge more for their performances, even higher than seasoned original artists or OGs. They get to tour all over the country and abroad. Sounds like a tipping point for musicians.

Many seasoned original artists and songwriters do not find this amusing. Especially when their own songs are involved, and the cover band fails to obtain a proper license to record a cover for release to digital store providers. Sadly, this has been a trend. I found some of my songs on Spotify, released as a cover without a proper license.

One can freely perform a cover song live, but releasing it on independent platforms like Distrokid, CD Baby, or Tunecore, which are not that strict on metadata and cover licensing, will pose a huge problem and a dubious trend. But for those who are responsible enough to do their research and acquire a proper license, that is commendable.

The way I see it, cover bands are here to stay. For OGs, instead of frowning upon the success of a new generation of musicians and their output, which does not align with our preferences, ideals, or sensibilities, we must learn from them. For sure, there is hard work involved. Let us take it as a challenge to veer away from our comfort zones and continue to CREATE. It doesn’t have to be competitive. For as long as it is authentic, and you allow listeners to DISCOVER your next masterpiece, then maybe you can influence CHANGE too, in our own little way.

Cover artists may amass fame and money, but there is one thing that will be hard for them to achieve — a lasting LEGACY that is wholly based on original works. Every time you cover a song, you add to the legacy of that songwriter. There lies the difference.

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

I consider myself old school, but as the music industry landscape continue to change, I must accept the fact that we must learn to improvise, adapt, and overcome. That if we cannot change our minds about the emerging trends, we cannot change anything to improve ourselves and our status in the ever-complicated music business. Success does not get better with chance, it gets better with change.

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

26 years and counting. Happy Anniversary O&L 🧡

[Orange & Lemons @moonlanegardens]

July marks the anniversary of our band, on the 10th to be exact. For our 26th year, we will celebrate this milestone at The 70's Bistro on July 17 performing long sets. It will coincide with the official launch of our very own O&L app (now available on Play and App Store).

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

During a Father’s Day gig at Ayala Malls Vermosa. #orangeandlemons #clemcastro #eraserheads

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

Arrived safely in Toronto. Catch Orange & Lemons live at Annabel's Music Hall on May 30.

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

Rest in peace Ka Freddie. You are brilliant singer-songwriter and this is my favorite song of yours that I use to hum in my youth. #FreddieAguilar
https://t.co/ZyDAphgXOB

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

Added Mongolia to my dream destination. While on board Korean Air bound to Toronto (for an O&L tour), I read about Ulaanbaatar, the ancient city of Karakorum and Gobi Desert inside the pages of Morning Calm, the airlines in-flight magazine. The author of the article was quite effective, instantly piqued my interest with the way he describes the experience almost like poetry, I could easily turn it into a song.

Here are some excerpts:

A profound journey of healing
A gateway to an extraordinary place
The streets are a living tapestry
Organic coexistence of the new and the existing

All these elements come together
Like a warm embrace
A soothing balm for the hurried
Forward focused soul
Often lost in the bustle of modern life

[Clem Castro @clemcastro]

Got my UK Visa. Next in line for this year: Schengen, Japan, US and Canada Visas.