Castanets is the musical project of Raymond Raposa, a San Diego native currently residing in Portland, Oregon. While Raposa is the only constant member of the band, his records and live performances often feature an extensive rotating cast of musicians, the line-up often changing from night to night in a single tour. First touted by Pitchfork Media, Castanets were one of the more prominent proponents of the so-called freak folk movement (also known as psychedelic folk and New Weird America) that took place in the U.S. music scene in 2003-04.

In addition to his regular touring, Raposa toured the east coast's Intracoastal Waterway in a sailboat with singer-songwriters Jana Hunter and Red Hunter (aka Peter and the Wolf) in August 2006.