Neko Case

Starting out in music as drummer and teaching herself to sing after that, to great critical acclaim, she is now being recognized as songwriter.

An honourary musical Canadian, she is Chicago-based. Born September 8, 1970 in Alexandria, Virginia, Case is of Ukranian descent. She grew up around horses, cows, goats, and chickens staying close to grandparents that were farmers - she got out into the world early though, leaving home at 15. While attending school she played in several local bands, including the Del Logs, the Propanes, the Weasles, most cub -- punk groups, but some with a country bent.

In 1994, when she joined the all girl, punk band Maow in Vancouver and taught herself to sing by "paying close attention to what other people do." While there she attended the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, and in 1998, earned a BFA; By the time her student visa ran out, she had received six award nominations, two from the British Columbia Country Music Association and four from the Georgia Straight.

In 1997, Case recorded her solo debut, The Virginian, a traditional country album that revealed a rough, vulnerable voice of strength and range that caused critics and her growing legion of loyal fans to swoon. John Doe of X, decribed her voice as one with a lot of heartache… "like something out of the past.” Multifaceted, Neko also taught herself to play guitar and other instruments, and is an accomplished visual artist as well.

Recalling November 1999, Bob Egan reported “I was in Toronto working on Oh Susanna's record and I heard that Neko was in town recording at the Gas Station. I called Don, co-owner of the studio and offered my services. He invited me by when I got a day off. To Neko I said "Hey, I'm Bob and I want to play steel on your record." She was cool with that. He refers to her second album as a classic. Furnace Room Lullaby, released in 2000 garnered countless accolades in publications like The New York Times, GQ, Esquire, Interview, People, and Time.

Neko continued to tour in the United States and Canada, both on her own and with acts including Blue Rodeo and Great Big Sea. In addition, Neko formed The Corn Sisters, a duo with Carolyn Mark, to sing old-time country music. One of their performances, at Seattle's Hattie's Hat restaurant in 1998 was recorded and released as an album, The Other Women in 2000.

Neko's personality is far from predictable. She's outspoken, independent and indifferent to what others may think of her. Her work has earned her a Canadian Juno music award as a member of The New Pornographers, in 2000 for Best Alternative Album.

Canadian Amp was a home-recorded EP that featured covers of songs by Canadian songwriters Sook Yin Lee, Mike O’Neill and Neil Young. Case made time to go back into the studio at the end of 2001 and recorded and co-produced Blacklisted (2002).For the first time, Case wrote most of the songs and played a wide variety of the instruments including guitar, piano, saw and drums.. She "twangs like Patsy Cline and croons like Loretta Lynn," according to Rolling Stone "so Neko's just as easy on the ears as she is on the eyes."

In April 2004, Neko played two shows in Toronto with The Sadies, an indie rock/alternative country band she had often collaborated with in the past. The live album of the shows, entitled The Tigers Have Spoken, was released in October of that year. Largely recorded at Lee’s Palace in Toronto, it includes an Buffy Ste Marie cover since she’s one of the first recording artist Case remembers “I loved her so much that I named my first dog after her.”

Next, Neko went back into the studio with The New Pornographers to record their third album, Twin Cinema, which was released in August 2005. In February 2006, Neko was named Female Artist of the Year at the Plug Independent Music Awards, right before the release of her fourth solo album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Mostly recorded in Tucson Arizona, The Sadies again participated as the backing band, and this time co-writing some tracks. She is secretive about the inspiration behind her material, except to explain that most of her songs are not autobiographical. But open enough to offer that “Music might be the one thing that gets you through the really hard times."

sources: http://www.nekocase.com/.http://www.mintrecs.com/. Zunior.com, bobegan.com, http://www.avclub.com/content/node/48266http://www.darrylneudorf.com http://ca.askmen.com/women/singer_200/214_neko_case.html SOCAN magazine http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5325695 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neko_Case

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remember when she appeared at Harbourfront?
$20 TO Twang, Summer 2005
"brings her uninhibited style to Toronto"
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high mark, NOW
carolyn mark with the prscillas at the horseshoe, 250 in attendance $8

"while Neko Case toodles around with her Boyfriends, Mark is backed by her New Best Friends (formerly known as the Roommates), an apropos name for the wildly talented band of boys with who she has a awesome rapport.
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"Given a choice of options, Neko Case will inevitably take the most difficult path and stubbornly pursue it to the bitter end, whatever the cost.

Even when it appears Case is doing something the easy way, she has a knack for turning a potentially simple task into a five-alarm ordeal. Murphy has nothing on her."

logistical challenge posed by her plan to record the tigers have spoken on stage at three venues in different countries, non-road tested songs

"i enjoy when things sound orchestrated and large, but i'm trying to create a little more space and dynamics this time. i'd like the new ablum to be not quite as thick-sounding as Blacklisted. And maybe a little more upbeat"