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"...blew
me away. As you might guess, folk music is not my main area
of interest: but Casey Neill has now joined Phil Ochs and
Fred Neil as one of my true faves."
- JELLO BIAFRA of the DEAD
KENNEDYS
"These are songs with stories well told. This is what
it's all about." -Steve
Earle
Casey's
site
"A major talent in the making"
- Sing Out! Magazine
"Casey
Neill's Hudson River songs....best of the whole lot! Young
and vigorous: every word I could understand!"
- PETE SEEGER (after listening
to 35 songs on the tribute) |
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Casey
Neill: Memory Against Forgetting
Casey
Neill is a Brooklyn, NY based songwriter and band leader
grounded in the American musical tradition. His music fuses
modern roots rock with country, punk, and Celtic styles.
Living in Oregon for most of the 90's, Casey cut his teeth
in the underground music community of the region. Since,
he has released 4 CD’s that have been acclaimed by
radio and critics, and toured relentlessly throughout the
US, Canada, and the UK. Over the last few years, Casey has
busked with Pete Seeger in Grand Central Station, toured
with Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, and collaborated
with many of the world’s finest traditional Scottish
and Irish musicians. Casey Neill’s raspy voice, well
crafted songs and devotion to the emotional center of the
material, has been the foundation of his career on the cutting
edge of American roots music.
In
1995, Casey self released his CD Riffraff - 12 folk punk
songs with a political focus. Based on the success of his
debut, he was signed to the Appleseed imprint of Red House
Records. A track of his was featured on their Grammy nominated
tribute to Pete Seeger, Where Have All the Flowers Gone,
alongside interpretations of Pete’s songs by Bruce
Springsteen, Billy Bragg, and Ani DiFranco. Casey followed
with a self-titled CD in 1998, Skree in 1999, and the live
CD Portland West in 2001. These recordings leaned towards
the acoustic side of Casey’s music and led to the
formation of his Trio. Featuring mandolin player Zak Borden,
and Irish flute player Hanz Araki, the Casey Neill Trio
blended the original material with bluegrass inspired harmony
singing and Irish dance instrumentals. Skree was produced
by the late Scots fiddler player Johnny Cunningham and led
to a musical collaboration that grew from then on.
Johnny
encouraged Casey to return to a more electric approach to
the songs. Casey relocated to New York City and formed a
full rock combo with Johnny Cunningham on the fiddle. Before
Johnny passed away in December of 2003, they had documented
their collaborations with studio recordings of over 30 songs.
The evolution of Casey’s music has solidly found a
home in a blend of haunting Americana, punk fury, and Celtic
melody.
“Memory
Against Forgetting,” the newest release in the Daemon
Records/AK Press political folk series, includes Casey Neill
tracks from the last ten years – songs from his sessions
with Johnny Cunningham, 4 remastered cuts from Riffraff,
a live recording with master Sligo fiddler Kevin Burke,
and solo acoustic tunes about the American west. While stylistically
different, the common thread that holds the material together
is the political nature of the songs. “Memory Against
Forgetting” is built on Casey Neill’s deep commitment
to progressive politics, quality storytelling, and music
that alternates between desolate balladry and raucous rave-ups.
CD
Only $12.00
 Memory
Againist Forgetting (RealAudio)
Sisters
of the Road (RealAudio)
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