Musicians - Neko Case

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	Musicians - Neko Case

Neko Case (born September 8, 1970 in Alexandria, Virginia) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and as a member of The New Pornographers.

Her music is frequently labeled alternative country, though Case doesn't describe it that way. She recorded and toured for several years as Neko Case & Her Boyfriends before switching to her own name. Case primarily writes her own material, but also performs and has recorded cover versions of songs by artists such as Loretta Lynn, Tom Waits, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Bob Dylan, and Hank Williams.

She is protective of her artistic independence, combining punk's "do it yourself" aesthetic, a strong business sense, and clear opinions about her artistic goals. She has spurned offers from major record labels because they don't offer her enough control of her music, remaining affiliated with Mint Records in Canada and Bloodshot and ANTI- in the U.S.

Though she grew up in the US, Case began her musical career in Canada. She lived in Vancouver, British Columbia for several years, playing with a variety of local punk bands, most prominently cub and Maow, and releasing her first country album. She frequently collaborates with Canadian musicians, including The New Pornographers, The Sadies and Carolyn Mark, and has recorded material by several noted Canadian songwriters, notably on her 2001 EP Canadian Amp. As a result, she is a significant figure in Canadian music as well, and even American media have sometimes referred to Case as Canadian.

:"I hope I can comfort people a bit-–maybe show people that making music is fun and accessible to them as well. I'm not out to become Faith Hill, I never want to play an arena, and I never want to be on the MTV Video Music Awards, much less make a video with me in it. I would like to reach a larger audience and see the state of music change in favor of musicians and music fans in my lifetime. I care very much about that."

Biography

Case was born to parents of Ukrainian ancestry. Her family traveled around while she was young before settling in Tacoma, Washington, the city she considers her hometown. She left home when she was 15.

In 1994, Case moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to attend the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. While attending school she played drums in several local bands, including the Del Logs, the Propanes, the Weasles, cub (which featured I AM SPOONBENDER's Robynn Iwata), and Maow. All of these bands were local punk groups except for cub and The Weasles, which Case described as a "country music supergroup."

The Virginian and Mass Romantic

Case fully embraced country music on her 1997 album with Her Boyfriends, The Virginian. The album contained original compositions as well as covers of songs by Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn. When the album was released, critics compared Case to honky-tonk singers like Lynn and Patsy Cline.

In 1998, Case graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, which meant the loss of her student visa eligibility. She left Canada for Seattle, Washington. Before leaving, however, Case recorded vocals for a few songs that ended up on Mass Romantic, The New Pornographers' first album. Her lead vocals on songs like "Letter from an Occupant" are straightforward, full-volume power-pop performances, entirely shedding any country elements. Once the album was released on November 28, 2000, Mass Romantic became a surprise success. Originally conceived as a side project by its members, The New Pornographers decided to tour together and eventually to record a second album.

Furnace Room Lullaby

On February 22, 2000, Case released her second solo album with Her Boyfriends, Furnace Room Lullaby. A full set of 12 original songs, Lullaby introduced the "country noir" elements that have defined Case's subsequent solo career. That tone was evident even from the cover photo, featuring Case sprawled out corpse-like on a cement floor. On the album itself, her vocal style moves away from outright honky-tonk but retains her twang, garnering her comparisons to musicians such as Cline, Lynn, Hazel Dickens, Tanya Tucker, and Dolly Parton. The title track was included on the soundtrack to Sam Raimi's film The Gift, and "Porchlight" was featured on the soundtrack to The Slaughter Rule.

Case sometimes tours with her friend Carolyn Mark, a Canadian singer and songwriter, as The Corn Sisters. One of their performances, at Seattle's Hattie's Hat restaurant in Ballard, was recorded and released as an album, The Other Women, on November 28, 2000.

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Musicians - Neko Case

Biography

The Virginian and Mass Romantic

Furnace Room Lullaby

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