Casey Neill
The music of Casey Neill & The Norway Rats combines high energy rock rave-ups and haunting lush acoustic reveries built around melodic narrative songwriting. The Norway Rats are a collective of Portland indie all star players whose credits include The Decemberists, Eels, Viva Voce and more. Neill has been touring with the band and solo throughout the USA, Japan, and Europe for more than a decade, performing his songs at venues such as Town Hall in New York, San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall, and the Newport Folk Festival. The new Norway Rats record Subterrene is a major leap forward for the band that No Depression calls “a milestone in Neill and company’s trajectory thus far” while Rolling Stone says ” (Neill’s) songs mask their complexities beneath a simple, singalong-worthy surface… these swimming waters have serious depth.”
That familiar, ecstatic collision of hope and despair, romance and chaos, past and future, is at the core of Subterrene the first album in five years from Casey Neill & The Norway Rats, a band with a reputation as a Portland supergroup: Neill on guitar and vocals, The Decemberists’ Jenny Conlee-Drizos on keyboards, Eels’ Chet Lyster on guitars and production, Amelia’s Jesse Emerson on bass, and Priory’s Joe Mengis on drums, with contributions from Scott McCaughey and REM’s Peter Buck (Neill often performs with Scott and Peter in The Minus 5), along with Thayer Serrano and Death Cab for Cutie’s Dave Depper. (Chris Funk from the Decemberists produced Casey’s previous LP, All You Pretty Vandals).
Described by Neill as a work of “dystopian romance,” Subterrene is all about storytelling, punk rock grit and alt-rock abandon. From its very first moments, it’s clear that Neill is tapping into new creative wells, eschewing the Americana roots of his past albums in favor of bolder arrangements that draw on a wide variety of influences. Synthesizers and electronic elements weave in and out underneath razor sharp guitars, while Neill’s reedy, raspy voice can call to mind everyone from Michael Stipe to the late Gord Downie.
http://www.caseyneill.org
Recommended If You Like: Billy Bragg, The Pogues, The Decemberists, R.E.M., Robyn Hitchcock
John Beland is ill and will not be performing.
Beland’s career as guitarist started out in Los Angeles in the late 1960s, playing sessions and local live gigs with Kris Kristofferson, as well as future Eagles members, Glenn Frey and Bernie Leadon. Beland’s first major break came in 1970, playing lead guitar for a young Linda Ronstadt. He helped Ronstadt put together her first serious solo band, Swampwater, and was also instrumental in the comeback of rock and roll legend Rick Nelson in the late 1970s, arranging and playing on Nelson’s last hit single “Dream Lover,” as well as Nelson’s much acclaimed album, The Memphis Sessions.
After working with Ronstadt, Beland became a much in-demand guitarist, engaged by such high-profile artists as Arlo Guthrie, Johnny Tillotson, Kris Kristofferson, The Bellamy Brothers, Mac Davis, Dolly Parton and for more than 20 years, was the creative force behind the pioneering country rock band from California, The Flying Burrito Brothers. Through his leadership, the group achieved nine hit country singles for Curb Records in the early 1980s.
As a solo artist, Beland recorded for Ranwood Records, scoring a chart hit in 1969 called “Baby You Come Rolling Cross My Mind.” Beland also became the last artist to sign with The Beatles’ record company Apple Records in 1973.
Beland has received awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) during his career. As an award-winning songwriter, Beland’s songs have been recorded by a wide variety of recording artists from various genres. They have included artists from pop, folk, gospel to country music.ng guitar of Kevin Russell and the masterful sounds of the legendary steel guitar titan, Bobby Black. Add to this the joyous, heartfelt –and occasionally humorous – vocals of Candy and Kevin and you have a full evening of American roots music!
www.johnbeland.net
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The Lost Church Santa Rosa
576 Ross Street
- Santa Rosa
Price: $15.00