Neko Case | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Case at the 2012Forecastle Festival inLouisville, Kentucky. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Neko Richelle Case[1] (1970-09-08)September 8, 1970 (age 55) |
| Origin | Tacoma, Washington |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | NekoCase.com |
Neko Richelle Case (/ˈniːkoʊˈkeɪs/NEE-kohKAYSS;[2] born September 8, 1970)[3] is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadianindie rock groupthe New Pornographers. Case's singing voice has been described by contemporaries and critics as a "flamethrower",[4] "a powerhouse [which] seems like it might level buildings,"[5] "a 120-mph fastball,"[6] and a "vocal tornado".[7] Critics also note her idiosyncratic, "cryptic,"[8] "imagistic"[7] lyrics, and credit her as a significant figure in the early 21st-century American revival of thetenor guitar.[9][10] Case's body of work has spanned and drawn on a range of traditions including country, folk, art rock, indie rock, and pop and is frequently described as defying or avoiding easy generic classification.[11][12][13][14]
Born inAlexandria, Virginia, Case is the only child of James Bamford Case.[15] Case's maternal family surname was originallyShevchenko; her great-aunt was the professional wrestlerElla Waldek.[16] Her father, aVietnam veteran serving in theUnited States Air Force,[17] was based in Virginia at the time of her birth. Case's parents, who were teenagers when they had her, are ofUkrainian ancestry.[3] Her parents divorced when Case began school.[3] In her memoir, Case indicated that she was told that her mother died of cancer when she was in the second grade, but only two years later, she was told that this was not correct. After that, her mother flitted in and out of her life, and eventually Case cut ties with her mother for good. As she writes in the book, she had a revelation: "Perhaps her mother had never been sick at all."[18]
Case's family relocated several times during her childhood due to her stepfather's work as anarchaeologist. She lived in Western Massachusetts, Vermont, Oregon and Washington.[3] She considersTacoma, Washington to be her hometown.[19][20]
Case left home and was legallyemancipated at age 15.[21] By the age of 18 she was performing as a drummer for the Del Logs and the Propanes, playing in venues including a punk club called the Community World Theater.[3]
In 1994, Case moved toVancouver, British Columbia, to attend theEmily Carr Institute of Art and Design, leaving without a degree in 1998.[22][23] While in Vancouver, she played drums in several local bands, including the Del Logs, the Propanes, the Weasels,Cub, andMaow.[24] These bands were, for the most part, localpunk groups. Case said of the vibrant Vancouver punk rock scene at that time, "A lot of women wanted to play music because they were inspired, because it was an incredibly good time for music in the Northwest. There was a lot of clubs, a lot of bands, a lot of people coming through, a lot of all-ages stuff—it was a very exciting time to live there."[17]
In 1998, she left Canada forSeattle, Washington. Before going, Case recorded vocals for a few songs that ended up onMass Romantic,the New Pornographers' first album. Her lead vocals on songs like "Letter from an Occupant" are straightforward, full-volumepower-pop performances, shedding any country elements. Released on November 28, 2000,Mass Romantic became a surprise success.[25] Although the band was originally conceived as a side project for its members, the New Pornographers remain a prominent presence in the indie rock world, having released their ninth album in 2023.
In addition to recording with the New Pornographers, Case collaborates with other Canadian musicians, includingthe Sadies andCarolyn Mark, and has recorded material by several noted Canadian songwriters, in particular on her 2001EPCanadian Amp. As a result, she is also considered a significant figure in Canadian music—bothCBC Radio 3 and theSociety of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada have referred to Case as an "honourary Canadian".[26] In 2018 Case performed at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival.[27]
Case embraced country music on her 1997 album,The Virginian. The album contained original compositions as well as covers of songs byErnest Tubb,Loretta Lynn and the 1974Queen song "Misfire".[28] When the album was released, critics compared Case tohonky-tonk singers like Lynn andPatsy Cline, and torockabilly pioneerWanda Jackson, particularly in her vocal timbre.[29]
On February 22, 2000, Case released her second solo album,Furnace Room Lullaby. The album introduced thecountry 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 concrete floor.
Case sometimes tours with Canadian singer and songwriter Carolyn Mark asthe Corn Sisters.[30] One of their performances, at Seattle's Hattie's Hat restaurant inBallard, was recorded and released as an album,The Other Women, on November 28, 2000.[30]
In October 1999, around the timeFurnace Room Lullaby was released, Case left Seattle[17] for Chicago because she felt that Seattle was no longer hospitable to its local artists.[31]
Case's first work in Chicago was an eight-songEP that she recorded in her kitchen.Canadian Amp, her first recording without Her Boyfriends, was released on her own Lady Pilot label in 2001. She wrote two of the tracks, with the remaining six being covers, includingNeil Young's "Dreaming Man" and Hank Williams' "Alone and Forsaken". Four of the covers were written by Canadian artists. The EP was initially available only at Case's live shows and directly from Mint Records' website, but it eventually saw wider release.[32]
Case also recorded her third full-length album,Blacklisted, while living in Chicago.[33]
In April 2003, Case was voted the "Sexiest Babe of Indie Rock" in a Playboy.com internet poll, receiving 32% of the vote.Playboy asked her to pose nude for the magazine, but she declined their offer. She toldEntertainment Weekly that
I didn't want to be the girl who posed inPlayboy and then—by the way—made some music. I would be really fucking irritated if after a show somebody came up to me and handed me some naked picture of myself and wanted me to sign it instead of my CD.[34]
Case recorded and toured for several years as Neko Case & Her Boyfriends before performing solely under her name. Albums released as Neko Case & Her Boyfriends includeThe Virginian (1997) andFurnace Room Lullaby (2000). She primarily performed her own material, but also performed and recordedcover versions of songs by artists such asMy Morning Jacket,Harry Nilsson,Loretta Lynn,Tom Waits,Nick Lowe,Buffy Sainte-Marie,Scott Walker,Randy Newman,Queen,Bob Dylan,Neil Young,Sparks andHank Williams.[35]
The 2010 New Pornographers albumTogether features Case as lead vocalist on "Crash Years" and "My Shepherd."[36] The 2014 albumBrill Bruisers features Case as lead vocalist on "Champions of Red Wine" and "Marching Orders."[37] The 2017 albumWhiteout Conditions features Case as lead vocalist on "Play Money" and "This is the World of the Theater."[38]
In 2016, Neko Case,k.d. lang, andLaura Veirs announced the case/lang/veirs project, with an album released in June 2016.[39]
Case recorded her third full-length album,Blacklisted, inTucson, Arizona. It was the first full-length album credited to Case alone, without Her Boyfriends, and was released onBloodshot Records on August 20, 2002. Some believe the titleBlacklisted alludes to Case being banned for life from theGrand Ole Opry because she took her shirt off during a performance on August 4, 2001, at one of their outdoors "Opry Plaza" concerts,[40][41] though Case herself has denied this.[42] Asked about the incident in 2004, Case said "I hadheatstroke. People would love it to be a 'fuck you' punk thing. But it was actually a physical ailment thing."[43]
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Most of the album's fourteen songs are originals; the exceptions being covers of "Running Out of Fools", previously a hit forAretha Franklin, and "Look for Me (I'll Be Around)" previously performed bySarah Vaughan.Blacklisted finds Case even deeper in a "country noir" mood, and was described by critics as lush, bleak, and atmospheric. Case cited filmmakerDavid Lynch, composerAngelo Badalamenti, and Neil Young's soundtrack to the filmDead Man as influences.[44]
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 becomeFaith Hill, I never want to play an arena, and I never want to be on theMTV 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.[45]
In April 2004, Case played several shows with longtime collaboratorsthe Sadies in Chicago andToronto. These shows were recorded and released as a live album,The Tigers Have Spoken, by Anti Records in October 2004.[46]
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood was released on March 7, 2006. The album was recorded primarily in Tucson, over the course of two years as Case worked on the liveThe Tigers Have Spoken and continued to play with the New Pornographers. Critics hailed the record not only for Case's trademark vocals but also her use of stark imagery and non-standard song structures.Fox Confessor Brings the Flood wound up on many "Best of 2006" lists, such as No.1 on the Amazon.com music editors' picks and No. 2 onNPR'sAll Songs Considered. The album debuted at No. 54 on theBillboard 200 albums chart. It contains Case's most autobiographical song, "Hold On, Hold On". Case said: "the song is actually about me. It's not metaphorical about other people. It's not little pieces of my life made into a story about someone else or someone fictitious."[47]
"Hold On, Hold On" has since been covered byMarianne Faithfull on her 2009 albumEasy Come, Easy Go.[48] It was used over an episode ofThe Killing (Season 1 Episode 6) before the final credits, and in the 2015 filmOne More Time. "John Saw That Number" was used in the snowboarding movie "City. Park City".
Case's next album,Middle Cyclone, was released on March 3, 2009. In advance of a U.S. and European tour, Case appeared as a musical guest onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Later in 2009 she also appeared onLate Show with David Letterman,The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien andLate Night with Jimmy Fallon. Amazon.com ratedMiddle Cyclone the number one album of 2009.[49]Middle Cyclone debuted at No. 3 on theBillboard charts in its first week of release, making it Case's first album ever to reach the top ten in the United States.
At the time of its release, no other record from an independent record company had debuted at a higher position in 2009.[50] She toured extensively to promoteMiddle Cyclone with dates in North America, Europe, and Australia, as well as a performance atLollapalooza 2009 inGrant Park, Chicago.
In June 2013, Case announced a new album,The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You, which was released on September 3.[51]
In early March, 2018, Case released a teaser for an album titledHell-On, her first solo work in almost five years. The teaser featured Case lying down singing a song of the same name while snakes move around her. The album was released on June 1, 2018.[52]
On November 13, 2015, Case released a compilation vinyl box set containing eight of her solo albums. The set contains her first six studio albums, including the first vinyl pressing ofThe Virginian, as well as a live album.[53]
On April 19, 2022, Case releasedWild Creatures, described as "digital-only, career retrospective".[54] The album was released on CD, double vinyl, and MP3. It contains 22 tracks from Case's discography, plus one new song, "Oh, Shadowless".
On September 26, 2025, she releasedNeon Grey Midnight Green.[55][56]
Case was honored as the Female Artist of the Year at thePLUG Independent Music Awards on February 2, 2006.[57]
Case's album, Middle Cyclone, was nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Recording Package (with Kathleen Judge) at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2010.[58]
In 2014,The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You was nominated forBest Alternative Music Album at the56th Annual Grammy Awards.[59]
Case has appeared on Season 29 (2003–04) and 39 (2013–14) ofAustin City Limits.[60]
In 2008, Case guest starred alongsideKelly Hogan on theseason 5 episode of theadult animated television seriesAqua Teen Hunger Force,Sirens, in which she (as "Chrysanthemum") and Hogan (as "The B.J. Queen") take the role ofsirens who have taken formerPhiladelphia Phillies first basemanJohn Kruk (as himself) captive for arcane sexual purposes.[61][62][63][64]
Case also voiced the character of Cheyenne Cinnamon inAqua Teen Hunger Force co-creatorDave Willis'sCheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge.[65][66]
On March 3, 2010, Case appeared as a guest on the Australian music quiz showSpicks and Specks. Her team, led byAlan Brough, won 18–16. At the end of the show she sang a cover ofHeart's "Magic Man", backed byKelly Hogan and Paul Rigby.[67]
Neko Case has appeared onNPR's weekly news quiz show,Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, as a guest on July 11, 2009[68] and as a panellist on September 6, 2013[69] and again on December 12, 2015.[70]
On May 10, 2013, Case appeared as a guest onAmerican Public Media's variety showWits, where she ended the program with a rendition ofIron Maiden's "Number of the Beast". On February 7, 2014, Case appeared again as a guest onWits, this time alongsideAndy Richter, where she finished the program with a rendition of the Bee Gees' "Nights on Broadway".
In December 2015, Case appeared onBBC Radio 4'sWoman's Hour, where she talked about her career and performed her single "I'll Be Around".[71]
In a 2013NPR interview, while discussing her single "Man", Case described having complicated feelings ofgender andfemininity: "I don't really think of myself specifically as a woman, you know? I'm kind of a critter... I'm probably a little imbalanced in that if you were to look at a human creature as kind of a vase or something, my glass is a little bit more full of the man stuff than the woman stuff".[72] As of November 2025, herTwitter bio listed her pronouns as "She/Sir".[73] Speaking withPBS News Hour in 2025 to promote her memoir, Case mentioned that she had "never felt like a girl" and described herself as "agenderfluid person".[74]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Sales | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [75] | US Indie [76] | AUS [77] | BEL (FL) [78] | CAN [79] | IRL [80] | NED [81] | SPA [82] | SWI [83] | UK [84] | ||||||||
| 1997 | The Virginian(with Her Boyfriends) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2000 | Furnace Room Lullaby(with Her Boyfriends) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2002 | Blacklisted | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| |||||
| 2006 | Fox Confessor Brings the Flood | 54 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| |||||
| 2009 | Middle Cyclone | 3 | 1 | 91 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | 114 | ||||||
| 2013 | The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You | 12 | 1 | — | 115 | 8 | — | 99 | — | — | 63 | ||||||
| 2018 | Hell-On[89] | 31 | 4 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2025 | Neon Grey Midnight Green | — | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | |||||||||||||||||
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Heat [90] | US Indie [76] | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | The Tigers Have Spoken | 14 | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Live from Austin, TX | — | 22 | ||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | |||||||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Airplay [91] | US AAA [92] | US Rock Digital | |||
| "I Wish I Was the Moon" | 2002 | — | — | 28 | Blacklisted |
| "Bad Luck" | 2018 | — | 20 | — | Hell-On |
| "Wreck" | 2025 | 45 | 11 | — | Neon Grey and Midnight Green |
unverified that middle name is Richelle, though online consensus indicates birthname is Neko Richelle Case
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
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