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.
... 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, although Case doesn't describe it in 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, Hank Williams and even Queen. She frequently infuses humorous narratives into her live sets, a habit she says she picked up from Wanda Jackson.
She is protective of her artistic independence, combining punk's "do it yourself ethic," 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 U.S., Case began her musical career in Canada. She lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, from 1994 until 1998, playing with a variety of local punk bands, most prominently cub and Maow, and recording 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 also considered a significant figure in Canadian music — both CBC Radio 3 and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada have referred to Case as an "honorary 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."
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood