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Neal Casal

 

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Neal Casal  (Morristown, New Jersey)

Neal Casal is a musician who lives just outside New York in New Jersey. Casal's sound is a throwback to that distinct early '70s blend of blue-eyed soul and laid-back rock n roll, with a dash of rootsy country twang tossed in for good measure. He is a 28-year old singer/writer/guitarist who spent his childhood playing guitar to "Exile On Main Street". He was fronting his first band at the age of 17, while writing and demoing songs on his home 4-track and in the cramped basement of a neighbor, dead-sure of his direction. 

In 1991, a tape of Casal's songs found its way to Jim Cardillo at Warner/Chapell Music, who signed the unknown Casal to a publishing deal. Thus Casal had the luxury of bypassing the mire of a day job to focus on his songwriting. By this time Neal was incorporating the then unfashionable sonic textures of his influences into his sound, unaware that in other parts of the country bands like The Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo were travelling a parallel course. 
 
Some demos recorded with Jim Scott (engineer for Petty's "Wildflowers") led to a deal with BMG/Zoo and the sessions for "Fade away Diamond Time". Joining him were organ/piano player John Ginty, steel guitarist Fooch Fischetti and singer Angie McKenna from Casal's band, along with the crack rhythm section of Bob Glaub (CSNY, John Lennon, Jackson Browne) and Don Heffington (Lone Justice, Jayhawks, Victoria Williams). 

The record was released in late 1995 to high critical acclaim. However, internal changes at Zoo Records left the record completely unpromoted and right before Christmas 1995 Neal received a call in a club in Nashville that the tour was over and that he no longer had a label. They are currently talking to various major companies and there will be somebody real soon who will spend the neccessary promotional bucks. 

Between shopping him around Neal and his manager Gary Waldman took matters in their own hands, rented a nearby studio and recorded "Rain, Wind and Speed" in 5 days. Two days for Neal's vocals and guitar, one day for some subtle mandolin/banjo overdubs, slight washes of Hammond organ and pedal steel-licks. Two days to mix the whole thing down. 

The resulting record is what the press calls "One of the best new songwriters of the year" (Washington Post) or "Stunning" (L.A. Weekly), "A breath of fresh air" (Gavin Report), "A marvellous blend of emotional depth and purity" (Songwriter's Monthly) and "Rootsy, honest and heartfelt" (Car Audio and Electronics). 

One listen and one notices that Neal Casal is a new star on the horizon, a mature songwriter who has tha ability to fill the niche between Tom Petty and Pete Droge. 


Discography


Fade Away Diamond Time (9/95)
BMG/Zoo
 & Glitterhouse Rec. (mailorder only)

Fade Away Diamond Time

  • Day in the sun
  • Maybe California
  • Free to go
  • Leaving traces
  • Bird in the hand
  • These days with you
  • Cincinnati motel
  • Feel no pain
  • One last time
  • Open ground
  • Detroit or Buffalo
  • Sunday river

  • Hands on the plow 
  • Name in vain 
  • Break even 
  • Virginia dare 
  • Angels on hold 
  • Annabelle
  • To look for you 
  • All the luck in the world 
  • Best to believe 
  • Pilot's song 
  • I will weep no more
Rain, Wind and Speed (5/96) 
buy or die (U.S.) 
Glitterhouse Rec. (Europe)  GRCD 409

Rain, Wind and Speed


Field Recordings (7/97) 
Glitterhouse Rec. (Mailorder only) 
GRCD 429

Field Recordings 

  • Best to believe (band version)
  • Saturday morning jam
  • Brand new damage
  • Don't turn your back on me
  • Midway
  • Blue eyes blind
  • Angels on hold (band version)
  • Sleeping under stone
  • December
  • Still I got you
  • Watch me survive

  • Today I'm gonna bleed
  • On the mend
  • Reason
  • Angelina
  • Halfway through town
  • Dandelion wine
  • The new Jenny Jenkins
  • Real country dark
  • Best to Bonnie
  • The last of my connections
The Sun Rises Here (1/98)
Glitterhouse Rec. GRCD 430

The Sun Rises Here


Basement Dreams (11/98)
Glitterhouse Rec.

(Mailorder Only )

basement.jpg (4680 Byte)

  • Dad downstairs
  • No one said a word
  • Basement dream
  • I run and hide
  • Doghaus gospel
  • Outskirts
  • Fremont row
  • Free light of day
  • Doghaus trance
  • Widowmaker
  • Kid on trumpet
  • Neal's blues
  • Oil in my lamp
  • Nothing left to prove
  • Me and Queen Sylvia
  • Delaware station
  • Promises to keep
  • The very last time
  • St. Cloud
  • Battle of the bands
  • Wisest of the wise
  • Denver song
  • Highway butterfly
  • Dad again
  • Parasitic thing
     

  • Willow Jane
  • Fell on hard times
  • Luckystars
  • Sweetvine
  • Oceanview
  • No one above you
  • Eddy & Diamonds
  • Just getting by
  • Camarillo
  • Time down the wind
  • Raining straoght down
  • Too much to ask
Anytime tomorrow (04/00)
Glitterhouse Rec. GRCD 478




Neal Casal & Band on tour 2000

22.04. LANGENAU @ Pfleghofsaal
23.04. A - tba
24.04. A - SALZBURG @ Rockhouse
25.04. MÜNCHEN @ Feierwerk
26.04. CH - Winterthur @ Gaswerk
27.04. CH - THUN @ Mokka
28.04. TUTTLINGEN @ Ritttergarten
29.04. TÜBINGEN @ Parterre
30.04. OFFENBURG @ Spitalkeller
01.05. NÜRNBERG @ K4
02.05. REGENSBURG @ Alte Mälzerei
03.05. DRESDEN @ Satrclub tbc
04.05. BERLIN @ Knaack
05.05. LUDWIGSFELDE @ Relax
06.05. DORTMUND @ FZW
07.05. FRANKFURT @ Sinkkasten
08.05. HOLZMINDEN @ Jazzclub 
09.05. KÖLN @ Underground
10.05. KASSEL @ Schlachthof
11.05. HAMBURG @ Lola Kulturzentrum
12.05. NORDHORN @ Alte Weberei
13.05. SCHRECKSBACH @ Mylord
14.05. AFFALTER @ Zur Linde
17.05. UK - RIPE nr. Lewes @ The Limb
18.05. UK - BOURNEMOUTH @ Mr. Smiths Bar
19.05. UK - BRISTOL @ Bungalow
20.05. UK - LONDON @ Borderline
21.05. UK - WINCHESTER @ Tower Art Centre
22.05. UK - CHESTER @ Telfords Warehouse
23.05. UK - SHEFFIELD @ Boardwalk
24.05. UK - NOTTINGHAM @ The Maze
25.05. UK - STOCKTON On Tees @ The Arc
26.05. UK - MANCHESTER @ Hope and Grape
27.05. UK - GLASGOW @ Big Big Country Festival
28.05. UK - NEWCASTLE @ Windows o.t. World Festival
29.05. UK - KENDAL @ Brewery Art Centre Festival 
07.06. A - WIEN @ B72
09.06. NEUSTADT/WEINSTR. @ Musikwerkstatt
11.06. BEVERUNGEN @ Orange Blossom Special
15.06. SCHWERIN @ Speicher

Tourdates 1998/99 see archive


Booking


For information write to p.o. box 1233 Morristown N.J. 07962-1233
Management by Gary Waldman for Morebarn Music, Morristown N.J.
morebarnm@aol.com

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August 1999

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