One day prior to what would have been the 51st birthday Neal Casal, nine of the late artist‘s solo discography that were previously unavailable on digital music platforms have been released. These recordings, which can now be streamed and downloaded in their entirely, make complete Casal’s entire solo discography.
Recordings by Casal released today include Rain, Wind & Speed (1996), The Sun Rises Here (1997), Field Recordings (1997), Basement Dreams (1998), Black River Sides (w/ Kenny Roby, 1999), Anytime Tomorrow (2000), Ran On Pure Lightning (w/ Shannon McNally, 2002), No Wish To Reminisce (2006), and All Directions (2007). Listen on various platforms here.
Additionally, a rarely seen video for the song “Reason” from Casal’s 1998 album, The Sun Rises Here, has been made available, including a poignant ending segment with Neal and his father discussing his rock ‘n’ roll dreams.
Neal Casal—a guitarist, singer and songwriter—passed away on August 26. He was celebrated most recently for his work with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Circles Around the Sun. Prior to his involvement in those projects, however, he recorded and toured prolifically as a solo artist. Though never reaching the wider success he found in the later stages of his career, he left behind a critically acclaimed body of work under his own name, including nine solo albums, two duo albums and a handful of compilations and retrospectives that intertwined elements of vintage rock, country and soul.
Plans are currently in the works for a series of physical reissues of Casal’s solo work in 2020, while the finishing touches are being added to his final recording sessions with Circles Around The Sun a week before his passing.
Neal Casal would have turned 51 on Saturday, November 2.
“Have an epic party for me and play my favorite records and remember all the good times we had, the music, images, and waves we caught. That’s all.” These words from Neal Casal shown on The Capitol Theatre stage, began the tribute of his life after the lights went down and Exile on Main Street had stopped playing over the house speakers. His message, hope, and dream were put on display for the audience and it wasn’t until “Moonlight Mile” started to play that everyone realized that our friend was truly gone. The crowd was so eager for this show to start and visibly sad once it finally did. All eyes were on Neal’s jacket, draped over a lone chair on stage with his guitar resting silently next to it.
This musical wake consisted of numerous segments, each focusing on different chapters of Neal’s life. The first set highlighted Neal’s earlier work and had his friends and collaborators each share songs that Casal had written, while the second set highlighted his projects with friends over the last decade. Behind the stage was a screen showing pictures from Neal’s life as well as the photos Neal took himself. Gary Waldman led us through Neal’s life between songs, telling stories that highlighted their friendship and also his experiences as Neal’s manager. The emcee’s jokes and tales had the crowd engaged and excited for each new detail he’d share with in his stories.
The two hour first set was full of beautiful solo performances, touching respects and countless collaborations from Neal’s former band members. Hazy Malaze, one of Casal’s early bands, ended the set before Peter Shapiro came on stage to thank the crowd for coming out. He regaled the audience with a tale about needing “intermission music” for the Fare Thee Well shows and how that led to the creation of Circles Around The Sun. Before leaving the stage, he announced that the stage at the Garcia Forest at the Lockn’ Festival will now be known as the Neal Casal Stage.
After a very short intermission, the tribute continued with a more upbeat second set starting with Beachwood Sparks and then the premiere of the new Circles Around the Sun lineup featuring Eric Krasno on guitar. Joe Russo also popped in for a tune before coming out with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead with Adam MacDougall filling in for Marco Benevento. After a few songs, Chris Robinson came on stage and played with a few members of Chris Robinson Brotherhood to end the set. The late hour didn’t deter the crowd or the performers, and the entire lineup came out for an encore performance of “Farther Along” and a final prayer Robbi Robb to end the night. It was a memorable, emotional evening that left everyone both fulfilled and drained after five and a half hours of music.
You can watch the entire Tribute below on Relix’s YouTube channel.
On Wednesday, September 25, The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY will host “There’s A Reward,” a musical tribute to Neal Casal, who tragically passed away on August 26. Casal’s former bandmates and musical friends will join together to remember his friendship and music in a career-spanning musical biography.
Artists scheduled to appear include:
Beachwood Sparks, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Circles Around the Sun, Joe Russo, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton & Scott Metzger, Hazeldine, Mapache, Dave Schools, Citizen Cope, Jeff Hill, Bob Glaub, Dan Fadel, Davis Jaynes, Don Heffington, Dori Freeman, Jesse Aycock, John Ginty, Jon Graboff, John Lee Shannon, Kenny Roby, Leslie Mendelson, Rickey Medlocke, Robbi Robb, and Zephaniah Ohora. Additional special guests to be announced soon.
Tickets for There’s A Reward: A Celebration Of The Life & Music Of Neal Casal go on-sale this Friday, September 13 at Noon ET with all net proceeds to be donated to MusiCares®. A special pre-sale begins today from 1pm to 10pm ET with passcode: moonlight.
Circles Around The Sun had completed recording a new studio album the week prior to his passing. The album’s producer Jim Scott will see the recording through to its completion with plans being made for its release in early 2020. CATS had also collaborated with drummer Joe Russo on an EP entitled ‘Circles Around The Sun Meets Joe Russo’ that was already set to be released October 18 on limited edition vinyl and digital formats.
CATS had previously announced tour dates in October and December, while plans were in the works for the band’s busiest year yet in 2020. Casal left behind specific wishes for Circles Around The Sun to continue in his absence. The surviving members, keyboardist Adam MacDougall, bassist Dan Horne and drummer Mark Levy, have decided to honor that request and move forward together. A new guitar player will be announced shortly and all 2019 tour dates will go on as scheduled.
Circles Around the Sun Tour Dates
October 16 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile October 17 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom October 18 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel October 19 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s October 20 – Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon October 24 – Live Oak, FL – Hulaween December 27 – Denver, CO – The Gothic Theatre December 29 – Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theater December 31 – Buena Vista, CO – Ivy Ballroom January 7-12 – Miami, FL – Jam Cruise
For the past seven years, LOCKN’ has been a true musical haven for improvisation, acting as a base for some of the most famous and remarkable collaborations. This year was no exception as some of this music scene’s most influential artists came together to share moments with festival patrons that won’t be forgotten any time soon.
The atmosphere at LOCKN’ this year was unique in that the festival felt smaller in scale compared to some of the past years when the grounds were overflowing with festivalgoers by virtue of acts like Phish, Disco Biscuits, The String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic. In a way, the experience was more intimate and special as a result, with the performing artists’ music sweeping out into the crowd to bring their audience on a journey that was curated for their experience and their memories only.
It is always interesting to see the year-to-year tweaks that the festival implements to change the mood or improve the experience for patrons. This year, the thing that stood out was the late night shows in Garcia’s Forest, which included Circles Around the Sun, Soulive and Galactic.
Never miss a LOCKN’ sunset. Oteil & Friends
For those of us that have been six-to-seven year patrons of the festival, it is nostalgic to remember back to a widely favored and heralded set at LOCKN’ by the Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2014 in the Garcia Forest. What a trip, so many years later, to experience the powerhouse group headlining the festival, joined by superstar Trey Anastasio as the key acts of the weekend.
R.I.P Neal Casal, pictured at his last performance with Oteil & Friends.
Festivalgoers of this year’s LOCKN’ will forever evoke the memories of Neal Casal’s final performances, before our music community tragically lost him the Monday following the festival. This past weekend, Neal Casal performed late night on Thursday night with his outfit, Circles Around the Sun, which was orginially formed back in 2015 to record the interlude music for The Grateful Dead’s 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well shows. Joe Russo performed a surprise sit-in with the group Thursday evening, in light of a collaborative EP that is due to release later this fall. Neal was seen again on stage with powerhouse group Oteil Burbridge & Friends, which also included Bob Weir and Duane Betts. Here is a clip of his solo on Thursday night with Circles Around the Sun:
“Interlocking” sets was the theme of the weekend, as always, at LOCKN’. Bob Weir graced a number of sets as a guest, as usual, including Oteil & Friends’ set where he sat in for “Cassidy” and a “Happy Birthday” song to Oteil; he joined Twiddle with Eric Krasno and John Popper for “Eyes of the World;” Old Crow Medicine; and Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians for “Deep Elem Blues.” Bob Weir was also “sitting in” during Joe Russo’s Almost Dead set when the camera spanned to him sitting side stage on a couch listening to JRAD’s set that included cuts like “Ruben and Cherise,” “Peggy-O,” “The Other One,” “Casey Jones” and “Uncle John’s Band,” to name a few.
Other notable moments of the weekend include one of the early sets of the weekend, when Trey played with the Thai-funk improv outfit Khruangbin, adding his legendary guitar licks to songs like, “Lady & Man” and “People Everywhere (Still Alive).” Moon Alice performed with the T Sisters and Lester Chambers and his son Dylan Chambers on Friday on classics such as “Uncle Johns Band” and “Attics Of My Life,” in addition to a few Moon Alice classics. Melvin Seals & JGB played a set together with John Kadlecik and the Pigeons Playing Ping Pong set had a sit-in from the Revivalist horns, to name a few more “Lockn’ Moments.” Honorable mentions should go to Fruition, who brought a sizable crowd to an 11 a.m. Garcia’s Forest set, finishing their performance with a crowd-requested “The Meaning.” Free Union started off the main stage performances on Saturday by inviting members of the Audacity Brass Band to play with them after their set was cancelled due to the storm on Friday.
Bob Weir and John Popper of Blues Traveler sit in with Twiddle.
But the weekend recap wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the extraordinary delicacy of seeing Trey and Derek performing together. Trey and Derek, certainly not strangers to each other’s guitar licks as the first time they played together was 20 years ago, had no trouble showing their respect for each other’s craft by adding the perfect additions to their respective sets. Starting with Friday night, Derek sat in for the entire second set with Trey Anastasio Band for songs like “Set Your Soul Free,” “Ghost,” and “Blaze On” with an additional sit-in from Susan on “A Life Beyond a Dream” and “Rise/Come Together.” On Saturday, Trey sat in with TTB for covers from the Derek and the Dominos’ classic album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs while TTB proper followed with “Keep On Growing,” “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and “I Am Yours.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaJ4auxoI0E
Derek Derek Derek Trey Trey Trey
Once again, the spirit at LOCKN’ was alive and well this year, and is rooted deeply now for the tradition to continue next year all over again.
Neal Casal, prolific guitarist and member of Circles Around the Sun, Chris Robinson Brotherhood and many more over his career, has died at age 50. Pitchfork reports through a representative of Casal that the death was ruled a suicide. The tragic news was confirmed on Neal’s Instagram account this morning.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1qfCJHDC73/
A native of Denville, NJ, Casal was best known for his work with Circles Around the Sun, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Hazy Malaze and Blackfoot. Ryan Adams shared his thoughts this morning on his Cardinals bandmate
Oh man. My heart is broken What an honor to have known you, true believer. I love you. Go easy “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain”#RIPNealCasalpic.twitter.com/4vlj3l2EoU
Casal had performed at Lockn’ Festival in Arrington, VA. this past weekend with Circles Around the Sun (as well as with Oteil and Friends), a project that originated from being tapped to compose music played over the P.A. during setbreak of Fare Thee Well in July 2015. That music was so well received by fans, that Circles Around the Sun released the music as a double album,Interludes for the Dead, in 2016 and made their debut at Lockn’ Festival that summer, as noted by Jambase.
In addition to his recent success with Circles Around the Sun, Casal was an original member of Chris Robinson Brotherhood alongside the Black Crowes co-founder. From 2005-2009, Casal was a member of Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, during which time Easy Tiger and Cardinology were released to critical acclaim. Neal spoke with American Songwriter in 2012 and said this of his time with The Cardinals:
“It really was a great lineup… For a couple years there, man, we were on fire. We really were. We were playing some amazing shows and running through Ryan’s entire catalog, just burning those songs to the ground. We really felt confident for awhile. We had a lot of synergy, we were all really connected, and everyone believed in it. We were firing on all cylinders. It was a great thing to be a part of.”
Casal was also a founding member of Hard Working Americans, a supergroup including Dave Schools and Duane Trucks (Widespread Panic), singer Todd Snider, and Chad Staehly (Great American Taxi), and performed with Phil Lesh and Friends on numerous occasions. Neal was also a photographer who shot cover art for a number of albums and publications.
This October 18, Casal’s upcoming EP Circles Around the Sun Meets Joe Russo, is scheduled to be released. Listen to “Peace Reprise” from the forthcoming album.
