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Casey Neill & The Norway Rats + Downpilot
Wed, 12 Jun, 8:30 PM PDT
Doors open
7:30 PM PDT
Tractor
5213 Ballard Avenue NW, Seattle, WA 98107
TICKET SALES TERMINATED
Tickets are currently unavailable on TicketWeb
Description
CASEY NEILL & THE NORWAY RATS
Sending Up Flares, the fourth record from Casey Neill & The Norway Rats, is the sound of a band rallying together, turning the genre-bending range of its influences into the group’s most cohesive, cathartic album yet. Created amidst chaos and uncertainty, these songs offer a lifeline to a world in need of balance, shot through with stories about resolve, resilience, wonder, and positive human interaction.
The music of Casey Neill & The Norway Rats combines dreamy ballads and high energy rave-ups built around narrative songwriting. Neill tours with the band and solo throughout the USA, Japan, and Europe having performed at venues such as Town Hall in New York, Bumbershoot, and the Newport Folk Festival. The ensemble of Pacific Northwest heavy hitters includes accordionist/keyboardist Jenny Conlee of the Decemberists, bassist Jesse Emerson of Amelia, and Neill (who is also a member of The Minus 5). Sending Up Flares follows 2018’s Subterrene which No Depression called "a milestone in Neill and company’s trajectory thus far" while Rolling Stone said "(Neill's) songs mask their complexities beneath a simple, singalong-worthy surface... these swimming waters have serious depth."
In 1997 Casey Neill began a run of three songwriter albums for acoustic label Appleseed Recordings and contributed tracks to their Pete Seeger Tribute along with Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg, and Bonnie Raitt. A compilation of his material entitled Memory Against Forgetting was released by Indigo Girl Amy Ray's Daemon imprint in 2005. A musical partnership with the late Scottish fiddler/producer Johnny Cunningham led to a far more electric record titled Brooklyn Bridge. To support the new sound, The Norway Rats were formed. At Newport Folk Festival, Casey was part of the all-star Speak Out set with Lucius, Margo Price, Nate Rateliff and Jim James that was released on LP as part of Record Store Day 2018. Casey Neill & The Norway Rats recorded three records across the 2010's: the atmospheric Americana of Goodbye to the Rank and File, the edgier rock sounds of All You Pretty Vandals, and the electro-pop explorations of Subterrene. Now on Sending Up Flares the Portland-based supergroup finds room for everything, turning a wealth of musical influences — including folk, art-rock, atmospheric soundscapes, and guitar freak-outs — into something singular. "I love exploring all of the music I love," says Neill, who even nods to artistic role models like David Bowie, author Ursula K. Le Guin, and filmmaker Wim Wenders in the song "Meteor Shower." "Sending Up Flares feels like we've reached a point where the band has settled into a natural, nuanced place", he adds. "This is who we are. It's what we do."
Event Information
Age Limit
21+

Alternative
Tickets Available at Door
Tickets Available at Door
Alternative
So you missed out on advanced tickets? No sweat. We have some available at the door! Get here early to make sure you get in!!

Post-Punk
Casey Neill and the Norway Rats
Casey Neill and the Norway Rats
Post-Punk
CASEY NEILL & THE NORWAY RATS
Sending Up Flares, the fourth record from Casey Neill & The Norway Rats, is the sound of a band rallying together, turning the genre-bending range of its influences into the group’s most cohesive, cathartic album yet. Created amidst chaos and uncertainty, these songs offer a lifeline to a world in need of balance, shot through with stories about resolve, resilience, wonder, and positive human interaction.
The music of Casey Neill & The Norway Rats combines dreamy ballads and high energy rave-ups built around narrative songwriting. Neill tours with the band and solo throughout the USA, Japan, and Europe having performed at venues such as Town Hall in New York, Bumbershoot, and the Newport Folk Festival. The ensemble of Pacific Northwest heavy hitters includes accordionist/keyboardist Jenny Conlee of the Decemberists, bassist Jesse Emerson of Amelia, and Neill (who is also a member of The Minus 5). Sending Up Flares follows 2018’s Subterrene which No Depression called "a milestone in Neill and company’s trajectory thus far" while Rolling Stone said "(Neill's) songs mask their complexities beneath a simple, singalong-worthy surface... these swimming waters have serious depth."
In 1997 Casey Neill began a run of three songwriter albums for acoustic label Appleseed Recordings and contributed tracks to their Pete Seeger Tribute along with Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg, and Bonnie Raitt. A compilation of his material entitled Memory Against Forgetting was released by Indigo Girl Amy Ray's Daemon imprint in 2005. A musical partnership with the late Scottish fiddler/producer Johnny Cunningham led to a far more electric record titled Brooklyn Bridge. To support the new sound, The Norway Rats were formed. At Newport Folk Festival, Casey was part of the all-star Speak Out set with Lucius, Margo Price, Nate Rateliff and Jim James that was released on LP as part of Record Store Day 2018. Casey Neill & The Norway Rats recorded three records across the 2010's: the atmospheric Americana of Goodbye to the Rank and File, the edgier rock sounds of All You Pretty Vandals, and the electro-pop explorations of Subterrene. Now on Sending Up Flares the Portland-based supergroup finds room for everything, turning a wealth of musical influences — including folk, art-rock, atmospheric soundscapes, and guitar freak-outs — into something singular. "I love exploring all of the music I love," says Neill, who even nods to artistic role models like David Bowie, author Ursula K. Le Guin, and filmmaker Wim Wenders in the song "Meteor Shower." "Sending Up Flares feels like we've reached a point where the band has settled into a natural, nuanced place", he adds. "This is who we are. It's what we do."
Praise for Sending Up Flares
“Slip on the headphones, drive to the starlit Mojave in your mind, and look upon the warm desert sands” - Americana Highways
“atmospheric and alluring all in equal measure, and, as a result, becomes consistently compelling” - Alternate Root
“Oh wow – now this is something really special. Frankly I could, and probably will, listen to this all day. A grey January Monday morning just got a whole lot better.” - AmericanaUK

Pop
Downpilot
Downpilot
Pop
Project of Seattle-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Paul Hiraga, Downpilot has released several critically lauded albums in the U.S. and Europe on Tapete Records. Downpilot's graceful, languid music is informed by elements of folk, slowcore, and modern psychedelia, reinforced by calm yet powerful soundscapes. 2023's The Forecast, the seventh Downpilot outing, presents a diverse array of styles, from thoughtful midtempo pop to more experimental yet still melodic rock. - AllMusic