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Neal Casal born November 2, 1968 in Denville, New Jersey, is an American songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and photographer who has maintained an acclaimed solo career as well as playing guitar for Ryan Adams and The Cardinals.

Solo Career
1990 - 1999

Casal began work on early solo demos from 1990 to 1993 at studios in Los Angeles, New York and New Jersey. During this period he teamed up with his manager Gary Waldman, keyboard player John Ginty and vocalist Angie McKenna. After signing a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music, he forged a long standing professional relationship with producer/engineer Jim Scott.

In 1994, Casal signed with Zoo Entertainment (record label) and recorded his debut album at Palacio del Rio, formally owned by James Stewart and Dean Martin in Santa Ynez, Ca with producer Jim Scott and featured musicians Don Heffington, Bob Glaub, Greg Leisz. “Fade Away Diamond Time” was released in September of that year to critical acclaim by the Washington Post and supported by a US tour with his band.

Casal parted ways with Zoo Records in 1996 and recorded “Rain, Wind, and Speed” released by Buy or Die Records in the Spring.

In 1997 Casal signed with the Glitterhouse Records label and went on to release five albums, including “Field Recordings”and “The Sun Rises Here”, but it was the self produced “Basement Dreams” that was named Americana Album of the Year in Mojo Magazine.

During the Spring of 1999, Casal teamed up with Six String Drag front man Kenny Roby and toured Europe, later that summer they recorded their live album “Black River Sides”.

2000 - 2009

Casal’s sixth solo album “Anytime Tomorrow” produced by Jim Scott, was the last album to be released by Glitterhouse in 2000 and prompted an extensive European tour through to early 2001.

In 2002, Casal co-wrote, produced and released the EP “Ran On Pure Lightning” collaborating with Shannon McNally and other musicians which included Benmont Tench, Greg Leisz and Brent Rademaker. It was around this time, Casal also started playing with bassist Jeff Hill and drummer Dan Fadel, forming Hazy Malaze.

Railroad Earth’s 2002 album “Bird in a House” featured a cover version of Casal’s song “Dandelion Wine”.

Shortly after signing to Paris based Fargo Records in 2003, Fargo released the compilation album “Maybe California” prompting a European tour, and his first solo tour of Japan. The following year, Fargo released two compilation albums, “Leaving Traces”, a selection of Casal’s original songs from 1994-2004, and “Return in Kind”, a compilation of covers and he began recording his eighth solo album.

Casal joined Ryan Adams and The Cardinals in 2005. In December of that year he embarked on his third Japanese tour, which featured his first photography exhibition and upon his return, released “No Wish to Reminisce” in early 2006. The album, produced by Michael Deming (Beachwood Sparks, Lilys), took his music in a different direction from his previous work, with a more layered, psychedelic production. A compilation album of live and unreleased songs “All Directions” was released by Fargo in 2007. The following year Casal teamed up with engineer Don Sternecker and began recording the self produced “Roots and Wings”, musicians included Jon Graboff, Greg Leisz, Johnathan Rice, Jeff Hill, Dan Fadel and Andy Goessling (Railroad Earth).

In January 2009, Fargo released “Roots and Wings”. After The Cardinals announced a hiatus in March, Casal promoted new album by performing select dates in the US and Japan. 2010 till present

Casal commenced recording his 10th solo album in March 2010 with producer Thom Monahan (Vetiver, Devendra Banhart, Gary Louris), while touring Europe Fargo re-released “Basement Dreams” and “Rain, Wind and Speed”.

On March 6th it was announced that Casal had joined the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.

In June 2011, Fargo will release “Sweeten The Distance”.

Hazy Malaze
In the summer of 2002, while touring with Shannon McNally, Casal formed Hazy Malaze with fellow band members Dan Fadel and Jeff Hill. Their debut album “Hazy Malaze” was recorded and mixed at Village Recorders in Los Angeles in eleven days .Later that year they toured opening for Robert Randolph and the Family Band and during 2003 continued to tour the US, while beginning work on their second album “Blackout Love”.

In 2005, Fargo released Hazy Malaze second album “Blackout Love”, supported by a French tour. In 2009 Fargo released their third album “Connections”.

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Casal joined. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals in 2005, shortly after the release of “Jacksonville City Nights”, replacing J.P. Bowerstock, and toured the US in the Summer of 2006, followed by a UK and European tour in the Autumn.

In 2007 saw the release of “Easy Tiger” which hit number 7 .on Billboard album chart, resulting in a yearlong world tour and the album's producer, Jamie Candiloro, was added to the lineup on piano. Candiloro also produced the “Follow the Lights” EP which was released in October 2007, and reached number 40 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

In 2008, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals released “Cardinology” recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York and produced by Tom Schick. The album was placed at number 11 on Billboard album chart and number 14 on Rolling Stone’s best albums of 2008 list. The Rolling Stone magazine also placed "Magick" at #13 on the 100 Best Singles of 2008 list.

In January 2009, Adams announced that he was quitting The Cardinals after their final show on March 20, 2009 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The band has been on indefinite hiatus ever since.

In December 2010, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals released their final album “Cardinals III / IV”, a compilation of unreleased material. The album was recorded in 2006 during the same sessions that yielded Easy Tiger.

Session Work/Collaborations
Over the past 15 years Casal has worked and collaborated on many albums, singles/songs and tours with various artists such as Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Rufus Wainwright, to name a few.

Some of the most notable album collaborations are Casal’s guitar work on Tift Merritt’s 2005 album “Tambourine” featuring Mike Campbell, which as nominated for a Country Album of the Year and three Americana Music Awards, and Gin Wigmore’s 2009 album “Holy Smoke” produced by Mike Elizondo, which won four of the six New Zealand Music Awards it was nominated for and went Quadruple Platinum.

Willie Nelson’s 2007 album “Songbird” which was produced by Ryan Adams and released by Lost Highway Records in October 2006. Adams, along with his band The Cardinals, performed on the album’s eleven tracks, featuring Casal playing guitar and piano.It peaked at #87 on the Billboard 200 on November 18, 2006.

Photography
In 2004, Casal provided photos for Tift Merritt’s second record “Tambourine” ..

In 2007, Casal shot the album cover for Ryan Adams and The Cardinals “Easy Tiger” and “Follow the Lights”. EP.

In January 2008 Casal exhibited his photography at the Bauhaus Gallery in Tokyo.

In 2008, he provided photos for the artwork of “Cardinology”.

Casal provided photographs for the final album of Ryan Adams and The Cardinals “Cardinals III / IV”, which was released in 2010.

Casal shot the album cover and all photos for the artwork for the 2011 album of Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion’s “Bright Examples”.

Casal shot the album cover for The Exotic Sounds Of Courtney Jaye, released on January 10, 2010.

In 2010 Casal provided photographs for Danny And the Champions Of The World album “Streets Of Our Time”

Casal’s photographs have appeared in publications such as Mojo, Rolling Stone, Spin, Harp, USA Today

Movies and TV
Director Ray Foley made a documentary about Casal’s influences and inspirations during the making of his sixth in 2001 called “Neal Casal: Anytime Tomorrow”.

In 2009, two Hazy Malaze songs were featured Private Practice season three, episode seven “The Hard Part” and Casal’s single “The Losing End Again” appeared in Fringe season two, episode seventeen “Olivia. In The Lab. With The Revolver.”.

Casal was Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn’s voice coach for the 2004 movie “Starsky and Hutch” and played guitar on Owen Wilson’s performance of “Don’t Give Up On Us Baby” which was also featured in the soundtrack.

Sang the lead vocals on “The Game” and “The Music of Jason Crigler” which was released on Rudy Records. Casal co-wrote and sang backing vocals on “The Truest Kind” ., on the album “Danny and The Champions of The World”.

In 2011, Casal worked as Garrett Hedlund’s guitar instructor for the movie “Country Strong” and also appears in the film. as Gwyneth Paltrow’s guitar player.

Books
In March 2010, Abrams Image published Casal’s first book of photography A View Of Other Windows. The book is a photographic documentary of life playing and touring with Ryan Adams and The Cardinals.

Solo
Studio Albums
 * Fade Away Diamond Time (1995)
 * Rain, Wind and Speed (1996)
 * Field Recordings (1997)
 * The Sun Rises Here (1998)
 * Basement Dreams (1999)
 * Black River Sides (with Kenny Roby) 1999)
 * Anytime Tomorrow (2000)
 * Ran on Pure Lightning(with Shannon McNally) (2002)
 * Return in Kind (2004)
 * No Wish to Reminisce (2006)
 * Roots and Wings (2009)
 * Sweeten the Distance (2011)

Compilations
 * Leaving Traces (2004)
 * All Directions (2008)

with Hazy Malaze

 * Hazy Malaze (2003)
 * Blackout Love (2004)
 * Connections (2009)

with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

 * Easy Tiger (2007)
 * Follow the Lights (2007)
 * Cardinology (2008)
 * Cardinals III/IV (2010)

Album Collaborations

 * James Iha - Let It Come Down (1998) - Guitar and harmonies
 * A Christmas To Remember - Cora Jones (1998) - Various artists compilation, Casal's original song, vocals, guitar and percussion
 * Lucinda Williams - Caravan of Dreams (2001) - Guitar
 * Duncan Sheik - Daylight (2002) - Sang harmonies
 * Dayna Manning - Shades (2002) - Guitar
 * Robert Randolph and the Family Band - Unclassified (2004)- Sang harmonies
 * Tift Merritt - Tambourine (2004) - Guitar and harmonies
 * Mia Doi Todd - Manzanita (2005) - Guitar
 * Willie Nelson - Songbird (2006) - Guitar
 * Minnie Driver - Seastories (2007) - Guitar
 * Gin Wigmore - Holy Smoke (2009) - Guitar
 * Mark Olson - Many Colored Kite (2010) - Guitar and bass
 * Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion - Bright Examples (2011) - Guitar and piano
 * Bryan Greenberg - We Don't Have Forever (2011) - Guitar and bass
 * Amanda Shires - Carrying Lightning (2011) - Guitar and harmonies

Song Collaborations

 * Zoolander soundtrack - Rufus Wainwright song “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” (2001) - Guitar
 * The Sun Records Tribute album – “Good Rockin’ Tonight, The Legacy Of Sun Records” - Sheryl Crow song “Who Will The Next Fool Be” (2001) - Guitar
 * “Starsky And Hutch” soundtrack - song “Don’t Give Up On Us Baby”(2004) - Guitar
 * Shelby Starner single - “Don’t Let Them” (1999)
 * Badly Drawn Boy single - “Spitting In The Wind” (2001)
 * “More Townes Van Zant” by The Great Unknown (2010)

Tour Collaborations

 * James Iha’s US and UK tour of “Let It Come Down” (1998) - Guitar
 * Shannon McNally’s US summer tour (2000) - Bass
 * Lucinda Williams the early leg of the “Essence” tour (2001) - Guitar
 * Beachwood Sparks tour “Once We Were Trees” (2001) - Guitar
 * Shannon McNally’s “Jukebox Sparrows” tour (2002) - Guitar
 * Johnathan Rice and Farmer Dave Scher tour of “Trouble Is Real” opening for REM at the Live 8 concert in London. (2005) - Guitar
 * Gin Wigmore tour of Australia and New Zealand (2009) - Guitar