Casey Neill performs rock music informed by post punk ethos, combining haunting dirges and diesel fueled rave-ups. Neill?s original weather beaten narratives eschew irony in favor of romance, celebrate society?s miscreants, and explore the hidden corners of the American landscape. The Norway Rats, a crack gang of Portland?s finest musos, perform Neill?s originals with unhinged live energy. With accordions, over-driven guitars, and Neill?s raspy voice, the band blends elements of Scots/Irish tunefulness, feral abandon, and heartland rock. Neill has left his impact on audiences in the United States and overseas while touring extensively for more than a decade. His band, The Norway Rats, features members of the Decemberists, Eels, Lucinda Williams Band and the Minus Five. Casey has recorded for the Appleseed Recordings, Daemon Records, and In Music We Trust labels. www.caseyneill.org ?Be it through raucous rockers, fragile acoustic ballads, ragged country, passionate bursts of punk fury or soulful touches of Irish folk, Neill?s narrative talent and concern for real people?s struggles stand out. (Neill) evokes an epic feel that fits perfectly with the implicit grandiosity of this emotional material, delivered with a raspy, affectionate voice that recalls Life?s Rich Pageant-era Michael Stipe. The results are so evocative, you?ll be tempted to steep further in these memories, the better to share Casey Neill?s particular blend of personal and historical experience.? ? SPLENDID eZine