First rising to prominence as lead guitarist with Rickey Medlocke's Blackfoot from 1988-1993, Casal is well known as a member of Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and of whom he was a member from 2005 until 2009. Neal Casal released eleven albums as a solo artist. He played in several groups, including Hazy Malaze, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Hard Working Americans, The Skiffle Players and Circles Around the Sun
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 and recorded his debut album at Palacio del Rio,[1] formally owned by James Stewart and Dean Martin in Santa Ynez, California with producer Jim Scott. The album featured musicians Don Heffington, Bob Glaub, Greg Leisz. Casal released Fade Away Diamond Time in September 1994 that to critical acclaim 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 1997, Casal signed with the Glitterhouse Records label and went on to release five albums, including Field Recordings and The Sun Rises Here. In 1998, Casal released the self-produced album Basement Dreams, 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 recording the live album Black River Sides.
Casal released his sixth solo album Anytime Tomorrow in 2000, produced by Jim Scott. Anytime Tomorrow was the last album to be released by Glitterhouse in 2000 and prompted an extensive European tour into 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. 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 resulting in a European tour and Casal's 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. All Directions, a compilation album of live and unreleased songs, was released in 2007.
In 2009, Casal teamed up with engineer Don Sternecker and recorded and produced Roots and Wings. The album included musicians Jon Graboff, Greg Leisz, Johnathan Rice, Jeff Hill, Dan Fadel and Andy Goessling.
Casal began recording his tenth solo album in March 2010 with producer Thom Monahan. While Casal toured Europe, Fargo re-released the albums Basement Dreams and Rain, Wind and Speed.
On March 6 it was announced that Casal had joined the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.
Casal's tenth studio album, Sweeten the Distance, was released in November 2011.
In 2013, Casal joined Hard Working Americans alongside Todd Snider, Dave Schools, Chad Staehly and Duane Trucks. The supergroup's debut album Hard Working Americans was recorded at Bob Weir's TRI Studios in 2013 and released on January 21, 2014.
In 2015, Casal along with Adam MacDougall, Dan Horne and Mark Levy recorded five hours of music as Circles Around the Sun that was played as the pre-show and set break music at The Grateful Dead's Fare Thee Well concerts in Santa Clara and Chicago. These compositions were released later that year as the album Interludes for the Dead. Circles Around the Sun made its live debut at the 2016 Lockn' Festival at Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, Virginia. In 2018, CATS released their second album Let It Wander.
In 2016, Casal joined three other Beachwood Sparks alums, Farmer Dave Scher, Dan Horne, and Aaron Sperske, and songwriter Cass McCombs to form The Skiffle Players. Their debut album Skifflin was released that year, followed by the Piffle Sayers EP and Skiff in 2018.
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, Hazy Malaze released their second album Blackout Love, supported by a French tour.
In 2009 Hazy Malaze released their third album Connections.
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, the Ryan Adams album Easy Tiger was released and went to number seven. on Billboard album chart, resulting in a yearlong world tour and the album's producer, Jamie Candiloro, added to the lineup on piano. Candiloro also produced the Follow the Lights EP, released in October 2007, and reaching 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 reached number 11 on Billboard album chart and number 14 on Rolling Stone’s best albums of 2008 list. Rolling Stone magazine also placed "Magick" at #13 on the 100 Best Singles of 2008 list.
In January 2009, Adams announced that he was leaving 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 III/IV, a compilation of unreleased material. The album was recorded in 2006 during the same sessions that yielded Easy Tiger.
On April 16 Ryan Adams released Class Mythology, which is an EP of unreleased tracks recorded with the Cardinals during the Cardinology period.
In an interview with American Songwriter Casal described his experience with the group positively. "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 [sic]. 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 contributed guitar work on Tift Merritt’s 2005 album Tambourine, featuring Mike Campbell, which was nominated for a Country Album of the Year and three Americana Music Awards. Casal played on 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 produced by Ryan Adams and released by Lost Highway Records. Adams, along with The Cardinals, performed on the album’s eleven tracks, featuring Casal on guitar and piano. Songbird peaked at #87 on the Billboard 200 on November 18, 2006.
In 2004, Casal provided photos for Tift Merritt’s second record Tambourine.
In 2007, Casal shot the album cover photos for the Ryan Adams album Easy Tiger and the Ryan Adams and the Cardinals EP Follow the Lights.[37] In 2008, he provided photos for the Ryan Adams and the Cardinals album Cardinology.
Casal provided photographs for the final album of Ryan Adams and The Cardinals Cardinals III/IV, which was released in 2010.
In January 2008 Casal exhibited his photography at the Bauhaus Gallery in Tokyo.
Casal shot the album cover and all photos for the artwork for Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion’s 2011 album Bright Examples.
Casal shot the album cover for Courtney Jaye's 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 provided never before seen photographs for the Ryan Adams and The Cardinals EP Class Mythology, released in April 2011.
Casal’s photographs have appeared in publications such as Mojo, Rolling Stone, Spin, Harp, USA Today.
In 2016, Casal photographs appeared on the front and back covers of The Hard Working Americans record "Rest In Chaos"
Director Ray Foley made a documentary about Casal' influences and inspirations during the making of his sixth album in 2001 entitled Neal Casal: Anytime Tomorrow.
In 2009, two Hazy Malaze songs were featured on 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 & Hutch and played guitar on Owen Wilson's performance of "Don't Give Up On Us Baby" which was also featured on the soundtrack.
Sang the lead vocals on “The Game” on “The Music of Jason Crigler”, 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.
In March 2010, Abrams Image published Casals 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.
Discography
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)
Return in Kind (2004)
No Wish to Reminisce (2006)
Roots and Wings (2009)
Sweeten the Distance (2011)
Compilations
An introduction to Neal Casal - maybe California (2003)
Leaving Traces (2004)
All Directions (2008)
With Shannon McNally
Ran on Pure Lightning (EP) (2002)
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)
III/IV (2010)
Class Mythology (2011)
With Chris Robinson Brotherhood
Big Moon Ritual (2012)
The Magic Door (2012)
Betty's SF Blends Vol 1 (2013)
Phosphorescent Harvest (2014)
Try Rock N' Roll EP (2014)
Betty's Blends Vol 2: Best From The West
Anyway You Love, We Know How You Feel (2016)
If You Lived Here You Would Be Home By Now (2016)
Betty's Blends Vol 3: Self Rising Southern Blends (2017)
Barefoot In The Head (2017)
Raven's Reels Vol 1 (2018)
Servants Of The Sun (2019)
With Hard Working Americans
Hard Working Americans (2014)
Rest in Chaos (2016)
We're All In This Together (2017)
Album collaborations
Blackfoot - Medicine Man (1991) - Guitar, vocals
James Iha — Let It Come Down (1998) — Guitar and harmonies [49]
Angie Mckenna - Looking East - Production, guitar, piano, vocals (1999)
A Christmas To Remember — Cora Jones (1998) — Various artists compilation, Casal's original song, vocals, guitar and percussion
Bill Kelly - Jumbo - Guitar - (2000)
Lucinda Williams — Caravan of Dreams (2001) — Guitar[50]
Amy Allison - Sad Girl - Guitar -(2001)
Duncan Sheik — Daylight[51] (2002) — Sang harmonies
Ileen - Bride Pt.2 - guitar (2002)
Dayna Manning — Shades (2002) — Guitar
Robert Randolph and the Family Band — Unclassified[52] (2004) — Sang harmonies
Tift Merritt — Tambourine (2004) — Guitar and harmonies
Mia Doi Todd — Manzanita[53] (2005) — Guitar
Emily Loizeau - L'Autre Bout du Monde - guitar (2005)
Willie Nelson — Songbird (2006) — Guitar
Minnie Driver — Seastories[54] (2007) — Guitar
The Music Of Jason Crigler - guitar - (2008)
Danny And The Champions Of The World - Harmonies (2008)
Clarence Bucaro - Til Spring - guitar (2009)
Gin Wigmore — Holy Smoke[55] (2009) — Guitar
Mark Olson — Many Colored Kite[56] (2010) — Guitar and bass
Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion — Bright Examples [57](2011) — Guitar and piano
Bryan Greenberg — We Don't Have Forever[58] (2011) — Guitar and bass
Levi Strom - The Lone Wolf - Piano (2011)
Music Is Love - A Singer Songwriter's Tribute To The Music Of CSN&Y (2012)
Amanda Shires — Carrying Lightning[59] (2011) — Guitar and harmonies
Ryan Adams — Ashes & Fire (2011) — backing vocals, acoustic guitar
Vetiver (The Errant Charm) - 2011
Levi Strom - The Lone Wolf - piano (2011)
James Iha — Look To The Sky (2012) — vocals/harmonies
Fruit Bats - Tripper (2012) - Guitar
Dan Grimm (Average Savage) 2014 - Guitar
Matt Waldon (Learn To Love) 2014 - Guitar
Mark Olson - (Good-bye Lizelle) 2014 - Guitar,Bass
Vetiver (Complete Strangers) 2015 - Guitar
Gospelbeach (Pacific Surf Line) 2015 - Guitar, vocals
J.E. Borgen (Roots Down Deep) 2016 - Guitar
The Tyde - (Darren 4) 2016 - Guitar
The Orchard (The Great Unknown) 2017 - Guitar, harmonica
Jeff Grimes (More Than Memory) 2017 - Guitar
Danielle Hicks And The Resistance (Honey) 2017 - Guitar
Dori Freeman (Letters Never Read) 2017 - Guitar
Johnny Irion (Driving Friend) 2018 - Guitar
Emma Scott (It Was Worth It) 2018 - Harmonies
Fruit Bats (Gold Past Life) 2019 - Guitar
Little Wings (Ropes) 2019 - Guitar
Song collaborations
Zoolander soundtrack — Rufus Wainwright song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"[60](2001) — Guitar
The Sun Records Tribute album — Good Rockin' Tonight, The Legacy of Sun Records[61] — Sheryl Crow song “Who Will The Next Fool Be” (2001) — Guitar
Starsky & 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)
Sunday River
Neal Casal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down the vine and past the house
Where were you, love, off to find
An end to this story
But can you rely on time
Can you remember when you were there
And time wounds all heals
Now go to the window but don't stay too long
To look past your shoulder at a world gone wrong
And sit by the water for days at a time
It's telling you stories
It's leaving you behind
Now it looks like it's our turn
To try not to care
And time wounds all heals
With nothing to share
Every stretch of highway is frozen tonight
But we still wish you well in your flight
Don't let your thoughts slow you down
Not tonight, no no no, not tonight
Sunday river, rolling around
Down the vine and past the house
Where were you, love, off to find
An end to this story
But can you rely on time
Can you remember when you were there
And time wounds all heals
With nothing to share
Nothing to share
Nothing to share
Nothing to share
The song "Sunday River" by Neal Casal seems to be a melancholic reflection on a love affair that has come to an end. The first verse sets the scene of the river rolling by, as the singer wonders where his love has gone in search of an end to their story. The lyrics suggest that time will heal all wounds, but also question whether this is a reliable notion. The second verse refers to looking out the window at a world gone wrong, and sitting by the water for days at a time. The water seems to be both a comfort and a reminder of what has been lost, as it is "telling you stories" and "leaving you behind."
The chorus repeats the idea that time will heal all wounds, with the caveat that there may be nothing left to share once the healing is complete. The third verse encourages the listener to keep moving forward, not to let their thoughts slow them down, and to wish well to those who are leaving on a journey. The song circles back to the opening, with the river still rolling around and the singer questioning the reliability of time to bring an end to the story.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of someone grappling with the aftermath of a relationship ending, unsure if time alone will be enough to heal the wounds and move on completely. The imagery of water and the passing of time serve to reinforce a sense of transience and impermanence.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunday river, rolling around
The passing of time and the flow of life, represented by the rolling river of a Sunday.
Down the vine and past the house
Life's journey winding through all kinds of twists and turns and taking us to unexpected places.
Where were you, love, off to find
Addressing someone who may be searching for something or trying to escape the present moment in search of something better.
An end to this story
A hope that a new chapter is about to begin and the old one is coming to an end.
But can you rely on time
The question of whether the passage of time can bring the desired changes or can it be relied upon to fix things.
Can you remember when you were there
A reflection on the past experiences and memories, and whether they hold any relevance in the present moment.
And time wounds all heals
The idea that time may heal one's wounds or pains, but it also brings with it the inevitable changes in life that may not always be positive.
With nothing to share
The emptiness and loneliness that one may feel when they have nothing left to give or share with others.
Now go to the window but don't stay too long
A call to action to look outside of oneself and experience the world, but also a warning to not get lost in observation and lose touch with reality.
To look past your shoulder at a world gone wrong
Reflecting on the state of the world and how it may seem to be getting worse as time goes on.
And sit by the water for days at a time
The peacefulness and calmness found in nature, and the time it provides for self-reflection and contemplation.
It's telling you stories
The serenity of nature can inspire and speak to people, telling its own stories through its beauty and tranquility.
It's leaving you behind
The realization that while nature has its own pace of change, life can move forward and leave us behind in the process.
Now it looks like it's our turn
A recognition that we are now in control of our own destiny and it's up to us to decide what direction to take.
To try not to care
Freedom from trying to fit into societal norms and expectations, and living according to one's own values and beliefs.
Every stretch of highway is frozen tonight
A nod to a moment in time, remembering the frozen stretches of road and time passing by in the cold.
But we still wish you well in your flight
Even in the midst of change and uncertainty, there is still hope for the future and well-wishes for others to succeed.
Don't let your thoughts slow you down
A reminder to stay positive and motivated, and not to let negative thoughts get in the way of progress or success.
Not tonight, no no no, not tonight
An urgent insistence to take action and not let procrastination or hesitation prevent one from moving forward.
Nothing to share
Repeating the sense of emptiness and lack of connection felt when there is nothing left to give or share with others.
Contributed by Wyatt Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.