Neko Case

Critics also note her idiosyncratic, "cryptic," "imagistic" lyrics, and credit her as a significant figure in the early 21st-century American revival of the tenor guitar.

Case's body of work has spanned and drawn on a range of traditions including country, folk, art rock, indie rock, and pop and is frequently described as defying or avoiding easy generic classification.

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Case is the only child of James Bamford Case and Diana Mary Dubbs.

Case's paternal family surname was originally Shevchenko; her great-aunt was the professional wrestler Ella Waldek.

Her father, a Vietnam veteran serving in the United States Air Force, was based in Virginia at the time of her birth.

Case's parents, who were teenagers when they had her, are of Ukrainian ancestry.

Her parents divorced when Case began school.

Case's family relocated several times during her childhood due to her stepfather's work as an archaeologist.

She has lived in Western Massachusetts, Vermont, Oregon and Washington.

She considers Tacoma, Washington to be her hometown.

Case left home at age 15.

By the age of 18 she was performing as a drummer for the Del Logs and the Propanes, playing in venues including a punk club called the Community World Theater.

Neko Richelle Case (born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers.

Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and critics as a "flamethrower", "a powerhouse [which] seems like it might level buildings," "a 120-mph fastball," and a "vocal tornado".

The album contained original compositions as well as covers of songs by Ernest Tubb, Loretta Lynn and the 1974 Queen song "Misfire".

When the album was released, critics compared Case to honky-tonk singers like Lynn and Patsy Cline, and to rockabilly pioneer Wanda Jackson, particularly in her vocal timbre.

In 1994, Case moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to attend the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design.

While attending, she played drums in several local bands, including the Del Logs, the Propanes, the Weasels, Cub, and Maow.

These bands were, for the most part, local punk groups.

Case said of the vibrant Vancouver punk rock scene at that time, "A lot of women wanted to play music because they were inspired, because it was an incredibly good time for music in the Northwest. There was a lot of clubs, a lot of bands, a lot of people coming through, a lot of all-ages stuff—it was a very exciting time to live there."

Case embraced country music on her 1997 album, The Virginian.

In 1998, Case left without finishing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, which meant the loss of her student visa eligibility.

She left Canada for Seattle, Washington.

Before going, Case recorded vocals for a few songs that ended up on Mass Romantic, the New Pornographers' first album.

Her lead vocals on songs like "Letter from an Occupant" are straightforward, full-volume power-pop performances, shedding any country elements.

In October 1999, around the time Furnace Room Lullaby was released, Case left Seattle for Chicago because she felt that Seattle was no longer hospitable to its local artists.

Case's first work in Chicago was an eight-song EP that she recorded in her kitchen.

Released on November 28, 2000, Mass Romantic became a surprise success.

Although the band was originally conceived as a side project for its members, the New Pornographers remain a prominent presence in the indie rock world, having released its ninth album in 2023.

On February 22, 2000, Case released her second solo album, Furnace Room Lullaby.

The album introduced the "country noir" elements that have defined Case's subsequent solo career.

That tone was evident even from the cover photo, featuring Case sprawled out corpse-like on a concrete floor.

On the album itself, her vocal style moves away from outright honky-tonk but retains her twang, garnering comparisons to musicians such as Cline, Lynn, Hazel Dickens, Tanya Tucker, and Dolly Parton.

The title track was included on the soundtrack to Sam Raimi's film The Gift, and "Porchlight" was featured on the soundtrack to The Slaughter Rule.

Case sometimes tours with Canadian singer and songwriter Carolyn Mark as the Corn Sisters.

One of their performances, at Seattle's Hattie's Hat restaurant in Ballard, was recorded and released as an album, The Other Women, on November 28, 2000.

In addition to recording with the New Pornographers, Case frequently collaborates with other Canadian musicians, including the Sadies and Carolyn Mark, and has recorded material by several noted Canadian songwriters, in particular on her 2001 EP Canadian Amp.

As a result, she is also considered a significant figure in Canadian music—both CBC Radio 3 and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada have referred to Case as an "honourary Canadian".

Canadian Amp, her first recording without Her Boyfriends, was released on her own Lady Pilot label in 2001.

In 2018 Case performed at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival.