September 16, 2021—Aaron Lee Tasjan's cosmopolitan-countrified rendition of Neal Casal's "Traveling After Dark" is released today (listen/share). It becomes the fifth single to be shared in advance of Highway Butterfly: The Songs Of Neal Casal, a sprawling 41-track collection celebrating of the life and music of the gifted singer, songwriter and musician who passed on August 26, 2019. Scheduled for release November 12 via The Neal Casal Music Foundation and Royal Potato Family, the tribute presents performances of Casal's songs by artists including Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks, Bob Weir, Hiss Golden Messenger, Fruit Bats, Steve Earle & The Dukes, Jonathan Wilson, Billy Strings, Shooter Jennings, Leslie Mendelson, Vetiver, Beachwood Sparks, Jaime Wyatt, Marcus King, J Mascis, Dori Freeman, Warren Haynes, Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band, Cass McCombs, Kenny Roby, Norah Jones' Puss N Boots and Tim Heidecker among many others.
"This is the right cast of characters to make these songs sparkle the way they deserve," says Tasjan. "Neal was such a great writer and there is so much humanity in his songs."
Tasjan's recording of "Traveling After Dark," a song originally released on Casal's 2006 solo album, No Wish to Reminisce, is accompanied by a video (watch/share), featuring footage from the recording session for the track at PLYRZ Studios in Valencia, CA. Tasjan first became a fan of Casal's when he and Kevin Kinney (Drivin N Cryin) were MCing a weekly night of music in New York City circa 2007. Casal dropped in one evening to perform and Tasjan became a fast convert. They'd later become friends when Tasjan was invited to a recording session for one of Casal's bands, Hard Working Americans, where they'd bond over a mutual love of Johnny Thunders.
Highway Butterfly: The Songs Of Neal Casal was conceived by Casal's longtime friend and manager Gary Waldman and was co-produced by Widespread Panic's Dave Schools and multiple Grammy Award-winning recording engineer/producer Jim Scott. Available now for pre-order HERE on five LP vinyl and three CD box sets, as well as digital formats, all proceeds from sales and streams will benefit the Neal Casal Music Foundation, 501c3 non-profit formed in 2020, which provides musical instruments and lessons to students in New Jersey and New York state schools where Casal was born and raised, while also donating proceeds to mental health organizations that support musicians, including MusiCares and Backline.
Casal released 14 albums under his own name during a career spanning a quarter century. In addition to his prolific work as a singer/songwriter, Casal was also an integral member of Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, the interconnected Beachwood Sparks and GospelbeacH, Hard Working Americans, The Skiffle Players, Hazy Malaze and Circles Around the Sun.
Highway Butterfly: The Songs Of Neal Casal
Track Listing:
1. Traveling After Dark - Aaron Lee Tasjan (listen/watch/share)
2. Need Shelter - Jaime Wyatt (listen/watch/share)
3. You Don't See Me Crying - Beachwood Sparks w/ GospelbeacH (listen/watch/share)
4. No One Above You - Marcus King w/ Eric Krasno
5. Feathers For Bakersfield - Fruit Bats
6. All The Luck In the World - Billy Strings & Circles Around The Sun (listen/watch/share)
7. Sweeten The Distance - Dori Freeman w/ Teddy Thompson
8. Time Down The Wind - Hiss Golden Messenger
9. Me & Queen Sylvia - Johnathan Rice
10. Wisest Of The Wise - Mapache
11. Freeway To The Canyon - Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band
12. Feel No Pain - Leslie Mendelson
13. Detroit Or Buffalo - Jonathan Wilson w/ Hannah Cohen
14. Day In The Sun - Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks
15. Bird With No Name - Jimmy Herring & Circles Around The Sun (listen/watch/share)
16. Maybe California - Shooter Jennings
17. White Fence Round House - Vetiver
18. December - Todd Sheaffer
19. Grand Island - Courtney Jaye
20. Superhighway - Oteil Burbridge, Nick Johnson, Steve Kimock, John Morgan Kimock & Duane Trucks
21. Willow Jane - Britton Buchanan
22. Too Much To Ask - Kenny Roby w/ Amy Helm
23. Time And Trouble - Bob Weir w/ Jay Lane & Dave Schools
24. Death Of A Dream - J Mascis
25. The Cold and The Darkness - Tim Heidecker
26. Free To Go - Warren Haynes
27. So Far Astray - Rachel Dean
28. Highway Butterfly - Steve Earle & The Dukes
29. Angel And You're Mine - Victoria Reed
30. Pray Me Home - Jason Crosby
31. Lost Satellite - Lauren Barth
32. The Losing End Again - Jesse Aycock
33. These Days With You - Puss N Boots
34. Cold Waves - Tim Bluhm, Kyle Field
35. Best To Bonnie - Zephaniah Ohora w/ Hazeldine
36. Let It All Begin - The Mattson 2
37. You'll Miss It When It's Gone - Cass McCombs, Ross James, Joe Russo, Farmer Dave Scher & Dave Schools
38. Fell On Hard Times - Angie McKenna
39. Raining Straight Down - The Allman Betts Band
40. Soul Gets Lost - Hazy Malaze w/ Jena Kraus
41. I Will Weep No More - Robbi Robb
Highway Butterfly: The Songs Of Neal Casal
is available November 12, 2021
from the Neal Casal Music Foundation & Royal Potato Family
Pre-Order for 5-LP, 3-CD box sets and digital formats is available now at: https://ncmf.news/highway-butterfly
