Beloved musician James Casey will posthumously release his solo album, The Kauai Project, on Wednesday, August 28. Its release comes one year after he passed away from colon cancer at age 40. The Kauai Project limited-edition vinyl pre-order is available now via Relix Marketplace, with vinyl shipments starting in September.
News of The Kauai Project first dropped last year when singles like “New Bloom” garnered praise from NPR, noted on their Best Songs of 2023 list. Casey shared “E.J.B.M.” and “Outside” soon after in spring of 2023, before his health took a turn and he had to focus on treatment.
Entrusting the EP’s final act to his close musical family, the last single from The Kauai Project, “This Place (pars Animus)”, will release on August 28, 2024, the anniversary of Casey’s passing. The song is a tribute to his band Animus Rexx, an explosive fusion project established with musicians Randy Runyon, Reuben Cainer, BIGYUKI, and Justin Tyson. Runyon and Cainer provided the song’s finishing touches, while his wife, Ayla, laid the groundwork to carry his mission and debut EP forward.
Ayla Casey shares: “I am beyond grateful to help honor James’ life with the culmination of a project that meant so much to him. James did not want his absence to weigh on us – please join me in celebrating the love and joy his music continues to cultivate.”
An accomplished multi-instrumentalist who toured the world with top acts like Meghan Trainor, Trey Anastasio Band and members of the Grateful Dead – Casey, surprisingly, had never released music under his own name until recently. The seeds of The Kauai Project were planted while he lived on the Hawaiian island of Kauai for nearly two years. While working on a COVID-era side project, Casey produced tracks with acapella samples to promote his and fellow musicians’ virtual live stream events. The resulting catalog of beats became the foundation and inspiration for his solo debut.
Casey’s attitude towards his musical legacy abruptly shifted gears when he was diagnosed with Stage III colorectal cancer at just 38 years of age days after performing at Red Rocks. This shocking news in August 2021 served as an awakening in so many ways. Deciding to make the most of his time – both for himself and for others – Casey let go of all limits to his musical career and, for the first time, prioritized his own musical legacy.
James Casey’s first single “New Bloom” released in March 2023 with the announcement of his plans for The Kauai Project. In turn, Casey produced a mini documentary with the support of Olympus Corp of America to highlight his journey of stepping out as a solo artist in parallel to the stark reality of his terminal diagnosis. He aimed to transform his difficult reality into a call to action for others to avoid his fate – to be their own health advocate, get colonoscopies, and know your family history of cancer. “The thing about colon cancer is it is preventable if you catch it early enough,” Casey told the Today Show in March 2023, sharing how the lyrics for "New Bloom" were his mantra for positivity in the face of any circumstance. "If I've got today then that's enough, I can do something with this time."
Following his passing, Casey’s family and friends hosted a sold-out memorial party at the Brooklyn Bowl in November 2023, which featured performances by Trey Anastasio, Louis Cato, Nikki Glaspie, Jennifer Hartswick, Brady Watt, and dozens of other musicians that shared the stage with James throughout his career. The benefit concert raised more than $32,000 to support cancer charities hand-picked by Casey for their work in the community.
Casey established himself as an outspoken advocate for colon cancer awareness, especially among his more vulnerable Black community. He was a guest speaker at The Atlantic’s People V. Cancer summit as an ally with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s “They Didn’t Say” initiative, also in partnership with Olympus. Casey first melded music and advocacy in 2022 when he released a holiday EP, A Little Something For Everyone, which garnered praise among NPR staff picks for the Best Songs of 2022. The album’s limited-edition vinyl pressings raised thousands of dollars for the cancer community via the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and the Nancy Langhorne Foundation.
For more information about James Casey's life, advocacy and music, and to pre-order The Kauai Project, visit www.jamescaseysax.co.
