THE CASE FILES collects demos, out-takes, one live shot & other rarities from the 1985-2010 span of PETER CASE’s solo career following his work with his pioneering bands THE PLIMSOULS, THE NERVES & THE BREAKAWAYS. Compiled by Peter himself, this long-overdue collection combines rockin’ full band electric tracks with a selection of dynamic acoustic performances, and also features collaborations with many of Peter’s talented friends, such as Stan Ridgway, Eddie Muñoz, T-Bone Burnett, Ron Franklin and Tony Marsico, among others.
THE CASE FILES is in stores now through Alive Records on CD, Ltd. Edition Clear Pink Vinyl and digital formats.
Never one to rest on his laurels or to rest in general, the indefatigable Peter Case will be on the road through November, winding up a 100-date international tour with an East Coast jaunt. Including dates in Atlanta, Washington DC and a stand at Joe’s Pub in NYC, Case’ll cap off his itinerary with two nights of electric and acoustic recording at McCabe’s in Santa Monica; the sets will be pressed into a long-awaited, live solo album.
“This is the one the fans have been asking for and we’re finally going to do it” says Case who plans to feature the songs he’s been performing on the road this year from his Grammy-nominated solo set, Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John, alongside those from the electro-shock blues album Wig! (2010) and most recent 2011 rarities collection, The Case Files.
During the fall tour, Case was guest of honor at the Buffalo International Film Festival where he performed at the premiere of Troubadour Blues. Featuring Case, Dave Alvin, Mary Gauthier and Chris Smither, the documentary by director Tom Weber explores the age-old tradition of traveling musicians and their role in modern society. The Buffalo News covered Case and the film in an extensive feature that you can read here.
Troubadour Blues is available on DVD at http://amazon.com and at http://petercase.com
Recently, Case took time “off” to take down some off-the-cuff songs, word pictures of forgotten people and places, whispers of deep longings, and other candid revelations for Epistolary Rex Volume 1. The book is a collaboration with David Ensminger and is now available for purchase at gigs and at Amazon here.
As for 2012, Case’s calendar is booked: Kicking off the year with his annual songwriter’s workshop at McCabe’s in January, he follows by touring with Paul Collins, his bandmate from The Nerves and The Breakaways (the pair will also play material from their respective ‘80s bands, The Beat and The Plimsouls). And in a continuing series of archival releases, Case is preparing Beach Town Confidential a live album by The Plimsouls, recorded in 1983 in front of a raving audience at the Golden Bear in Long Beach, CA. By spring, it is expected that the sequel to As Far As You Can Get Without A Passport, will see publication. Clearly, there is no resting for Case.
“The Case Files shows that even though this material is essentially stuff that got stashed away and not used, Case’s flotsam and jetsam is still more interesting than a lot of his contemporaries’ output.… a solid and dependable collection of songs that should appease fans, both long-time and new.” – Zachary Houle / POPMATTERS
“Even as Peter Case has carved out a quarter-century career as a hardscrabble folk and country-blues songwriter, he’s never lost the rock & roll heart that fueled his seminal work (and occasional reunions) with The Plimsouls. Stretching back to his first solo outing in 1986, this rarities collection finds him equally intense in electric and acoustic modes. Indeed, the recent cover of Alejandro Escovedo’s “The End” is one of the most rocking tracks he’s ever cut.” – Brett Milano / SOUND & VISION MAGAZINE
” The Case Files, a collection of demos, outtakes and rarities, offers an insightful overview of Case’s growth as a songwriter spanning his long and impressive solo career, while adding gems to his already solid body of released work, including his recent 2010 effort, Wig!” – Mark Shikuma / NORTH COAST JOURNAL
”Through this set of a dozen ditties recorded from the mid-80s up through last year, Case’s sensitive, intelligent, thought-provoking, sometimes-witty but always direct lyrics is the glue the holds the album together. From simple acoustic guitar-only demos to full band live performances with members of The Plimsouls or Case’s latest creation, Wig, none of it ever feels incomplete. But maybe Case’s greatest strength is his natural ability to attach his voice to the lyrics so completely; it’s what elevates a pretty decent unadorned folk ditty like “Trusted Friend” into something especially deep. His gruff, raspy pipes combines the best elements of Dylan and a young Lennon.
Outtakes and lost tracks can tell a lot about a long-established artist, like how good he sounds when he’s just ripping through an old tune or kicking around new ideas. The Case Files peels off the veneer from one of America’s most underrated singer-songwriters alive to expose Peter Case to be perhaps even better than what sympathetic critics give him credit for. “ – S. Victor Aaron / SOMETHING ELSE!
”The Case Files is as vital as the career of the man behind it. What could have been, what was, and what’s to come. Travel the road less travelled with Peter Case on this one. You’ll be glad you did.” – John Castino / INNOCENT WORDS MAGAZINE
“This is the kind of singer/songwriter work that makes the genre respectable.” – Mary Leary / DAGGER ZINE
“The Case Files works equally well as an introduction to this intelligent musician’s work (for those not familiar with him) or an accurate cross-section of his solo career (for those fans who have the larger portion of his discography). In either case, don’t stop here.” – Doug Collette / GLIDE MAGAZINE
“Despite its hodgepodge nature, The Case Files works as a cohesive record. “Anything (Closing Credits)” fits somewhere between the classic power pop of Case’s Nerves work and the rustic Americana of Tom Petty, “Milk Cow” barrels out of the gate with electric blues swagger, and his cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Good Times, Bad Times” sounds even more haunted than the original.“ – PHOENIX NEW TIMES
“Peter Case follows in a grand tradition of rock music, existing in the vein of pioneers like Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, the Clash, and other musical heroes who live to break ground and make new things.” – OWL & BEAR
“Peter Case is a multi-threat, and all of those threats can pay dividends. A singer, songwriter, prose purveyor, rocker, folkie, blues singer, producer, storyteller, etc., etc., it wouldn’t come as a great surprise if he was also a pretty fair hand on a windmill. Case has made large, and lasting, waves with bands such as The Plimsouls, The Nerves and The Breakaways. These days he splits time between working with a band and working the road solo, delivering a unique mixture of folk, rock, blues and combinations thereof. After weathering heart bypass surgery a couple years ago, Case is back to playing a full complement of gigs; this time around touring behind the release of The Case Files (Alive Records), a collection subtitled Demos, Outtakes, One Live Shot & Other Rarities. – Jim Beal Jr. / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
“If Peter Case’s filing system is a little chaotic, so are the best tracks on his new album The Case Files. As on [his last effort] Wig!, the most powerful songs here are those in which Case’s rock ’n’ roll tendencies overshadow his folk/troubadour sensibilities. Paradoxically, most of these are performed with Case backed by his acoustic guitar and not much else.” – Steve Terrell / SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN
”Although the 12 tracks on The Case Files are culled from nearly a quarter century’s worth of previously unreleased recordings, songs such as “Kokomo Prayer Vigil” (in which Case rips the stuffing out of a fundamentalist-preacher straw man) and “Ballad of the Minimum Wage” (ditto Walmart employees and shoppers) sound as fresh as the perennially controversial socio-political circumstances that they address.” – Arsenio Orteza / WORLD MAGAZINE
“The Case Files showcases odds and ends left off Case’s own records, including demo tapes from 1986, political-minded spoken word narratives, songs by The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, and even the traditional “Milk Cow Blues” recorded live at Rudyard’s in 2005. Case remains the defiant, grizzled seeker of higher truths who doesn’t wax nostalgic, avoids the limelight and sticks close to his roots.” – HOUSTON PRESS
”With a program ranging from acoustic blues to shimmering folk pop to ragged rock & roll, The Case Files is the singer/songwriter’s most eclectic record since his debut, and it’s damn near as satisfying.” – Michael Toland / THE BIG TAKEOVER
“The Case Files is the sound of Peter Case pulling back the doors of his creaking back catalogue only to be buried under a minor avalanche of semi-forgotten, rough-hewn gems. It may not be the obvious point of entry for the uninitiated, but you shouldn’t let that put you off. If you like your troubadours on the outspoken, intelligent and melodic side, you’ll be thrilled by these ornery delights.” – Tim Peacock / WHISPERIN & HOLLERIN / UK
“The Case Files finds the man himself picking through his back pages and assembling a surprisingly cohesive odds-n-sods collection of demos, out-takes and rarities from his solo years…. giving us another peak behind the curtain of what makes Peter Case tick, tock and rock.” – Richard ‘Luftmensch’ Morgan /MY OLD KENTUCKY BLOG
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