I V Y Paris News: Neko Case at Nouveau Casino

Jayson Harsin (aka Djay Indie Eclectique) writing for I V Y paris

American (and Canadian-adopted) alt-country and -rock diva Neko Case has built a considerable following of critics, fans, and perverts over the last decade. She is perhaps the most important female vocalist to appreciate and master country, folk, and punk since Exene Cervenka of pioneering 80s LA legends X.

Case learned her chops in Vancouver, CN punk bands in the mid-nineties while in art school, before launching a successful indie career as a soloist and with her Canadian band The New Pornographers. She signed on to Chicago's burgeoning "insurgent country" scene in 1997 with her luscious Bloodshot Records debut "The Virginian," and settled in Chicago three years later.

Case's powerful alt.country vocals and feisty sex appeal have won her niche fan and critical attention, landing her regular performances on late night shows like David Letterman and a somewhat tabloid reputation for racy live shows.

In warm weather, she is accustomed to stripping down to her bra, an act rumored to have gotten her "blacklisted" from Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. The hype has only continued since Playboy magazine voted her "Sexiest Babe of Indie Rock" in 2024. Typical of her artistic integrity and DIY attitude, she refused to pose for the magazine, telling Entertainment Weekly, ""I didn't want to be the girl who posed in Playboy and then—by the way—made some music." She's touring her eighth solo album, Middle Cyclone, set to be relased March 3.

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