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Sep 02, 2015 Neko Case By Christopher Roberts

Neko Case is set to release her entire solo discography on vinyl as part of a box set entitled Truckdriver, Gladiator, Mule. It’s due out November 13 via ANTI- and below you can watch a trailer for it. She has also announced some tour dates in which she will be performing as a quartet for the first time in 14 years and playing songs from across her catalog.

All eight of her albums have been remastered from the original analog tapes and will be presented on 180 gram black vinyl. The set also comes with an 80-page book designed by Case.

Case issued a statement (described as “a letter from Neko”) about all this via a press release: “Have you ever wanted to be in a band? It doesn’t end up looking like you think it will; it’s WAY more strange and interesting than you can imagine. If you are looking for glamour, however, you’ve come to the wrong job. Glamour is for dicks anyway.

“As far back as I can remember I wanted to be an artist. I thought I would end up a painter; I even went to art school. I never did a single, solitary painting. I did a lot of printmaking, photography and played in bands. I had played drums in bands since I was 17, and I toured with bands on the road from the time I was 23. Strangely enough I had no idea that this was a ‘job.’ Music was, and is, my obsession, but I guess I couldn’t see the forest through the trees. I also didn’t feel worthy of calling myself a ‘musician.’ It was just too sacred.

“Ten years later I had to quit both of my jobs in Chicago because I was always on the road. It finally dawned on me; maybe I WAS a musician? But where were the trappings of success? You know: money? Fringey scarves and car services? My own recording studio? Regular meals? Heat?

“The ‘rewards’ were not to come in any length of time I could speculate, or at all in some cases, but it didn’t matter, because I had the people I loved. People of all stripes who have contributed in invaluable ways over the years, with skills too numerous to mention here, for I fear it would fall short of the tribute they deserve. Luckily, I still have these good people and I am so very grateful they can still stand me. But most of all, I am grateful that they were willing to be a part.

“Being in a band isn’t a race to an awards platform; it is a life, a great and complicated, messy, anxious, hilarious and home-made life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, ever. I gave up a lot of what makes people ‘normal,’ but it was always my choice. That is a victory in itself. This is a LONG story, which I will continue later, but for now, here are some images and music to take in and wonder about. I made all this for you and me. Without you, however, the circuit does not complete. Thank you for being here with me and making music.

Neko Case
New years. 2015. From a crooked farmhouse on a snowy day.”

Here’s what’s included in the box set, as detailed in the press release:

“Neko’s entire discography on wax. All 8 titles are remastered from their original analog tape and made available on 180 Gram black vinyl:

The Virginian - On vinyl for the first time

Furnace Room Lullaby - Vinyl out of print since 2007

Canadian Amp - Vinyl out of print since 2001

Blacklisted - Vinyl out of print since 2008

The Tigers Have Spoken - Vinyl out of print since 2004

Fox Confessor Brings The Flood - Vinyl out of print since 2009

Middle Cyclone

The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You

Limited edition 80-page full color photography book designed and curated by Neko Case.

Vinyl slipmat with illustration by Neko Case.

A custom, handy-dandy storage box.”

Check out the box set trailer below, followed by her upcoming tour dates.

Neko Case Tour Dates:

09/04 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery
09/06 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot
09/08 - Anchorage, AK - The Bear Tooth Theatre
09/20 - Toronto, ON, Canada - Toronto Urban Roots Fest
09/26 - Franklin, TN - Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival
09/27 - Oxford, TN - The Lyric
11/28 - Brighton, UK - Mutations Festival
12/01 - London, UK - Union Chapel
12/04 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Masonic Temple