Casey and I have never met or even spoken on the telephone. I have been writing this feature, Women Making Music for fifteen years and this is a first
for me.
I was upbeat in my determination to find out how this approach, sending questions for our guest artist to answer in her own written words and then send back to me might shape the content. I mean, I’ve sent questions to artists. They’ve sent them back to me in their own words before. But to have never met or spoken on the phone? This is a first!
For me, getting to know Casey mostly through her words and music was like reading a book. And her story is definitely a page-turner!
When listening to the songs she sent me, I concertedly envisioned her in front of me, strumming and picking her guitar and singing, presenting her songs special-audience style just for me. I literally lay in my bed as I listened for the first time so I could relax and take in her melodies, her rhymes and phrases; her phrasing; These profiles of love, loss, sassy smart advice (solicited or not),
confessions and hope.
At 24 years of age, Noel is already highly acclaimed; a freshly emerging songwriting ingénue; a young woman with something new to say about familiar themes.
Not Just Pretty Words is a six song EP she released in June of this year which has received great reviews. Mason Winfree from Americana Highways says she “conveys narratives that provoke deeply embedded emotions lingering just below the surface.”
From The All Scene Eye blog: “…pleasantly unhurried, like leaves
floating past you down a creek.”
Ear to the Ground calls Pretty Words, “dark & mysterious” while Anne Kenney from Belles & Gals writes, “distinctive songwriting and vocals is a delight to the ear, a debut EP to be proud of.”
In her song Seasons Casey wonders, “and it’ll be okay, so they say…It’s just a season and seasons change.” In the title track she reassures who ever needs it: “A better man (love) will come along, and you’ll forget the one who did you wrong.” The song Prove Me Wrong is a declaration, “I pride myself on being right, the truth can run but it can’t hide from these eyes.”
I emailed Casey a few questions that I asked her to answer in order for us to get to know here better:
Talk about your back story – where were you born, etc.
I was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina with one older sister. My dad is from North Carolina and my mom was born in Costa Rica and moved here when she was four.
Where did you go to college and what was your course of study?
I went to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a major in event planning/community parks and recreation and a minor in Spanish.
How/Why did you decide to become a songwriter?
My grandfather brought me a guitar from Costa Rica when I was 5 and I started lessons shortly thereafter. But in middle school I fell in love with competitive ballroom dancing. But because I never found a solid dance partner I eventually gave it up.
I turned my attention then to music, started playing guitar and singing. I never thought about song writing until my guitar teacher told me I should give it a try. After that, songwriting became an outlet and a passion. When I dance I have to feel the music, I have to connect with it. When I write a song, I have to connect with it and when I sing it, I have to feel it in order for the audience to feel it.
Tell us about your writing process.
It’s loose. I try not to start with specifics. Usually a single line comes to mind; something that someone said that resonates. From there the message/ story emerge and I build on it. I use as few lines as possible to get my point across.
Talk about mentors you’ve encountered on this journey.
I have had wonderful mentors. First, there’s my guitar teacher, Kevin Dollar. I wouldn’t be singing, performing or writing if it weren’t for him.
I won a scholarship my sophomore year in college to attend Frets and Refrains, a camp put on by Richard Thompson in the beautiful Catskills Mountains. I had the amazing opportunity to study with him, as well as his son Teddy, Patty Griffin, Happy Traum, Tony McManus, and Sloan Wainwright. Getting one on one advice from Richard Thompson and having his son Teddy tell me that one of my songs was a hit was incredible!
I recorded at and ended up working with sound engineer and co-producer of my EP, Doug Williams. Having worked with the Avett Brothers, he helped me hone my style and believes in my artistic vision.
Artistic influences?
Jason Isbell is the best songwriter of our generation in my opinion. Brandi Carlisle is also a tremendous songwriter and one of the most amazing performers and vocalists.
What is it about performing that keeps you pursuing opportunities
to do so?
When I’m on stage and sharing a moment with an audience, time seems to stop and speed up at the same time. I am in my element. I love that I can help take people’s minds off the craziness of life so we can all just be and enjoy each other.
What’s next?
I am hoping to record and release a song that I just finished as a single in the next couple of months.
What are your favorite songs on
the EP and why?
Marsh Girl was inspired by my favorite book called “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. I love how it came to life in the studio.
When I wrote Pretty Words it made me feel like a real songwriter; like I had a shot at this music thing. Teddy Thompson called it “a hit” and at that time I needed to hear from someone unbiased; someone successful. Part of me thought I had what it took and part of me feared that people were just telling me what I wanted to hear. His compliment was the push I needed to believe in myself as a writer and an artist.
To keep up with everything Casey Noel, visit her website: