Cass Eager

. . . down the end on a small stage in a patch of light under a mass of wild curls, a girl sits, cradling a big-bodied guitar, like a still from The Bottom Line in 68. And that voice, with a simple guitar strum, throws to images of a girl in a faded floral dress standing in the dirt by a house near the coast watching a storm roll in from the ocean. Those songs of hers take you somewhere, where good songs always take you. the soundCass Eager’s sound travels the gamut from soul to blues, folk to funk and roots to reggae. Her distinctive pipes and guitar playing have drawn comparisons to everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Jack Johnson, Nina Simone and Ben Harper . . . with a hint of Janis Joplin always thrown in. Despite these comparisons, ‘soul sister Cass is no pale imitation’ (NDL). She’s been described as ‘one of Sydney’s most gifted singer-songwriters, whose refreshingly honest, raspy, almost Joplin-esque like voice is hers alone, and whose eclectic songwriting will spellbind the listener.’ (Drum Media). On stage, Cass is armed with an acoustic and lap steel guitar, electric ukulele and stompbox.the albumHer debut album ‘Beautiful Day’ (MGM/littlebliss) released in Australia in 2007, is a stunning collection of tunes spanning soul to blues, folk to gospel, roots to reggae. From the reggae-tinged groove of the crowd favourite title track ‘Beautiful Day’ to the killer slide-guitar blues of ‘Take These Wings’ and heartfelt soulfulness of ‘Sister’, the instrumentation running through these songs adapt to fit the feel, from slide guitar to hammond and rhodes piano, harmonica, violins, stompbox and ukelele. Most are with Cass’s trademark rhythmic acoustic guitar sound, and all with Cass’s husky-soaked vocals and effortless melodies bringing them to life. Her first single ‘Beautiful Day’ has already charted in the Top 10 on Canadian Radio (Festival) and debuted at No.27 on the US Roots Music Report. In Australia, the single of the same name is enjoying airplay on Triple J, ABC, and was Nova Unsigned Find. The single appeared on the 2007 ’soundslikecafe’ Cafe sampler CD (MGM). It was featured on Robbie Buck’s (Triple J) Australian Music Playlist on Qantas Inflight QRadio, and Tracks Magazine has given it an impressive 4/5 review. ’Cass Eager’s voice has an alluring timbre and her vocals are sung with the kind of heartfelt sincerity that makes you want to believe in every word she utters . . . Several of the songs, like ’Beautiful Day’ in particular, will have you singing along pretty much the first time you hear them’. Cass launched ’Beautiful Day’ at Sydney’s Vanguard to a near-sell out crowd. "As you make the journey from start to end, (’Beautiful Day’) is a record which quietly ingratiates itself into your lounge room, curling up on your couch and drinking all your beer...I love it when that happens". Rhythms Magazine 2007 the gigsCass has a vibrant history of performing, and that voice of hers has travelled not only several times along Australia’s East Coast, Darwin and WA, but has also taken her on three US and Canadian tours, Eygpt and five visits to East Timor. Her music has also developed close ties with the surfing community, playing benefit concerts for SurfAid International and the Surfrider Foundation, and playing the 2007 Rip Curl Pro Surfing & Music Festival, Bells Beach (VIC). In 2006 and 2007 Cass showcased in the US and Canada at SXSW (Austin, TX), NXNE and CMW (Toronto). She played 21-dates across North America, performing with American singer/songwriter Bob Egan (pedal steel/slide guitar from Blue Rodeo, ex-Wilco), finishing the tour with a near-sellout show at Whistler’s Millennium Theatre as part of the Crankworx Festival. Bob now features on one of Cass’s ‘Beautiful Day’ single mixes. Over the last year, Cass has also played the Festival of the Sun (Port Macquarie), Broadbeach Blues Festival (QLD), Peats Ridge Festival (NSW) and the Vintage Blues & Roots Festival (WA). She was featured on the cover of Sydney’s ‘Drum Media’ after being announced as a finalist in the Blues/Roots category of the 2007 MusicOz Awards. Cass has recently been playing to her own ever-growing Australian fan base at festivals and shows across WA, QLD, VIC and NSW on her national ’Beautiful Days’ tour.Many of Cass’s recent songs have stemmed from her humanitarian efforts in East Timor. Touring there five times, twice with the Australian Army, she performed for UN peacekeepers and in various orphanages. What started as an assignment to entertain the troops in the newly independent country turned into a rich relationship and affinity with the people there, especially the children. To raise money and awareness for this tiny nation, Cass donates her energies to various Australian benefit concerts. Her visits there culminated in a performance to over 40,000 people at Dili Stadium with Paul Kelly and Peter Garrett in 2004. Cass appeared on ‘Timor-Leste - Freedom Rising’ compilation CD (EMI/Capitol) put together by Paul Kelly in 2005, along with artists such as John Butler, Missy Higgins, Kasey Chambers & The Cat Empire. Cass launched the CD in Dili to a 500+ crowd. More recently, in December 2006, Cass’s 3rd Armed Forces tour took her to Egypt and The Middle East, with 5 shows across 3 countries in 8 days.In Australia, Cass has performed with artists including Ash Grunwald, The Beautiful Girls, Alex Lloyd, Diesel, Lior, Paul Kelly, Jeff Lang, Blue Shaddy and Extended Family. She has also appeared on 4 other CD compilations of independent artists, being named ‘Emerging Australian Artist’ on SBA Music’s international compilation. Visiting royal Prince Harry saw Cass perform at Kerry Packer’s polo property on his Australian visit, and asked her for a repeat performance the following week, with Cass being requested to give the prince guitar lessons. “I play music because I love to. Music can make you laugh, cry, remember. It has the ability to take you away or bring you home, but wherever you go, it’s in the journey. I just strap on my guitar and away I go.”www.casseager.com‘beautiful day’ out now through littlebliss records MGM Distribution (Australia), Festival Distribution (Canada)what people say "The Girl With The Golden Voice" Daily Examiner, Australia"She has a voice so sweet she could sing the phone book to you and you’d love it" Diesel, Australia‘Lying on my back staring up at a cloudless Muskoka sky a smile creeps across my face as the lyrics echo out over the serene lake. ‘Everything’s alright, cause it’s a beautiful day’. Truer words have never been spoken. I think if Cass Eager could choose the setting for me to first hear her debut CD Beautiful Day, this would be it. She belts out her personal and introspective lyrics in a way only a singer/songwriter can. I thoroughly enjoyed this album, front to back, and will no doubt get a lot of play out of it this summer.’ Spill Magazine, Ontario‘Beautiful Day - natural, instinctive, comfortable – a very good record’. YouthinkCDs, Vancouver‘Cass Eager is a prolific and inventive singer-songwriter. Her voice is gravelly and soulful (called ‘rich as chocolate’ by Australia’s ‘Brag’ magazine). On the first listen, I heard elements of Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin with a bit of Ani DiFranco thrown in. I downloaded her song "Beautiful Day" onto my iPod and it’s become a staple of my morning walk to work.’ pennlive.com – Harrisburg, PA USA‘Beautiful Day is on high rotation in my car and I still get blessed out with each listen. Finally a chick who does it raw and rootsy and plays slide as well. This album takes you on a journey with so many full bodied tracks, from the mesmerizing ‘Sister’ to the dashboard thumping ‘Take These Wings’. It’s a great debut and I can’t wait to see what she does next . . .’ DubMAN II, iTunes