Rising Stars: Meet Casey Noel of Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Noel

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My musical journey was ignited by my (abuelo) my Costa Rican grandfather who gifted 5 year old me, a Spanish guitar after one of his visits to Costa Rica. Lessons in classical technique followed which is where the finger picking comes from. While I had a natural affinity for guitar, the passion for classical guitar was not there. My first and primary passion from age 8-17 was competitive ballroom dancing; something that I think has shaped the way I hear and create music. After years of trying to find a dance partner, I had to face the fact that I lived in North Carolina and unless I moved to Europe or New York, my chances of making that dream a reality were slim to none.It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make but it led me to jump full force into music.

Soon after, I switched from classical to acoustic, and it was a game changer. At this point, my mom insisted I sing for my guitar instructor, Kevin Dollar. After that first day singing for him he suggested I sing at every lesson. I would bring in songs I liked and he would teach me how to play them. I guess he saw something in me because he encouraged me to try my hand at songwriting, which was something that had never occurred to me to try. I didn’t know anything about the music business. I didn’t know about shows other than arena shows, or even the concept of a singer songwriter. It took me a while to have confidence in myself to write songs that I thought people might want to come hear me play, but when others told me I could do it, I kept at it.
I have to emphasize here that I did not grow up in a musical family, we knew NOTHING about the music world and how vast it is, much less the industry and how it works etc. My mother was born in Costa Rica and knew nothing about the inner workings of the music industry and my father knew nothing outside of mainstream music. I didn’t grow up playing music with friends and family or with jams happening at my house; in fact, I hardly knew any other musicians. I didn’t even know what a music festival was and had never attended one till I was invited to play one.

While attending college, I devoted more energy to writing, learning to trust my instincts, venturing into recording, and eventually playing 150 plus dates a year, wherever and whenever. During that time my self assurance grew and so did my desire to do this for a living.

The biggest impact on my journey happened when I won a scholarship in 2018 to attend legendary singer-songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson’s songwriting camp called Frets And Refrains near Woodstock in New York. The camp seminars featured RichardThompson, his son Teddy, and folk icons Patty Griffin and Happy Traum. At the time I was still unsure if my songwriting could hold its own. I wanted someone unbiased and in the business to give me real criticism whether that be good or bad. I just so happened to ask Teddy Thompson if he would be willing to listen and provide some feedback on a couple songs. A couple of other campers asked for the same thing and so I waited and listened to him critique other people, which was terrifying because he was in fact not sugar coating anything. When it was my turn I
played him a song I wrote called Pretty Words and when I finished he looked at me and said. “Thats a hit.” Wouldn’t change a thing.” That was all I needed to convince myself I could do this thing and I decided then and there I would chase this dream of being a singer- songwriter. I learned so many skills in general from Richard Thompson and all the other instructors at camp that truly helped shape my songwriting into what it is today.

At this point I had gigs pretty much every weekend, sometimes 3-4 times a week, playing 150+ shows a year. Fast forward to 2020 and I found myself in the studio recording my first EP, giddy over it’s release and giddy over an invitation to play FloydFest, my first music festival! Unfortunately, COVID had other plans, and 2020 turned out to be the year that never was. My EP released in the Spring of 2020 and shortly thereafter, everything came to a crashing halt; FloydFest was canceled as well as all the shows I had booked to promote my new music. I was devastated! However, despite no promotional shows, my EP received some really good press, which was a great source of encouragement for me. My single Page 52 was released in 2021, and was put on Spotify’s Emerging Americana playlist and received great press for a virtually unknown artist.. The following year, (2022) I was invited to play at 30A Songwriters Festival. FloydFest, Bristol Rhythm and Roots and Byrds Creek Music Festival; all of which was so affirming for me as an artist.

That being said, by the close of 2022, I was feeling stuck and somewhat worried that I had gone as far as I could as an artist living in Greensboro. I began to realize if I really wanted to take this dream as far as I wanted I needed to leave. I wanted a band and wasn’t able to find musicians I could rely on that understood me as an artist, played in a way that showcased my music and took things as seriously as I did. Based on a couple visits to Nashville I knew what I was looking for; I could find in Nashville. I didn’t really know anyone there, so contemplating a move 7 hrs from home was daunting and scary but I felt like a move was needed in order to have any chance of making my music dream a reality. I bit the bullet and made the move Spring of 2023. It was easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done but also the best thing I’ve ever done. I feel like it has taken me a year to finally start feeling comfortable and getting the hang of Nashville but in that time, I have met some amazing people and musicians. I am also so excited to say that I recently went into the studio and have started recording on what will be my debut album. I am working with a wonderful producer and amazingly talented musicians and I can’t wait to release this out into the universe. I have seen my music evolve in the best way possible and I am really proud of this project!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?

Not even close haha but those are the best roads to take right? When I first moved to Nashville, if it could go wrong it did. I’ve heard from other musicians that that’s pretty much how it goes for everyone the first year. The job I thought I had lined up fell through and within the span of the first three months I got sick four different times, requiring numerous antibiotics. I had never been so far away from home and I was living by myself in a city where I basically knew no one. The loneliness was debilitating. I had always had a pet growing up and though the plan was to get a cat once I was more settled, I could not handle the insane loneliness and after a month and a half, I adopted a precious cat from the shelter and named him Ernest in honor of Ernest Tubb. I fell madly in love with Ernest and felt like we both rescued each other; and life got so much easier. But after two months, Ernest started acting weird. Luckily, my sister is a vet so I contacted her. She told me what to do and contacted a vet friend she graduated with who lived in Nashville. We did all the things, but a month later, I was walking into the ER to put Ernest down. Turns out, Ernest was riddled with cancer and had been showing signs even at the shelter and should have never been on the adoption floor, but that is a whole different story. I had never felt more alone, I was shattered. My family flew me home for a week and a half and then I returned to Nashville. A month later my sister called to say she had a cat that was perfect for me and she and my mom were coming to Nashville to bring him to me. That’s when Gus entered my life, I think we were both a little unsure at first and I sort of felt guilty loving another cat after Ernest. With Ernest it was an immediate connection, with Gus it was a slow warm up. He slowly started healing my heart and I can confidently say he is my very best friend and I couldn’t love him more if I tried.

While 2023 was beyond difficult, there were definitely some highlights too, playing Merlefest, opening for Elle King, finding Santa’s Pub and more. Santa’s was the one place that felt a little bit like home, and is where I met a lot of amazing friends. Every Sunday night, I knew I could go there and people would be kind and the vibe would be right.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Costa Rican singer/songwriter, and I lean towards Americana /Country music. I write from a place of honesty and vulnerability. I feel what I write and I sing it the way I feel it. I have been told that I have a gift for saying a lot in very few words; which I find ironic because in my day to day life I tend to find myself over- explaining. I find songs are oftentimes more powerful when you only say what you need; so songwriting is the one time that my urge to over- explain is really quelled. Music has been with me through my entire life. It’s been there through the sad times and the joyous ones and I dream of getting to be able to be there for people in that way through my own music.

In terms of accomplishments I am most proud of the fact that one of my singles was put on Spotfiy’s Emerging Americana playlist in 2021 as well as getting to play all the amazing festivals I’ve played.

I think my individuality sets me apart from other artists. I don’t go into the writing process thinking of genre or trends or anything other than the message. Whatever suits the message is the direction I’ll take the song. I think it makes my writing style unique and genuine in a way that the listener can feel.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
The thing helping me the most right now is therapy. I think everyone should go at least once in life. Being surrounded by so many amazing musicians and the hustle culture of the music industry in Nashville can be equally inspiring as it is exhausting.If you’re not careful you can really get in your head. Therapy has helped me realize how much my brain lies to me and has helped me keep those lies from making me get in my own way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://caseynoelmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseynoelmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caseynoelmusic
• Twitter: https://x.com/caseynoelmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo_T6xiOuynsxQEI-JmF13w

Image Credits
Personal photo and photo 3 are from Mandi Fountain. The second photo is by Anna Norwood. The other 2 are from venue photographers and were sent to me by the venue/festival