Neko Case

She was born in Alexandria, Virginia. Her parents divorced when she was a child, so Case ended up spending most of her time with her grandparents. Her grandmother introduced her to country music.

Case's early life was spent bouncing around the country with her mother and her stepfather, who was an archaeologist. By the time she was 15, she'd lived in Massachusetts, Vermont, Oregon, and Washington. When she reached 15, she struck out on her own and ended up in Tacoma, Washington, which at that time was a very rough and violent city, but one that Case calls her hometown.

Case started drumming with a Tacoma band named Del Logs and the Propanes. She played in a venue called the Community World Theater, which was the first venue in which Nirvana played under the name Nirvana. She also worked at Tacoma landmark Bob's Java Jive. During this time, fellow Propane musician Laura Woods introduced Case to a lot of music that would shape her personal vision. "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" by Bessie Griffin and Her Gospel Pearls was particularly influential.