Casey Noel is a Costa Rican American whose captivating music will remind you of the many ways songs can enrich a life. She is a skilled singer songwriter who has captivated crowds at festivals such as FloydFest, Bristol Rhythm and Roots, 30A Songwriters Festival, Byrds Creek Music Festival and most recently MerleFest. She has opened for Molly Tuttle, Elle King, Lilly Hiatt, The Red Clay Strays and Leslie Mendelson. In 2021 her single Page 52 was selected for Spotify's Emerging Americana playlist. Casey has recently made the move from North Carolina to Nashville and will be releasing new music in the next couple of months, so be on the lookout!

27-year-old Casey has been on an artist’s path most of her life, though this hasn’t always been apparent. The initial spark was an act of generosity from someone who recognized promise in a very young Casey: her Costa Rican grandfather, who gifted his 5-year-old granddaughter with a Spanish guitar. Although lessons in classical technique followed, honing Casey’s fingerpicking skills for what was to come, the budding guitarist’s primary passion from age 8 to 17 was actually competitive ballroom dancing. “But then I realized I lived in North Carolina,” she says. “And no guys here dance. So I started focusing on playing guitar.”

Soon after Casey switched from classical to steel string acoustic – a game changing turn of events – her mother, Olga, insisted she sing for her guitar teacher, Kevin Dollar. A seasoned music professional, Dollar would prove to be another generous, pivotal figure. Not only was he impressed with his longtime student’s voice, he saw something more beneath the surface. Dollar encouraged 17-year-old Casey to try songwriting, which had not occurred to her. “I didn’t know anything about the business,” Casey says. “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.”

While attending college, Casey devoted ever more energy to her muse – writing, learning to trust her instincts, venturing into a recording environment, and eventually playing100-plus dates a year, wherever and whenever. All the while, her self-assurance grew. And of course, life played out, like it does, with love, loss, wonder and hope – all the stuff of great songs. 

2018 would prove a crucial turning point, at legendary singer-songwriter-guitarist Richard Thompson’s esteemed Frets and Refrains songwriting camp near Woodstock, NY. Casey won a scholarship to the four-day, all-ages camp, which featured teachers Thompson, his son, Teddy, and folk icons Patty Griffin and Happy Traum. Teddy Thompson, known for unvarnished criticism of attendees’ work, would be the pivotal figure this time.

“I needed to hear from an unbiased person in the industry what they thought of my songs,” Casey says. “So a couple other campers and I played for Teddy.” Upon hearing Casey’s rollicking but wise “Pretty Words,” he said, “That’s a hit. I wouldn’t change anything.”

Richard Thompson himself gave Casey one-on-one advice. “I learned songwriting skills from him that I use to this day,” she says. “How to keep your brain active, what to do if you get stuck, how to make songs uniquely yours.”

“My favorite music makes me feel things deeply,” Casey says. “And I want people to be able to feel things from my songs. That’s my goal.”