Posthumous James Casey Record ‘The Kauai Project’ Set For Release

A posthumous EP from multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer James Casey is set to arrive on August 28, one year after his untimely death at the age of 40 due to colon cancer. The Kauai Project gathers together some of Casey’s final works including an unreleased tribute to his band Animus Rex titled “This Place (pars Animus).”

Originally announced in 2023, Casey began what would become The Kauai Project while living in Hawaii for 16 months. Sidelined from his work with Trey Anastasio Band and others during the pandemic, Casey began crafting tracks with acapella samples to promote his and fellow musicians’ livestream events. These recordings became the basis for The Kauai Project.

Following a performance with Billy & The Kids — led by Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann — at Red Rocks in 2021, Casey was diagnosed with Stage III colorectal cancer. While he had contributed to so many great artists’ work, James had never released his own music.

Determined to make the most out of every day, Casey began releasing songs in 2023 that appear on The Kauai Project including “New Bloom,” “E.J.B.M.” and “Outside.” He also used his platform to bring awareness to colon cancer.

“The thing about colon cancer is it is preventable if you catch it early enough,” James told the Today Show in March 2023. “If I’ve got today then that’s enough, I can do something with this time,” he added, echoing the sentiment on “New Bloom.”

While Casey continued to perform in 2023, his health took a turn and he had to focus on treatment. James Casey passed away on August 28, 2023. A tribute concert at Brooklyn Bowl in November 2023 saw performances by Trey Anastasio, Louis Cato, Nikki Glaspie, Jennifer Hartswick, Brady Watt and others.

With the help of James’’s close music family, his wife Ayla Casey brought The Kauai Project to the finish line.

“I am beyond grateful to help honor James Casey’s life with the culmination of a project that meant so much to him,” Ayla stated. “James Casey did not want his absence to weigh on us – please join me in celebrating the love and joy his music continues to cultivate.”

Head to the Relix Marketplace to preorder The Kauai Project limited edition vinyl.