‘Highway Butterfly: The Songs Of Neal Casal’ All-Star Tribute Album Coming In November

An all-star tribute album, Highway Butterfly: The Songs Of Neal Casal, will be released on November 12. Proceeds from the previously announced compilation will benefit the Neal Casal Music Foundation non-profit organization, which supplies musical instruments and lessons in New Jersey and New York state schools where Neal Casal was from. Additional proceeds will go to mental health organizations that support musicians, MusiCares and Backline.Care.

Casal was 50 when he died by suicide in August 2019. Casal’s music career included performing with Circles Around the Sun, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Beachwood Sparks, GospelbeacH and Hard Working Americans, along with many other projects and collaborations. Casal also recorded and released 14 solo albums under his own name.

Highway Butterfly: The Songs Of Neal Casal was co-produced by Casal’s longtime collaborators Jim Scott and Widespread Panic/Hard Working Americans bassist Dave Schools. Casal’s friend and longtime manager, Gary Waldman, was also part of bringing together the 130 participating musicians who collectively covered 41 of Casal’s original songs.

“For years we were always trying to get people to cover his songs, and we just never had much luck,” said Waldman. “But the songs are so good—why aren’t they being interpreted by other artists? And now you hear this record, and it really works. I’m thrilled with it; I think it’s beautiful, and it’s a great testament to how many cool songs he wrote.”

“As soon as word got out about the project, the wheels started rolling fast,” Schools said. “People were calling us up, friends of Neal’s, other artists who had only brushed up against him, and saying they wanted to be part of it. We had intended to have it be around 18 songs, but it just kept exploding.”

Participants who covered Casal’s songs for the tribute album include Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Warren Haynes, Circles Around The Sun, Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks, Billy Strings, Hiss Golden Messenger, Fruit Bats, Steve Earle & The Dukes, Jonathan Wilson, Vetiver, Shooter Jennings, Beachwood Sparks & GospelbeacH, Marcus King, Eric Krasno, J Mascis, Cass McCombs, Johnathan Rice, Leslie Mendelson, Oteil Burbridge & Duane Trucks, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Tim Bluhm, Mapache, Puss N Boots and The Allman Betts Band, among others.

“It’s really quite phenomenal that we were able to have 41 of Neal’s songs recorded by this incredible group of artists,” Scott stated. “Some of the recordings were with the original studio band from his first album, Fade Away Diamond Time. I know Neal would have been delighted to have so many amazing female artists reinvent his songs and lyrics too. Listening again to his words made me wish I had talked to him more about what he was going through.”

Available as a 5LP or 3CD box set and in digital formats, the physical release also comes with “sleeves with rare and previously unpublished photos of Neal, a booklet presenting song lyrics, Neal’s own iconic photography and an essay by early-career champion Jim Cardillo. Additional collectibles include a poster and baseball card with photos of Neal by photographer Jay Blakesberg and stickers designed by poster artists Alan Forbes and Marq Spusta.”

Billy Strings and CATS’ cover of “All The Luck In The World” was released in June. Stream Beachwood Sparks and GospelbeacH’s cover of Casal’s “You Don’t See Me Crying” and watch a trailer for the album directed by Justin Kruetzmann below:

Highway Butterfly: The Songs Of Neal Casal Tracklist

1. Traveling After Dark – Aaron Lee Tasjan
2. Need Shelter – Jaime Wyatt
3. You Don’t See Me Crying – Beachwood Sparks w/ GospelbeacH
4. No One Above You – Marcus King w/ Eric Krasno
5. Feathers For Bakersfield – Fruit Bats
6. All The Luck In the World – Billy Strings w/ Circles Around The Sun
7. Sweeten The Distance – Dori Freeman w/ Teddy Thompson
8. Time Down The Wind – Hiss Golden Messenger
9. Me & Queen Sylvia – Johnathan Rice
10. Wisest Of The Wise – Mapache
11. Freeway To The Canyon – Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band
12. Feel No Pain – Leslie Mendelson
13. Detroit Or Buffalo – Jonathan Wilson w/ Hannah Cohen
14. Day In The Sun – Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks
15. Bird With No Name – Jimmy Herring w/ Circles Around The Sun
16. Maybe California – Shooter Jennings
17. White Fence Round House – Vetiver
18. December – Todd Sheaffer
19. Grand Island – Courtney Jaye
20. Superhighway – Oteil Burbridge, Nick Johnson, Steve Kimock, John Morgan Kimock & Duane Trucks
21. Willow Jane – Britton Buchanan
22. Too Much To Ask – Kenny Roby w/ Amy Helm
23. Time And Trouble – Bob Weir w/ Jay Lane & Dave Schools
24. Death Of A Dream – J Mascis
25. The Cold and The Darkness – Tim Heidecker
26. Free To Go – Warren Haynes
27. So Far Astray – Rachel Dean
28. Highway Butterfly – Steve Earle & The Dukes
29. Angel And You’re Mine – Victoria Reed
30. Pray Me Home – Jason Crosby
31. Lost Satellite – Lauren Barth
32. The Losing End Again – Jesse Aycock
33. These Days With You – Puss N Boots
34. Cold Waves – Tim Bluhm, Kyle Field
35. Best To Bonnie – Zephaniah Ohora w/ Hazeldine
36. Let It All Begin – The Mattson 2
37. You’ll Miss It When It’s Gone – Cass McCombs, Ross James, Joe Russo, Farmer Dave Scher & Dave Schools
38. Fell On Hard Times – Angie McKenna
39. Raining Straight Down – The Allman Betts Band
40. Soul Gets Lost – Hazy Malaze w/ Jena Kraus
41. I Will Weep No More – Robbi Robb