Casey Dienel
Encyclopedia
Casey Dienel is an American
singer-songwriter
and pianist
. She released her debut album, Wind-Up Canary
, in 2006 on Hush Records
. Dienel presently performs and records as White Hinterland, whose first album, titled Phylactery Factory
, was released on March 4, 2008, by the independent record label
Dead Oceans.
, Massachusetts
. She took her first piano lessons at age 4, and at age 14 began writing her own pop songs. While attending Scituate High School
, Dienel formed a short-lived band named The Bong Loads.
After high school, Dienel moved to Boston to attend the New England Conservatory of Music
, having turned down an offer of acceptance from Sarah Lawrence College
. After one semester of studying classical vocals, she opted to switch her major to classical composition
. During her two years at the conservatory, Dienel studied with many notable musicians, including jazz vocalist Dominique Eade
and composer Lee Hyla
, before taking an indefinite leave of absence to pursue her own music career.
While living in Boston during her Conservatory years, Dienel met Dylan Metrano of the band Tiger Saw
, and was an occasional member of the band's rotating lineup. She currently lives in Portland, OR.
, Massachusetts
. With some Conservatory friends and a piano borrowed from the lobby of a local hotel, she recorded a number of her own songs without any intention of releasing them. Without Dienel's knowledge, a copy of these recordings made its way to Chad Crouch, the head of Hush Records
, who contacted her about releasing an album. Dienel agreed and Hush
released the recordings as Wind-Up Canary
in March 2006.
To date, Vessels remains unreleased—however, there are live recordings and lyrics for the song online.
:
In 2010, White Hinterland (consisting of the duo Dienel and artist/musician/collaborator Shawn Creeden) toured the US and Europe with their album Kairos. A song from this album, "Icarus", was selected by Revlon to be used in their 2010 commercial for Just Bitten Lip Stain, starring Jessica Biel and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Later the same year, "Icarus" was featured in an episode of the ABC Family drama "Pretty Little Liars
," as well the fashion show of the winner of the Project Runway (Season 8) finale , Gretchen Jones. The song was also used in the 2010 film It's Kind of a Funny Story
.
As White Hinterland:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. She released her debut album, Wind-Up Canary
Wind-Up Canary
Wind-Up Canary is the first album by American singer-songwriter Casey Dienel. She is accompanied on the album by Peter Bitenc, Ben MacDonald, Christopher MacDonald, Juliet Nelson, Mike Olson, Rachael Price, Djim Reynolds, and Michael Winograd...
, in 2006 on Hush Records
Hush Records
-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
. Dienel presently performs and records as White Hinterland, whose first album, titled Phylactery Factory
Phylactery Factory
Phylactery Factory is the second album by American singer-songwriter Casey Dienel, but the first under the White Hinterland name.-Track listing:#"The Destruction of the Art Deco House" – 5:57...
, was released on March 4, 2008, by the independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Dead Oceans.
Biography
Casey Dienel spent the bulk of her young life living in ScituateScituate, Massachusetts
Scituate is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 18,133 at the 2010 census....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. She took her first piano lessons at age 4, and at age 14 began writing her own pop songs. While attending Scituate High School
Scituate High School (Massachusetts)
Scituate High School is the only public secondary school of Scituate, Massachusetts. It has an enrollment of roughly 722 students, servicing grades 9–12 for the entire town. The school was originally located at Central Field in Scituate and then moved to what is now the Gates Intermediate...
, Dienel formed a short-lived band named The Bong Loads.
After high school, Dienel moved to Boston to attend the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
, having turned down an offer of acceptance from Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
. After one semester of studying classical vocals, she opted to switch her major to classical composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
. During her two years at the conservatory, Dienel studied with many notable musicians, including jazz vocalist Dominique Eade
Dominique Eade
Dominique Eade is an American jazz singer and composer. She lives near Boston and is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory.-Discography:Source: Amazon* My Resistance is Low, 1994* The Ruby and the Pearl, 1994...
and composer Lee Hyla
Lee Hyla
Lee Hyla is an American classical music composer.Lee Hyla was born in Niagara Falls, New York, and grew up in Greencastle, Indiana...
, before taking an indefinite leave of absence to pursue her own music career.
While living in Boston during her Conservatory years, Dienel met Dylan Metrano of the band Tiger Saw
Tiger Saw
Tiger Saw is a Sadcore band from Newburyport, Massachusetts. Formed in 1999, the band currently consists of Dylan Metrano on guitar and vocals, Juliet Nelson on vocals, cello and bass, John Ryan Gallagher on guitar and Andrew Nelson on drums...
, and was an occasional member of the band's rotating lineup. She currently lives in Portland, OR.
Wind-Up Canary
During the winter of 2005, Dienel was offered the chance to record for free at an abandoned caretaker's house on a farm in LeominsterLeominster, Massachusetts
Leominster is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the second-largest city in Worcester County, with a population of 40,759 at the 2010 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and west of Boston. Both Route 2 and Route 12 pass through Leominster. Interstate 190,...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. With some Conservatory friends and a piano borrowed from the lobby of a local hotel, she recorded a number of her own songs without any intention of releasing them. Without Dienel's knowledge, a copy of these recordings made its way to Chad Crouch, the head of Hush Records
Hush Records
-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
, who contacted her about releasing an album. Dienel agreed and Hush
Hush Records
-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
released the recordings as Wind-Up Canary
Wind-Up Canary
Wind-Up Canary is the first album by American singer-songwriter Casey Dienel. She is accompanied on the album by Peter Bitenc, Ben MacDonald, Christopher MacDonald, Juliet Nelson, Mike Olson, Rachael Price, Djim Reynolds, and Michael Winograd...
in March 2006.
Vessels
On November 29, 2006, Casey Dienel announced that she was working with producer Djim Reynolds on recording an EP titled Vessels, and that she hoped to release it in early 2007. Dienel had this to say about the project:To date, Vessels remains unreleased—however, there are live recordings and lyrics for the song online.
White Hinterland
On January 4, 2008, after a few months hinting at "change," Dienel announced in her blog that "for the present and foreseeable future, there won’t be any more Casey Dienel." Her blog post coincided with Dead Oceans' announcement of the forthcoming release of White Hinterland's album Phylactery FactoryPhylactery Factory
Phylactery Factory is the second album by American singer-songwriter Casey Dienel, but the first under the White Hinterland name.-Track listing:#"The Destruction of the Art Deco House" – 5:57...
:
In 2010, White Hinterland (consisting of the duo Dienel and artist/musician/collaborator Shawn Creeden) toured the US and Europe with their album Kairos. A song from this album, "Icarus", was selected by Revlon to be used in their 2010 commercial for Just Bitten Lip Stain, starring Jessica Biel and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Later the same year, "Icarus" was featured in an episode of the ABC Family drama "Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars is a series of more than 10 young adult novels by Sara Shepard, from 1981–present, which have been made into a television show . The series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their leader,...
," as well the fashion show of the winner of the Project Runway (Season 8) finale , Gretchen Jones. The song was also used in the 2010 film It's Kind of a Funny Story
It's Kind of a Funny Story
It's Kind of a Funny Story is a 2006 novel by American author Ned Vizzini. It follows a depressed teenager who becomes suicidal and checks himself into a psychiatric hospital. The book was inspired by Vizzini's own brief hospitalization for depression in November 2004...
.
Discography
As Casey Dienel:- 2006 Wind-Up CanaryWind-Up CanaryWind-Up Canary is the first album by American singer-songwriter Casey Dienel. She is accompanied on the album by Peter Bitenc, Ben MacDonald, Christopher MacDonald, Juliet Nelson, Mike Olson, Rachael Price, Djim Reynolds, and Michael Winograd...
(Hush RecordsHush Records-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
)
As White Hinterland:
- 2008 Phylactery FactoryPhylactery FactoryPhylactery Factory is the second album by American singer-songwriter Casey Dienel, but the first under the White Hinterland name.-Track listing:#"The Destruction of the Art Deco House" – 5:57...
(Dead OceansDead OceansDead Oceans is an independent record label based jointly in Bloomington, Indiana and Austin, Texas. The label has a small, but powerful roster of well-known acts including Akron/Family, John Vanderslice, Califone, Phosphorescent, Bishop Allen, Casey Dienel's band White Hinterland, Bowerbirds, and...
) - 2008 "Luniculaire" EP (Dead OceansDead OceansDead Oceans is an independent record label based jointly in Bloomington, Indiana and Austin, Texas. The label has a small, but powerful roster of well-known acts including Akron/Family, John Vanderslice, Califone, Phosphorescent, Bishop Allen, Casey Dienel's band White Hinterland, Bowerbirds, and...
) - 2010 "Kairos" (Dead OceansDead OceansDead Oceans is an independent record label based jointly in Bloomington, Indiana and Austin, Texas. The label has a small, but powerful roster of well-known acts including Akron/Family, John Vanderslice, Califone, Phosphorescent, Bishop Allen, Casey Dienel's band White Hinterland, Bowerbirds, and...
)