TOF Productions presents: Neal Casal Music Foundation Benefit
TOF Productions has announced an evening of music and conversation to benefit the Neal Casal Music Foundation on Thursday, July 9th at 8:00 PM EST. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Gary Waldman, Neal’s lifelong friend and manager, will host the event live from Applehead Recording in Woodstock. He’ll be joined by the full Kenny Roby Band, featuring Jeff Hill, Tony Leone, Jesse Aycock, and John Lee Shannon. The evening will open with the world premiere of Roby’s version of “Too Much to Ask” for Highway Butterfly, the upcoming tribute album boasting a star-studded lineup of Neal’s closest friends and collaborators due out in March 2021. Roby’s upcoming record The Reservoir is out August 7th on the Royal Potato Family label.
Also slated to perform both songs by Neal and songs Neal loved are Zephaniah OHora, Leslie Mendelson, Dori Freeman, and Ross James.
Those making appearances throughout the event include producer Jim Scott, the force behind so many of Neal’s records in conversation with Dave Schools of Widespread Panic and Hard Working Americans; Scott Walker, the creator of Neal’s signature guitar; (my very favorite) pedal steel player Jon Graboff, Neal’s friend, former bandmate, and frequent contributor to Neal’s solo records; and John Ginty, keys extraordinaire and longtime friend and collaborator of Neal’s.
A short film about the making of a John Ginty Band song will premiere during the benefit show before its public release on July 17. The song “Dubenville” features Neal on guitar and is an intoxicating, heady jam.
More special guests and surprises to be announced. The event is expected to run for an hour and a half to two hours and will be followed by a special after-party so grab a cocktail and get comfortable. The after-party lineup includes Tash Neal, Tim Britt, David Kraii, and more.
About TOF Productions
Vito Rinaldo is 72 years old.
A musician in his early life who opened for the likes of Bob Seger and The Zombies, after teaching school for 37 years, he pledged to go to as many shows as possible. He saw CRB at a festival and became a true head, following them around the east coast for years. He struck up an acquaintanceship with Neal, as many fans did, eventually gifting him a t-shirt with a diagram of the original Clarence White B-Bender patent. Neal loved it and would greet Vito with “Clarence!”.
As so many of us did, when Neal passed, Vito wondered whether or not there was something he could have done. And as months passed and COVID-19 hit the industry, he decided he had to find a way to do something to help artists.
He founded ToF Productions as a means to make the live streaming format more personal and interactive for fans and musicians alike – no playing to a blank screen or a faceless parade of comments and emojis. That interactivity is key – when Ross James recently played a Dylan and the Dead set, fans loved not only hearing their favorite songs, but also the copious stories that a player of James’ experience has.
In addition to the enhanced experience, the limited capacity which lends to an exclusivity, 100% of proceeds go to artists. Aside from the virtual door fee, audience members can also tip the artists.
As well as performances by Ross James, Tash Neal has also performed for ToF, Pacific Range is scheduled in the coming weeks, and many more are soon to be announced. Stay tuned by subscribing to the ToF Mailing List.
Tickets for the virtual benefit available here.
Learn more about the Neal Casal Music Foundation here.
This post was updated to include additions to the lineup on July 3, 8:27 AM PST
