When Best Friends first met Neko Case, we presented the highly acclaimed singer/songwriter with the DVD set of the first season of “DogTown,” the National Geographic Channel’s documentary series about the lifesaving work Best Friends does with dogs on a daily basis.

By how she reacted, it was apparent that Case had already seen some of the episodes and had formed a certain opinion of Best Friends. She grasped the set and kissed it.

“The fact that people could be so committed, and be willing to take and stick up for end-of-the-line and aggressive dogs – the death row animals – is what impressed me [about Best Friends],” says Case. “And when I heard that the sanctuary had 3,000 acres, I thought, ‘These people are serious!’ In a climate of bad news these days, it was such an inspiring thing to see.”

Since that first meeting, the phrase “whatever I can do to help” has become like a mantra to Case in the discussions she has had with Best Friends. True to her word, she has granted every single request we have made of her to introduce Best Friends and our work to her legion of dedicated fans.

Not only has she granted those requests, she has taken the initiative herself, allowing Best Friends to benefit financially from the online release of her new single, “People Got a Lotta Nerve,” off her album Middle Cyclone, which will be released March 3. (Read our story about the promotion.)

Now, Case has contributed one of her songs to Giving Animals a Voice Through Music: The Best Friends 25th Anniversary Collection. Half the proceeds from sales of the CD will go to Best Friends. (Giving Animals a Voice Through Music is scheduled to be released March 11 but you can pre-order the CD or sample some of the songs.)
Moreover, she is participating in our Give the Gift program, in which people are encouraged to give the gift of Best Friends membership to family, friends, loved-ones, whomever. As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary celebration, the program is designed to help us double our membership by the end of this year.

Case’s contribution to the anniversary CD is “Star Witness,” off her 2006 album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. The song is one of her most remarkable, highlighting the capacious scope of her voice and the beguiling way she uses language to invoke haunting environments, environments quite often populated by animals. Speaking of her in a recent New York Times Magazine profile of Case, legendary musician, songwriter and producer T Bone Burnett says, “I don’t know of another woman who has that same fullness and power…. She [has] an incredible gift, that voice, and the spirit of a true artist.”

Pivotal in helping to include this song on the Best Friends CD was Case’s manager Amy Lombardi, who happens to be the recipient of Case’s gift of membership. “Amy is a sister to me,” Case says, “and a big part of that bond is our shared love of animals.”

As part of her involvement with the Give the Gift program, Case will be “passing the gift on,” in that she will leave copies of Best Friends magazine in a place where unsuspecting animal lovers might thumb through the magazine and be encouraged to join our cause. Case will be leaving her copies of the magazine at the office of her veterinarian in Tucson, Dr. Phillip Comer (who already is, incidentally, a big supporter of and frequent visitor to Best Friends).

“We are amazed at how gracious Neko has been in helping us promote our cause and getting the word out to her animal-loving fan base,” says Vicki Kilmer-Rinker, director of marketing at Best Friends. “Having that kind of commitment from an artist of her caliber means a lot in terms of raising the Best Friends profile nationally and internationally.”

The story of Case’s visit to Best Friends, and of how animals have been a saving grace in her life and a catalyst for her music, appears in the March/April issue of Best Friends magazine, which hits mailboxes and newsstands next week.

As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.

http://www.nekocase.com/