Visqueen frontwoman/songwriter Rachel Flotard has been busy the last few years working with Neko Case, lending her voice to Neko’s recent albums “Middle Cyclone” and “Fox Confessor Brings The Flood”. During the 2008 presidential election, Flotard shipped herself to southern Laos/Southeast Asia. She became a foreign correspondent for The Seattle Weeky through her blog, and returns to the region to further her rock-and-roll philanthropy in December 2009.

Flotard has appeared on Leno and most recently on Letterman (4/14/09), played guitar with Bill Frisell on NPR (08/06/09) and has toured with Neko throughout the U.S.A., Europe and the U.K. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, Ms. Case returns backing vocal favors on Visqueen’s 3rd release, “Message To Garcia”, joining a spectacular cast of unusual collaborators from pedal steel wizard Jon Rauhouse, to members of The Fastbacks and The Long Winters. The result is a humongous sing-a-long record, with gangs of handclaps, hooks that kill, and the exalted blessing of electric guitars with cello.

Produced by Rachel Flotard with her “King Me” cohort, Barrett Jones (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Message To Garcia is the debut album on Flotard’s new independent record label, Local 638 Records, inspired by her beloved, and recently departed dad’s New York City Steamfitter’s union. (www.local638records.com)

“Message To Garcia” (mixed by Young Fresh Fellow and Fastback, Kurt Bloch) is the elder sister to two previous NW album favorites:

1) King Me (2003/Produced by Barrett Jones - Foo’s, Melvins)
2) Sunset On Dateland (2004/Produced by Phil Ek – Band Of Horses, The Dodos, Built, Fleet Foxes. Mixed by Adam Kasper – Queens Of The Stone Age, Tenacious D.