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An unofficial news blog for Neil Young fans from Thrasher's Wheat with concert and album updates, reviews, analysis, and other Rock & Roll ramblings. Separating the wheat from the chaff since 1996.
"Powderfinger": The International Harvesters Era Style
Powderfinger by Neil Young and The International Harvesters, circa ~1984.
"Powderfinger" is one Neil's most enduring and beloved songs in his vast catalog. Curiously omitted from his latest album A Treasure, the song "Powderfinger" was a setlist regular during the 1984-1985 International Harvesters tours.
And we're not the only ones. Of all the mail and comments that we receive here at Thrasher's Wheat, nothing compares with how frequently the topic of "Powderfinger" comes up. While many long time fans sort of roll their eyes at the subject, it seems that no other song so transfixes the more "casual" fan.
But even today, the question of what does the song "Powderfinger" mean continues to be the source of endless theories.
We've had these letters and comments piling up all over the place and thought the time had finally come to try and consolidate to find a more permanent home for these far flung interpretations.
One of Neil's most iconic and classic songs...I remember discussing this song with my college friends in 1980 - we'd listen to it over and over again (under the influence of who knows what!) and debate the story...it's fascinating to see the song still resonates as profoundly now as it did then...
Someone in another blog said something to the affect that 'Powderfinger' was a truly American song that touched on many themes without settling on one, and I tend to agree with that. I see the setting in the day - how else could 22 see a white boat coming up the river a mile away? Beyond that, I've always pictured a Southern scene, obviously a backwoods family earning what they saw to be an 'honest living' that wasn't perhaps legal...my wife's family were moonshiners in WV, and I can tell you they to this day believe they did NO wrong other than get caught!
As far as the specific scene, I see 22 as doing what he thinks is right regardless of knowing he is out-gunned and in a hopeless situation, that his actions of firing are his last (and only?) defiant act of protecting their lifestyle...as far as the white boat, in my mind it's the 'Government', the setting is the late 1800's, early 1900's...
I don't know if anyone will get the definitive answer as to the circumstance surrounding 'Powderfinger', but it's obviously a powerful song that, IMHO, is one of Neil's greatest, which is saying a lot considering his incredible breadth of work.
Got a hunch on what "Powderfinger" is all about? Drop a comment below.
Review of the Moment: Neil Young's A Treasure "A genre unto itself"
The Review of the Moment of Neil Young's A Treasure is from associatedcontent.com by Robert Clark Young:
I've been left with two things from that Neil Young show of twenty-seven years ago: hot lava-like musical memories; and a scratchy bootleg a fellow fan sent me in 2003.
But this month I have a new experience to add to that old experience:
Neil has released his own reminiscence of that tour, A Treasure, the latest album in the Performance Series from his Archives project. It would be a mistake to call this album country music, although it is country music; it would be a mistake to call it country rock, although it is country rock; it would be a mistake to call it folk rock, although it is folk rock; and it would be a mistake to call it hard rock, although it is hard rock.
The man who made this record is famous for defying all labels, so let's just call it the music of Neil Young, a genre unto himself.
Read the full wonderfully evocative and in depth 9 page review at associatedcontent.com.
The lineup for Farm Aid 2011 has just been announced.
In addition to Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews, the following bands will perform at the Farm Aid 2011 Concert in Kansas City, Kansas on August 13:
Jason Mraz,
Jamey Johnson,
Jakob Dylan,
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real,
Will Dailey & the Rivals,
Robert Francis,
Pegi Young & the Survivors,
Rebecca Pidgeon,
Billy Joe Shaver and
John Trudell
Dave Matthews, Neil Young & John Mellencamp - Milwaukee, WI, 2010 Photo Gallery by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Willie Nelson has been helping family farmers for over 25 years and has raised awareness of healthy foods while raising funds for the cause.
Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Farm Aid has raised more than $37 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on their land.
John Mellencamp is campaigning to get Willie Nelson a Nobel Peace Prize. The interview took place on SIRIUS XM Willie's Place at Farm Aid 25 in Milwaukee, Wisc.
Also, please share with friends to raise awareness. Use the Share button, located at the very bottom left of Willie Nelson for Nobel Peace Prize page on Facebook! Thanks everybody for liking!
Comment of the Moment: Buffalo Springfield Reunion Dynamics
Buffalo Springfield - Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA - 6/2/11
Naturally, quite a bit of discussion around the Buffalo Springfield reunion gigs and the band's dynamics and interplay.
It would seem that much of the triumph centers around the mutual respect, the spotlight that Richie Furay so rightly deserves, the come back of Stephen Stills, and Neil Young's somewhat muted but enthusiastic presence.
We can think of no better example than the video above of "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing".
We all know the story. Neil wrote the song. Richie sang it on the album because producers didn't think Neil could sing.
Now watch and listen to it 40+ years later... and cry that this never could have happened back in the old folkie days...
Don't disagree with the comments but its clear that in the current iteration of the Buffalo Springfield Neil is the star, he's the reason this is happening, he's the relevant one ... its just stating the facts ...
its Neil's graciousness and lack of ego to step back and be just "part of the band" that enables this whole fabulous experiment to exist ... when you look at it in perspective, that in the old days they tried to discourage Neil from singing his own songs because he had a unique voice, its all the more impressive that he's willing to so joyfully return to a configuration which in many ways really held him back ...
true, this band was the band of their youth, they were a legendary band with immense talent and potential that was largely expressed in live shows and never properly captured in the studio, so for those who knew them then knew them, kinda seems impossible to know the original BS if you weren't there ... their implosion opened the door for Neil to become among the greatest singer songwriters / rock and rollers / musical artists of the last 50 years ...
seeing it come full circle is an amazing thing and kudos to all the band members for curtailing their egos, going out there and having a great time ... in the past years we've seen Neil bring back so much of his past from the squires, to the harvest material, now the BS, I guess for this die hard Neil fan this current iteration of the BS is another iteration of the long, always running Neil Young show...
Regarding the Buffalo Springfield 2011 tour, I concur [that the three members are showing great respect for the Music and each other].
It's Neil's people that are running the tour and it's Neil who is running the show onstage, but it's Richie who's holding it all together.
People have said that they have never seen Neil so happy to be onstage, and just enjoying the heck out of the whole show. I know that they are all thinking "why didn't we do this before? Oh well, better late than never!"
I've read on all of the blogs about what a "bucket list" item this has been, and I am one of them. When I attended the 1st Oakland show, I joked about "who are all of these old people?" On the other hand, I've also read that due to some health issues, some of us may not be around in a couple of years or so, but that they were glad to have seen these guys perform again. I could just as easily be in that category too.
My own perspective is that I was one of many, many people who were very upset when the Buffalo Springfield first broke up. I did follow Neil's career, and I was a fan of Poco, but CSN, not so much. To have Neil having to go through a "job interview" with Graham Nash is insulting to me. I never did care for him.
At the same time, I was never one of Neils' dedicated fans who hung on his every word, note, nuance, nor did I attempt to dissect, analyze, and try to get into the deep, deep pysche of Neil. I was just a music fan and thought of Neil as a member of one of my favorite bands.
As many of those who have reviewed the Buffalo's shows are for the most part younger fans of Neil's, (like Michael Golden) I am sensing that they really didn't get at first the affinity and reverence that Neil (and Stephen and Richie) has for the band. Big Chief says that Neil never referes to past records for insight and direction, and yet, here he is at the beginning. Neil understands that while he may be in 'charge', this band is greater than the sum of it's parts. It is a band in a true sense that the lawyers never were. (CSN&Y)
I have seen some of Neil's solo shows too over the years, and his demeanor many times was one of dark, brooding, intense, introspective, and focused. (that Lighthouse Beam) With the Buffalo, people have commented that they have never seen him so relaxed, joking and laughing, and enjoying the moment. Neil is basking in the glow of the Buffalo. Also, saying things like he did at Santa Barbara. "Richie's OUR lead singer. Now, we all sing lead, but Richie's the lead singer of 'this' band."
See them while you can, because the Buffalo won't be running forever(except in our hearts).
On this day 235 year ago -- July the 4th, 1776 -- the thirteen American colonies declared independence from Great Britain and announced they would no longer be a part of the British Empire.
Written by Thomas Jefferson, the American Declaration of Independence is now seen as a universal human rights statement:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
And on January 1st of this year, we wrote about Freedom in a New Year, which has been viewed -- in hindsight -- as somewhat prophetic for the events that would soon unfold.
The album contains the song "Rockin' In The Free World" and is one of Young's most popular, important and prophetic songs of his vast catalog.
The song has become an iconic anthem and it's status continues to rise as more and more artists cover the song. Young's lyrics are considered to be an indictment of the politics of the 1980's. In today's post-9/11 world, the lyrics seem prophetic and even more meaningful than when originally written on the eve of the '90's as the Berlin Wall fell.
Twenty years on, the song "Rockin' In The Free World" has become an encore finale for bands around the world, as well as, a coda for the days that used to be.
So. Freedom ... Is It All Really Just An Illusion Now?
"The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it."
Buffalo Springfield: "For What It's Worth" - Monterey 1967
[Continued]
"Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know."
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young's "Chicago"
Freedom: Chicago - August 1968 "We can change the world, re-arrange the world"
[Continued]
"[We have an] obligation to inform and alert the American people -- to make certain that they possess all the facts that they need, and understand them as well -- the perils, the prospects, the purposes of our program and the choices that we face.
Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed -- and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment-- the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution -- not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply "give the public what it wants" -- but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion."
"And so it is to the printing press -- to the recorder of man's deeds, the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news -- that we look for strength and assistance, confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: free and independent." JFK - 1961
Yet the song "Rockin' In The Free World" is often misunderstood and attacked on false interpretations and misplaced understandings. Witness some of the near violent comments that have been left on this blog over the years in reaction to some of our previous postings on the song's lyrical analysis (see comments here and here.)
There are those who have argued that "Rockin' in the Free World" espouses anti-freedom ideals, to which we have taken serious issue with in the past.
As always, we live in dangerous times where those who stand for freedom are often accused of treason and worse. Such times are now and the struggle for freedom -- even among those who feel they are actually free -- is more paramount than ever. The right to live and speak freely is an inalienably human right that can never be assumed nor taken for granted.
You need only understand the true context of George Bush’s “thousand points of light” reference. It has nothing to do with a call to civic and charitable involvement. Rather, it is a reference to Illuminism, an encoded esoteric call to arms signaling to all the wreckers throughout the world that the time has come to declare out in the open (in George Bush’s own words), a “New World Order”.
In the United States more and more recognize the disconnect between government and the needs of most Americans. They see how crony capitalist policies lead to the largest wealth divide we have known with increasing poverty, joblessness, underemployment and insecurity. At the same time the Congress, Treasury and Federal Reserve funnel trillions of dollars to the big banks, but demand cuts for programs that would create jobs, fund state and local government, build the infrastructure, provide basic necessities and protect the environment. This is the first generation of Americans who see that their children are likely to be worse off than they are.
Say what you will about Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young's 1988 album American Dream, but it did contain some quite lacerating and scathing commentary on the state of the American Dream.
The video is clearly an indictment of the rampant corruption of the U.S. President Ronald Reagan's administration and the Iran-Contra coverup scandal where high ranking government officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, which had been specifically prohibited by Congress (The Boland Amendment).
And here we are 23 years later. My how things have changed for that American Dream...
You wake up in the middle of the night. Your sheets are wet and your face is white, You tried to make a good thing last, How could something so good, go bad, so fast?
American dream, American dream American dream, American dream.
Don't know when things went wrong, Might have been when you were young and strong. American dream, American dream. Don't know when things went wrong, Might have been when you were young and strong. American dream, American dream.
Traitor and Patriot? Thomas Jefferson "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." Author of American Declaration of Independence
So how exactly could something so good, go so bad, so fast?
>> Pre-Order on Amazon.com << 
Human Highway
Concert Review of the Moment
This Land is My Land
FREEDOM In A New Year
*Thanks Neil!*
![[EFC Blue Ribbon - Free Speech Online]](http://www.thrasherswheat.org/gifs/free-speech.gif)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young
Pardon My Heart
"We're The Ones 
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