VIDEO: A Giant Walks - Neil Young and Crazy Horse Down Under

Here's a very cool video of Neil Young and Crazy Horse performing "Walk Like A Giant" from the 2013 Australia-New Zealand Tour.

The video consists of three different performances from Sydney, Geelong and Perth finale.

A Giant Walks indeed.

Nice job Rod!

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Induction Film: 2011 Canada's JUNO Award to Neil Young

In 2011, Neil Young was honored with the 2011 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award at Canada's Juno Awards.

Here is the complete career highlights film, including the introduction by Producer Daniel Lanois and Neil's touching acceptance speech.

Here's a transcript of Acceptance Speech by Neil Young at Canada's JUNO Awards.

Can there be any doubt that Neil Young is a Humanitarian Rebel With Causes?

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BEST STORY EVER: Ed Robertson Hangs With Neil Young

Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies is a huge Neil Young fan. So when he got the chance to play Neil's Bridge School Benefit, he was happy to do it.

One thing he didn't necessarily expect: getting to hang out with Neil himself, and Crazy Horse to boot. But it happened... And Neil was a great host.

Best. Neil. Story. Ever.

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Guitar Infographic: Neil Young’s Old Black

Infographic: Neil Young’s Old Black
(Click photo to enlarge)
Maybe everything if you've ever wanted to know about Neil Young’s guitar Old Black.

Guitars of Legend: That Rock and Roll Sound by Mike:

Exactly where does that legendary guitar sound come from? You bought a guitar, patched it into an amp, unsheathed your plectrum and played your favorite riff note for note, yet it sounded nothing like it should.

The beautiful thing about an electric guitar is the endless ways you can tweak, modify and manipulate the sound. Whatever guitar sound you have in your head is possible through some combination of pickups, pedals and powered speakers.

This infographic was designed to put together the details of the most legendary guitars (and their sound) of all time. From Neil Young’s Old Black to Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Strat Number One.

More on Neil Young’s guitars and sound and Anatomy of ‘Old Black’ Guitar .

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VIDEO: "Surfer Joe & Moe The Sleaze" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Auckland 2013

Neil Young and Crazy Horse perform "Surfer Joe & Moe The Sleaze" for the first time in over 20 years!

Per Sugar Mountain - Neil Young Set Lists, "Surfer Joe & Moe The Sleaze" last played on 1990-11-13, The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, California.

From Auckland, New Zealand concert on Mar 21, 2013.

"Here's a story about Surfer Joe
He caught the big one, and he let it go."

Stunning.

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An Alchemy Tattoo Way Down Under: A Neil Young Fan Story

2013 Alchemy Tour: Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Thanks Lee "Astrolee" B.!
(Click photo to enlarge)One of the best things about running a Neil Young fan site is that you meet up with folks who are more into Neil than we are! Imagine that?!

Lots of fantastic stories from the 2013 Australia/New Zealand Tour of Neil Young and Crazy Horse and here's a very cool Neil story.

Rustie extraordinaire Lee "Astrolee" B., in preparation for the Alchemy Tour, got herself a tattoo for the roadtrip. Lee had her first tattoo done in 2009 when she was 53. On her back she has a large Moon/Sun/Stars layout as they have had a special significant role in her life hence her "handle" name of "astrololee". Underneath the symbols are some words from songs she likes that reflected her life at that stage.

So now the Neil Young and Crazy Horse tattoo has become her 2nd tattoo. Lee "Astrolee" wrote us:

I was so excited that NY&CH were coming down under. Our Aussie Rustie group had all contributed to designing a t-shirt to wear to the shows and I liked the design so much I decided to have a permanent reminder of the occasion.

I only received my T-shirt on the Monday the 25th Feb and on the Tuesday the full moon and the date of Neil and the guys arrival into Australia I went down to "The Tattoo Shop" in Bundoora Victoria to get it done that night after work! (Neil does his best work on the full moon) so that's when I wanted it done as well but arrrrgh, Britt (young lady 30yo) couldn't do it then, so l had to wait until the 27th...only 3 days before the first Oz gig in Perth. It took only 1 1/2 hrs to stencil, outline and colour.

Wooohoooo It was a breeze, NO it did not hurt!

Now here's Lee's report from the Neil Young and Crazy Horse Australia leg where she made all of the continent's concerts.

As part of the privileged group of Oz Rusties, 8 of us graced the front row at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre "looking for a good time" for the 2nd gig of Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Alchemy Tour - Australia and New Zealand leg, and certainly a good time is what we got, only it was so much more than we all imagined it would or could be!

I have always held the notion... "Have no expectations in life and the unexpected will definitely happen". On the other hand one of my friends has an opposing view with the idea of, "If you have no expectations then you will get nothing", so I can now tell you, she is sooooo totally wrong lol!

After waiting on the western side of the venue for GA to open, the day was hot enough to get badly sunburnt and when the venue finally let us in, there was no time to grab water as taking up pole position was the far greater priority! Phew made it to the front rail..lol..hog front frail...stare down anyone coming within two inches of OUR personal space and you are going to cop it!! Yep, us Aussies are brutal but after all this was, NEIL YOUNG AND CRAZY HORSE!

Precisely at 7.30pm the support act "Husky" an Indie band from Melbourne came on and we all politely listened through "Husky's" melodically harmonised acoustic setlist which included the songs "Tidal Wave, Fake Moustache and The Woods". At times some of the words sung by Husky Gawenda, the bands' lead vocalist, were a little short on fluid diction however the use of their instruments and the bands harmonisation more than made up for the little nuance of not quite hearing all the words! Husky are the discovery of FM radio Triple JJJ with the band winning the "unearthed" title in 2011. They are currently working on their 2nd album after releasing their first album "Forever So" to critical acclaim in July 2012, which they backed up with a short tour last Sept/Oct 2012 to the Netherlands, France and United States. During Husky's setlist they played 3 new tunes, "Wolfman, Weary Soldier & Years Gone By", whether these 3 songs make it to the next album will remain to be seen, as they are still works in progress.

On The Aussie Rail w/ Lee "Astrolee", Stringman & Kaz
(Click photo to enlarge)

As 7 of the 8 of us on the rails, had previously attended the Perth gig 3 days before, we all knew that we would be thoroughly entertained with the antics of the crazy mad scientists reminiscent of "Rust" days whom ran around frantically tuning the oversized amps and generally ensuring that the stage was correctly set to precise measurements as well as ensuring the oversized mike would be lowered in place and correctly positioned with a little help and adjustment from a "digeridoo", which is a wooded wind instrument created by the original aboriginal inhabitants of Australia, consisting of naturally shaped timber, internally bored out and ceremoniously painted and played by using circular breathing techniques in order to produce a haunting sound.

We also basically knew that the setlist would be roughly the same...however we also, all know "that it's only real in the way Neil feels from day to day...so having no thoughts, preconceived or otherwise, about how the gig might progress, we waited and then waited some more, for the lights to dim with the familiar strains of the "Beatles" intro "Day In The Life" whilst the crazy scientists (roadies) stood erect in their white lab coats; as Neil and the guys casually walked on stage to the strains of "Advance Australian Fair", thankfully shortened this time to one verse! The Perth gig included our lesser known and not usually sung 2nd & 3rd verse causing much hilarity amongst Neil's camp when we didn't sing along, so thankfully it was dropped off at the Adelaide gig after much jestering from our end that we dont usually sing it!! One Rustie with the "handle" of "The Old Laughing Lady" remarked that we all probably knew the "Star Spangled Banner" anthem better than our own...haha what sacrilege, and we all bet that Neil would have known the Canadian anthem backwards lol!

Anyway with all that over, Neil slapped Ralph on the back as he headed to the drum riser and then nodded knowingly to Poncho and Billy that it was time to Rock, Loud, Gloriously Loud and with that first strum on the chords, "Love and Only Love" exploded with an unleashed force into the venue, so much more powerful than even the previous Perth gig, 3 days earlier. Maybe it was the smaller intimate venue that made it more vibrant, I'm not sure however from that moment on, we all knew they were all on fire and Neil was gonna show all the whingers, whom only wanted his Greatest Hits repeated, how it's done with The Horse! On hearing that first power chord from Old Black, from the rails, we all went nuts!!!

And so the night progressed with long joyous guitar jams between Neil and Poncho; thunderous feedback distortion fed directly back into those huge amps by Neil and Billy especially during "Walk Like A Giant". Some of songs were interlaced with little side riffs, duals between Poncho and Neil too, as well as borrowed tunes within the tunes, especially when they did "F@#kin Up" which was hilarious! Neil especially added to Poncho's antics of being given the finger and kicked up the bum by refraining in a high falsetto voice, repeating the words " Feels So Good"! It was a brilliant display of the commaradrie between the two with Ralphie and Billy grinning along. Ralph throughout the night gave both his arms and the drumkit an absolute workout with some well timed, powerful drum strokes, in the purest tone, no fancy, artsy fartsy shit that rock drummers today seem to engage in, just for show. This was just tremendous pounding that was a force to be reckoned with which was perfectly executed, the years of experience showed as Ralph made it look like a cakewalk! It was a joy to watch!

Oh Yeah, have I mentioned about some of the best harmony to date, from Billy and Ralph during all songs but especially on Ramada lnn, which was truly epic, and always makes me cry..shit we have all experienced a Ramada Inn situation in our lives, and getting old and reflecting back is an essential part of life's process!

Billy's Bass was truly beautiful in this song, needless to say the bass created the mood and feeling for all the songs, the bass always tells its own distinct story and is often overlooked especially in light of the brilliant guitar work from Poncho complimenting Neil's brilliantly worked lead. If at times you have been guilty of ignoring the essential requirement of adding mood and emotion to a band, like I often had, then try taking the Bass out of this band and you've have nothing but a raucous mess lol!

And now to Neil ....he was amazing, mesmerizing, totally into it, the music he created that night consumed and impassioned him, he was on fire, completely encapsulated by its power to be completely taken to his own private head space and I know us fans revelled in those moments where we were sucked into that vortex and were taken along with him for the ride...it was so Fckn Extraordinary that I know I did not ever want the songs to stop! One of our mob even yelled out to Neil after finishing Ramada Inn, "Do it again"....Hahahahahaha but this night was never gonna be a repeat of Neil's "Tonight The Night" days...lol!

Now we all know that Neil can really rock it with The Horse, real loud but they also have their quieter moments. The acoustic songs numbered to only three. "Twisted Road" from PP as well as a newie named, "Hole in the Sky" and then the usual singalong from the crowd for "Heart of Gold". Then the unreleased "Singer Without a Song" was tunefully played by Neil on the piano whilst a "un-named" person sauntered wistfully across the stage with a guitar case in hand, to visually display the content and forlorness of the song!

The setlist http://www.sugarmtn.org/getshows.php?venue_key=962 numbering in the low teens was a mix through the decades with Mr Soul and Cinnamon Girl from the 60's, Hey Hey, My My & Like a Hurricane from the 70's, Love and Only Love from the 90s.

The night of course went too quickly and one the biggest highlights for our mob came at the end of the show when Neil embraced by his mates to do their final bow; that was when Ralph pointed out our "WooHoo" sign to Neil, Poncho and Billy to which they responded by all shouting back to us, several "WooHoo's" It was a real hoot and we loved it!
Other highs for the night were of course ...

"Fuckin Up", "Walk Like A Giant" "Ramada Inn" and the encore "Like A Hurricane". Yep the night was memorable even psychedelic without consuming any "pill" to induce euphoria as the magic came from the thrill of seeing and hearing Neil and Crazy Horse in full flight!
Woooooooooooohoooooooooooo!

Lee "Astrolee" concludes with this:

I love getting tattooed...feels pleasant and soothing, you can just zone out...key to success just talk to the other guys in the shop...yep thats easy, l can talk heaps.. lol....talk about music..even easier.....and bingo you're done..lol!

Folks reactions - hahahahahahhahaahahahahahha....ranged from:-
OMG OMG OMG OMG CRAZY (Sister)
AWESOME (Niece)
KEWL (Nephew)
AMAZING (Best friend)
OUCH (Friend)
DON'T GET "IT" (Friend)
WOW - DIDN'T THINK YOU WOULD GO THROUGH WITH IT (rustie - Little Reggie)
LOTS OF POSITIVE COMMENTS FROM ALL THE RUSTIES - YAY!!!!

and my reaction
WOOHOOOOOOO LOVE IT
"The Tattoo Shop" provided a professional and hygienic experience. All staff were a treasure and l will go there again.

Lee "Astrolee" B. at "The Tattoo Shop"
(Click photo to enlarge)Thanks Lee "Astrolee"! What a terrific Neil story. Thanks for sharing with all of us.

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Shock & Awe: 10th Anniversary of Still Living With War

As Neil Young has stated: "History is a cruel judge of overconfidence."

It's now been 10 years since the days of "Shock & Awe" and "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq.

And. We're. Still. Living. With. War.

So just as Neil Young was right about the Vietnam War being wrong, so he was again by warning of the consequences of reckless war in Iraq.


Leia's Daddy: Find the Cost of Freedom
From Pressing Issues: When Neil Young Hit Bush, and the Media, On Iraq by Greg Mitchell, the former editor of Editor & Publisher (the newspaper for newspaper editors) and author of "So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits and the President Failed on Iraq.":

Neil Young: Rock star as journo? It essentially happened in 2006 when Neil Young, son of a famous Canadian sportswriter, hurriedly wrote and released (only online at first) his ripped-from-the-headlines Living With War CD. He even proposed impeaching the president "for lying" (and "for spying"). In one of the songs in the collection, Young sang repeatedly: "Don't need no more lies."

He emphasized the prohibition against the media showing pictures of coffins with the American dead being returned from Iraq, singing: "Thousands of bodies in the ground/ Brought home in boxes to a trumpet's sound/ No one sees them coming home that way/ Thousands buried in the ground." In another song: "More boxes covered in flags/ but I can't see them on TV."

When Young urged that Americans "Impeach the President," he included audio clips of embarrassing Bush statements ("We'll smoke them out ..."). But a highlight of the collection was the blistering "Shock and Awe," which, along with its antiwar lyrics, included the more philosophical "History is a cruel judge of overconfidence." He also recalled that "back in the days of Mission Accomplished ... the sun was setting on another photo op."

"There's one more kid that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool."
Photo by Chris Hondros - NYTimes.com
More on why we're still living with war.

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Comment of the Moment: Does Neil Young owe you his hits? No, he doesn’t.

Neil Young And Crazy Horse
The Plenary, Melbourne (13/03/2013)
Photo Gallery by Luke Sutton
(Click photo to enlarge)
The other day we posted about the ongoing saga of Doubters and Believers on Does Neil Young owe you his hits? No, he doesn’t.

And would you believe it but folks accused us of stirring up a debate?! C'mon proud doubter dude, but this aggression will not stand, man.

From a comment by astrololee:

I went to all Australian gigs and each night was different, even with mostly the same setlist...differing towards the end of each night and not once did I come away bored, dissatisfied or pissed off because they hadn't done this or that!

Neil and Crazy Horse could have played "God Save the Queen" all night long and I bet each time they did, you would have heard different riffs, solos and "lol" even words!

In fact after each gig I left elated, on a high and fckn impressed...so much so I still have not "come down" even yet and not likely too for the rest of the year....NOTHING compares or even comes close to seeing these guys all perform together, so tight, totally in sync with each other with an understanding and awareness of each other that only years of experience.

All gigs were fantastically performed with passion, enthusiasm and ferociousness that is sadly lacking from a lot of younger bands..and believe me I'm old but still get to around 20 bigger concerts a year plus other smaller gigs in clubs and pubs!

No Neil does not owe you a damn thing..it's the other way around...I owe him and these guys for giving me a life filled with words that personally mean a lot to me, melodies that have woven a pathway to my heart and soul and have become part of my psyche and who I have am today. Neil has been in my life, throughout my troubled youth and even more stressful early adult life. I owe them for probably saving my life from despair and depression on many occasions. Neil and Crazy Horse have given me a life worth living to the full...the passion in the music that these guys have created has put me in touch with other souls whom feel the same, for which I am externally grateful.

Long live Neil, Frankie, Ralphie and Billy....I owe You and I can only repay you guys by saying Thank You...it's not enough but believe me, it's said with "Rustie" love...wooohooo!

Nice Astrololee! So you made all the AUS concerts?! Awesome. :)

More concert tour reviews on 2013 Australia/New Zealand: Neil Young and Crazy Horse.

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Jason Molina: 1973 – 2013

Jason Molina: 1973 – 2013
Sadly, Jason Molina has passed away.

We've had a few comments and notes on Jason's passing and wanted to share this note from Mark Merrifield of Off The Beaten Tracks, who is a massive Neil Young fan and regular visitor here to Thrasher's Wheat site. Here's Jason Molina and Magnolia Electric Company rocking out live and brilliantly weaving in Neil's "Out on the Weekend" (@~6:00) from 2005's live album Trials and Errors.

You can clearly hear how much Neil Young's music heavily influenced Jason's sound and lyrics. Jason was the cornerstone of Secretly Canadian.



From Magnolia Electric Co.:

We are deeply saddened to announce that Jason Andrew Molina passed away in his home in Indianapolis this past Saturday, March 16th of natural causes at age 39.

Jason was a world class musician, songwriter & recording artist. He was also a beloved friend. He first caught international attention in 1996 when he began releasing albums under the name Songs: Ohia. In 2003 he started the band Magnolia Electric Co. Between those two bands he released over a dozen critically-acclaimed albums and — starting in 1997 — he toured the world every year until he had to stop in 2009 to deal with severe alcoholism. Jason was incredibly humbled by his fans’ support through the years and said that the two most important words he could ever say are “Thank you.”

This is especially hard for us to share. Jason is the cornerstone of Secretly Canadian. Without him there would be no us — plain and simple. His singular, stirring body of work is the foundation upon which all else has been constructed. After hearing and falling in love with the mysterious voice on his debut single “Soul” in early 1996, we approached him about releasing a single on our newly formed label. For some reason he said yes. We drove from Indiana to New York to meet him in person and he handed us what would become the first of many JMo master tapes. And with the Songs: Ohia One Pronunciation of Glory 7” we were given a voice as a label.

The subsequent self-titled debut was often referred to by fans as The Black Album. Each Songs: Ohia album to follow proved a new, haunting thesis statement from a prodigal songwriter whose voice and soul burned far beyond that of the average twenty-something. There was organ-laced, sepia-toned econimica (1998’s Impala) and charred-hearted, free form balladry (1999’s Axxess and Ace). There were the dark glacial make-out epics of 2000’s The Lioness and the jungle incantations of 2000’s Ghost Tropic. There was the career-defining agnostic’s gospel of 2002’s Didn’t It Rain, an album about setting roots that also seemed to offer solace to a world that had recently seen its bar on terror raised. It was followed in 2003 by a thrilling about-face, the instant classic Magnolia Electric Co., which took Jason’s songwriting to ’70s classic rock heights. The move was such a powerful moment for Molina that Magnolia Electric Co. became the new moniker under which would perform until 2009. With Magnolia Electric Co., Jason found a brotherhood in his bandmates, with whom he built an incredible live experience and made a truly classic album in Josephine (2009).

We’re going to miss Jason. He was generous. He was a one of a kind. And he had a voice unlike any other.

Fans can contribute to Jason’s medical fund as a memorial gift by sending money via PayPal.

Hold on, Magnolia, to that great highway moon
No one has to be that strong
But if you’re stubborn like me
I know what you’re trying to be

Hold on, Magnolia, I hear that station bell ring
You might be holding the last light I see
Before the dark finally gets a hold of me

Hold on, Magnolia, I know what a true friend you’ve been
In my life I have had my doubts
But tonight I think I’ve worked it out with all of them

Hold on, Magnolia, to the thunder and the rain
To the lightning that has just signed my name to the bottom line

Hold on, Magnolia, I hear that lonesome whistle whine
Hold on, Magnolia, I think its almost time

Jason, you are missed. You never call.

peace

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Does Neil Young owe you his hits? No, he doesn’t.

Neil Young w/ guitar "decoration"*
A Day On The Green, Hunter Valley, AUS - Mar 9, 2013
Photo Gallery by Miron "Stub King" M. - Picasa Web Albums
(Click photo to enlarge)
Long time readers of TW know for some time now we've been challenging the "Neil Doubters". Oddly, on the just completed leg of Neil Young and Crazy Horse's Australia & New Zealand Alchemy Tour, the essence of "The Doubters" was revealed in all of its inherent contradictions.

Which brings us to this blog post which picks up on the "The Doubters" phenomenon and offers some advice. From Does Neil Young owe you his hits? No, he doesn’t. | Meadowlake Street by Nick Milligan:

[This negative reaction] brings up the debate on what an artist owes the audience for the price of their admission.

Isn’t buying a ticket to see an artist perform… just that? As long as they perform with conviction, haven’t they done their job? Seeing an artist like Neil Young – who is a legend in his own lifetime and continues to write fresh, influential and vital rock recordings – is, as I mentioned, a privilege. Does an artist owe the audience their most popular songs? The short answer is “no”. The slightly longer answer is “of course they fucking don’t”. For personal reasons, it’s momentous to see and hear an artist perform a song that you have some emotional connection with. But those moments are special and rare. Your admission fee does not guarantee them. You have no right to demand them.

To all the people that thought Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s show was “self-indulgent”, I’ll let you in on a little secret. All creativity is, by nature and definition, self-indulgent. Every live act you’ve ever seen is self-indulgent. The whole process of writing, recording and performing music is about self-indulgence. Every touring act is self-indulgent. Fair-weather fans, who buy tickets to see artists with the expectation they’ll hear all their favourite songs and have a nice little sing-along, need to pull their heads out of their arses. They need to get a grip on reality. They need to take a long walk through the hall of mirrors.

Thanks Nick! Nailed it.

More from Does Neil Young owe you his hits? No, he doesn’t. | Meadowlake Street by Nick Milligan and the story of Neil's guitar "decoration"*.

Also, see more on obligations to audiences on Artistic Freedom and Commerce.

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VIDEO: "Hey Hey My My" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Sydney 10 March 2013 - YouTube

"Hey Hey My My" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, AUS on Mar 10, 2013.

Smell the Horse on this one.

This is why Crazy Horse is the equivalent of the "North American Rolling Stones."

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