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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.
2014-07-07, Laugardalshöllin, Reykjavík, Iceland
1. Love and Only Love
2. Goin' Home
3. Days That Used To Be
4. Don't Cry No Tears
5. Love To Burn
6. Separate Ways
7. Only Love Can Break Your Heart
8. Blowin' In The Wind
9. Heart Of Gold
10. Barstool Blues
11. Psychedelic Pill
12. *New song
13. Rockin' In The Free World
---
14. Like A Hurricane
Neil Young debuted a brand new song at his first ever Iceland show on Monday night.
‘Who’s Gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth’ was performed by Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Laugardalsholl in Reykjavik, Iceland. It was the first time Young had ever played in the Nordic country.
Young also included the extremely rare ‘Separate Ways, last played just once in in 2008 and then 35 times in 1993. The song was recorded for the unreleased ‘Homegrown’ album in 1975. The album was shelved for ‘Tonight’s The Night’.
‘Goin’ Home’ from 2002’s ‘Are You Passionate?’ also made the setlist. It was last played in 2003. ‘Days From Used To Be’ was played for the first time since 1991.
The Iceland show was also the first Crazy Horse show of 2014 and first without founding member Billy Talbot who suffered a stroke last month and was forced to withdraw from the band. Longtime Neil Young associate Rick Rosas is the current bass player for Crazy Horse.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse setlist, July 7, 2014 Iceland
Love and Only Love (from Ragged Glory, 1990)
Goin’ Home (from Are You Passionate?, 2002)
Days That Used To Be (from Ragged Glory, 1990)
Don’t Cry No Tears (from Zuma, 1975)
Love To Burn (from Ragged Glory, 1990)
Separate Ways (unreleased 1975)
Only Love Can Break Your Heart (from After The Goldrush, 1970)
Blowin’ In The Wind (from Weld, 1991)
Heart Of Gold (from Harvest, 1972)
Barstool Blues (from Zuma, 1975)
Psychedelic Pill (from Psychedelic Pill, 2012)
Who’s Gonna Stand Up And Save The Earth (new)
Rockin’ In The Free World (from Freedom, 1996)
Like A Hurricane (from American Stars & Bars, 1977)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will be performing tonight at Laugardalshöllin, Reykjavík, Iceland.
From ATP Iceland @atpiceland:
Playing times for tonight's show: Doors 7:00pm / @mugison 8:00pm / @Neilyoung 9:00pm / Curfew 12:00am #atpiceland
Also, a note that just rolled in from on the scene in Iceland for tonight...
Hi again!
I had the pleasure of doing a short interview with Neil today.....and saw them play a couple of songs It was absolutely fantastic!!!
They sounded amazing with Rick Rosas and the two backing vocalists - Neil is in a fantastic form and looks like a teenager on stage......as you know....
And i don´t know if you have seen this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WqELOUAguk
This is me and one of Icelands biggest POPstar (Páll Óskar) doing Heart of gold live on my show in may.....and by doing this we announced the cover/tribute song contest.
This has been a big day for me....because apart from beiing a radio dj/head of music here at the radio in Iceland i´m a Neil Young fan......i´ve seen him 13 times....and even flew to San Fransisco once to attend The Bridgse School benefit concert in 2000. So i´m really happy about everything today.
and here is this short interview i did......not the best i´ve done.....but Neil was great
Kana More tomorrow! All the best - Kveðja ! Ólafur Páll Gunnarsson - Verkefnisstjóri tónlistar á Rás 2 Ríkisútvarpið Efstaleiti 1 150 Reykjavík Sími: 5153-000 olipalli@ruv.is "Rust never sleeps" - Neil Young
Thanks Oli! Enjoy the concert. Looking forward to any reports.
Longtime Broken Arrow editor Scott Sandie has included a letter to readers in the latest issue which reflects his current thinking on the publication after 13 years and 52 issues (of 134 total) at the helm. Scott and his wife Jo have put in countless hours into the labor love we know as "BA" and they are to be humbly thanked. We can certainly understand the toll it takes to produce content year after year for "only the joy and satisfaction of sharing Neil appreciation with our fellow fans".
So enjoy the break Scott & Jo! To quote, as someone once to wrote us: "It is alright to say goodbye. You have done some folks a great service for a long long time and we appreciate the effort you have shown. Whether you choose to continue or just hang it up and get on with your life is up to you. Just know that we have appreciated your efforts. As for us? We still see the vista. We still hear the muse. We continue. Godspeed. Thank you. Mahalo."
"....I just want to thank you
For all of the things you've done
I'm thinking about you
I just want to send my love
I send my best to you
That's my message of love
For all the things you did
I can never thank you enough
Feel like I'm falling
Falling off the face of the earth
Falling off the face of the earth...."
Prior to the Internet age, being a Neil Young news junkie was one tough slog. If you desired to discover something, you couldn't simply turn on the computer, pull up Google and type in a few key words - "Neil Young / Tour Dates / Boston"
Results: Zilch!
There was really no World Wide Web to speak of in the 1980s and early 90s; sure it existed, but it was mostly beyond the grasp of many of us. And even if you did happen to use it, there was very little tangible Neil content in the early days of the Internet.
So how did you learn what Neil was up to? Not easily, that's for sure. Maybe a magazine like Rolling Stone or Musician would profile Sir Shakey, or the Village Voice, or perhaps MTV might air a brief news clip, offering a small taste, but always yearning for me. Other than that, well, there was word-of-mouth, assuming you were connected with others who actually cared about Neil (I wasn't).
That's pretty much it.
Well, not quite. There was one other new source, quite clearly the best of them all, by far - Broken Arrow Magazine, a fanzine published by the Neil Young Appreciation Society, delivering its first issue long ago, in 1981 when Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were both in office, providing 1000 points of light for the free world (invoke sarcasm meter).
For diehard fans like me, Broken Arrow, jam-packed with Neil tidbits galore, was a lifesaver. The magazine came out on a quarterly basis, usually a few days (or weeks) later than expected, but who complained? We finally had a Neil Young news source that was fresh, topical, offering a connection to like-minded fanatics across the globe. It was Nirvana before anyone ever heard of Kurt Cobain.
From that very first issue in 1981, through all of Neil's frenetic musical changes, Broken Arrow has been like an old, dependable pair of slippers, providing indispensable Neil news over 134 issues.
And now, just like that, the run is over.
It's been announced with the release of this June's issue, #134, that the magazine's publishing days have come to an end (you can see the many reasons why in the attached letter from BA Publisher Scott Sandie). While this news hurts many, it hardly comes as a shocker. The Internet has changed everything for the publishing industry and a relic from the distant past, even something as lovable as Broken Arrow, couldn't compete with the instantaneous flow of content the digital age provides.
But while this news has been expected for awhile, it still hurts, it hurts plenty. It's very hard to describe with words what it felt like to be a subscriber to this magazine in the late 1980s and through the '90s. While only published four times per year, you waited for every issue with the anticipation of a head-over-heels-in-love schoolboy going on his first date. The wait would often be longer than expected, but once that little manilla envelope finally arrived, postmarked United Kingdom, you entered Neil Heaven for a few hours, page after enjoyable page. Please remember - this was the MAIN way we got our most in-depth Neil news, four times a year. There was nothing better, nothing even close to Broken Arrow.
But then, in the mid-1990s, everything changed. The Internet stepped to the forefront and while the digital revolution has brought so much good to the world (and plenty of awful awfulness), it's truly devastated print media, Broken Arrow being yet another casualty. Over the last 12 years or so, Scott Sandie has done yeoman's work publishing Broken Arrow, taking the reigns from Alan Jenkins, who lasted in the role an incredible 17 years. Two publishers, 29 years - Unreal! Iron Men!!
On a personal note, I've gotten to know Scott a little bit over the last two years; in 2013 he published my "Bottom Line 1974" story; ironically, I also have a story featured in the final issue. If this truly is the end, I'm very honored to be included in Broken Arrow's Swan Song issue. Scott is a true gentleman in every sense of the word, an ultimate Neil fanatic and he has our undying respect for what he's been able to accomplish.
This magazine has meant so much to so many, and the end is never easy. But what can you say other than......Thank You Scott Sandie and the incredible Neil Young Appreciation Society!!
For more information and subscription information visit the Neil Young Appreciation Society or directly contact NYAS editor Scott Sandie at surfer-joe@nyas.org.uk
Don't be denied!
Thanks Scott and everyone who has been supporting the NYAS & BA!
One lucky Thrasher's Wheat supporter will win a free copy of the latest Broken Arrow Magazine. We truly appreciate being able to what we do here at TW, and we love being able to give something back in return.
To enter the contest, follow these steps:
#1) Subscribe (or be already subscribed) to one of our blogfeed channels either via Facebook (LIKE us), Twitter (FOLLOW us) and/or subscribe to our email list.
2) Then just email us (thrasher@thrasherswheat.org) with your name, postal mailing address with *country*, and which blogfeed channel you signed up for (Facebook, Twitter, email list options noted above in Step #1). *Be sure to identify your complete Facebook ID, Twitter handle, or email address.*
Entries must be emailed with SUBJECT line: Contest - Broken Arrow Magazine
Include name, postal mailing address with *country*.
Deadline: August 30, 2014
We'll then randomly select Thrasher's Wheat readers as winners.
Neil Young's Upcoming Tel-Aviv, Israel Concert: "Don't Feel Like Satan But I Am To Them"
Tel-Aviv, Israel - July 17
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Tension regarding Neil Young's upcoming Tel-Aviv, Israel concert has been building for sometime now.
With Neil Young & Crazy Horse's tour kicking off next week, and the Tel-Aviv, Israel concert on July 17 approaching, we are finally addressing the underlying issues. And what better time as we in the U.S.A. -- land of the free and home of the brave -- celebrate our independence from the British Empire and bowing to The Queen.
Roger Waters
Earlier this year, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, wrote a post citing Neil Young's scheduled Israel concert and requested that Neil reconsider and cancel.
Neil? I shall ponder all of this long and hard. We don't really know each other, but, you were always one of my heroes, I am confused.
Since then, the boycotts, divestment and sanctions movement (BDSmovement.net) has been applying pressure to artists like Rolling Stones and Neil Young to cancel their Israel concerts.
But what about Roger Waters, BDS and others point of view on the subject?
Does boycotting Israeli concerts make sense or is it effective?
In January 2014, Neil Young's "Honor The Treaties" concert tour supported the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation's battle against the Alberta Tar Sands holocaust which is seen as "comparable to Hiroshima".
Neil Young
"Honor The Treaties" Press Conference
Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada - Jan 12, 2014
(Click photo to enlarge)
So we ask, should Neil have boycotted Canada because of their Alberta Tar Sands projects?
Neil Young’s ‘Honour the Treaties’ tour has raised controversy within the political, public and media sphere. Young has demonstrated the power that fame can have in raising awareness about environmental issues. The media and the internet have indeed played a significant role in sparking conversation and providing a platform to share opinions. It is evident that people are standing on either ends of the argument, or in some cases in the middle. What action could be taken once conversation and awareness had been ignited? In other words, the tour has demonstrated an array of opinions concerning the oil sands, yet how does the tour contribute to our understanding of the Alberta oil sands, what is discussed once awareness has been raised?
As mentioned the tour has indeed raised knowledge of current events and as Young stated it has “succeeded in getting Canadians talking.” This could definitely be considered a positive aspect, for the issue of the Alberta tar sands is still not known by many people. Yet, there are a number of people who know Neil Young for he is a musical artist. A tour is a great way to spread ideas, especially in the current technology setting of the 21st century. The internet has allowed for the sharing of ideas and information to countless people, across vast areas and with great haste. This allows for the effortless sharing of information which can be used as a tool to raise awareness of current issues to people who may otherwise be oblivious to. Young has demonstrated a technique that has been used by many before, just consider the sixties! Music is a powerful tool as shown by peace movements during the Vietnam War. Music has the power to share and discuss issues and perhaps even the potential to spark a revolution. When such ideas are applied to the internet sphere there is far, far greater potential to highlight and discuss these issues.
At this point, it would seem that folks fall into 3 categories on Neil Young & Crazy Horse performing in Israel:
1) those that feel that performing in Israel does not necessarily validate Israel/U.S. foreign policy and is OK;
2) those that feel that performing in Israel validates Israel/U.S. foreign policy and is NOT OK;
3) those that feel that performing in Israel has nothing to do with Israel/U.S. foreign policy, could care less, see it as just another random tour date, it's all about the music and is perfectly OK.
Obviously, everyone buying the tickets fall into categories #1 and #3.
Presumably Neil would never have played in apartheid South Africa so why is he playing in apartheid Israel? He performed at the tribute to Nelson Mandela in London. Nelson hated Israeli racism. The Palestinians have asked foreign artists to boycott apartheid and many have done so. How could Neil not make the connection? For details of the BDS campaign see:
Performing in Israel would make a travesty of everything Neil has apparently stood for in supporting the underdog against cruel and violent power. Lets urge him to rethink.
At 1/16/2014 01:44:00 PM, Blogger Unknown said...
Neil played 2 gigs in Israel with Pearl Jam in 1995, so the debate on whether to play there or not, ended in 1995.
At 1/16/2014 06:42:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
I was very disappointed when Neil performed in Israel in 1995. Of course he can play wherever he wants, but I am surprised that he wouldn't refuse to play in an Apartheid state as many renowned artists have (Elvis Costello, Brian Eno, Stevie Wonder, Pixies, Roger Waters, etc etc).
Both Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu have described the restrictions on Palestinians in Israel as a form of Apartheid. In fact, Desmond Tutu is on record as saying that the situation in the Occupied Territories is worse than it was in South Africa.
BTW, it is not Antisemitic to call for a boycott, which is directed at a particular government and not at Jewish people in general. Many prominent people have endorsed the boycott campaign (including Jewish people), especially in response to Israel ignoring numerous UN resolutions forbidding new settlements in areas where Palestinians live.
I hope Neil reconsiders.
Jon
At 1/17/2014 12:41:00 AM, Anonymous Mother Nature said...
Jon,
If we held all governments (including UK and US) to the same standards we hold the Israeli government, the boycott list wouldn't be limited just to Israel. Grant it, Israeli government have some work to do in resolving the settlement, but Neil is not playing to the government, he's playing for the people in Israel. Seems to me the UK has some unresolved land issues and associated violence of their own that they've been ignoring for some time. Let's talk about that dirty little apartheid secret in No. Ireland. I understand that both Elvis and Bono have no problem playing for the Queen and her family.
At 1/17/2014 05:33:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
It really amazes me how people speak about ''israel apartheit''. Clearly they have never been in israel!
I am living in israel for almost two years now because of work reasons. I am not even jewish. You should come and see how many arabs (or other non jewish as well) are living in israel with exactly the same rights as jewish people, they all get to vote and receive the same benefits as everyone.
And what evere musician to come to israel to perform, is performing for everyone! jewish, arabs, christians, african refugees and who ever wants to go to the show.
So if you people want to criticise something, you should know first what you are talking about.
At 1/17/2014 11:44:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
@05:33:00 AM: Many people support the boycott precisely because they have been to Israel and witnessed first-hand how Palestinians are treated. I'm glad you had a good time there, but your own experience is not shared by everyone.
Those of us who support the boycott can only try to make people aware of the facts, as Neil has said about the oil sands, and let people make up their own minds. Unfortunately, Western news media are very biased when it comes to reporting on Israel and the Middle East in general, so most people have a very distorted view. In fact, there is more vigorous debate in Israel itself about the plight of Palestinians than there in the US.
One good place to start to learn more:
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/
Cheers,
Mark
At 1/18/2014 04:06:00 AM, Blogger MRCC said...
All, hi
So easy to criticize Israel! It's allowed and even blessed! Instead of supporting the only democratic state in the area,! So superficial understanding of what's going on there! Learn first, read more and not only mainstream. You are manipulated by media and your opinions are not yours but those of who is manipulating you.
Cheers!
At 1/18/2014 07:20:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
Nelson Mandela was not anti-white and opposing the Israeli racist state is not anti-semitic. It is a state based on institutionalised violence against a powerless people denied basic human rights in their own country on the basis of their ethnicity. To his enormous credit Neil bravely and publicly opposed the wanton violence against the people of Iraq. When the Palestinians in Gaza were targeted by Israel with phosphorous bombs in 2009, were they less worthy of his compassion?
Israel’s occupation of Palestine is deemed illegal by the UN yet the settlements are expanding.
I’ve always found Neil’s fans intelligent, enquiring and compassionate. Please support the campaign to get westerm artists to stop giving credibility to this brutal racist state.
From Kent State to Gaza – its all one struggle.
Bill
At 1/18/2014 11:15:00 PM, Blogger Jamie said...
Palestinian civil society have asked artists to boycott Israel as a form of peaceful protest against the ongoing ethnic cleansing (and all the associated abuses), unless their visit is of the form of a protest supporting Palestinian rights.
These people have NOT asked artists to boycott countries whose governments support Israel. Please respect their wishes
'nuff said.
At 1/19/2014 03:02:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
Palestine put their own human rights in jeopardy by allowing radical fundamental terrorists sacrificing their own people to religious fanaticism. Any boycott is promoting martyrdom of innocents.
At 1/22/2014 03:26:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
I'm so glad Neil "HaKadosh" Young plays again in Israel, thus giving a chance to people from all ethnic backgrounds to see an old fashioned rock show!
Calling Israel "Apartheit" is either disrespecting the suffering of black South Africans or grabbing any chance to to blackmail the Jewish State!
I look forward to seeing the show myself, 'cause I boycott the boycott!!!
At 1/23/2014 09:56:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
Good for Neil to play in Israel, a modern, diverse, tolerant, peace-seeking nation and loyal American and Canadian ally.
Yes, Israel-haters are quick to invoke apartheid (and genocide, racism, colonialism and every other charged word), but none fit here. Why?
In apartheid S. Africa, a 20% white minority oppressed an 80% black majority. In Israel, and 80% Jewish majority protects the rights of a 20% Arab minority.
In S. Africa, discrimination and segregation were mandatory. In Israel, they are prohibited.
Israel's Arab citizens serve in its parliament and on its Supreme Court. When polled, 95% would prefer to remain in Israel than to live in a Palestinian state.
Invoking apartheid betrays the anti-Israel front's utter insensitivity to those who have truly suffered from apartheid regimes, whether S. Africa's former racial apartheid, or the Arab world's current gender apartheid.
Guys, there's a reason that overwhelming majorities of Americans and Canadians support our ally Israel. It is far from perfect (like us), but is handling its daunting challenges with fairness and courage.
They surely deserve a great Neil show.
At 2/02/2014 05:07:00 PM, Blogger david.greenhalgh said...
Join in solidarity Neil and cancel the gig in Israel and write the modern equivalent of 'I ain't gonna play Sun City' You could do some real good that way and I'll keep your beloved records.
At 2/05/2014 12:41:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
Neil did a great job in Canada speaking out for the rights of First Nations in Alberta against the pollution of the Tar Sands. But why does he go to Israel that upholds the shameful and illegal blockade on Gaza, the brutal occupation of the West Bank. Palestinians need him to speak out against these injustices. Please, Neil, don't do business as usual with apartheid Israel
At 2/05/2014 08:54:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
Mother Nature: The treatment of Arabs in Israel (no constitution aside) are not the driver for the boycott. It's the illegal military occupation of Arabs in the Palestinian Territories. And the illegal settlement building and annexation of land that is in dispute for 1) the expansion of Jerusalem taking land that ostensibly would be for the Palestinian capital in a 2-state solution, 2) protecting access to water for Israel only, 3) buffer zones, etc, etc. You're free to Rock in the Free World, Neil, but there may be consequences when that rocking is in a country that denies freedoms and commits all kinds of crimes against another people. If you play you will lose a great deal of credibility, and will have that Scarlet I to wear...
At 4/16/2014 04:44:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
Very disappointing, I hope Neil reconsiders. Any of us who've lived in the West Bank and Gaza know just how tough it is - and see the boycott as the best way to move the conflict towards resolution.
Neil's well-placed to make a statement that could help in this regard. Instead he's buying the line of a slick PR machine, as if Israeli authorities were treating Palestinians in Israel or the West Bank and Gaza the way they'd wish to be treated.
I thought you 'don't sing for nobody' Neil, but to those of us who've seen what's going on now you look like a joke. Legitimising brutal ocupation.
At 4/30/2014 04:11:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...
I hope Neil Young does some research and reconsiders the stop in Israel. There is nothing anti-semetic about boycotting the occupation policies of a government over millions of people in the occupied territories. This has nothing to do with Israel proper, nor with Jewish people. I wish for Jewish people to have peace in Israel, but for too long the government of Israel has continued policies to expand settlements (colonies) on Palestinian land, and ultimately Palestine will be "wiped off the map". Playing in 1995 was one thing, at least at that time there was still hope for a Palestinian state. If Neil Young took an objective look at the state of things right now his only logical course of action would be to boycott.
At 6/11/2014 07:14:00 PM, Blogger Richard Pagani said...
Well Well...I will go to the show as I have done for Rolling Stones. There are many peace lovers in Israel who deserve this. My father had to leave Lybia because he was a jew and lost all he had. Jews were in Lybia way before Islam. Many jews that live today in Israel come from muslim countries who forced them to leave. Its very easy and not fair to blame Israel. I dont like colonies and occupation too, but the responsability for the actual condition of the Palestinian brothers is in large part of their own leaders and muslim allies. This is what Roger Waters and all the others dont understand. Instead of developing dialogue, they build mental walls. By the way also in Europe since 2000 years and more there is not too much love for jews. I think we deserve a little thiny piece of land where we can stay in peace love and freedom...and why not? enjoy a rock concert without anyone pointing the finger at us.
At 6/19/2014 03:49:00 AM, Blogger Unknown said...
The illegal expansionist activities of the Zionist settler State in Israel should not be confused with Judaism. The two are not synonymous as other contributors above have implied. Other contributors have also disingenuously referenced the Biblical imperative in an attempt to justify Israel's continued illegal theft of Palestinian land as if God is somehow the Great Real Estate Agent in the sky. It's rather like claiming modern day Italian's have the right to the deeds of my property and land here in London on the basis that at some point in ancient history the Romans had settled in Londinium. The truth is the international community is clear in its determination that Israel's continued illegal settlement programme constitutes a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory. If Neil is genuine in his desire to support the oppressed people's of the world in their quest for humanitarian justice, then he must reconsider his decision to perform in Tel Aviv.
Unknown said...
War is being perpetrated daily on the Palestinian people by the Israel Offence Force under the auspices of Zionist extremist fanatics in the Knesset which is being funded to a large extent by the U.S tax paying public. The expansionist rogue settler State illegally occupies Palestinian land and has breached more UN Security Council Resolutions than all of the nations of the world combined. Next month Neil Young and Crazy Horse are due to perform a concert in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. This is the contemporary Israeli equivalent of apartheid South Africa's Sun City. Neil Young, his advisers or both are badly informed of the situation in Israel/Palestine. By playing Israel, Neil is making a serious error of judgement. I have been a Neil fan since 1972.
At 6/18/2014 09:38:00 AM, Blogger Unknown said...
Hello Unknown
I think what you are talking about is a form of international sanctions. International sanctions have been utilized for as long as international wars have begun. But what do they really do? Wake up the people? Maybe, I don't know. The real people in power have the means so sanctions never really effect them unless the people rise up against their own nation. I do know war continues and how long has that war been going on? Don't you think people (musicians and such) can do more by going over there? I would think Neil is being advised on this situation and has a strong opinion. This is just MHO.
Terri
At 6/12/2014 01:54:00 PM, Blogger LaZoyza said...
Dear Mr.Young:
I believe music itself breaks down barriers and as a Canadian of your generation who loves your songs, I'm reluctantly joining a variety of voices in Canada, the Middle East and across the globe asking you to cancel your concert in Israel this summer.
(with another suggestion if you can't see fit to do so).
I greatly respected your concert tour calling for honouring the peace and friendship treaties signed
between the Crown and some of Canada’s Indigenous peoples.
I also found it surprising to see you on the verge of providing the State of Israel a public relations message that distracts from its crimes against the Indigenous Palestinian people.
As you are aware your concert in Israel might be perceived as contributing to the suffering of Palestinians by tacitly enabling the Israeli government to continue its ongoing occupation and theft of Indigenous lands, as well as its violence and oppression towards the Palestinian people.
I realise the complicated underpinnings of attitudes in the world towards the State of Israel, because my parents named me for someone who died fighting the
Nazis in W.W. II. The creation of Israel pursuant to the genocide of over 6 million Jews, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, grandparents... will never make up for the pain and suffering of what happened then, or the effects on the generations that followed (including Palestinians)and are yet to come.
However, I suspect you understand deeply, as any artist would, that what happened in the Holocaust cannot justify the state sanctioned treatment of Palestinians since. Perhaps this is your moment to create hope where there has been none through your music. I cannot speak or act on your behalf. But as a person of conscience and as a man who speaks TRUTH THROUGH MUSIC, I believe you will find a way to HELP MAKE PEACE BETWEEN NEIGHBOURS WHO HAVE SUFFERED SO MUCH.
Although cancelling the concert in Israel would make the kind of statement to both Israel and the world in keeping with what I believe are your existing values, it may not be the only way if you are truly committed to the PATH OF PEACE AND RECONCILIATION THAT IS SORELY NEEDED IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD AND ELSEWHERE.
Will you take the lead by standing on the side of history that supports the rights of Indigenous peoples in Palestine, just as you did for the Indigenous peoples of Canada?
If you cannot cancel this visit, then I ask you to consider finding a way to offer your music free to Palestinians who have suffered from the effects of
discrimination and segregation in the lands of their forefathers, as musicians have done before you in similar circumstances. I ask you to find a way to make your presence in Israel A TOP NEWS STORY that serves the cause of justice and human rights in a major way, with a major symbolic statement seen the world over.
When the great American singer and pathfinder Paul Robeson couldn't leave the U.S., barred by the State Department for left-wing activities, he sang on the back of a pick up truck to 40,000 Canadian workers in 1952 - at what became known as the Peace Arch Concerts, organised by my dad's union, the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, or Mine Mill. Paul was known for such gestures and often made his music available for free to those who couldn't usually afford it.
You could do something just as historically significant (or more so) given your time and place in history.
Will you support human rights and social justice by cancelling your concert in Israel and/or by organising a statement with your music that will be "The Rock of Ages" that truly begins a peace and reconciliation process in the area???????
I TRUST YOU WILL AS A MAN OF
CONSCIENCE, FIND A WAY
BECAUSE YOU ARE ONE
OF THE GREATS,
SET TO MAKE
HISTORY ON THE WORLD
STAGE FOR PEACE.
May peace, mercy and goodness follow wherever you lead.
Sincerely,
Zoya Stevenson
So we conclude where we started. If the "Honor The Treaties" tour objective was to get Canadians talking about Tar Sands -- and was a total success -- then we have the same opinion on Neil Young's upcoming Tel-Aviv, Israel Concert.
Photos of Artist of the Month - Neil Young | SONIC EDITIONS
Neil Young and His Classic Car
30 October 1967
Photo by Ann Moses
A rare Neil Young photo by Ann Moses from 1967 is available from SONIC EDITIONS.
Over at SONIC EDITIONS, Neil Young is the artist of the month for July. And there is a special offer for TW readers (see below).
Collection begins with an innocent looking Buffalo Springfield press shot from 1966.
There is an intimate portrait with a relaxed sofa bound Neil and photographer Ann Moses also contributes the famous 'Classic Car' shot in 1967 in Laurel Canyon.
Also, a rare jam / recording session shot featuring all of Crosby Stills, Nash & Young crammed around an organ and a shot from the premier of Rust Never Sleeps at the Rent-A-Wreck lot in LA in 1979.
Many of the images are limited to editions and all are photographic lambda prints on crystal archive paper, with solid wooden frames.
Special offer for Thrasher's Wheat readers -
There is a 15% discount for Thrasher's Wheat readers, good through the end of July. Code is: thrashers15 - Use code at checkout.
PREVIEW REVIEW: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - CSNY 1974 // Drowned In Sound
Here's a preview review of upcoming box set by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - CSNY 1974 set for release next week. Now #10 #7 on Amazon Top 100 in Music Best Sellers Rank.
There’s rarities from Young as well, but they’re more from the crowd-pleasing end of his spectrum. ‘Traces’ is a pleasant country-rocker, ‘Love/Art Blues’ could be a sober take from Tonight’s The Night, while 'Hawaiian Sunrise’ is a fine showcase for the harmonies all four could bring to the table. Well known to Young aficionados, they’re excellent at painting a picture of where the Canadian was at this moment in time, caught between the dark thoughts of On The Beach and Tonight’s The Night, and the lighter shades later revealed on Long May You Runand Comes A Time.
Indeed, the finest thing that CSNY 1974 does is serve as a clear snapshot of this band at this extraordinary moment in their lives. It captures the musical excess of the era perfectly (at one point Crosby exclaims ‘don’t worry, we’ve got a couple of hours to go yet!’ and is greeted with wild cheers), and showcases how the four of them had grown in different directions since they’d first come together a few years earlier. Crosby is still the wild hippy, one minute breaking your heart with ‘Guinevere’, the next boring you senseless with ‘Almost Cut My Hair’. Stills is the musical bedrock who penned some of the group’s finest moments, but whose solo material seems the most dated to today’s ears.
Alongside Nash’s simple but affecting material and Young’s more exploratory musings, it all comes together as ample evidence that CSNY were a real phenomenon.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse will kick offEurope Summer Tour in Iceland and perform for the first time in the country on 7th of July 2014.
The Iceland radio station Rás 2 (wich is one of two Icelandic public radio stations in the country) has posted a Neil Young tribute/cover song contest. Almost 70 versions of Neils songs were sent in, and the staff of the station has chosen 12 of the best for the stations listeners to choose the best one from.
The winner will be announced in the show Poppland (every day from 12.45 - 16.00) Friday the 4th of july. Please help us choose the best song/version @ Neil Young kóverlagakeppnin | RÚV.
Over the past six weeks we’ve built over 100 PonoPlayers in the US and in China that incorporate the Ayre audio design. This design uses discrete components rather than off the shelf Integrated Circuits for the amplification stage after the DAC (Digital-to-Analog Convertor). Charles Hansen, founder of Ayre, likes to compare the use of discrete components to baking a cake from scratch versus using a Betty Crocker cake mix.
The use of more than 100 additional components has provided a challenge to fit everything on the circuit board, but with a monumental effort from our Semaphore engineers, we managed to do just that in record time. We are using these units to run a gamut of testing including physical and audio.
One physical requirement we wanted is for the PonoPlayer to survive a 1-meter drop onto a wood floor on all five sides and 6 corners. Unfortunately we didn't quite achieve this in the first set of tests. We went back to our mechanical engineers at Lime Lab, who have made some changes to the mechanical enclosure. In tests just conducted we now survive the 1-meter drop. We don’t believe any of you will ever drop your PonoPlayer from 3 feet on to a hard surface, but we are engineering the case that way regardless!
We have conducted our preliminary EMI (electromagnetic interference) and ESD (electronic static discharge) tests that need to satisfy the regulatory authorities including FCC and CE. With a few changes that we will implement, we expect our design to pass when we test with production-level models.
Audio experts that include Charles Hansen, Neil Young, Bruce Botnick and others have analyzed the audio quality through listening tests. Based on theirs and our extensive listening testing, we have achieved a level of performance that is everything we have hoped for.
Bruce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Botnick) conducted his own tests and reported the following: In my mixing studio, I listen to the best sound every day from Analog to the highest Digital sampling and highest bit rates.
My tests were to take a 30 ips NAB Analog 2 track stereo master and transfer it from a ATR-104 Analog tape recorder with Aria Class A electronics to Digital at 192k/24 bit ProTools XI • HDX, using Ayre and Black Lion professional A/D and D/A convertors.
The first process is to convert the 192k/24 bit WAV music files to 192k/24 bit FLAC and then convert the FLAC music files back to WAV and back into the Pro Tools session.
The second test is to stack the WAV and FLAC music files in Pro Tools, with one format out of phase and see if there is full bit for bit cancelation and the round trip is 100% accurate. There was full bit- for-bit cancellation.
The third step is to play both the WAV and FLAC music program against the original 30 ips NAB Analog 2 track stereo master and do a blind listen for differences in the sonic landscape between formats. That test was superb in that the listeners couldn’t tell which format they were listening to. For the final process we did the previous test, this time against the PONO player. The blind tests were amazing, as again the folks listening couldn’t tell which was which.
Charles Hansen’s no compromise analog circuitry for the PonoPlayer is open with beautifully accurate musical reproduction, excellent imagery with accurate room tone and reverb, true HiFi reproduction without compromise.
Charles Hanson has listened to ten players and he found the performance to be comparable to his own products that cost thousands of dollars.
>> Pre-Order on Amazon.com << 
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