Comment of the Moment: "A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop" by Neil Young + Promise Of The Real

Frame from "A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop" by Neil Young + Promise Of The Real

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The Comment of the Moment is from "A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop" by Neil Young + Promise Of The Real by (D.) Ian Kertis, who said...

I've listend to the song four or five times in the last few days and it's been growing on me.

Musically and in terms of subject matter, this project is reminding me of Fork in the Road. Neil has describe the album as an "upbeat commentary on the situation", or words to that notion, and this selection certainly bears that out. It's obviously not taking itself too seriously and I think it succeeds in being funny. I'm interested to hear what the entire album will sound like, as well as how this topical novelty number plays in that context. At the moment, I'm just happy to dig the whistling. It reminds me of the hokey-pokey: "You stick your left foot out…" At least it seems like no one is surprised that it's somewhat off the wall. That's an improvement from the past, where some posters actually seemed surprised that Neil Young follows his heart and soul, sometimes leading him into goofy and occasionally even bizarre experimental directions (A Letter Home springs to mind). I have a hunch that this will be another in a long line of Neil records destined for some maligning, but I'm optimistic that it'll be a fun record if nothing else. Taking on corporate power in America is always a guaranteed good time for all.

Sorry if I'm reposting something that's already been up, but I was researching into this album and this came up: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-neil-young-tear-into-the-monsanto-years-at-anti-gmo-event-20150526

Plenty of embedded links as well. Neil and the Nelsons perform "Mansanto Years", the title song. It appears to be a gentle acoustic number with an interesting arrangement. Unfortunately, it doesn't' seem like they're mic'd that well, so the lyrics can be difficult to make out. As to the continued carping/harping on Daryl Hannah, from day one, I wasn't even interested in looking at Storytone in the shadow of Neil's personal life. It's a conviction of mine that you can appreciate an artist's work independent of such "real world" context and I'm sticking to that.

Thanks (D.) Ian! Have to agree with you about what could be more fun than taking on corporate power in America. game on.

More coverage, discussion and analysis from last night on Thrasher's Wheat Radio on Wbkm Dot Org. Download podcast.


Thrasher's Wheat Radio
Tune in on WBKM.org, Saturdays @ 9P EST

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Neil Young Gets Social with Monsanto Years & Rebel Content Tour + TONIGHT: Thrasher's Wheat Radio

#TheMonsantoYears #OutgrowMonsanto #MarchAgainstMosanto #gmofreemaui #plantthesolution pic.twitter.com/0QPm6xOk7P

— Neil Young (@Neilyoung) May 25, 2015

Neil Young appears to be ramping up on social media with the upcoming Rebel Content Tour and The Monsanto Years album.

Across Neil's various accounts on Neil Young | Facebook and Neil Young | Twitter, we see another chapter in Young's long career of activism take shape.

Neil Young | Facebook

Also, the Rebel Content Tour with the Nelson Brothers, Lukas and Micah Nelson and the band Promise of the REAL, have formed a broad coalition of nonprofits that will booth before and after concert shows to raise awareness and offer solutions to many of the injustices that we face.

Already, fans are jumping into the fray over the new album's preview tracks with reactions all over the map ... as usual.

More coverage, discussion and analysis tonight on Thrasher's Wheat Radio on Wbkm Dot Org, at 9:00PM ET.

Don't be denied!

Tune in details and podcast info @ Thrashers Wheat Radio Hour.


Thrasher's Wheat Radio
Tune in on WBKM.org, Saturdays @ 9P EST

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"Cowgirl in the Sand: The Songs of Neil Young" by C.C. Grace

C.C. Grace

Here's a fundraiser on PledgeMusic we received recently of interest to Neil Young fans:

My name is C.C. Grace, and I'm completing the first ever Neil Young tribute CD by a single artist (as opposed to compilation CDs by various artists). I've just begun my Pledge Music campaign and am trying to spread the word beyond my own network. Obviously, I'm a HUGE fan of Neil, and I want his songs heard by even more people! I'm happy to talk to you in even more detail about this. For now, here's the project link. You can hear a rough mix of "Heart of Gold" as well as a clip from the title track. Ultimately, it's up to you to determine whether this project is of merit and deserves to be shared, but I'm confident that you will like it! My interpretations of Neil are creative--not mere imitations--but very respectful of their provenance.

Why did I choose Neil instead of one of my other faves? Well, one of my best friends—a woman with a heart of gold—is a lifelong hardcore Neil fan. Every year on his birthday, this five-foot-tall Chinese-Mexican-American woman dresses up as Neil, complete with Styrofoam guitar and sideburns, and throws a bash for her friends. (Must be seen to be believed.) More important is that I came into my musical “being” while learning to play Neil tunes in college and performing them at coffee houses. So I have a nostalgic, as well as an artistic, connection.

Take a look and listen, and if the spirit move you, pledge on.

Best of luck C.C.!

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VIDEO: "A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop" by Neil Young + Promise Of The Real

Here is the Official Music Video of "A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop" by Neil Young + Promise Of The Real from upcoming album The Monsanto Years. enjoy!

Also, the new album cover and pre-order link below.

The Monsanto Years - Neil Young + Promise Of The Real

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Neil Young's Stealth Gig in Hawaii: All In A Dream

Neil Young + Promise of the Real
Photo by David Parias
(Click photo to enlarge)
For most, it's only a dream to imagine Neil Young visiting your hometown and playing in the local bar.

But for Geoff Moore, he's still living that dream we had. Regular readers of TW may recall that Geoff designed our logo awhile back, so we were pretty stoked when we heard word of last Saturday's gig at Charley's Restaurant And Saloon, Paia, Maui, Hawaii (May 23, 2015) , hoping Geoff could bear witness to the stealth concert.

So here's Geoff's report and photos, as well as, his buddy photographer David Parias (Also, see https://www.facebook.com/davidpariasphoto). enjoy!

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When I moved to Maui 13 years ago and found out the Paia dive bar, Charley's, was "Willie Nelson's bar", I thought, I hope Neil plays here one day. Then when local Maui boy Lukas Nelson came on the scene and I saw him throw down the encore with Neil a few years ago at Bridge, I thought, time to manifest this dream into reality.

I guess my quantum mechanic abilities work, because Neil played Charley's this past Saturday night with Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real, and I was lucky enough to get inside for the show. This is my long report on the details of my day and the show. I hope you enjoy it. If you don't like long-winded narratives with too much detail, it's a good time to stop reading.

My day started working, as I'm on a huge deadline. Come 12 noon or so, a Rustie named Dale I met in Kahului a few weeks before randomly (thanks to my Neil t-shirt) texted me that Neil was in attendance at a Anti-GMO planting event in Lahaina. I had not ability or energy to get over there just to possibly brush up wit the man, but I held out hope that he would play a stealth gig. An hour later, the messages started flowing in from friends that it was happening… and happening at Charley's which is a 2 minute walk from where my office is. I got up and walked down there to see what the scoop was, and they were already sound checking… this is around 1pm. I talked to the manger of the bar and the guy who was apparently organizing the event, and they told me, nothing is happening, but if it was (wink wink) it would be a private event and the public won't get in.

Photo by Geoff Moore, Silver Moon Art & Design

From there I called a couple of friends who are connected here and beyond. One friend told me he was on the guest list but that he had no pull to get me on it. The other told me he was freaking out too because he was not on this list. I got advice from both of them. The first said "Bill Graham told me a long time ago if you want to get into the show, be invisible and get into the show." The other friend told me to go back to the bar with "benjamins" in hand and see who will take them from me to get my name on the list. I liked the ladder idea, so that's what I did.

By this time, they had closed the bar completely for the sound check. I walked in, and the one guy stopped me, saying "were closed now"… I asked him for a minute and he was nice enough to listen but $200 was not enough to influence him. He told me, listen, you might be one of the lucky few who might make it in, but there's nothing he can do. I tried with another couple of crew guys, no luck, they said they had no pull.

So at this point, I had to rush home, get my act together, grab a few Neil shirts, etc etc. My client had already let me off the hook for the day as far as work… thankfully she knows I'm a huge Neil fan. She got to see him at that Hard Rock festival in London some years ago because she won the contest to go. She brought me back a Neil t-shirt. He headlined that year.

I'm completely frantic at this point, driving, making phone calls, etc etc. I almost crash in my own driveway. I call Dale back and tell him it's on and the only thing to do is go back and wait at the door…. this is 2pm or so.

I get back to Paia, grab some food, sort some affairs and go back to the bar. Anthony the drummer is sound checking and the back door is open as usual which is right behind the stage. I ask him between licks what the story is… how am I going to get in there, I hear it's a private event, etc. He's a really nice guy, as are all the guys in POTR. He said, they will let people in, you gotta just get in line.

So by 3pm or so I was in line behind Dale and a few others. Another guy named Mark was there and he was a Rustie too, official or not he was a deep fan. My friend Eric showed up before me too and brought a couple of beach chairs, so the campout began.

Over time we were joined by others. A couple hours later, the line was 50 deep. It kept growing. Lukas, Micah and maybe the whole band (couldn't see) were soundchecking at some point. All Neil songs: Country Home, The Loner & Goin' Back, Lukas belting the lyrics. We thought we heard a Change Your Mind check earlier, but we may have been wrong.

At one point the manager came out and said it again: it's likely no one but that private list will make it in, but it's possible a few will get in.

Photo by Geoff Moore, Silver Moon Art & Design

More fiends came and hung out, and by 8:00 or so, it was pandemonium outside. The line was a hundred or more back on the sidewalk (tight space in this town) and then people were grouping around the door out of line, the other direction… another hundred plus. They were ready to let in the guest list people, but they could not organize the crowd easily. Eventually they got it going, and people started heading in.

Maui is a place where everything moves slow and is somewhat disorganized. That is a beautiful thing most the time as far as I'm concerned, because it's a reflection of our laid back lifestyles. But sometimes, it can be a test of one's patience. Getting in over 200 people on this list took well over an hour. Those of us in the front of the line were absolutely jammed in body to body, and it was hot and sweaty. I was 5-6 hours in line at this point, tired, somewhat dehydrated and trying to keep it together… which I did. But it was not easy watching friends of mine - most of which know that I'm likely the #1 Neil fan on Maui, rivaled only by the few Rusties we are aware of here. So, they stream in, and as time goes on, other friends and people who showed up randomly are getting in from connections they are making with people they know. From what I understood, some people showed up with less heads than they were allotted, so they just found people to fill their shoes. It was hard to stay in a good place mentally and strike back jealousy. It took so long and the guest line just kept going, and the doubts that anyone would be let in were growing in me. I will say I had a couple of friends there that were talking to people and saying - this guy (me) has GOT to get in.

In the end, it works out. The guy dealing with the list and the tickets clearly had a long day, and he did good. He came out, slightly worried about a panic scene, and said we are going to sell some tickets now…. stay calm. By this time the boys ere onstage and playing Country Home. The line up front had become not exactly as it was in beginning, but everyone honored that myself and 5 others in front of me were first, and we paid our $25 and got in!

Dale waited for me to give high fives, and we got right into it. He did this because all that time we waited watching people get in, he said "I have not seen one person pump fist or anything like they are excited to be inside". True enough… I could go on about the guest list thing, which I suppose is how it goes, but so many of these people who got in hardly deserved it. I'll step back and say that's not for me to judge, but the fact that 85% of the people who got in were on a list to me was a slight injustice. From what I gathered from others, maybe 30-50 people who waited in the general line got in.

But I was in, got right up into the crowd, and was 10 bodies back from stage with a beer in my hand taking in the new Monsanto Years songs.

Photo by David Parias

The scene in Charley's is a mad house for this kind of show… it's not that much different for only Lukas and POTR, as he has plenty of friends and rabid fans here on Maui. The front by the stage is packed in body to body. Where I was 10 bodies back or so for that first set had at least minimal elbow room, but it was tight.

Because of this, vibes run both ways… it can be cool around the right people who understand you will spill their beer, and knock into them, and we're all here to have fun. Than there are others who are like "watch my girlfriend" when I was dancing in her vicinity. As much as I love Maui, I tell you, it's not a place that's used to a scene like this, and people can act like dicks. I acted like a dick at least once myself, even though I let people squeeze past me to get close a hundred times and told them to go get it…. that close proximity can be tough on the best of us.

So, the music. For me, that's what it was all about. I enjoyed hearing the new songs for the first time there in the bar. (I had heard a couple of them right quick already I suppose) I'm not a big fan of Neil's Living with War-like direct protest lyrics, even though I'm 100% behind his cause. But to me, unlike LWW, this new music had a really nice groove with POTR backing them up. All of it was very listenable, rockable, distinctly Neil, but also very much Lukas's sound backing.

They played Down by the River a couple songs in and the crown loved it, as it was the only song most people recognized the whole night. It was a nice version, not super long, but it got down. One Neil fan told me, it was good, not great. I thought, hell, in that moment it was fantastic, I can't say what it was or wasn't… I'll come back around to that later.

I think CH and DBTR were the only two oldies of the first set which was under an hour easily. They took a long break and I didn't leave but got closer in… so I ended up behind a couple-few people, but was essentially right there. It was tough as no one was giving up ground. People came back from break and pushed in anyway. I was okay with it, but it was so tight and some people were not so happy about it all.

Second set started Goin' Back, and I was thrilled to hear that one live for the first time. Very cool to hear it all electric and all too. Very nice sound.

I think he followed it right up with White Line. I thought when he told Lukas and the band the song to play they talked amongst themselves like they didn't know the song, or there was some confusion or doubt. But when they played it it sure seemed like they all knew it well enough, so maybe I read that wrong. It rocked hard. Loved it so much.. another first for me.

They played more of the Monsanto songs, he snuck in the Loner somewhere in-between which was mighty fine. Throughout the show I exchanged a couple glances with Neil, but the band was much more in tune to the crowd. Corey in particular caught and held my gaze for periods of time as he saw I knew the songs (only a few others did, or showed it) and that was cool. Lukas too a little bit.

They came back on stage for two more songs… the Wolf Creek (?) acoustic number from the new album which was nice, and then Love and Only Love. And let me tell you, while the whole show was good, Neil let loose on this last one like he had not really done yet. He was thrashing the solos super hard on Old Black, and it got spooky and deep, and everyone felt it. I was thrashing around as I do, rocking out hard, not watching him so much. I looked up at one point while he was f*cking melting my face off, and he had lost his hat and was bent over deeply… I thought, yup, that's good. That's why I'm here.

The crowd asked hard for another encore, but it didn't happen.

That's about it for my report aside from a couple short takes:

I did, I think, get Neil to respond to my "how ya doin?!" after the second song with his own, How ya doin'? If he did hear me and responded to me, that would not be the first time I took advantage of relative quiet between tunes to make it happen.

Photo by David Parias

He didn't talk really at all to the crowd other than that… At one point Micah Nelson said to the crowd… "This one is a little experimental number we are working on" or something like that - not quite a direct Crosby quote "This one's a little experimental" from Time Fades Away, but close… and this was before one of the oldies. Neil liked that, he looked up at Micah and laughed, and gave him that kind of thumbs up nod for being sarcastic.

I thought it was really cool that Lukas soloed on both old and new songs. He is so great. When that happened, it was a reminder that POTR was there… it was kinda easy to forget that there was another power-house performer and musician up there with Neil, until he made himself known with the solos... his head bopping which makes his hair flow like water on the sea (yes, you do detect a slight man-crush).

I'll leave it with this… when I saw Anthony the drummer after the show and thanked him, he said - "You got in! - awesome! I can see you a fan like me" (of Neil's). I said, "you know it brother, see you at Redrocks!"

Thanks for reading!

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Thanks so much for sharing Geoff! What a dream come true to have Neil in your hometown and play the local bar.

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STEALTH GIG REPORT: Neil Young with The Nelson Brothers - Charley's Restaurant And Saloon, Paia, Maui, Hawaii, May 23, 2015

Neil Young with The Nelson Brothers - May 23, 2015
Charley's Restaurant And Saloon, Paia, Maui, Hawaii
Photo via Maui Guide

Neil Young played a stealth gig with The Nelson Brothers at Charley's Restaurant And Saloon in Maui, Hawaii this past Saturday night.



Here's the setlist from Sugar Mountain (thanks Tom!):

2015-05-23
Charley's Restaurant And Saloon, Paia, Maui, Hawaii, USA
w/ Promise Of The Real

01. Country Home
02. People Want To Hear About Love
03. A New Day For Love
04. Down By The River
05. Big Box
06. Rock Starbucks
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07. Goin' Back
08. White Line
09. Working Man
10. The Monsanto Years
11. The Loner
12. Wolf Moon
13. Rules Of Change
14. Walk On
15. If I Don't Know
16. Love And Only Love

From Neil Young’s Secret Show in Paia | Maui Guide by Brita Corradini:

Charley’s Saloon in Paia kept a pretty tight lid on a very good secret for about a month. But once the news got leaked that Neil Young would be performing with Lukas Nelson & The Promise of The Real at this local hotspot, this island showed its skills in quick gossip.

The line wrapped itself around the block by early evening, and unless your name was on the list, your chances of getting near this rock legend were slim. There was a $25 cover charge for all who entered, but even money couldn’t help some poor folks cross the threshold. Charley’s is no stranger to bigger names, as images of Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Steven Tyler grace the interior walls. Many who were left outside ended up watching from windows or listening through the back alley stage door, happy to take it in however they could.

There couldn’t have been a better venue to host Neil Young, or a happier audience to receive him. As owner Jonathan Herman said, “Neil Young wanted to play to a crowd that has the motivation and insight to make a difference in this world.” And once Neil Young stepped onto that stage, it was easy to understand what difference he was referring to.

Mr. Young was out in full promotion of his upcoming album “The Monsanto Years,” with every song reveling in the wishful downfall of the GMO Giant. A man unapologetic in sight and in song, “real-as-they-come,” who has never been known to sugarcoat his beliefs, at 69 years of age obviously felt there was no reason to start now. And from the crowd’s response, he was preaching to the choir.

Neil and the band spent a lengthy intermission at Willie Nelson’s home literally down the street, resting their feet and having some dinner. It helps to have friends in high places!

Once back on stage (and in a fresh shirt), the show kept it’s high-energy rock and roll vibe! The audience was packed like tight sardines, there was little room for actual dancing, but that didn’t keep the entire room from swaying in unison to the beat. Charley’s has a capacity of 220, and they easily met their quota.

Once the show was done, it was done. No amount of cheering or boot-stomping could bring the band back out for an encore. And there was something cool about that. This band had played their songs and said their piece. We all left with priceless memories of the night we caught such an iconic talent at such a legendary haunt.

Also, earlier in the day Neil played the song "The Monsanto Years" with The Nelson Brothers at Simpli Fresh Farm, in Lahaini, on Maui, Hawaii at the "OutGrow Monsanto" GMO Free Maui's Event.

We have marched against Monsanto. We have petitioned, we have testified, we have VOTED, and we have WON an election against Monsanto. Saturday, while the world marches against Monsanto, on Maui we go a step further: we actively work toward a Maui future without Monsanto. We plant the solution. Join GMO Free Maui, Alika Atay, and Simpli Fresh Farms as we spend this world-wide day of action against Monsanto with our hands in the soil, planting food that will bring Maui one step closer to food sovereignty, and a future that doesn't depend on predatory, toxic agriculture. GMO Free Maui is also announcing new leadership this week, new goals for the coming year, and a new website and community involvement plan. Please come and be a part of this incredible day!

solmagik - 2 days ago
Hi God - Goddess,
Yesterday, Neil Young and Daryl Hanah came to support Maui. Neil sang from his new album, " The Monsanto Years" and planted a ulu tree. The beginning of a healthy organic breadfruit tree.The ulu is the God Ku's body form and embraces the ancient Hawaiian culture.

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"Flags of Freedom" For Memorial Day: A Neil Young Idea

For Memorial Day: A Young Idea

Neil Young, "Flags of Freedom."

Support the troops... Bring Them Home & End The Wars.

And we're still Living With War.


The 4 Musketeers
Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, & Neil
Art by Down With Tyranny!
Back in 2006, it all started when an obscure blog link popped up over in the right sidebar here on Thrasher's Wheat. According to the blog Last Left Turn Before Hooterville a new Neil Young album was being recorded. The blog, written by a member of a 100-voice choir, said the album would contain the lyrics: "Let's impeach the President for lyin'!". Alicia blogged:

"Every time new lyrics would come up on the screen, there were cheers, tears and applause. It was a spiritual experience ... We finished the session by singing an a cappella version of "America the Beautiful" and there was not a dry eye in the house."

"I've never been at a recording session that was more like being at church. Heck, I've never been to a church that was more like a church than that session."

Needless to say, the Rusties were in an uproar in April 2006, with a serious meme circulating that this was all an elaborate hoax.

Could this be the predicted swerve to the ditch? This wasn't the first time Neil was ahead of the curve on impeachment (Nixon) or calling out for the truth.

As word of the album began to percolate through the blogosphere, reactions began to pour in fast and furious.

From Cole Slaw Blog:

"Mildly disappointed with Neil Young's syrupy fall release 'Prairie Wind,' this morning I'm happy (I'd write 'thrilled' or 'overjoyed,' but I'm trying to be more understated) to read that Neil will soon release a hard-rocking protest album called 'Life in War.'

After days of continuing speculation as to what Neil was up to, his official website began to offer up specific details. Neil himself described the album as "Metal Folk Protest" like Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan.

Once completed, Neil played the album for his label Reprise and than immediately gave a live interview to CNN. For many fans, this was Neil at his finest -- speaking truth to power.


Neil Rocks on CNN
So would "Living With War" be rock's "Fahrenheit 9/11"? For critics, it seemed to be the case.

But things would get ugly. Very ugly. Blogs exploded on early news reports of the still unheard album.




Day By Day Cartoon
Sadly, a not untypical comment on Hammer of Truth » Neil Young Jumping on the Impeachment Train by Taylor:

"How should I put this? How but, Fuck Neil Young.

He nothing but another commi, liberal, anti-american, hippie. If he hates the way George Bush runs America, then he can just take his whining ass back to Canada. We sure as hell don’t need him here, complaining about how bad things are. He talks like he would make a better president than George Bush. If someone like Neil Young was our president, then every terrorist in the world could walk all over us and he wouldn’t do a damn thing. His little anti-war ass."

Well, we thought we had seen everything. Until "War on Neil Young" from Red State Update started appearing on YouTube. Couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.

It nearly became depressing. How could so many who probably had never even heard of Neil's music become so filled with hate? I was down on a frown when a messenger brought me a letter. Thankfully, there was much support for both Neil and Thrasher's Wheat. Without the stunning and overwhelming reader support, this site would have folded in April 2006.

Eventually, the CD was released, heard and evaluated. Reviews of "Living with War" were predictable for their focus around one song on the album and failing to grasp the larger picture.

The experience of April 2006 was unlike anything ever experienced before here at Thrasher's Wheat. Now I know what it feels to be hit by a virtual tsunami with 100's of comments on nearly every post -- many of which were filled with hate about Neil's freedom of expression. One of the things Thrasher is most proud of is the coverage the site has received that notes our non-partisan and apolitical stance, as Daily Kos notes:

"The definitive Neil Young site Thrasher's Wheat has done the hard work of assembling reaction from musical and political bloggers. Some of the reactions gathered on the normally apolitical Thrasher's Wheat show Bush's zombies in early meltdown."

If nothing else, Living With War was the most courageous album of 2006.

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.

Complete coverage of the Living With War controversary at Neil Young News: 04/01/2006 - 05/01/2006 and Neil Young News: 05/01/2006 - 06/01/2006.

American Dream: How could something so good, go bad, so fast?

(Thanks Greg!)

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Podcast from last night's Thrasher's Wheat Radio on Wbkm Dot Org, at 9:00PM ET.

Don't be denied!

Tune in details and podcast info @ Thrashers Wheat Radio Hour.


Thrasher's Wheat Radio
Tune in on WBKM.org, Saturdays @ 9P EST

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On The Ditch Trilogy, Neil Young’s success collided with personal chaos | A.V. Club

Neil Young's Ditch Trilogy
"Time Fades Away", "Tonight’s the Night" & "On the Beach"

Ahh yes, Neil Young’s Ditch Trilogy. So dark, yet so rich and rewarding.

We've written about The Ditch Trilogy extensively and can even claim a little credit for maybe not coining the term so much as solidifying it as a legitimate framework label for the period in our analysis way back there in the 1990's. Since that time, the phrase Ditch Trilogy has become established in the Neil lexicon by rusties around the world.

From On The Ditch Trilogy, Neil Young’s success collided with personal chaos | A.V. Club by Corbin Reiff:

From an outsider’s perspective, it probably looked like Neil Young had it made in the shade in those early months of 1972. In the last few years he entered into serious relationship with Hollywood actress Carrie Snodgress and had a son; he’d raked in a boatload of cash with the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and he had just released the most commercially successful album of his entire career. It seemed like he should have been living it up on cloud nine. But Young was actually on the verge of spiraling out into a private hell that would take over his life for the next three years.

With his fourth solo record, Harvest, Neil Young hit upon the kind of success that every artist dreams of achieving. The multi-platinum best seller—with a No. 1 hit, “Heart Of Gold”—almost perfectly synthesized the popular singer-songwriter movement underway in Southern California. By the time the full scope of that album’s success became apparent, Young wanted to have nothing to do with it. Looking back on it just five years later, he wrote in the liner notes to the Decades box set that the experience “put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore, so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there.”

It wasn’t just the newfound fame and the crushing hero worship that sent Young reeling, although that might have been enough for some. His personal life was coming off the rails as well. His relationship to Snodgress was unraveling; his newborn son Zeke was recovering from the aftereffects of a slight brain aneurysm; and he’d been suffering from near debilitating back pain. The kicker of it all, however, was the sudden death of his Crazy Horse guitar player and friend, Danny Whitten.

Whitten looms rather large in Young’s personal history, both for his contributions on Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and After The Gold Rush and for being the figure most directly responsible for pushing Young off the rails after 1972. To coincide with the release of Harvest, Young and his managers had booked an ambitious 62-date tour of North America. Young was hoping to bring Whitten along with him.

Full article at On The Ditch Trilogy, Neil Young’s success collided with personal chaos | A.V. Club by Corbin Reiff.

Also, see The Ditch Trilogy: Albums by Neil Young | thrasherswheat.org.

Also, see The Beautiful, Enduring Gloom of Neil Young's Ditch Trilogy | PandoraMusic.

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PREVIEW NEW SONG & VIDEO: 'Rock Starbucks' by Neil Young and the Nelson Brothers

Here's a preview of "Rock Starbucks" from the upcoming album The Monsanto Years by Neil Young and the Nelson Brothers, Lukas and Micah Nelson and the band Promise of the REAL.

"If you don't like to rock Starbucks, a coffee shop
Well, you better change your station 'cause that ain't all that we got
Yeah, I want a cup of coffee, but I don't want a GMO
I like to start my day off without helping Monsanto
Monsanto
Let our farmers grow
What they want to grow"

The Monsanto Years will be released on June 16 30, 2015.

Also, tomorrow, May 23, is international March Against Monsanto Day. Find out what's taking place in your city @ http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/.

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Yet More Passion From A Neil Young Fan

Neil Young
(Click photo to enlarge)

So no sooner than we lament the decline of quality comments here at TW, than folks step up to the plate and deliver. So we say thanks to all of our dear readers and listeners and say again that we love you all -- both the passionate and dis-passionate Neil fans.

This week, we've heard from The Passion of A Neil Young Fan and The (Dis)-Passion of A Neil Young Fan where we highlighted some particularly passionate and dis-passionate opinions of long time Neil fans.

From The (Dis)-Passion of A Neil Young Fan by Greg " A Friend Of Yours" who said...

I think there are some interesting comments here, and in the end can’t argue with the fact that your “passion has waned greatly”, TopangaDaze. [see comment]

I think you have a valid perspective based on your views, I guess my perspective is just different based on my views. In line with a lot of the criticism aimed at Neil tho, the gratuitous outpouring of which has reduced me to a dispassionate observer of TW these days, I would have to disagree with the notion that Neil fears his output “will be criticized, or worse yet, ignored”, or that he “can't face his increasing irrelevance”. I think this would be totally out of character for a guy who has never cared about these things. Besides, I think an argument can be made that Neil has never been more relevant, or less ignored, and that “too much output” has more to do with the numerous things he is focused on now, as compared to a more narrow focus in earlier years.

I think it still comes down to the fact that a lot of people just don’t get Neil- and I don’t say that I do, not truly. But at the very least, I understand this: “this” (whatever music it is that people are alternately praising or disparaging) is not a function of calculation on Neil’s part (yes, Neil has done not a few calculated things), so much as it is about what is happening right now in his life, mixed together with the reality that he can’t not do it. Neil fits the mold of a troubadour, someone who “sets verse to music”, and who must perform it for others because that’s who he is. Maybe his minimalist sensibilities rule him too much for some people’s taste, and don’t mix too well with a prolific output, but “throw away albums”? That’s what critics have said about any number of segments of the discography, and I agree with Dan1 that they will stand the test of time.

I was looking for a quote from Bill Shapiro about the troubadour angle, and came across one of my own comments from a while back here on TW, and after re-reading it don’t think I can improve upon it. A little long, and you have to fill in the blanks a little differently, but I think it’s still relevant. FWIW.

“Every now and then something prompts me to go back and reread the great Cameron Crowe Rolling Stone interviews. They always seem to provide a perfect perspective for the newest flavor of the moment controversy, as in the case of this blog. People very rarely change, or change their stripes. Maybe they have their lapses, and Neil is human for sure, but I’d be shocked to find out it was ever about the money. It’s about what’s happening right now- in his head, in his life, in the world around him. Is that really so hard to understand? People don’t understand something, they don’t like something, they don’t know- they freak out and start flailing about trying to make sense of something they’re not privy to. I’m not privy to anything either, but I rest my mind in the experience of what 40 years of Neil Young have given me, and it’s all about the music and the integrity. Money motive just doesn’t wash with me.

I don’t have anything more to say about the recent music- too much has been said already- other than to say that Thrasher is probably on to something by likening GD/LWW/CDII/FITR to the “ditch trilogy”, and in that event hold onto your hat for what might be coming next. Revisionism notwithstanding, I was there when it was happening, and clearly remember the gnashing of teeth in the music world over the impending demise of Neil Young, and the dismissiveness of the people who didn’t understand, who felt the need to save Neil from himself. Beyond this, Bill Shapiro of “Cypress Avenue” said it all when he likened Neil to a troubadour, someone who is compelled to perform for people. You might find someone like this playing to a local bar like as not playing to an “ocean of shaking hands”. It’s not about the money. As one blogger pointed out somewhere, heart rending and angst ridden youth produced heart rending and angst ridden music, but now having moved beyond these things, different things are producing different music- things like the deterioration of society, the degradation of the environment, war in the middle east, and the need for energy alternatives. Laced through all of it is the need for the artist, the individual, to make sense of it all and have something to say. There’s a need, and it ain’t pretty.

I’ll let the following Crowe excerpts say the rest:

“Every one of my records, to me, is like an ongoing autobiography. I can't write the same book very time. There are artists that can. They put out three or four albums every year and everything fucking sounds the same. That's great. Somebody's trying to communicate to a lot of people and give them the kind of music that they know they want to hear. That isn't my trip. My trip is to express what's on my mind.“

“I don't want to feel like people expect me to be a certain way. Nobody expected Time Fades Away and I'm not sorry I put it out. I didn't need the money, I didn't need the fame. You gotta keep changing. Shirts, old ladies, whatever. I'd rather keep changing and lose a lot of people along the way. If that's the price, I'll pay it. I don't give a shit if my audience is a hundred or a hundred million. It doesn't make any difference to me. I'm convinced that what sells and what I do are two completely different things. If they meet, it's coincidence. I just appreciate the freedom to put out an album like Tonight's the Night if I want to.”

“One afternoon during a tour several years ago, Young sat in his manager's hotel room. The phone kept ringing, tour crew members bustled in an out... and through it all, Young sat on the bed with his son Zeke, peacefully watching the news.

The broadcast was interrupted by an emergency bulletin. Pat Nixon had suffered a stroke, an announcer said over a filmed report of the sad and beaten Richard Nixon tearily moving through the hospital's revolving doors. After a time, Young got up and disappeared into his bus in the parking lot. Onstage several hours later, Young played the song he had written…“ (Campaigner)

"People don't understand sometimes," he says, looking down at a pencil he's toying with, "how I can come in and go out so fast, how I can be there and want to do something and then when it's over, for me it's over. To other people it's just a beginning. Sometimes that's hard for people to take. I can see how that would be. I just don't like to stay in one place very long. I move around, I keep doing different things . . ." He looks up. "Just different things."

It must be difficult, I wonder, to decide which impulses to follow.

"I only follow the ones I get," says Young. "And if it makes me laugh... I know it's a good one. Basically I've had a really good time, even though my songs have mostly expressed the down side. I like that there's a lot of humor in rock & roll now. A lot of people take me so seriously. They don't know what to do with me not taking myself so seriously anymore.”

"I've got a job to do, I've got to just tear down whatever has happened to me and build something new. You can only have it for so long before you don't have it anymore. You become an old-timer... which... I could be... I don't know.

"After all, it's just me and Frank Sinatra left on Reprise Records."

Does anybody doubt that Neil is laughing and having fun right now, or that something’s getting torn down in the process? Is it just too much to handle that the same man employing the same method that in the past produced something “musically pleasing”, is now producing music that is not “melodic” enough or “lyrically complex” enough? I think it’s time for everyone to take a chill pill, and give the guy a break. After all, it has to be pretty lonely sometimes now that Frank is gone.”

A Friend Of Yours

We feel your passion A Friend Of Yours! Thanks for all of the words and we'll see what folks have to say when The Monsanto Years hits the streets. We have a hunch that the fun has only just begun and the best is still yet to come as we get behind the wheel, make that big shift and take a long, slow ride into that setting sun while the full moon rises with big birds flying across the sky.

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PREVIEW ALBUM COVER: The Monsanto Years by Neil Young and the Nelson Brothers

Last week, we posted an image from the Instagram account themonsantoyears of what might possibly be the upcoming album cover.

And here's another possible preview of the album cover for the upcoming The Monsanto Years by Neil Young and the Nelson Brothers, Lukas and Micah Nelson and the band Promise of the REAL.

This image is on the Ticketmaster site when purchasing for the “Rebel Content” summer tour. (Thanks Hounds That Howell!)

The Monsanto Years will be released on 16th June 2015.

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Comment of the Moment: The (Dis)-Passion of A Neil Young Fan

Neil Young
(Click photo to enlarge)
As with all things Neil, there must be contradictions wherever an opinion is ventured.

Just as we lamented on the decline of quality comments here at TW, no sooner than a number pop up on the Comment of the Moment: The Passion of A Neil Young Fan thread where we highlighted a particularly passionate long time Neil fan.

But of course some folks just have to disagree that a 68 year old rock veteran is still relevant and vibrant. Some see it -- but many don't, like TopangaDaze who said...

I still follow Neil and always will, but my passion has waned greatly. Neil has always been wildly inconsistent in both thought and action, but I actually think he's losing his integrity and credibility with these recent ridiculously simple, sloppy commentary concept albums.

Playing armchair psychologist, as I've said before, I think it comes down to his ever increasing fear. Not just his fear for the planet or the future, but for his relevance. For the most part he's afraid to commit to truly working on an album because he fears it will be criticized, or worse yet, ignored.

These immediate commentary throwaway albums are his way of saying how authentic he is and how sales and critics don't matter to him. In reality, I believe they now matter more to him than ever, but he can't face his increasing irrelevance. By releasing these largely one-take concepts, he's able to entirely hedge his bets. He can always say he just wants to get his thoughts out to the public as quickly as possible, but to me he's really saying he doesn't think he can do any better and doesn't want to have to face that reality.

He is still an incredible musician as his live shows attest, but on record as a creative musically poetic songwriter, those days are likely regrettably gone.

On a more positive note, he's already created a treasure trove of material for us to savor and digest as long as we all may run.

Thanks TopangaDaze for the opinion which many agree and disagree with.

It seems that the long knives are emerging even before The Monsanto Years album is released in June judging by the pre-judgements. And we've seen how these pre-judgements turn out before. Remember The Judgement Not To Pre-Judge "Americana", anyone???

Let us just say that if the Internet had been around in the 1980's, we would have read this after TRANS came out. And after Landing on Water came out. And after Life came out. Likewise, in the 1990's after Looking Forward came out. Or, in the 2000's after Are You Passionate? came out or practically every album since then.

In fact, we've tracked this rise and fall of Neil Young "fashion" over the years in articles like Peak Neil?

Or check out the Rust Never Sleeps analysis and The Greendale Challenge for more on artistic freedom and creativity vs. audience pandering.

Lastly, the most important thing to say about Neil Young is that he is a survivor. And not just any survivor but Neil Young is THE quintessential survivor.

peace & love. stay calm. no fear. use discernment. be the wheat. prepare for the big shift and keep on rockin' in the free world.

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David Crosby Apologizes to Neil Young

Neil Young & David Crosby

Well, they say it's takes a big man to admit a mistake and apologize.

Earlier this week, David Crosby was on the Howard Stern Show and apologized for comments about Neil Young's girlfriend Daryl Hannah.

From rollingstone.com by Andy Greene:

"I was completely out of line," he said. "I have screwed up massively. Daryl Hannah never wound up in a Texas prison. I'm screwed up way worse than that girl. Where do I get off criticizing her? She's making Neil happy. I love Neil and I want him happy."

Crosby said he believed the comments were off the record, but added, "That's neither here nor there." "Daryl, if you're out there, I apologize. Where do I get off criticizing you? There are people I can criticize: politicians, pond scum. Not other artists that have gone through a hard life, same as me. She hasn't had it easy either."

Stern said he thought that Crosby made the comments out of love for his bandmate, and Crosby agreed. "I was worried that he was going to be taken advantage of," he said. "But the truth is that's not my place to judge. That's the bottom line. It's not my place to judge other human beings like that. That was judgmental and stupid and careless and I regret it a lot."

Crosby said that he did call Young shortly after the comments surfaced. "He wanted me to print a retraction," he said. "I said, 'I don't know about that.' The first thing that I did was apologize right away. I said, 'Neil, I shouldn't have shot my mouth off. I'm sorry.'" He went on to say that he never spoke directly to Hannah. "But I'm doing that right now," Crosby said. "Daryl, I apologize. I was wrong. I have no place to stand to do that. I have no right. I haven't earned that right. I'm the guy that wound up in prison, not her."

Carry on...

Meanwhile, it appears that is exactly what Ms. Pegi Young is doing -- carrying on.

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Nils Lofgren Podcast Interview + Neil Young Content

Nils Lofgren and Neil Young
Vote For Change tour 2004
St. Paul, Minnesota
Photo by Joseph Quever
Here's a new rock podcast from Baltimore MD called "The Keep Calm and Rock On Podcast".

Nils Lofgren was a guest for this week's episode and discusses everything from Nil's current east coast tour, his "Face the Music" box set, song writing styles, his time playing with Bruce Springsteen and of course Neil Young, as well as the differences between begin a solo artist and a side man plus many more topics.

On this week's episode of The Keep Calm and Rock On Podcast, Michael, Angelo & Jamie are joined by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Nils Lofgren. Over a 46 year career, Nils Lofgren has not only spent time playing with Neil Young and as a member of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, but he has also had a storied solo career that has spanned decades. Nils discusses his career with the KCRO crew as well as his song writing process, his new 10 disc retrospective "Face The Music" and his current duo tour. All this, and much more on this week's Keep Calm and Rock On.

• Download this Episode

Also, see more on Nils Lofgren and Neil Young.

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." - Victor Hugo

Music influences culture, inspires companionship, and creates tension. To love music is to eternally welcome it into your heart like a significant other. Often compelling, occasionally frustrating, yet forever entwined with your heart. The Keep Calm and Rock On Podcast has launched to provide a roundtable-type platform to discuss the way rock and roll and popular music has moved people for the last 50 years. Through it's creators Angelo, Michael and Jamie, listeners will be led on musical exploration of all topics rock and roll, the familiar and the foreign. Every two weeks, Keep Calm and Rock On will release a new episode that will focus on a rarely explored avenue of rock and roll. KCRO - as the show is sometimes referred to - can be viewed as a metaphysical look into a genre that is normally explored from audio or literary perspectives. Each of the show's hosts is an adult blend of longtime musician and contemporary historian. Join Angelo, Michael and Jamie in their quest to explain the musically unexplainable and attain rock and roll unattainable...The Keep Calm and Rock On Podcast!

Thanks Michael!

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Comment of the Moment: The Passion of A Neil Young Fan

Neil Young
(Click photo to enlarge)
Although the volume of comments here on TW continues to decline, we still manage to receive some really passionate views on Neil Young and his musical influence.

The Comment of the Moment is from NEW ALBUM & TOUR: Monsanto Years & Nelson Brothers by Alan:

I am so proud to be a Neil Young fan in this modern era.

Those who think the good times are all gone are way wrong, in my opinion. Lots of folks think the Status Quo is just fine. If only Neil would just keep remaking Harvest, etc. My politics line up with those of Mr. Young. The Mainstream Media and the Minds of Americans are not likely to notice a problem like massive doses of Poison in the food supply were it not for the courageous voices of famous artists like Neil Young.

His rebellious vantage point and his hip girlfriend just add fuel to the fire of environmental righteousness he will lay out in this next dose of sonic brilliance. His latest wake up call to the sleeping populace. How did Americans get so Apolitical? The 60's are dead and gone. For most all, except for our hero, Neil, who carries the torch the present day. Each and every one of his modern releases contain masterful work. Take Fork in the Road, for instance. Johnny Magic and Fuel line are 2 of the hottest Rock songs any veteran has recorded in the last decade. If Don Henley could write and perform a song like Fuel Line, he would still be relevant.

Yes, Psychedelic Pill was brilliant. So was Living With War. Who has the balls to call it like he sees it. He nails it. "Back in the days of 'Mission Accomplished…' " Cutting insight. "There's a Bailout coming but its not for you." Hello?! The Middle Class is being bled dry by this corruption. Are you paying attention? Neil is. Long Live Neil! How many more masterpieces can we get from the man? Be grateful he is so productive. Even Storytone is a classic album (I like the solo version best). There are some burned out Right Wing fans out there who wish Neil would shut up and do what they want him to do.

Sorry, that's not how he works. Bring it on, Neil!

Alan in Seattle

Thanks Alan. Love that Neil passion and know the feeling. See you on the rail this summer.

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PREVIEW ALBUM COVER?: The Monsanto Years by Neil Young and the Nelson Brothers

The Monsanto Years
(Click photo to enlarge)
Here's a possible preview of the album cover for the upcoming The Monsanto Years by Neil Young and the Nelson Brothers, Lukas and Micah Nelson and the band Promise of the REAL.

The image above is from the Instagram account themonsantoyears and appears to be official. As we mentioned tonight on Thrasher's Wheat Radio on Wbkm Dot Org, obviously, the image is not a final cover image but looks to be a nice potential.

The Monsanto Years will be released on 16th June 2015.

Also, the “Rebel Content” tour has been announced for this summer with Neil Young and the Nelson Brothers, Lukas and Micah Nelson and the band Promise of the REAL. More details on summer tour here.

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VIDEO: Bridge Kids 2014 + Thrasher's Wheat Radio Tonight

Here's another heart warming video from those wonderful Bridge kids.

BSN co-anchors Savannah and Fletcher report on the Door Art Posters for the artists at the 2014 Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert.

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More coverage tonight on Thrasher's Wheat Radio on Wbkm Dot Org, at 9:00PM ET.

Don't be denied!

Tune in details and podcast info @ Thrashers Wheat Radio Hour.


Thrasher's Wheat Radio
Tune in on WBKM.org, Saturdays @ 9P EST

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RARE: Neil Young - "Time Off For Good Behavior"

Here's an outtake from Neil Young's "Old Ways" sessions, "Time Off For Good Behavior."

The song is about Neil Young's brother Bob Young and his run in with the law back in the early 1980's. As Neil sings:

"My brother went to prison
He's in Kingston doin' time
He got seven years for sellin'
What I've been smokin' all my life
Time off for good behavior"

My, how the times they are a changin'. Now if only we could all have time off for good behavior then we'd all be free...

Bob Young
Bob Young appears in Neil Young's 2012 film Journey's, directed by Jonathan Demme.

More on Neil Young's brother Bob Young.

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A Neil Young Concert Memory: The Hurricane on the Hill

Everyone has their favorite Neil Young & Crazy Horse concert memories.

It's been said that Neil Young has the ability to influence the weather. Now whether that is true can be debated. But it is a fact that there have been some wild weather events while Neil has played "Like A Hurricane".

For example, the Neil Young & Crazy Horse concert at A Day On The Green, The Hill Winery, Geelong, Australia on March 16, 2013 (see above for a 90 second taste. Unfortunately some bad audio but the video is pretty crazy).

As a comment by Holly M. demonstrates, you just had to be there:

It was brilliant to see.

All night it was light on/off drizzling rain and nothing more. Immediately 'Hurricane' started the wild winds and torrential rain also started and continued through the whole song. When the song finished so did the wild weather. I was sitting about 10 rows from the front and was overwhelmed by the whole experience.

When the song and wild weather finished my mate turned to me and said 'That's the best special effects I've ever seen live'. Of course, he was definitely correct.

"Like A Hurricane"
Neil Young with Crazy Horse
A Day On The Green - Mar 16, 2013
Photo by Gary "Old Man Emu" Cee | Picasa Web Albums
(Click photo to enlarge)
Or a comment by Old Man Emu:

Neil Young with Crazy Horse - 4 shows is not enough but the last was unforgettable. Hurricane On The Hill at the Hill Winery in Geelong, VIC.

When they started Like A Hurricane I was so elated as I've never seen it live. But when the heavens opened and Poncho's organ was getting blown over the edge of the stage like a child's swing with torrential rain pouring down and Poncho giving up and then when the tarpaulin on the roof overflowed right onto Neil and the sheets of water came in they started to shut the song down. I was bitterly disappointed. Then what ? Neil saw all the equipment was still working, he shook off a lightning strike, eyed god squarely, and said "Go on I dare you, electrocute me it's your choice".

God chose to let Neil and Crazy Horse complete the song. I have never experienced anything drive so much emotional energy through my body. Stage, performers and equipment flooded. 66 year old guys should take more care !

Phenomenal !

More on Neil Young's ability to influence the weather on The Concert I Won't Forget: The Night Neil Young Rocked Like a Hurricane.

Also, see the Music in Head 2000 tour at Red Rocks in a blizzard (see HyperRust: MIH Tour: Denver (Show 3)).

The answer our friends, is blowing in the wind... the Big Shift is coming ...

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TRAILER: 'Ricki and the Flash' by Jonathan Demme

Here's the new trailer for the upcoming film 'Ricki and the Flash'.

And you might say OK, so the Neil connection? Here are just a few of the Neil connections:

• Neil Young coached Meryl Streep on guitar playing and singing
• Rick Rosas is the bass player "Buster" in the band Flash and wears a EARTH shirt (see clip above)
• Rick Rosas recorded on the soundtrack before passing away two days later
• Film was directed by Jonathan Demme

Thanks to Hounds That Howell for connecting the dots! Keep on connectin' in the free world.

UPDATE: Thanks Babbo B.!

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VIDEO: "Mr. Soul" - Neil Young and Stephen Stills at Light Up The Blues Concert in Hollywood, CA 4-25-15

Here's another video from the Light Up The Blues Benefit of Neil Young and Stephen Stills performing "Mr. Soul".

The video was shot by Jeff Allen who writes:

I was shooting still photos, when, just after the song started, I decided to video it. Sorry it's not the complete song.

Just a reminder, there's still time to enter into our contest for a high resolution print measuring 11" X 14" from the concert. Details at CONTEST: Win a Neil Young & Stephen Stills Print .

Also, here is a link to his concert photography (featuring the likes of Neil Young and Stephen Stills) from 1968-72 at Jeff Allen | Cache Agency.

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More coverage tonight on Thrasher's Wheat Radio on Wbkm Dot Org, at 9:00PM ET.

Don't be denied!

Tune in details and podcast info @ Thrashers Wheat Radio Hour.


Thrasher's Wheat Radio
Tune in on WBKM.org, Saturdays @ 9P EST

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VIDEO: "Long May You Run" - Stills & Young

"Long May You Run" with Stephen Stills & Neil Young at the Light Up The Blues Benefit, Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, California, on 2015-04-25.

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Neil Young on High-Res Music: Triangulation 199

Neil Young talks about PONO and high resolution audio.

This is the short version. Full, long interview version with Neil @ http://twit.tv/show/triangulation/199.

Thanks Svein!

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Comment of the Moment: "Ohio: Kent State 45 Years Later"

The Comment of the Moment is from the anniversary posting "Ohio: Kent State 45 Years Later" by Michele Regal:

I was a young girl of not quite nine years old in May of 1970. But my brother was eight years older than I and back in the Vietnam era, the news reported the war very graphically. It was live feed of helicopters hovering over the jungle with sweaty and bloody soldiers pulling limp bodies of fellow bloodied soldiers out of the jungle and on to the chopper.

I lived in Tucson AZ where there is a large air force base. They didnt have any rules about the flight paths over residential areas back then, and jets would make so much noise, they would shake the house. They also made this little girl cry and worry, that my brother was going to be drafted to the war in Vietnam. So, by having an older brother, I was attuned to what was going on in the world, and my brothers music was much as my own as my Partridge Family albums."Ohio" was an anthem and even at my young age, I knew what it meant.

I was very astute for my age. Even my brother says I was born age forty. My heart goes out to Jeffs' mother who posted so eloquently how she felt then and now, what she missed, and so forth. Her post is a tribute to all of the students, and a priceless document by someone so profoundly affected by what happened on that campus, on that day. It should be memorialized. I don't know if she would be alive to today, as he son would be sixtyfive by now (We are now 45 years removed from that horrible day, it is 2015 now) How old might she be now and is she still alive.

I wish I could thank her for her coragous words, her strength and honesty. I wish I could thank Neil Young for his mastery of the English language and his ability to tell a story so accurately. He is a wordsmith. I have cried tears of joy and sadness at his concerts, where I sit mesmerized by the lyrics as much as the musicianship.

The gunning down of those four student took away the innocense of a generation. The deaths took away the feeling that they has a say so in what their country would or wouldnt do.

I grieve these events. I grieve events since then. But these children did in fact die for our country, even though they were no specific uniform, except for maybe, bell bottom jeans and long hair. They were the swoldiers at home, doing what they could to bend the ears of politicians, who were still old school, and didnt recognize that times were changing.

God continue to bless these four young souls. Their lives did in fact have meaning. We continue to remember them today, years later. Recognizing that their lives were stolen lives.

I just want to say, I know the families still grieve, even though they buried their babies 45 years ago. Their lives had meaning. I write this today because they had meaning. I can assure you that people are remembering them, some are just learning about this for the first time and asking questions.

Their lives had meaning. God bless them. I wish I had the ability to write the master post to convey my sorrow, confusion and my attempts to understand this event. But it simply a good thing, that I remember.

God bless all.

Thank you for the memories Michele!

For to understand the truth of that day 45 years ago, is to understand what has happened just in the course of our lifetimes. The Day The Music Died: 50 Years Ago Today and Why It Will Always Matter

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CONTEST: Win a Neil Young & Stephen Stills Print

Stephen Stills & Neil Young
Light Up The Blues Benefit
Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, California, USA - 2015-04-25
Photo by Jeff Allen
(Click photo to enlarge)
Happy Cinco de Mayo to all of you tequila drinkers out there!

And in the spirit of love and all that is good about Neil Young & Stephen Stills and their rustie fans, we're pleased to be able to offer a free print of the art above to a Thrasher's Wheat reader. Details follow below.

Thanks to the photographer Jeff Allen, the lucky winner will receive a high resolution print measuring 11" X 14" from the Light Up The Blues Benefit concert.

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HOW TO WIN A COPY OF "Neil Young & Stephen Stills Print"

Lucky Thrasher's Wheat supporters will be eligible to win a free copy of the Neil Young & Stephen Stills print. We truly appreciate being able to do 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 - "Neil Young & Stephen Stills Print"

Include name, postal mailing address with *country*.

Deadline: May 22, 2015

We'll then randomly select Thrasher's Wheat readers as winner.

Don't Be Denied!

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