INTERVIEW: Micah Nelson | Guitar World

Particle Kid (aka Micah Nelson)

Farm Aid 2019 Highlights - Alpine Valley, Wisconsin 

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As a member of Neil Young's band Crazy Horse, Micah Nelson has to channel Danny Witten, Nils Lofgren and Frank ‘Poncho’ Sampedro as he discusses in an interview with Guitar World by Andrew Daly.

“In January of 2023, Neil called and asked if I’d like to join Crazy Horse,” Nelson tells Guitar World. “I was born in the Year of the Horse, so of course I said ‘yes!’ After I agreed, the first thing I thought was, ‘I’m gonna need a new amp.’ I wasn't sure what Neil wanted – I didn't know if he wanted me to be Nils, Poncho or Danny.”

The answer was simple: Young advised Nelson to “be true to the music”. Which makes sense, as the proverbial godfather of grunge has spent well over 50 years doing just that. “My approach has always been to complement whatever the music needs,” Nelson says. “But Neil has always challenged me to push myself beyond the norm in many situations, which became a big thing.”

One look at Willie Nelson’s battered Martin N-20 acoustic, Trigger, explains all you need to know about the rustic wisdom the elder musician has imparted to his children. Asked how he’s injected that soothsaying into his career, Micah says: “I’m sure I could write a song that sounds like Willie Nelson or Neil Young.

“I could deliberately be like, ‘I’m gonna rip off Neil Young right now,’ just like he ripped off Bob Dylan, and like my dad ripped off Django. I could do that all day, and there’s nothing wrong with that.’”

But he doesn’t believe that’s what would be going on. “We’re just borrowing timeless things and being passed down,” he argues. “So I’ll keep digging into similar patterns, and I’ll keep exploring myself. That's just part of being fractal. It’s all a part of me. My roots and lineage will remain, but where I take that remains to be seen.”

Full Micah Nelson interview with Guitar World by Andrew Daly.

Also, more on Micah Nelson and  Neil Young.

Micah Nelson  

Austin Lifestyle - Feb 2023

(see Micah Nelson "Teases" as New Crazy Horse Band Member w/ Neil Young)

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