Yet Another New Year, And With More Good News for Neil Young Fans

Our Man  + Finding The Cost Of Freedom Is Steep
Happy New Year everyone!

As we do here at Thrasher's Wheat from time to time, we look back as we look ahead. Because you know how time fades away, right?

And in looking back, we go all the way back to the New Year of 2007, where we published a letter from Caryn which really moved us.  (See  Find The Cost Of Freedom: A New Year). We won't try and summarize here because the entire letter needs to be read in full context, but basically a story of going from war time despair to peaceful hope.

And in these times, we're hearing about folks trying to escape angry despair to a more positive, peaceful state of being in their life.

And as parts of our EARTH teeter along between what some consider a mix of World War 3 and Civil War 2.0, we try and bring a little joy and light.

All of which to say that 2026 has been on our mind for a very, very long time.  

2026 marks the 30th Anniversary of Thrasher’s Wheat. 5 years ago in 2021, Neil Young Archives helped us celebrate by publishing a "HAPPY 25th Anniversary Thrasher’s Wheat!" article on the front top of Times-Contrarian. 

 "HAPPY 25th Anniversary Thrasher’s Wheat!" | Neil Young Archives

Per  "HAPPY 25th Anniversary Thrasher’s Wheat!" | Neil Young Archives:

"Thanks for being there.

We at NYA greatly appreciate your members and their enthusiasm over the years. it will be a great period for us all over the next years as well. Lots more music coming. Our biggest concern is that NYA Volume 3 is so big!

Lots of love and thanks to TW and the people who love it and support it."

To say the thrashers were humbled and honored would be a vast under statement.

Just like Willie Nelson's old guitar Trigger -- while we may be worn and battered -- we will survive and thrive no matter what forces we encounter.

Willie Nelson's  guitar "Trigger"

So what shall we do for our 30th Anniversary here at Thrasher’s Wheat?

We do want to give back to the community and are looking seriously at our options.  We do hope to announce our anniversary plans in the not too distant future.

As a reminder, back in 2016, we celebrated our 20th anniversary with the incredibly popular tie dye shirt.

Thrasher's Wheat 20th Anniversary: 1996 - 2016
Design by Silver Moon Art & Design
(Click photo to enlarge)

 

It has been a long, long road since 1996 and we would like to make 2026 a year of celebration. A celebration maybe not so much of our little blog website or even of Neil Young. No, a celebration of this wonderful little community we joined back in 1993 that eventually became known as "The force of Rust".

Photo by TW Tour & Merch Manager RotM: Hounds That Howell

(folks, let your freak flags fly!) 

The Rust community is -- without a shred of doubt -- the tightest and coolest group of music fans running in history... online or offline. (We'd be happy to have that discussion separately below in comments.)

Rusties @ The Healing Pole & Medicine Teepee
Shoreline: 2015 International Rust Fest Bridge Concerts 

Rust@yahoo 

To say that the power of Rust changed our lives would be a vast over under statement. That said, to some degree, it became our mantra to stay "rustie" at all times. To be the rust is to know the rust. And rusties understand that statement. 

Or as we sometimes say, "It's a rustie thing and you wouldn't understand".

What many may not realize, is that Thrasher's Wheat continues to be the 2nd longest continuously running website in the history of the Internet dedicated to a single topic, operating under the same "original management" and "original mission".

Period. Full stop.

Longer than eBay, Amazon, Google, Facebook, etc. Even before New York Times or Washington Post websites were launched, or about the same time. And we welcome any challenge to the above statement and will gladly correct. :)

Logo design by
Geoff Moore - Silver Moon Graphics

At this point, we could run down an amazing amount of TW post highlights. The concert reviews. The photos. The videos. The ecstasies and agonies. And so on. 

But at the moment, we just want to share the joy of Neil and the Rust community.

Telluride, Colorado, October 1, 2016

Photo by Expecting To Fly

So here's what we're thinking. Back in 2016 -- thanks to our dear friend Geoff, -- we came up with a Thrasher's Wheat 20th Anniversary t-shirt with which to celebrate.

Sandy & Tami
The Arkansas Girls

But now in honor of Thrasher's Wheat Celebrates 30th Anniversary: 1996 - 2026, we will be embarking on a new and exciting adventure.

w/ Geoff in Telluride 2016 

 

Stay tuned in coming weeks for a very major announcement in the next chapter of the evolution of 21st Century Thrasher's Wheat!

Thrasher's Wheat Radio Supporters Go To Europe

Thanks for readin' & Keep on rockin'!
thrasher & thrashette
#CrazyHorse4HoF  

Our little box at the top of the stairs

thrashers @ TW HQ w/ NYA Vol#2

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NEIL YOUNG ARCHIVES TIMELINE CONCERT OF THE MOMENT: Red Rocks, Colorado - 1989

Neil Young @

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado - September 09, 1989

(image via Sugar Mountain)

A new Timeline Concert of the Moment is now streaming on Neil Young Archives.  (Thanks the Road Dawg!) 

The latest Timeline Concert is Neil Young @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado on September 09, 1989. The concert -- paradoxically -- is "solo" acoustic  along with Frank Sampedro and Ben Keith.

(image via Sugar Mountain)

For more on  Neil Young concerts @ Red Rocks, see Neil Young + Promise of the Real @ Morrison, CO, July 8, 2015.

Neil Young + Promise of the Real

Morrison, CO, July 8, 2015
Photos by thrashette 

More on Neil Young Archives Timeline Concerts.

Also, see Neil Young Archives: Complete Listing of "Timeline Concerts of the Week" + UPDATE: NYA Subscriber News.

Here is a listing of all of the Neil Young concerts on the NYA Timeline.

Also, see Timeline Concert Highlights on Neil Young Archives | Only Castles Burning | SubStack.

TIMELINE CONCERT OF THE MOMENT | NYA  

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Steve Cropper: 1941 - 2025

Steve Cropper (L), Neil Young & Donald "Duck" Dunn (R)
 Werchter Festival Park, Germany - 4 July, 1993(Click photo to enlarge)

Steve Cropper: 1941 - 2025 ...  gone but not forgotten.

Here's a full concert video of Neil Young with Booker T. & the M.G.'s  Werchter Festival Park, Germany - 4 July, 1993.  Steve Cropper on guitar, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, Booker T. Jones on keyboards,  & Jim Keltner on drums. (Thanks YBAIS!)

Neil Young's tour in 1993 with Booker T. & the M.G.'s is considered -- in retrospect -- as yet another example of a great Neil Young backing band which brings out the best in Neil's talents.

Neil Young and Donald "Duck" Dunn
w/ Booker T & The MG's
Finsbury Park, London - 1993
Photo by Jimmy Newark
(Click photo to enlarge)

More on Donald "Duck" Dunn: Gone But Not Forgotten.

 Neil Young w/ Booker T & the MGs + Pearl Jam and Blind Melon1993-09-05, The Gorge, George, WashingtonPoster by Frank Kozik

Also, see Remembering Neil Young w/ Booker T & the MGs, 1993 Concert Tour.

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"Badass Neil Young Stories" via Otis Gibbs

"Badass Neil Young Stories" via Otis Gibbs

Over the past years, we've featured a number of clips from Otis Gibbs discussing  Neil Young's music.

Here is a compilation of "Badass Neil Young Stories" from Kenny Vaughan, Dan Baird, Eric Ambel, Kevn Kinney, Dave Roe, Vince Herman and more who share stories about being around Neil Young.

In particular, check about around 48:00 where Otis discusses the Harvest album cover, designer Gary Burden and photographer Henry Diltz.

Neil Young at Broken Arrow Ranch - 1971

Photo by Henry Diltz

As Otis discusses the Harvest album cover, he mentions researching the story and "falling down the rabbit hole of Neil Young -- the Thrasher's Wheat website."

Thanks Otis! We really can't think of a better metaphor for what we do here at Thrasher's Wheat -- creating Neil Young rabbit holes. (Thanks Jim!)

Follow the Neil rabbit hole @ "Old man look at my life..." - Photos of Neil Young and His Inspiration by Henry Diltz.

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We Are So Thankful For All of Your Support for Thrasher's Wheat Over the Past 29+ Years!!!

Neil Young Independent WebsitesTimes-Contrarian | Neil Young Archives
 (Click photo to enlarge)

Back in 2023, Neil Young Archives posted a listing of Neil Young Independent Websites, which prominently featured Thrasher's Wheat.

We were honored and humbled to be recognized as "Independent" media. And we are committed to continuing our struggle to exercise our freedoms and rights to "speak truth to power". It brings us joy to share our "truths" -- whether it be an opinion on Neil Young's music or something much heavier.

Most of you know our backstory well here after  29+ years cranking out the posts.  It has been an amazing journey with so many rewards which we continue to reap the most valuable of all dividends -- those which are monumentally priceless.

For example, earlier this year we made a pilgrimage over to  Dublin, Ireland for Neil Young and Van Morrison and connected up with our Finland friend Eero and his daughter.

w/ Finland Friends

(see Our Dublin Memories of Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts + Van Morrison @ Malahaide Castle, June 26, 2025 )

Later,  we made a few stops on the  “Love Earth Tour” including  Blossom Music Cent @ Cuyahoga Falls where Neil played “Mr. Soul” on an orange "Gretsch 6120", which he owned from 1963 to 1965 in his Winnipeg band The Squires. 

 “Mr. Soul” 

Blossom Music Center @ Cuyahoga Falls - August 15, 2025

 photo by thrasher 

We also caught up with our fellow "rustie grains" (as Neil himself refers to us) on the rail.

Blossom Music Center @ Cuyahoga Falls - August 15, 2025

Charlotte, NC - August 08 

To connect up with our Neil buddies, hang out and enjoy the music is our definition of bliss. As in finding the true meaning of life. And we consider ourselves quite fortunate to be able to travel about the country and world and meetup with our fellow "rustie grains" (as Neil himself refers to us.)

FarmAidians On The Road Again

w/ More Friends From Near & Far

Normally, at this time of year prior to Thanksgiving, we run our annual fundraiser.  This is the only time of year we ask that our readers to try and support Thrasher's Wheat.

So rather than do our usual posting on everything we're grateful for and how much we appreciate you - our fellow Neil Young fans -- we'll simply ask you to scroll down for details or click here which includes donation links and how to support Thrasher's Wheat.

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

thrashers

☮️♥️

Farm Aid 2025: Minneapolis, MN

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