TONIGHT: Neil Young Solo - Benefit Concert at Lakefield College, Ontario

Neil Young Solo

Tonight, Neil Young will perform solo at an outdoor benefit concert at Lakefield College School’s Northcote Campus, Ontario, Friday, May 23. 

The benefit concert will raise funds for the restoration of the historic farmhouse on the Northcote property. Neil  and his wife, Daryl Hannah, purchased a 116-year-old cottage near Lakefield in September 2020. 

Earlier, Neil Young made the following statement:

"This classic turn of the century farm, returned to its original greatness, is a testimony to the history of Canada."

Ticket details here.

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NEW TITLE TRACK: "Talkin To The Trees" by Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts

Talkin To The Trees 

Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts(Click photo to enlarge)

Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts have released a new Official Music Video for the song "Talkin To The Trees". 
 

Talkin' To The Trees by Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts  

Tracklist:

01. Family Life 

02. Dark Mirage 

03. First Fire Of Winter 

04. Silver Eagle 

05. Let's Roll Again 

06. Big Change

07. Talkin' To The Trees

08. Movin' Ahead

09. Bottle Of Love

10. Thankful

The album "Talkin' to the Trees," recorded with Chrome Hearts, will be released on CD, vinyl, and digital on June 13.

Earlier this month, Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts have released a new Official Music Video for the song "Lets Roll Again".

 "Lets Roll Again"  Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts (Video Frame via Official Video) (Click photo to enlarge)

In January,  Neil Young dropped a track from his latest album titled "big change is coming". In addition, an Official Music Video was released featuring the band  The Chrome Hearts.

 "big change is coming" 

by Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts

(Video Frame via Official Video) 

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"TRUMP!!! What are you worried about, man?": Neil Young Challenges US President Trump

via Neil Young Archives
 (Click photo to enlarge)

Neil Young continues to challenge US President Trump with his latest statement on Neil Young Archives: (thanks Brother Alan!)

"TRUMP!!! What are you worried about, man? 

Bruce and thousands of musicians think you're ruining America. You worry about that instead of the dying children in Gaza. That's your problem. I'm not afraid of you. And neither are the rest of us. You shut down FEMA when we needed it most. That's your problem, Trump.

STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT ROCKERS SAY. Think about saving America from the mess you made. Taylor Swift is right. So is Bruce. You know how I feel. You're more worried about yourself than AMERICA. Wake up, Trump!! Remember what the White House is?

86/47??? That's what you're thinking about? You're forgetting your real job. You work for us. Wake up, Republicans! This guy is out of control. We need a real president!

Neil Young and many others."

Earlier, Neil Young issued a statement of support for Bruce Springsteen, after a Springsteen concert on May 14  in Manchester, UK where he made critical comments about US President Trump.

Again, reaction as been swift not just in U.S.A., or N. America, but truly globally.

via @FarOutMag

Yes, It's Still An Angry World Neil Young, But "everything Is going to be all right"

Neil & Bruce

Bridge School Benefit Concert - October 13, 1986

More on  Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young: The Difference in Greatness.

Donald Trump & Neil Young

or ...

Donald Trump & Neil Young Tangle Yet Again Over Use of Music At Events

or ...

Donnie, Ronnie & Neil: Southern Man and The Un-Civil Wars of Donald Trump & Neil Young or Rebels with Causes w/ Northern Man

or ...

When Neil Young Speaks Truth To Power, The World Listens

Neil Young has actively been protesting the Trump Administratio and "Fighting Oligarchy" in advance of his tour of Europe and North America this summer.

Neil Young and Daryl Hannah

 Hands Off Protest, Thousand Oaks, California - April 5, 2025

image via NYA(Click photo to enlarge)

Neil Young - "Defiant as ever"

More on Neil Young's protests and activism....or ... Now We Know What Would Neil Young Do (WWND?)  ... or ... taking controversial stands ... such is The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young ...

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Comment of the Moment: Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’ Guitar

Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’ Guitar (Click photo to enlarge)

Universally amongst fans, Neil Young's guitar ‘Old Black’ is the stuff of legends.

From the crunchingly brutal Crazy Horse feedback fests to this year's solo electric, the Gibson Les Paul guitar has played witness to the full range of Neil's ragged glory. 

Here is our Comment of the Moment on Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’ Guitar by thatguitarguy:

I've recently read that the black guitar may be a prototype Custom- meaning made in '53, since Customs were first released in 1954. 

I don't know how this theory holds up with the trapeze holes, etc. Part of the reasoning probably has to do with the bound headstock, unusual headstock inlay, etc. 

Now- why I'm here: In 1988, my friend Kenny Aaronson was playing bass with Bob Dylan. I lived in San Francisco and they were doing the Greek Theater over in Berkeley. I went over and spent the day/night with them. Neil was there- he was going to sit in with Bob that night. So, after soundcheck, Neil was sitting with Ol Black in his lap. 

I mentioned a couple of mutual friends, and we got to talking. 

I asked about the guitar, since it's so unusual, and he gave me a mini-tour of the guitar. He's not really a "vintage guy" so we didn't really get into specifics. The thing that struck me most was the obvious thing that you guys don't mention. WHICH IS THE STRIPE DOWN THE BACK OF THE NECK! I think I saw a reference to it in a comment above, including the possibility of some derision. Well, I can take it, if it answers my question. 

I should have asked him, but G.E. Smith came over and started asking questions too. I assumed that the neck was a replacement- it appeared to have a herringbone, or some such, running down the back of the neck. As a 20- year veteran of the vintage guitar world [20 then, 50+ years now] that stripe could only mean a re-neck. Now, in the photo above, I see the stripe running through the body as well. 

Looking back, Neil was holding the guitar in playing position, and I didn't see the back of the body. This guitar has bothered me since that day in '88. Once in a while I go looking for information on information on it, but no one ever references the stripe. I was starting to doubt my recollection. WHAT IS IT AND HOW DID IT GET THERE? 

I was also good friends with Rick Rosas. He was a wonderful guy- very funny, smart, great cook, GREAT bass player. He also played with Waddy's band in LA. And, of course, he played with Neil. Neil had no problem with Rick running his video camera during rehearsals, or whatever they were doing. So I got to watch dozens of hours of their practices, jams, whatever. He would put them on as background whenever we were doing stuff at the house. I came to really like, and respect Neil through all of that exposure. 

So Thank You, Rick RIP 

Please help a vintage brother out, and tell me what you know. And Thank You so much!

Thanks for the comment thatguitarguy! Cool stories on Ol Black. Hope someone can help you out.

So if you're interested in the anatomy of Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’, check out Anatomy of Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’ Guitar.

Guitar Tech Larry Cragg with ‘Old Black’
More photos and articles on Neil Young's guitars.

Also, see "How I Came to Know Neil Young's Old Black Guitar" by Larry Cragg. 

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"THANKS BRUCE!": Neil Young Issues Statement of Support for Bruce Springsteen

"THANKS BRUCE!"Neil Young Archives| Times-Contrarian
 (Click photo to enlarge)

Neil Young has issued a statement of support for Bruce Springsteen, after a Springsteen concert on May 14  in Manchester, UK in which he spoke negatively about the current Trump Administration. (Thanks Road Dawg!)

Bruce Springsteen

Manchester, UK -  May 14, 2025

Bruce Springsteen said to 20,000 fans that a corrupt and treacherous government was in power in the US. He called Trump an "incompetent president" of a "rogue government."

Afterwards, President Trump then called Springsteen a "totally overrated" musician. "[Springsteen should] keep his mouth shut until he's back in the country. Then we'll all see how he fares," Trump posted. 

In response, Neil Young writes in a post on Neil Young Archives| Times-Contrarian:

"Thank you, Bruce.

As a dual Canadian-American citizen, I join the vast majority in thanking you for speaking so eloquently and truthfully on behalf of the American people,

We are with you, my old friend."

Neil Young has actively been protesting the Trump Administratio and "Fighting Oligarchy" in advance of his tour of Europe and North America this summer.

Neil Young and Daryl Hannah

 Hands Off Protest, Thousand Oaks, California - April 5, 2025

image via NYA(Click photo to enlarge)
More on  Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young: The Difference in Greatness.

 Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young: The Difference in Greatness 

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The Making of ‘Heart of Gold Volume 1’ – A Neil Young Tribute Album Supporting The Bridge School

‘Heart of Gold Volume 1A Neil Young Tribute Album Supporting The Bridge School

 ‘Heart Of Gold Volume 1’, a compilation of Neil Young covers performed by artists including Fiona Apple, Brandi Carlile, The Doobie Brothers, Eddie Vedder, Mumford & Sons, and more, will raise funds for The Bridge School .  The Bridge School helps children with severe speech and physical impairments through assistive technology.

Cinema Music Group (CMG) a Los Angeles-based production house founded by longtime friends and collaborators Dave Resnik and Niko Bolas, produced the benefit album. Each artist on the album personally chose the song they covered, and nearly every track was recorded in just one or two takes, giving the record an intimate, live feel. The tribute benefit album has already raised $100,000 for The Bridge School, with Volume 1 out now, and Volumes 2 and 3 on the way. 

From HARLTON EMPIRE:

Kat Harlton: How did the idea for ‘Heart of Gold Volume 1’ come about, and what inspired you to make it a benefit project for The Bridge School?

CMG: We were recording an album with Chris Pierce in 2022. He’s such an incredible songwriter. We knew we wanted to record more with him and we started looking at cover ideas. Niko’s worked with Neil for a long time and their friendship goes back 30+ years! So, we ended up speaking with Neil and got his blessing to record a few covers but the idea only ended up growing from there and after a few more conversations we booked a studio session in 2023 and invited Chris Pierce, Sharon Van Etten and Draco Rosa along. We reached out to Brandi Carlile too and she said yes but her schedule was really busy. We tracked 3 songs in one day! The session was great success and we just kept going. Brandi recorded “Philadelphia” about 15 months later! The Bridge School is such a huge part of Neil’s legacy. The old benefit concerts were so memorable, it was such an exciting thing to be part of. It only felt natural for us to turn the Heart Of Gold project into a benefit record to benefit The Bridge School.

Kat: Neil Young is such a revered and complex artist—what was it like securing his blessing for this project, and how did that influence how you approached the covers?

CMG: It meant everything, we definitely couldn’t have done it without him. His songwriting is so good, His songs are some of the best ever written. We wanted to approach recording the record with as much care and respect for the original songs as possible and we believed the best way to do that was by letting the artists pick the songs they wanted to cover. By doing that it meant that they were able to pick and play the songs that they really connected with. We wanted to make a heartfelt record and this approach made it easier to record and capture all the emotive performances.

Kat: With artists like Fiona Apple, Brandi Carlile, Eddie Vedder, and The Doobie Brothers involved, how did you go about curating such a diverse and legendary lineup?

CMG: Similar to how the concerts were put together… The concerts had this family feel to them where everyone knew everyone. We wanted to keep that family feel so we reached out to people who we knew. Sometimes we were able to reach out directly to the artist and sometimes we reached out to the producer, or a manager or even the guitar tech! The whole project happened via word or mouth. We ran with the whole six degrees of separation… “who do we know who knows ___?”. We were really surprised by how many people wanted to be involved. It was amazing to have so many artists wanting to use their talents and music to do something good. 

Kat: You chose to record most songs live in just one or two takes—why was it important to you to keep the process raw and immediate, and how did that affect the final sound?

CMG: We used Neil’s “1 take” approach to tracking. It’s really difficult to capture the emotion in a session if it’s all been recorded in parts and sections. It’s best to do full takes, that’s when the magic happens! You feel the energy between the musicians. The drummer is playing with the bassist and they’re feeding off of that… the guitar digs in a little harder and the vocalist is feeling it too because they’re all in the same room together! You can’t get that with a computer. It’s not squeaky clean but the magic is found in all those subtle mistakes and nuances. If you listen to any of Neil’s records you can hear him use that process too. It has such a vibe to it. It feels much more intimate. 

Full interview @   Exclusive Interview: Cinema Music Group On Curating ‘Heart of Gold Volume 1’ – A Star-Studded Neil Young Tribute Album Supporting The Bridge School | HARLTON EMPIRE.

Courtney Barnett - Lotta Love


Chris Pierce - Southern Man


More on supporting The Bridge School.

The Bridge School

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