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An unofficial news blog for Neil Young fans from Thrasher's Wheat with concert and album updates, reviews, analysis, and other Rock & Roll ramblings. Separating the wheat from the chaff since 1996.
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Wow, I don't even know where to begin. As the gates opened I
somehow managed to find myself in the best spot on the grounds, riding
the rail immediately to the left of the center divide - and would not
move for the next 7 hours.
Neil and the boys launched into the show with a monstrous but soulful
jam of DBTR that, like Anonymous mentioned, must have gone on for more
than 20 minutes. Who does that? After the first song was done, Mrs. Malt
(who is not a fan, I have to admit) turned to me and simply asked
incredulously: "Has he always sounded this good?".
What then followed was a cavalcade of mostly classic songs that the
Horse (squabble all you want about the band name) jammed through with
glee and passion. They played well over the original two hour time slot
(which unfortunately, due to the late timing, slight jet lag and
physical exhaustion was a bit too much for Mrs. Malt in the end).
At one point (going into Psychedelic Pill?), Neil stopped the song short
after a few chords, and glaring at the crew, sent them back to replace
Poncho's guitar. "You got to tune the guitars *before* bringing them on
stage. These people paid a lot of money. *I'm* singing it, so it's
*already* out of tune" (may be paraphrasing here).
Is it me, or is Neil actually getting better year after year? With every
swipe, slap and pick he conjures controlled growls roaring out of his
guitar, and the interplay with Poncho last night was the best I've seen
so far (admittedly this was only my fourth Crazy Horse gig). I don't
know if I've ever seen Neil so happy and Poncho positively fucking
*glowed* and held his own in the spotlight. Even Rick, calm and laid
back, took part in the goofy camaraderie with a smile and the whole band
gelled together naturally and effortlessly. From my viewpoint I
unfortunately didn't see much of Ralph before the bows at the end.
A special thank you to the friendly crew of the Lokerse Feesten for a well organized festival.
Thanks Darth! Thanks for review, See yo down the road someday,
Also, see more on Neil Young + Promise of the Real's new album "Noise & Flowers" scheduled for release on August 5th. Album #21 from the "Performance Series" will be released as CD, double LP and limited box set including Blu -Ray video. Pre-sale has begun. (Please shop locally & independently. But if you can't, we appreciate your supporting Thrasher's Wheat by clicking this link
. Thank you!!!)
That Saturday Bridge show in 2010 was one of the greatest live music experiences of my life. What a night in the rain.
Dancin
along to Billy Idol right after the Giants got into the World Series
was an absolute blast, even though Billy really had no idea why the
crowd was going THAT crazy! Pearl Jam gave us a great set, including
their tribute song to my home, Santa Cruz. Seeing Kris Kristofferson was a treat, though Merle Haggard's absence was the only bummer of the night.
All
of it led up to Buffalo Springfield. You could feel a real nervousness
in the air, as no one really knew what to expect, but as soon as we
heard Richie's voice on "On The Way Home", everyone breathed a sigh of
relief. Richie sounded perfect, Stephen looked and played better than I
had seen in a long time, the backup guys were the perfect choice, and of
course, Neil was Neil. Their performance was far far better than anyone
could have hoped. From my seat, I had a great view of Emmylou Harris
backstage swaying along to the music, she stayed in that spot for the
entire time they played. When they broke out "Burned", I figured I was
having an out of body experience. At the climax of "Bluebird", Stephen
and Neil looked at each other with total "WOW" looks, total magic.
I've seen a lot of shows in my time, and that's one that really stands out as one of the truly best.
Thanks so much for the memories there of Bridge weekend 2010 Richie! Quite a weekend of musical history being made.
The Buffalo Springfield, v. 2010 Joe Vitale, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Neil Young and Rick Rosas Photo by Eleanor Stills
Here are rare 1986 rehearsal videos of the original 1960's Buffalo Springfield
line-up of "ROAD OF PLENTY" (aka "Eldorado") for a reunion tour which did not fully culminate until 2011. (Thanks Neil Young Unreleased - NYU !)
Buffalo Springfield 1986 Rehearsal Part 1
Songs include "Road of Plenty" and "Eldorado". The video posted on YouTube by Mindstash is described as the following:
In the summer of 1986, the original members of the Buffalo Springfield met at Stephen Stills’ home to rehearse new material that Stephen and Neil Young were working on and to make tentative plans to reunite for a 20th anniversary reunion tour. The 2 day practice session marked the first time that the five founding members had played together since their break-up in 1967. The rehearsals were kept a secret and my understanding was that management was not keen on having the sessions videotaped. However, after some deliberation, the band over ruled management and decided that they wanted to document the get together.
I’d just finished wrapping a shoot when I received a call with an anxious Bruce Palmer on the other end filling me in- Neil and Richie (Furay) were in town, the Buffalo Springfield were going to be rehearsing, could I make it over to Stephen’s with a camera and lights and be set up in an hour and a half? LMAO! (Nothing like having plenty of advance notice, guys.) As fate would have it, I was on the freeway on my way home from work, I had a camera package in the car and was only 15 minutes away from Stephen’s place. I just happened to be the right person, with the right camera, with the right contacts at the right position in spacetime to record the practice, otherwise we wouldn’t have anything to look at right now.
From what I can remember and from the comments that can be heard on the tapes, at the end of the rehearsal the band was planning on more rehearsals and moving forward w/ the reunion tour. However, the paradigm was about to shift and I saw it happen in front of my eyes.
A couple of weeks later, in wee hours of the morning, I was listening to Stephen laying down some bass tracks in his studio when David Crosby, (who had just gotten out of a Texas jail the day before) made a surprise visit and came through the door with guitar case in hand. I remember the moment as if were yesterday: David: “Hey, Stephen. Do you want to hear some open chords that I’ve been working on in my cell?” Stephen: Uhh…well, hell yeah!” They played together for about an hour and a day or two later Graham Nash showed up. Stephen’s priorities shifted to reuniting with CS&N, in large part, to help out an old friend who was down and out at the time.
A few months later, the Crosby, Still & Nash reunion tour was in full swing, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin were having a successful run with the Buffalo Springfield Revisited, Neil Young was on the road with the Live In A Rusted Out Garage with Crazy Horse tour, Richie Furay was back in Boulder doing his thing and I wrapped up the rehearsal tapes and put them into a box where they were to remain for the next 30 years. For what it’s worth, from what I’ve been able to dig up, this is likely the only rehearsal footage of the original Buffalo Springfield that has ever been recorded.
The practice session began with a “theme" that was in Neil’s head and moved onto Stephen shredding the guitar on a new blues tune that he was in the early stage of conceptualizing. In this clip, the band is working out the nuts and bolts on a new tune of Neil’s that he would later develop into “Road of Plenty” which made its performance debut during the Crazy Horse tour in November of 1986. The song would, subsequently, evolve into its studio version, “Eldorado”, which was recorded 2 years later and released in the states on Neil's Freedom album.
Part 2 of the 1986 Buffalo Springfield rehearsal catches the band winding down from Neil’s new song which was later to become Road of Plenty (live Crazy Horse version) before morphing into the better known studio version, Eldorado which you can see the band rehearsing in Part 1. Stephen’s new song follows this break in the action and will soon be released as (you guessed it) Part 3.
This is my favorite sequence because it gives a rare look of a band at work and shooting the shit w/ no one being overly self-conscious about a camera being in the room recording them. In other words, it’s real…. and, it is the founding members of the Buffalo Springfield chatting it up together for the last time. It was edited down to condense it w/o losing the vibe. Enjoy my friends and fellow rock ’n rollers.
The video opens with a close shot of Neil who was standing
to Richie Furay's right. Neil is wearing a faded yellow t-shirt which
has the sleeves cut off, or at least mostly cut off -- there are remants
of sleeves there. The front of the t-shirt has a drawing of tropical
trees and on top of that is the words St. Maarten. I'll bet he STILL has
that t-shirt and if there's anything left of it, he STILL wears it!!
He's wearing jeans also (natch). Ratty jeans, too. His hair is on the
short side, but still over his ears, about the length it was during his
Rust Never Sleeps days.
Richie is playing a blonde Gretsch. He's wearing a t-shirt as well, but
there's nothing remarkable about it, except that it's in a lot better
shape than Neil's.
To Richie's left is Dewey Martin seated at the drums, which themselves
are a natural blonde or gold or yellow color. They might be Stephen's
drums, because at the end of the video we get to see the car the Dewey
drove to Stephen's house and which broke down as soon as he arrived
there. I don't think it was a big enough car to get the drums into, but
maybe I'm wrong. I'm not sure what kind of car it is either, but it
seems like it might have been a Cadillac or Buick. Something like that.
And there's the possibility that he was towing a trailer, but we don't
get to see that far back. But I digress....
Dewey is shirtless and smoking a cigarette from which he inhales and
exhales without removing it from his mouth, even when he's not playing.
He's older now, that's for sure, but he's still thin and in fairly good
shape.
Which brings me to Bruce Palmer. Bruce is seated with his bass and
facing Neil and Richie. Dewey is to Bruce's right and slightly behind
him. Bruce is playing a bass with a split headstock. I was told what
type of bass it was while we were watching the video, but I can't recall
the name. Anyway, Bruce is graying, and when you see him straight on,
it appears that he has a short, conventional haircut which is parted on
the side and combed to the right. When he turns his head to the side
however, we see that he is sporting a ponytail, a rather long one, about
mid-back. Bruce is not thin. He's put on some poundage over the years
and it shows. A lot.
Bruce is wearing some baggy pants and a khaki short sleeve button down,
two pocket shirt. At one point Stephen, during a group pose orchestrated
by Neil, walks over to Bruce and rubs his belly and makes a comment
meant to be humorous about Bruce's thick girth, and which I can't
recall. I should note that Stephen has little room to talk. He's
replaced the six pack with a kegger as well. Stepehen is wearing a
large, black t-shirt which is not tucked in.
Back to the session. Stephen is seated facing the camera but slightly
towards Neil. Stephen is wearing a red ball cap which has a Navy ship's
logo and serial number on it. I think it was the U.S.S. Enterprise, but
I'm not clear on that either. He's playing a black Steinberger guitar,
the one with the rectangular body and headless neck. As the video opens,
Neil is saying to Stephen, "Yes, that's great, I really like the way
that you played that, that's great, we should do that", and tells
Stephen many times that he likes what he's doing there.
Stephen plays a few chords and patterns, which Neil praises (and rightly
so). It's a Neil Young song they're working on, something like Road Of
Plenty, or something like that. Neil counts off, after getting Dewey and
Richie's attention. They had been having a little conversation and a
laugh in the meanwhile. They start up in the middle of that tune and
play it well.
After about 2 minutes of jamming, they stop, and the video fades out. It
then fades back in, and we see the boys standing and Neil looking at
the camera and saying "we should all stand together for a group shot,
this'll be good", and he kind of gathers them all together and they
stand there in various poses, cracking jokes, Neil commenting on how 18
years have passed since they were all together and how special it all
was and is. This is the point where Stephen goes over to Bruce and rubs
his belly.
Bruce is standing to the extreme right in the group shot, Neil in the
middle, Stephen behind and to Neil's right. Richie is on Stephen's left,
and Dewey stands next to Richie. You get the feeling that Dewey and
Richie are most friendly with each other, as if they've always been
friends through the years. They like each other a lot. They all like
each other, but Dewey and Richie have a little something extra there,
and to tell you the truth, I find it heartwarming to see such old
friends getting reaquainted and picking up where they left off. That
goes for all of them.
We hear Neil comment about Dewey getting deported for drugs and a few
other reminisceses. We get a better perspective of the room they're in.
It looks to me like a finished basement. We see some gold and paltinum
record awards hanging on the wall, although the video resolution won't
allow for any details as to what records they are for. We see stereo
equipment and knick knacks of varying kinds. I think I see a bar in
there, not sure if that's right or not. From what I know of Stephen, I
think that it probably was!! At any rate, and by any standard, it's
gotta be one of the nicest basements I've ever seen. Fade to black.....
....Fading in, we are now outside in Stephen's driveway. Stephen does a
hilarious mock TV reporter routine in which he is facing the camera and
looking directly into it, reports to us the goings on in his driveway.
And what IS going on? Well, remember earlier that Dewey's car had broken
down in Stephen's driveway? Who do you think is repairing it? Dewey
is!! He's on his back, under the car with his legs sticking out. The guy
who has this video and was kind enough to show me is now in the picture
and Stephen mock-interviews him to get the breaking news from the man
on the street.
He makes a few funny comments about how the car waited to break down in
Stephen's driveway. The video then does a cut and we see Dewey standing
there with cigarette in mouth, and the greasiest hands and arms you ever
saw. He's got grease all over his face as well. I'm thinking how
strange this is to see a famous and (presumably) wealthy rock star on
his back in somebody's driveway (albeit a famous and wealthy somebody)
working on an old car. And why would a famous and wealthy rock star have
such an old and broken down car, I wonder aloud?
I am told by my friend that in fact Dewey was not wealthy, at least not
anymore, and that he was really counting on this reunion to get the cash
flowing again. He really isn't too well off at all. Hasn't been working
steady in years. The fact that this reunion didn't go any further than
this one occasion was a big blow for Dewey. He really wanted it to
happen.
I'm told also that it was soon after this all-too short reunion that
Dewey formed a pseudo-Buffalo Springfield band, he and Bruce being the
only original members and calling it Buffalo Springfield Revisited. They
apparently did a tour or two and then broke up, leaving Dewey even
deeper in the hole. I was told that Stephen even jammed with this
pseudo-Springfield on a couple of occasions. That was news to me!!
But anyway, that's about it. It ends there in the driveway. My friend
said that Neil had gone by that time, or maybe was in the house, but was
certainly not in the driveway during the repairs or the "Stillscast"
shennigans.
The Buffalo Springfield, v. 2010 Joe Vitale, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Neil Young and Rick Rosas Photo by Eleanor Stills
Which, of course -- and surprisingly -- generated a fair amount of discussion about the situation. It would be impossible to try and summarize here, so we encourage anyone interested in world peace to check the thread comments.
These songs are, to me anyway, flat
our brilliant because they face the nihilism. The frustration and rage
and sadness that engulf the album are born from the wall of nothingness
that is US policy. We have forgotten (perhaps) just how stupid and
unjustified it was to attack Iraq (the second time around at least). But
forget details at this point. The same wall of nothingness takes place
in the fight over the environment: nothing gets done because it does not
motivate.
What has happened now is belligerence is living happily with
ignorance and narcissism.
Thanks, as always Abner, for your carefully chosen thoughts and words here during these volatile times.
Again, this CotM was snipped from a wide ranging conversation that is impossible to summarize, so we encourage anyone interested in the subject of world peace to check the thread comments.
Btw, this
week's Thrasher's Wheat Radio 2.0 episode features our Special Guest Davy from Scotland who
discusses the connections between albums Deja Vu and Living With War amidst the
backdrop of ongoing global unrest. Check it out.
And judging by the beat of the war drums, it looks like we'll soon have another kinetic war front open up in Ukraine, eastern Europe and likely elsewhere, very, very sadly.
If there was ever an artist to which the label anti-war sticks, it would be Neil Young. Over 50 years since "Ohio" and Kent State, the tin soldiers are still marching onwards toward war. Except this time, not just some random regional conflict to keep the War Machine primed, but full on discussion and encouragement to get a full blown World War #3 going.
"THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE NEED TO STAND UP FOR HUMANITY and
let the whole world know who they really are."
With military madness continuing to kill our countries, what's the average citizen of the world to do?
Obviously, we're Still Living With War -- both in our minds and hearts -- because it's all just deja vu, all over again and again and again ...
In a 2008 article on Who Got Iraq Right? by Greg Mitchell and Tom Engelhardt, they include Neil Young and his album Living With War as an alternative voice for:
"... exposing the criminal nature of, and the many costs
of, the Iraq war that have emerged from an "alternative" universe that
includes former war correspondents, reporters for small newspapers or
news services, comedians, aging rock 'n rollers, and bloggers, among
others. "
As Neil Young has stated: "History is a cruel judge of overconfidence."
Neil Young Signs "PEACE"
More "Shock And Awe" coming our way.
Once completing the album Living With War in 2007, Neil Young 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.
(This is still an amazing clip some 15+ years later)
So did "Living With War" become the rock equivalent to the film "Fahrenheit 9/11"? For critics, it seemed to be the case.
"CSNY DEJA VU" Film Poster - 2008
Part performance, part documentary and commentary, the film CSNY Déjà Vu is a call to peace and remains relevant today. Because if we
ignore the lessons of history, we do so at our peril.
From album "Living With War", the title track's lyrics continue their prescient revelations on today's times. so, carry on.
[Try to remember peace (visualize)
]
"I join the multitudes
I raise my hand in peace
I never bow to the laws of the thought police
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
To never kill again
I'm living with war in my heart
I'm living with war in my heart and my mind
I'm living with war right now"
And we'll probably do this again in 2032 ... if only ... at the least, for our "Families".
peace
UPDATE: This
week's Thrasher's Wheat Radio episode features our Special Guest Davy from Scotland who
discusses the connections between albums Deja Vu and Living With War amidst the
backdrop of ongoing global unrest.
Thrasher's Wheat Radio 2.0 Vodcast/Podcast - Episode #14
Earlier this month, we caught Son Volt at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia on March 2, 2022 and it was pretty stupendous. Stupendous mainly because we were simply enjoying live music by one of what we consider to be just about the 2nd most influential musician that we've had the pleasure to enjoy over the decades to watch and grow -- Jay Farrar.
Many know Jay Farrar as a member of Uncle Tupelo, the band which spawned the whole No Depression/alt-rock-country movement of the 90's. The implosion of Uncle Tupelo led to Jeff Tweedy spinning off to form Wilco and Farrar forming Son Volt. The rest is history, as they say.
At The Birchmere on March 2, the top half of the set included the first four tracks from Electro Melodier:
“The Globe,” which opened the set, “Arkey Blue,” “Diamonds and
Cigarettes,” and “Reverie.” “The Globe” was followed by “The 99,” a
reference to the 99% — the song is about income inequality. Other songs
from the first half of the set included “Back Against the Wall,” (which
goes to similar territory as Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” without
being a similar song), “While The World Waits,” “Sinking Down,” “Picking
Up The Pieces, and “Hearts and Minds.”
After “Reverie,” the band reached into their songbook to deliver a
smattering of fan favorites. I’ve already mentioned the three big ones
from Trace; they also performed “Bandages & Scars,” an ode
to Woody Guthrie; “Afterglow 61,” an homage to Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61,”
“Driving the Route,” and “Medicine Hat.” For their encore, they did
“Cherokee Street,” followed by the only cover of the evening, NRBQ’s “I
Want You Bad.”
Son Volt are road warriors, almost certainly coming to a town near
you. They play great music, the real shit, songs with substance that
rock hard. Go see them. There may not be a lot of sizzle, but there’s
plenty of steak, and you’ll go home feeling well-fed.
Here is Lucinda Williams w/ Emmylou Harris & Neil Young on "Greenville" from Bridge School Benefit 13 in 1999.
More on reviews of 13th Annual Bridge School Benefit concerts with The Who, Pearl Jam, Sheryl Crow, Green Day, Billy Corgan & James Iha, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and Brian Wilson @ Bridge School Benefit Concerts.
Eric Clapton said he will refuse to perform at
venues where proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is required, after
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the introduction of
vaccine passports from September for certain events and venues.
“Following the PM’s announcement on Monday the 19th of July 2021, I feel honour bound to make an announcement of my own: I wish to say that I will not perform on any stage where there is a discriminated audience present. Unless there is provision made for all people to attend, I reserve the right to cancel the show,” the musician said in a statement shared on architect and film producer Robin Monotti Graziadei’s Telegram account.
Clapton previously said he had a “disastrous” experience with
the AstraZeneca vaccine, and blamed “propaganda” for pushing the
two-dose experimental vaccine on him.
“I took
the first jab of AZ [AstraZeneca] and straight away had severe
reactions which lasted ten days, I recovered eventually and was told it
would be twelve weeks before the second one,” Clapton wrote in a
statement in May.
“About six weeks later I was offered and took
the second AZ shot, but with a little more knowledge of the dangers.
Needless to say the reactions were disastrous, my hands and feet were
either frozen, numb, or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks, I
feared I would never play again, (I suffer with peripheral neuropathy
and should never have gone near the needle). But the propaganda said the
vaccine was safe for everyone.”
According to Rolling Stone magazine,
Clapton does not have any shows scheduled in the United Kingdom until
May 2022. The musician has upcoming shows in North America this
September.
(NOTE: Normally on a perfect summer evening, venue would be sold out)
Amos Lee
Seat: Orchestra A22
An Evening w/ Amos Lee
(NOTE: We walked up to Box Office at show time and upgraded to front row center seats)
So we're just glad, fortunate and blessed to be able to go a few miles down the road to a splendid National Park (your tax $'s @ work) and enjoy live music outdoors on a glorious summer evening.
Thank you Amos and Wolf Trap @ 50!
So let the music continue to flow unrestricted and freely to all across the lands in the summer of 2021!!!
Last
night we got together with a bunch of old buddies to catch Steve Earle w/ The Dukes in concert at The Birchmere in Alexandria,
Virginia.
A rather raucous affair summed up by Steve saying "It's great to see anybody in person instead of on a f'n screen" which was applauded heartily as The Dukes ripped into their lengthy set of standards, new tunes, and covers.
Steve Earle Autographed Setlist
photo by Cheryl
Most touchingly were Steve's comments regarding the tragic passing of his son Justin Townes, before covering several of JT's songs.
The Mastersons
The opening set by The Mastersons was also most excellent as well. Eleanor's singing and fiddle are not to be missed.
Let the music flow across all the lands in the summer of 2021!!
Pete chose a typically idiosyncratic approach to analysing – and appreciating – music. This was particularly evident in his self-published book, Ghosts on the Road
(2007), in which, through meticulous research, he documented every live
Neil Young performance from 1961 to 2006 – the venues played, songs
performed and accompanying musicians – to create a unique perspective on
Neil’s life and work.
Having established
himself as an expert on all things Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Pete
developed a great relationship and friendship with the photographer and
musician Joel Bernstein. This led to Pete becoming part of the team Neil
surrounded himself with for his archive releases. He also worked with
Joel on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young projects, including the 1974
concert series box set, receiving a Grammy nomination in the process.
Graham Nash looked to them similarly on his solo reissue releases.
Thank you again Pete for your invaluable contributions which have made the The Society, BA and rusties around the world so much richer for your dedication and devotion to the subject.
>> Pre-Order on Amazon.com << 
Human Highway
Concert Review of the Moment
This Land is My Land
FREEDOM In A New Year
*Thanks Neil!*
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young
Pardon My Heart
"We're The Ones 
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