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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.
Here's a small sampling of a survey of Rusties — "Neil Young’s most devoted fans who converse and post in an online community called RUST" — and their thoughts on his best concert performances.
Ian Rosen, who lives in Los Angeles and has been a fan since 1978, says the best show he attended was at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on April 27, 1991. The 1991 tour followed Young’s late 1990 album, Ragged Glory, an album filled with blistering guitar solos and strong melodies.
“After years of Neil trying different styles, it was a re-affirmation of why I loved his music so much in the first place,” Rosen says. “It was a tour behind one of his greatest albums — 25 years after his first album with Buffalo Springfield.”
The Sports Arena show was the best Young show Rosen has attended “because I didn't think he had it in him to still be so energizing and powerful.”
Rosen says Young is has favorite artist because his music rocks, is “soulful and beautiful” and “has continued to be so excellent and relevant for so many years.”
The Canadian-born rocker who has lived in California since the 1960s has been a major influence in Rosen’s life.
“He’s made me unashamed to embrace my own uniqueness and individuality and unafraid to try new things,” Rosen says. “He's also been inspirational in following my own muse over the years and not compromising.”
Leo Echavarria of Keene, New Hampshire, says Young keeps him “sane” and is his favorite artist because of his “versatility.”
Young’s best tour, he says, was 1987’s Life tour because of the set lists and the performance of Crazy Horse. The best Young show Echavarria attended was on Aug. 8, 1997, at the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, Massachusetts. It was part of H.O.R.D.E., a summer music festival featuring many acts that was originated by Blues Traveler in 1992.
Young started the Mansfield show with “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” and followed with “Crime in the City” and “Hippie Dream.” He played more well-known songs such as “The Needle and the Damage Done,” “Ohio,” “Powderfinger," and a title cut treasured by Young fans, “Tonight’s the Night.”
Echavarria cannot forget the final number. “The venue put on the houselights at 11 p.m., and Neil played a 15-minute version of ‘Rockin’ in the Free World'.”
Ron "Love and Only Love"
On The Road Again ... Somewhere!
Here's yet another Shirt of the Moment of Ron "Love and Only Love" ... somewhere on the road again.
Maybe driving back from Farm Aid??
Well, don't try this in the car kids. Hands on the wheel and no selfies at 60.
Great to see you Ron "Love and Only Love" and Kathy "Dance, Dance, Dance" at Farm Aid this year. Always good to have that rustie spirit vibe going down in the pit and on the rail.
As we announced earlier, all of the Thrasher's Wheat Anniversary T-Shirts (ROUND #2) have now been shipped. And -- as we see -- folks are already starting to report their safe and happy arrival.
Again, thanks to all -- as we noted earlier -- 2016 is the year that we here at Thrasher's Wheat are celebrating our 20th anniversary of archiving Neil Young's music and rustie fan communities.
Be sure and wear the shirt this Fall at Telluride/Desert Jam/Bridge etc, and send us a photo. We love to see folks letting their freak flags fly.
ps - got a Shirt of the Moment shot?! Send it to us at thrasher@thrasherswheat.org
REVIEW: Outlaw Music Festival - Neil Young, Willie Nelson + More, Scranton, PA, 9-18-16
Here's a review of last weekend's Outlaw Music Festival with Neil Young, Willie Nelson + More in Scranton, PA on 9-18-16 by Genghis Kon:
Outlaw Music Festival Review
For an event called the “Outlaw Music Festival”, one would expect the majority, if not the entirety of the music played there to be country. And while many of the artists who played the Festival in Scranton, PA on September 18th had roots based in traditional country music, I found that the principle I learned from arguably the most important headlining act, Neil Young, applies to the festival as well: expect the unexpected. What I was instead treated to was an eclectic collection of musicians playing songs that more often than not fell under a number of discernable genres. With a lineup including the likes of Mr. Young, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, as well as a few other acts, one should expect diversity. In this sense, the Outlaw Music Festival was a success, as it did not just provide a clean cut package of predetermined music never deviating beyond the preset genre boundaries advertised, but it opened the audience up to new musicians touting a more foreign sound, taking country music and rock music to exciting new places.
My immediate decision to snatch up tickets for this event was decided by the headline that Neil Young was playing a festival in Scranton, PA, a mere hour and a half from Bucknell University’s campus. The answer came immediately and was obvious (I should note here that as more of a hardcore fan of Neil Young, this review will cover his setlist in far more depth than the other artists). With tickets secured for my father and I at least a month before the event, I could only wait with anticipation. Leaving (reasonably) early on a Sunday morning, we arrived at Montage Mountain at noon. The facility is located in a nice serene areas, frequently shadowed by pine trees. After scooping up some merch (nothing says “America” quite like a Willie For President poster), I wandered around the premise, and suddenly found myself exposed to the opening act.
Cabinet, formed in 2006, is a band local to Scranton, but has apparently been gaining traction with a respectable fanbase. They have been going under a number of genre labels; a few of these that I have heard floating around include “newgrass” and “slamgrass”. Only seeing them from a distance and hearing the music flow through the venue, I can make the following observations: while utilizing bluegrass instrumentation (fiddle, banjo, mandolin, upright bass, acoustic guitar), the collective often refrained from playing pure bluegrass (aside from a few breakouts). Instead, they took a much more experimental approach. The fiddle player was notable for creating a number of extended drones likely via looping devices and reverb effects, giving the music an atmosphere much more resembling that of post rock. The effect was captivating, and I stopped what I was doing numerous times to take in what was happening. Out of these drones would evolve more straightforward rock melodies, once again, giving bluegrass a backseat. I wish I could have seen more of this band, and I definitely plan to check out their latest release, 2015’s Celebration.
Having taken my seat, Lee Ann Womack took the stage. While I knew relatively little of her at the time, I now know that she has been consistently putting out country music since 1997. She even had a Billboard Top 15 song, 2000’s “I Hope You Dance”. What she gave the audience was a tight setlist of 8 original songs, along with one George Jones cover (“You’re Still On My Mind”). Nowhere during the performance did the consistency falter. Each song followed each other perfectly, smoothly transitioning along. Womack’s style is a callback to more traditional country artists such as Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. The result is respectful to the original inspiration, while not directly aping it either. Though I can’t really recall any of the songs in too much detail, I can say that Ms. Womack’s performance was enjoyable throughout, and it is refreshing to hear the return of a form of country seemingly buried beneath the garish excesses that make up modern pop-country.
For those who don’t know, Chris Robinson was the singer of popular blues rock band The Black Crowes. Not being a fan or very familiar with the band (I did enjoy their 2000 live album with Jimmy Page, Live At The Greek, though) I didn’t really know what to expect of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. I suppose the CRB took a few pages from the Crowes, borrowing their bluesy jam style that evokes that of bands like the Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead. However, I personally found the majority of their setlist rather dull. It must be said that the songs were not bad, one could tell they were written by a seasoned musician. However, they felt as if they lacked any real immediacy or new ideas. I understand that this band would appeal to a lot of people, especially fans of 60’s and 70’s rock (like the stoned-free dancing neo-hippies I caught on film). For that, I will draw the conclusion that the Chris Robinson Brotherhood are a talented bunch of men who have been at for a long time, which raises the following question: Can you be too old to rock (this will be addressed later.)?
At this point, our jovial emcee of sorts announced that Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real were performing a set at the smaller stage outside the main venue area. Like Bernie Sanders in the presidential race, I was off and running, only to get caught up in a crowd of buffoons. Fighting my way through the crowd, I made it to the very front of the compact stage. I was blindsided by a 5 song set list of high octane blues rock, making everything played earlier in the day seem trivial in comparison. Lukas is the son of Willie Nelson, and his band specializes in a blues-country rock hybrid. It is worth mentioning that Micah, one of Willie’s other sons, is a member of the band as well. From the anecdotal “Running Shine”, to the downright raucous and fervent title track off their latest album, “Something Real”, the Nelson boys showed a true, unparalleled energy unlike any of the other previous acts. Jumping about and striking poses, the whole band was clearly having the time of their lives. Afterwards, I even got to shake Lukas’ hand, and while Lukas was getting all the attention, I even drew bassist Corey McCormick over to the side of the stage to let him know of my satisfaction with his performance. Promise of the Real are a spectacle live, and I encourage everyone to look for videos of them on YouTube to really get an idea of what they are about.
The clouds clear, and the star power truly begins to shine. Returning to the main stage, I arrive in time to see Sheryl Crow take the stage before an ecstatic crowd. Opening with the old hit “Everyday Is A Winding Road”, Sheryl sets the tone for what is to come: a setlist straight off of a greatest hits album. Though I am not too familiar with the woman’s discography (a running theme so far), I recognized many of the signature hooks and choruses throughout the performance, and enjoyed them accordingly. I've always thought of Sheryl as more of a pop artists with country aesthetics, and that impression was affirmed here. There is nothing wrong with this, however, and it suited her and her very talented backing band quite well. Guitarist Peter Stroud demonstrated chops to be proud of, and keyboard player Jen Gunderman proved her multi instrumental talent when she switched to accordion on “Strong Enough”, I highlight of the set. Though there were a few too many audience sing along moments, Crow finished her set with two of her biggest hits: “If It Makes You Happy” and “Soak Up The Sun”. The former being one my favorite songs of her’s, I found that it was executed tastefully. Without any garish instrumentals or visuals to distract from the performance, one could see Crow exercise control over her voice, never falling flat, but never aiming for noted too strenuous as to cause strain. “Soak Up The Sun” ended the set predictably, with an easy crowd pleaser/clap-along. While the set list might have been somewhat insubstantial to the hardcore Crow fan, I'm sure casual fans and the average music listener would find the performance satisfactory, as I did. At the age of 54 and not getting any younger, I would say Sheryl Crow’s live show was a success.
Can you be too old to rock? Try asking Neil Young this question. Now 70 years old, the legendary songwriter of the 60’s/70’s/90’s (80’s and 00’s are optional) is peaking. Which is interesting, considering he has peaked not once, but 3 or 4 times throughout his career. The man continues to astonish, and his recent recruitment of Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real continues this trend. The band has seemingly served as a well of youthful energy that Neil has tapped and sucked dry (He's a vampire, babe). This was clear when I saw him perform with last year at the Riverbend in Cincinnati. Then supporting his newly released album The Monsanto Years (an album I remember for its passable, even exciting at times instrumentals, marred by awkward, ham fisted lyrics that could have been sharpened with revision), Young delivered a set consisting of some of the greatest hits (for most artists, this is expected, but for Young, this comes as a pleasant surprise), a few deep cuts (“Words”, “From Hank To Hendrix”), and a glut of Monsanto songs (while I actually think “Big Box” is a damn good rocker, the rest leave me desiring something more). Though the concert slightly lagged during the middle due to the Monsanto material, it was still an utterly mind blowing experience, one of the finest concerts I could imagine. I am proud to report that with this latest performance, Neil has trimmed all of the fat, and leaves us with a lean and vicious beast of a show. Standing at the very front of the stage, I was ushered away back to my seat, but not before the man himself emerged from backstage, leaving a good 13 feet between us.
Neil began with one of his most recognizable (though hardly his greatest) songs, “Heart Of Gold”. To clarify, this is not a bad song by any means, but in terms of depth, it is merely scratching the surface in terms of his discography. Following this, Promise of the Real joined Neil on stage, cranking out “Out On The Weekend”, “Unknown Legend”, and “Human Highway”, 3 country-rock standards from throughout his career. Pausing for a second, Neil remarks on the moon, which reminded me that the harvest moon was showing itself. Predictably, the band plays the ever touching “Harvest Moon”, as long married couples share a dance together. The band proceeds to play a favorite of mine, the underrated classic off of 1977’s American Stars N’ Bars, “Hold Back The Tears. Neil’s vocals sound incredible, as had been the constant throughout the show.
Before I even realized what was happening, Neil was wielding Old Black (his trusty 1953 Gibson Les Paul, modified more than Donald Trump’s hairline), and reviewing the set list. Tossing it aside dismissively, he slams a lingering G chord, leaving the whole audience wondering if he is about to play THAT song, or if he was just checking his tuning. “Look out mama, there's a white boat comin’ up the river”- these words send the audience into a frenzy, for we realize that Neil is indeed playing “Powderfinger”, a song ripe with imagery, telling the story of a 22 year old man/boy (it's difficult to decide which he is) facing an existential crisis in the face of an approaching gunboat. Unable to cope with decision, he is mercilessly mowed down. The final verse is “22”’s final posthumous monologue, leaving the listener with a cryptic lesson, one that is much debated to this day. “Powderfinger” is possibly Neil’s finest song, and to finally hear it live was exhilarating. It was the opening track to the electric side of Young’s landmark 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps, and much to the audience’s surprise, Neil+POTR immediately launched into the next song on the album, “Welfare Mothers”. Seeing it's live debut with this band, the song bristles with a raw energy, matching it's purposefully detestable lyrics, documenting the fall of the free love movement. Next, Neil visits his 1969 breakout album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere with tracks “Cowgirl In The Sand” and the title track. “Cowgirl”, presented here as a 10 minute tour de force of soloing, showcased the chops of both Neil and Lukas, but in my opinion it lacked the energy that the studio version is known for. “Everybody Knows”, on the other hand, had improved markedly since the last time I saw it. The once seemingly scrambled harmony vocals now shone with a vibe faithful to the album. Neil’s next jam took the form of a 17 minute “Cortez The Killer”, which brandished all of the sublime energy the original was best known for. Much to my surprise, Neil kept the crushing force going with the self deprecating “Fuckin’ Up”, a savage deconstruction of the self found on 1990’s Ragged Glory, Promise of the Real handles the track with a sludgy finesse that perfectly emulates that of Young’s other major backing band, Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse gave Neil the room to breathe and solo freely, and while the presence of 3 guitarists originally put a strain on Neil, POTR have since worked out a perfect balance to give Neil all of the room he needs. After multiple false endings, we are treated to a stellar version of “Rockin’ In The Free World”, complete with a number of false endings as well, kicking back into the chorus as soon as you are sure the song has concluded. It was noticeable that Neil chose to shoehorn in an extra verse regarding America’s corporations, but it was understandable. The man held off from playing any Monsanto material, he has to get his rocks off somehow. After all was sung and done, I was left deaf in my right ear and in a state of shell shock, leaving me with only the desire to pass out. And was it worth it.
In my opinion, Willie should have gone on before Neil, because it was obvious beforehand that Neil+POTR would be a complete showstopper. A good chunk of the audience was simply drained after the musical exorcism of before, and by the time “Whiskey River” began, I was half asleep. Now, for those who only listen to Willie’s studio records, you may be surprised by his condition live. I am NOT saying that Willie cannot sing anymore. As a matter of fact, he sounded great, a notable improvement over some already great concerts of the past few years. The key to enjoying finely aged Willie live is to get used to the lower register of his current voice. Willie’s lower, perhaps even more aggressive vocals on “Whiskey River” lent it a new, more malevolent air. Among some of the notable performances of the set, Willie covered Waylon Jennings’ “Good Hearted Woman”, and performed the standards “Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”, “On The Road Again”, and “Always On My Mind”, all sounding faithful to this fan. I was especially excited when Willie and his band (which I should mention, included Lukas and Micah, father and sons) played a three song block of Hank Williams covers (one of my favorite country artists), containing “Jambalaya”, “Hey Good Lookin’” and “Move It On Over”. Later, Willie revisits 2015’s Django and Jimmie with “It's All Going To Pot”. It's a shame that Merle Haggard was unable to rejoin Willie on stage. Finally, the set is finished off with the tongue in cheek “Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die”, encapsulating much of what many Americans know Willie for. Apparently, one more song was performed, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?”, but I had left by then, knowing I would pass out from fatigue if I stayed any longer. While I was a bit disappointed that we did not hear any Ray Price covers (considering that the cover album For The Good Times was released on September 16th), I can say that all in all, Willie Nelson live was exactly what I expected: a laid back, enjoyable journey through a collection of originals and covers alike, new and old, all done in that familiar style that only the Red Headed Stranger himself can pull off.
The 2016 Outlaw Music Festival in Scranton was a success in more than one way. While it not only managed to provide a location with fine acoustics and a nice schedule of musicians to enjoy throughout the day, it also succeeded in that the general public was introduced to a new swath of musicians, pushing boundaries in their own ways, be it Willie Nelson redefining country music, Neil Young genre hopping ceaselessly, or Cabinet, with their strange mix of traditional and experimental genres. These folks are true outlaws, where this festival undoubtedly gets its name. Perhaps with time and promotion, this could even become the next Farm Aid. Regardless of popularity, I look forward to hearing the lineup of Outlaw Music Festival 2017.
Thanks for sharing Genghis. Glad you enjoyed the Outlaw Music Festival and hope it becomes a regular.
Since the "Rust Never Sleeps" tour with Crazy Horse in 1978 stood at almost all tours Neil Youngs these five Tuners, Model ST-11 manufacturer CONN, on stage. The analog strobe tuner indicate the mood by means of an illuminated stroboscope which rotates depending on the pitch in the clockwise or counterclockwise. The mid-1970s-built devices are considered expresses exactly. The video from the Rusted Moon 3D project shows the legendary Tuners in detail.
Shirts of the Moment: The McQ Family in Dewey Beach, Delaware
The McQ Family in Dewey Beach, Delaware - 9/16
As we announced earlier, all of the Thrasher's Wheat Anniversary T-Shirts (ROUND #2) have now been shipped. And folks are already starting to report their safe and happy arrival.
Here's a bunch of happy TW shirt owners -- The McQ family in Dewey Beach, Delaware.
Again, thanks to all -- as we noted earlier -- 2016 is the year that we here at Thrasher's Wheat are celebrating our 20th anniversary of archiving Neil Young's music and rustie fan communities.
Be sure and wear the shirt this Fall at Telluride/Desert Jam/Bridge etc, and send us a photo. We love to see folks letting their freak flags fly.
ps - got a Shirt of the Moment shot?! Send it to us at thrasher@thrasherswheat.org
About That Time That We Went To A Farm Aid Concert...
About that time that we went to a Farm Aid concert...
It happened between the songs "Human Highway" and "Harvest Moon".
Neil Young begins his commentary on the state of the family farmer. My seatmate was TW's Tour Manager "Hounds That Howell" -- who hoisted a F*CK Mon$anto shirt (see below), which caught Neil's eye.
Neil says: "I like that shirt. Fuck Mon$anto."
Neil Young Speaks: There's a Revolution Starting... (Full clip live at Farm Aid 2016)
(Thanks Steve R. & HtH!)
We flipped off Neil and his band Promise of the REAL -- to which they in return flipped us all off back.
Quite a joyous little moment in our concert going decades.
Farm Aid Fans Enjoying Jamey Johnson & Alison Krauss
(Click photo to enlarge)
Our friends the FarmAidians brought down a busload of shirt wearing "F*ck Mon$anto" shirts which were a big hit.
Thanks to all for so many wonderful Farm Aid 2016 memories.
And there is only one place we'd rather be right now...
inside the warmth of the "Huddle Hop".
With The Sisters At The Back of The FarmAidians Bus
Get on the Magic Bus, get REAL and do the "Huddle Hop".
oh and "F*ck Mon$anto"!
Neil Young @ Farm Aid 2016 Press Conference - COMPLETE
Here is complete video of Neil Young at the Farm Aid 2016 Press Conference held on September 17 at [Giant Corporation] Amphitheatre in Bristow, Virginia.
Neil Young speaks plainly about the corrupting influence of money in politics and the devastation it has wrought to the family farmer community. Neil says: "Eating good food is the revolution."
Thanks to Howell Posner of Howell Media for videography and tour management!
Carolyn Mugar, Willie Nelson, Neil Young & John Mellencamp
Farm Aid 2016 Press Conference - September 17, Bristow, VA
Neil Young
Farm Aid 2016 Press Conference - September 17, Bristow, VA
TRANSCRIPT: Neil Young @ Farm Aid 2016 Press Conference
We have just begun. This is a revolution. And we will look back on this one way or the other in ten or fifteen years and see what folks like this are doing. We recently have seen giant corporations that are selling for billions and billions of dollars that are joining together and we heard just a few minutes ago about how somebody was eating bad food and got sick and had to take a lot of drugs and now they are eating good food and are starting to not take so many drugs. And you have to notice that one of the biggest drug companies on the planet and one the largest pesticide providers on the planet, Monsanto and Bayer, have just joined together.
And if our government lets them do this and we can’t stop it with the regulatory laws then we’re going to have them working together. And this is what you’re up against. This is a huge thing. That’s why you really are heroes. Because these are huge corporations and they don’t want you to give your food to the people. They want to give you their seeds and they want to control you. And they want to sell the food that has been degraded. And they want to sell it – and drugs – at the prices that allow these giant corporations to support each other. It’s so big that you can hardly see it. People don’t really believe that this is really happening. But it is happening and our politicians and our government, especially our president, is behind it. And it is something that needs to be addressed at our level where people can do things for themselves, where people take back their own rights. You have a right to the land. You can grow your own food.
There’s another video coming up with someone in it who is so happy just to be growing food in their neighborhood. And it’s a beautiful thing. These people are empowered because they’ve made it possible to feed their own families with food that they grew like their grandma’s did. And we can’t lose that. This is the critical part. These are revolutionaries, these people. This is a huge thing. It’s just starting to take hold. So, you know, try to make sure when you buy your food you’re supporting these kind of people, that you’re not buying from the corporations, that you’re not buying these huge loads of food that come in from God knows where in giant metal boxes and everything. Do not do that if you can figure out how to stop it. Support your friends and support the land and support the people that want to care for the land. The revolution starts with us. It starts with you and it starts with people like this.
Here's a new song and video by Neil Young called 'Indian Givers'.
The video documents the Native American protests in Dakota over a pipeline.
"Now it's been about 500 years
We keep taking what we gave away
Just like what we call Indian givers"
The Standing Rock Indian Reservation have protested the expansion of the Dakota Access Pipeline on their territorial lands, leading to clashes with Big Energy security forces.
There’s a battle raging on the sacred land
Our brothers and sisters have to take a stand
Against us now for what we all been doing
On the sacred land there’s a battle brewing
I wish somebody would share the news
Now it’s been about 500 years
We keep taking what we gave away
Just like what we call Indian givers
It makes you sick and gives you shivers
I wish somebody would share the news
Big money going backwards and ripping the soil
Where graves are scattered and blood was boiled
When all who look can see the truth
But they just move on and keep their groove
I wish somebody would share the news
Saw Happy locked to the big machine
They had to cut him loose and you know what that means
That’s when Happy went to jail
Behind big money justice always fails
I wish somebody would share the news
Bring back the days when good was good
Lose these imposters in our neighborhood
Across our farms and through our waters
All at the cost of our sons and daughters
Our brave songs and daughters
We're all here together fighting poison waters
Standing against the evil way
That’s what we have at the end of day
In 2014, Willie Nelson and Neil Young organized a concert in a Nebraska cornfield to benefit opponents of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry oil from Canada south to the Gulf Coast. The Keystone XL pipeline was subsequently canceled after the concert.
Outlaw Music Festival: Neil Young, Willie Nelson + More, Scranton, PA - 9-18-16
Today is the inaugural Outlaw Music Festival being held at the Pavilion on Montage Mountain on Sunday, September 18th, with headliners Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and Lukas Nelson’s band Promise of the Real backing up Neil Young on stage.
Other performers announced for the first year festival include Lee Ann Womack, Sheryl Crow, Brothers Osborne, and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.
THIS WEEKEND: Farm Aid 2016 - Bristow, Virginia, Sat., Sept. 17
FULL SET: Neil Young + Promise of the Real at Farm Aid 2016 Farm Aid 2016 will be held on September 17 at [Giant Corporation] Amphitheatre in Bristow, Virginia.
A stream Farm Aid 2016 live in HD at farmaid.org starting at 3pm EDT. This webcast will feature artist performances and stories from family farmers and eaters across the country. And, Willie Nelson's SiriusXM channel (59), Willie's Roadhouse, will broadcast live from the concert starting at noon EDT, featuring backstage interviews and coverage by Dallas Wayne.
At the concert, the HOMEGROWN Skills Tent to learn how to make delicious and healthy fermented veggies, try your hand at transforming hemp stalks into paper, and learn how to save your own seeds.
Farm Aid's HOMEGROWN Concessions®. Enjoy sustainably produced food from family farmers like a soba noodle salad; a grains, greens and beans bowl; a vegan wrap with organic humus; cheese burgers; and mushroom burgers.
Neil Young, Co-Founder and Board Member of Farm Aid performs at Farm Aid 30 at FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
Sisters Kathy & Susan
Harrisburg, PA - August 2016
As we announced earlier, all of the Thrasher's Wheat Anniversary T-Shirts (ROUND #2) have now been shipped. And folks are already starting to report their safe and happy arrival.
Here's a happy TW shirt owner and long time passionate Neil Young fan Alan in Seattle, who commented:
I love my shirt and I will be taking photos @ Boise show.
I am ready to go to Heaven, a.k.a., a live Neil Young show! This will be my 17th Neil Young show. I first saw him at age 19 on the Bluenotes tour. Again with Crazy Horse in '91. Solo shows, & with Booker T and the MG's. Holy shit they were good! Chills up my spine for DBTR. Dock of the Bay was so fun to hear live. I saw him 10 times in 1996, incl. 6 at the Old Princeton Landing with Crazy Horse. I tell you, that was Epic.
I was 3' from Neil, as he stood on a 6" stage and played 4 tracks from Zuma and amazing stuff from Stars n Bars. Bite the Bullet! And Like a Hurricane. I tell you I am just as excited to see Neil play the Boise show as those others. He is incredible. The man essentially helped invent Punk Rock in 1973 with TFA!
In Boise, I predict a 20+ minute version of Down By The River. I am expecting more Environmentalist songs in the set as Neil has recently visited the Standing Rock Sioux, rising to protect their own water supply from Oil Co's that foolishly plan to build a pipeline under the Missouri River, drinking water for the Natives and millions of others downstream. What the Fuck is Wrong with this country to turn around and screw the natives AGAIN, having broken every other treaty the white Americans made with the natives.
The Point is, lets not be stupid and destroy our OWN water supplies! Lets protect water as if it was worth more than Oil, which it IS! Fracking and idiotic legal and illegal pollution is destroying the natural climate, waking a Giant called Mother Earth, and she is PISSED. Lets watch and see how many more "1000 year" storms we see this year.
But I digress.
I will be there at the Botanical Garden in Boise, in Euphoric Bliss, watching my all time favorite Rock God, wield Old Black, and crack open the heavens in a Reign of Glory. Yes, the Godfather of Grunge is about the BLOW UP these shows with Happy Thunderbolts, as we have come to expect of him. He is doing these warm up shows on the way to Desert Trip, which I am glad to avoid, for a much less expensive, more local alternative venue. And to see him again with his incredible band, Promise of the Real! Someone said they got better as the tour progressed. If they play as well this time as they did a year ago in Seattle, I will be in Nirvana, once again.
Thrasher: A BIG "THANKS" for so much hard work with skill, good writing and ideas, & creative mastery of all things Neil-related & of interest to his fans. Thanks for doing what you do! We Neil Young fanatics are very grateful and the T-shirt idea and operations was a fantastic way to celebrate all these years of hard work, patience, head scratching (I can imagine), when you hear from biased or negative perspectives in the comments.
You endure, just as our favorite guitar hero Endures.
And, yes, thank you for the info on Archives 2. Of COURSE we want to know about it! Don't let anyone else speak others. In closing, We enjoy the artist in the Now, where he lives, plugged into the Muse, and playing with one of the best bands he has ever played with, mining the deep catalogue, playing more complicated masterpieces he may not have thought he would play again, after losing Ben Keith, for instance.
Best to get to another show while I can and enjoy this amazing and prolific Force of Nature, Neil Young. Long May You Run.
Alan in Seattle
Alan -- as always -- love that passion. Thanks for all the support and proudly flying the colors.
FINAL UPDATE: Thrasher's Wheat 20th Anniversary T-Shirts (ROUND #2)
Thrasher's Wheat 20th Anniversary: 1996 - 2016 Design by Silver Moon Art & Design (Click photo to enlarge)
OK, good news.
We're very pleased to report that the Thrasher's Wheat Anniversary T-Shirts (ROUND #2) have now all been shipped!
We had quite a few orders to get out the door, but your order should be arriving in the next week. The shirts turned out great and Geoff and his Maui crew have done a mighty fine job. So many thanks.
To our eyes, the ROUND #2 shirt version seems to have a bit more blue shading than shirt version #1.
Again, thanks to all -- as we noted earlier -- 2016 is the year that we here at Thrasher's Wheat are celebrating our 20th anniversary of archiving Neil Young's music and rustie fan communities.
Be sure and wear the shirt this Fall at Farm Aid/Telluride/Desert Jam/Bridge etc, and send us a photo. We love to see folks letting their freak flags fly.
ps - got a Shirt of the Moment shot?! Send it to us at thrasher@thrasherswheat.org
The "Monsanto Years" Are About To Become the "Bayer Years"
The "Monsanto Years" are about to become the "Bayer Years".
Today, the financial press is all abuzz about the $65 billion mega-deal between German pharmaceutical and chemical company Bayer AG and multinational seed and pesticide corporation Monsanto Co. The merger will further reduce competition in the “farm supplies industry” -- an already highly consolidated market -- while combining Bayer's crop science with Monsanto’s near-monopoly in seeds.
Does this re-branding change the calculus of corporate corruption? No, not at all.
This re-branding is simply another chapter in the desperate narrative to stay one step ahead of the average citizen waking up to the one of the longest running corporate crimes of all time. Oh really, one might ask? Well -- if in doubt -- check out Hidden History Of Bayer: IG Farben, Standard Oil, Wall Street, Nazi Germany .
The merger would eliminate direct competition between two of the largest players in the traited seed sector, with direct consequences for seed development, herbicide markets, and innovative and open research and development.
A merger will mean the new Bayer-Monsanto conglomerate will control nearly 70% of the cotton acreage in the United States – unacceptably high by antitrust standards. It would also have unacceptable market concentration in wide swaths of commercial seed development and sales for other commonly used varieties, including traited canola, soybeans, and corn developed in North America.
The new corporation would likely lead to higher input prices, with less choice and higher food prices for consumers, and fewer non-biotechnology options available to farmers and consumers.
by Erica Banas
Dan Rather’s AXS TV program The Big Interview returns tonight (September 13th) at 8 PM EST for the fall cycle of its fourth season and finds Rather in an intimate sit-down with one of rock’s biggest icons: Neil Young.
Rather and Young cover a myriad of topics in the hour-long interview, from Young battling Polio as a child to his illustrious music career and everything in between. While the episode yielded many fascinating answers from Young, here’s the seven biggest takeaways, along with a sneak peek of the episode below.
His feelings about the power of corporations in America
Young doesn’t mince words when it comes to the power of corporations in America and goes as far as saying they’ve helped “destroyed democracy in America.” When questioned by Rather on his perceived left wing ways, Young fires back saying , “Before the media get a hold of these things, were there red states and blue states? Did they [the media] not separate the country into two pieces?…Where did this all start? These are all Americans…and at the soul of it are people, not corporations.”
Why he launched Pono
Young is super passionate about his Pono music service and player, which offers the highest quality resolution of digital music on the market, and the big reason why he launched the project is so he could listen back to his work in the studio and to help preserve music for the future. Young says to Rather, “There’s a lot of people your age and my age that think they’re going deaf, because they can’t hear music like they used to…I’m not deaf; it’s [quality] just not there. It’s gone!”
How his childhood battle with Polio shaped his life
Young opens up about his struggle with Polio as a child and says it still affects the left side of his body (which is why most of his guitar playing is done with his right hand) and his ability to walk in a straight line. He doesn’t, however, make any excuses and says, “It certainly didn’t slow me down.”
Whether it really is better to burn out than to fade away
Is there a more appropriate question for Young than this? While we won’t spill the beans on this one, but Young’s answer is fascinating, and he also has some very interesting thoughts about the passing of Prince and his cause of death.
On CSNY Getting Back Together
It’s highly unlikely (according to recent reports) that we’ll see Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young back together anytime soon, but Young says the chances are “As good as they’ve ever been.” Whether he’s just taking the high road, it’s uncertain. We’re sure those who will tune in to watch the interview will have differing opinions.
On drugs
Young admits to “smoking grass” every now and again while listening to music to “open things up,” but says he decided to quit doing cocaine when he was 40.
On his son, Ben
Young’s son, Ben, who was born with cerebral palsy, is one of Young’s biggest inspirations, and because of his struggles and triumphs, he said, “I will never give up on things because of him.”
Last month, Neil Young's manager Elliot Roberts -- speaking to Billboard -- said that the Neil Young Archives Volume #2 is "nearly completed and should surface in 2017".
The Comment of the Moment on this latest NYA news that , is from Ian:
I can actually see the website idea working, although it's hard to imagine exactly what it might look like or what the model would be for marketing such a thing.
Do you establish an account on the website and pay to use? The difficulty is, we're all so used to going on websites (like this one) without paying anything above and beyond what your service provider charges and the cost of the computer itself. The optimist within me can envision this website setup being more cost-effective and marketable than an expensive box set with formatting restrictions. The thing is, there's just no precedent (that I know of) for this, so it's hard for me to imagine exactly what it might look like.
Archives I had lots of great stuff buried in it (new tracks, rare video, a virtual NY scrapbook, etc.), but was A) Very expensive, especially on blu-ray and B) Besides the final product being prohibitively costly, the rollout was bumpy (some would even say downright sloppy), and that may have been at least partly due to issues with deciding on and designing the format. As I remember, there were CD, DVD, and BD editions. Unless you were a total NY fanatic (like me), the only option within most people's price range was probably the CD set, which, in my opinion, was missing an incredible amount of content essential to the Archives experience due to its being audio-only. If all you got was eight CDs of mostly previously available music, you might have been underwhelmed--but, hey, people really wanted CD! (The CD release may even have been some kind of compromise between Neil and Reprise.)
The point is, the CD-only buyers got what they asked for... they just didn't know they were asking for it.
Which is to say, for all those years when the Archives were hyped (by Neil but also by fans and in rock music journalism), I'm guessing most of us were just expecting a big collection of music. Not a multi-media smorgasbord of content with a new and unprecedented user interface. With music recordings, the level of user interface we're accustomed to generally involves dropping the needle, putting the CD in the tray, or just hitting your keyboard or touchpad. It's become increasingly clear (to me) that The Archives is, or has developed into, a completely different and more complicated beast. Or at the least, it's only relatively recently that NY fans have (myself included) have genuinely begun to understand what the Archives might be, and it's not exactly what folks may have had in mind for all those decades. It seems Neil is using the word "archives" quite literally: a complete curation of his body of works--not limited to previously unreeled music, and not even limited to music. It's not our fault we're still getting our heads around this. There's no precedent for this, so we really no comparison point except other box sets, and as far as I know, nobody ever explained all this in detail. But that doesn't mean we can't adjust. Back when Archives I came out, I referred to it as "The Neil Young Museum". It would be a little self-aggrandizing for Neil to actually call it that, but it's the clearest description I've yet come up with for what (I think) The Archives is meant to be.
Anyhow, I'm hopeful for the Shakey Films collection. I guess Rust Never Sleeps and Human Highway were part one of that project. I hope some of the rarely seen videos from the '80s albums pop up somewhere along the line, and maybe one of the movies is the Trunk Show?
Thanks Ian! Good points and lots of memories from that NYA #1 rollout. Those were exciting times here at TW with Archives Guy stopping by on a daily basis to provide project updates. Hard to say what will happen with NYA#2 rollout at this point.
"Imagine", Nine - One - One, Fifteen Years On: Lennon, Young and Heros Are So Hard To Find
It was -- without a shred of doubt whatsoever -- Neil Young's finest hour...ever.
On September 21, 2001, just days after the 9-11 terror attack on the United States, Neil Young performed John Lennon's "Imagine" on the worldwide broadcast musical benefit telethon "America: A Tribute to Heroes". Simulcast live from London, New York and Los Angeles on the four major TV networks, international networks and globally streaming via the Internet, the program was seen by an estimated 89 million viewers and netted roughly $230 million in donations.
For many, Young's performance was emotionally wrenching and heart felt. Surrounded by burning candles, performing on a grand piano and accompanied by a small orchestra of violins, Young's rendition of Lennon's "Imagine" spoke to many of us who were suffering from the terrible tragedies in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Notably, Young changed the lyrics from "imagine no possessions, to "I wonder if *I* can". (thanks Marilyn) Those in the studio that night, reported that Young appeared to be on the verge of tears upon completing the song. Pulse Magazine wrote that Young's performance of "Imagine" on the Benefit telecast was "one of those moments you never forget."
From an interview (Pulse Magazine, April 2002) with Neil Young in which he was asked about "Imagine" and the night of "A Tribute to Heroes":
Neil Young: Well, first of all, I guess it was the night before that we first practiced it. So we ran through it about 10 times, until finally it started to gel and we knew what we were doing. We used the original charts from the original record, and did everything we could to do justice to the original version--we weren't trying to do anything other than that.
Just trying to make it like John Lennon, basically. It was just such a great song for the moment. Pegi, my wife, got an email from a friend of hers after the 11th with the words to "Imagine" on it. And it was at the same time as I was trying to figure out what to play, because we only had two-and-a-half, three days' notice to do the show. And that seemed to be a good sign to me. So we went ahead and got the lyrics, the ones I couldn't remember, and I just learned it, practiced it, and when we did it that night everything just came together. And obviously, those are the nuts and bolts, but the real emotional part ... Well, it's just so obvious why it was the way it was.
That's one of the things about being a musician or a singer or a songwriter--when these things come up, it's a chance to do your job, to do what you do and have it really be what it's supposed to be.
Young's next response to 9-11 came as he was writing "Let's Roll" for the Are You Passionate? (title references Jimi Hendrix's 1967 album "Are You Experienced?") album. The song tells the story of a passenger's (Todd Beamer) heroics on a hijacked Flight 93 (which crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers stormed the cockpit. Young reportedly made a donation to the Todd M. Beamer Foundation. From an interview (Pulse Magazine, April 2002) with Neil Young in which he was asked about the song "Let's Roll":
Neil Young: Obviously, watching the whole thing unfold on television, I'm doing what everybody else is doing. Then I heard the wife of one of the passengers --Lisa Beamer--talking about the phone call that her husband made to the operator, and the operator relaying that he said "Let's roll." And she was talking about how he always used to say that with the kids when they'd go out and do something, that it's what he said a lot when he had a job to do.
And it's just so poignant, and there's no more of a legendary, heroic act than what those people did.
With no promise of martyrdom, no promise of any reward anywhere for this, other than just knowing that you did the right thing. And not even having a chance to think about it or plan it or do anything--just a gut reaction that was heroic and ultimately cost them all their lives. What more can you say? It was just so obvious that somebody had to write something or do something. I think it's a legendary story that's gonna go down through the ages--it'll never be forgotten. So I was very surprised that I didn't hear any songs. And I'm thinking, "I can hear this song in my head, nobody else has written it when I thought everybody was gonna write it." So I just wrote it. I couldn't stop it anymore.
The events of 9-11 continued to haunt Young through the following decade. With 2003's Greendale , Neil sounds the alarm that something had gone terribly wrong on a number of fronts. 2006's Living With War was a direct confrontation of the need for a call to action. And, 2009's Fork in the Road -- the 3rd installment of the post 9/11 trilogy -- reveals Neil coming to grips with the fact that first you recognize a problem, then you call out the need to address it, and finally you do something about it. You can make a difference if you try really hard, if you will... Back tracking into the 20th century, Neil Young's 1987 "Mideast Vacation" was adapted to the post 9/11 world -- "I went lookin' for Bin Laden aboard Air Force One". "I went lookin' for Bin Laden aboard Air Force One" Neil Young with Crazy Horse performed "Mideast Vacation" from 1987's Life at the Bridge School Benefit concert on Oct. 10, 2001. This marked Neil Young's first post 9-11 performance (note NYFD hat) at the zeitgeist of 2000's paranoia. The original key lyric "I went lookin' for Khaddafi [Libya's Muammar Gaddafi] Aboard Air Force One" was changed for the concert to "I went lookin' for Bin Laden aboard Air Force One". So where does today's news leave Freedom v. 2011? Are we celebrating the end of the Global War on Terror? Or just getting ready for a repackaging of terror and the politics of fear into a kinder and gentler machine gun hand? Well, just another song in a long line of Neil Young prophecies, 1986's "Mideast Vacation" captured at the zeigeist of 1980's paranoia.
"I went lookin' for Bin Laden aboard Air Force One" But I never did find him And the C.I.A. said Son, You'll never be a hero ......Your flyin' days are done It's time for you to go home now Stop sniffin' that smokin' gun." ~~Neil Young, "Mideast Vacation, 1987
As Neil Young alluded in “Rockin’ In The Free World,” to some, America is Satan. That notion rankles. All the same, resolving to no longer participate in “wars of choice” and to not be so ravenous with the world’s resources can only improve America’s image. Therefore, it’s a good time to realize that our feelings of pride, joy and love of country are not best displayed in gatherings that seem like boisterous frat parties. Along with our joy, there should be moments of reverence as we again honor the courageous actions of those who died saving others on 9-11: the first responders in New York City and the brave passengers of Flight 93. Their faith, courage and selfless bearing reflected the qualities free people hold dear. In the long run, America’s new-found exhilaration can make the greatest impact as we celebrate the stirrings of democracy in the Mideast, the region where the now-vanquished terrorist first conjured his deadly games. He [OBL] can no longer exploit those he claimed to be his people. Let us look forward to the day that they too are rockin’ in the free world.
Call me a "dreamer", but I have faith that the truth of the song "Imagine" will come to pass, not through the efforts of any wolf in sheep's clothing secular or non-secular world organization, but by the earth itself, by Life protecting Itself, and by Creation being true to It's eternal promise. Another conversation, I know, but that's my faith. In the meantime, songs and performances like this, and the fact that "I'm not the only one", help to sustain me.
It's a perfect message for all the world and all peoples. It is pro-spiritualism...beyond religious confinements. Freedom = love, truth and beauty. A vision of an ultimate utopian idea of where we should be striving for.
I remember watching this live then and it blew me away-the fact that Neil wanted to contribute by performing and instead of using the platform to play one of his own compositions he played Imagine- perhaps the MOST appropriate of songs for the occasion, at a time when we were being inundated with little American flag stickers and cries of bloodshed in the name of patriotism. Not to open a can of worms but in the weeks and months following 9-11 it seemed even the most staunch of Doves became blood thirsty Hawks (myself included). We were pissed man- and with good reason. This was a terrible tragedy for the people, but I believe our sorrow, anger and confusion was taken advantage of (my opinion). Imagine receiving radio air-play did not go along with the required post-911 mindset, but I think this performance was a simple gesture reminding us to not lose sight of that idyllic promised land that is always within reach- if we want it.
>> 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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