Neil Young Stories

Album Reviews | June 2015 Releases

Damaged Bug-Cold Hot Plumbs[6/2]Thee Oh Sees John Dwyer is the brains behind Damaged Bug, the side-project focusing on synthesizers and keyboards but drenched in the psychedelic style that fans would expect of the prolific songwriter. The tracks are strangely catchy, packed with an endless variety of sounds and noises over loose, live drumbeats and...

Stream or Download | Neil Young & Promise Of The Real @ SLO Brewing Company, San Luis Obispo, CA 4/16/15

Pinch me. Neil Young playing at a brewery with two of Willie Nelson's kids, debuting a ton of new tunes, most of which are filled with righteous anger about corporate disregard for the earth's fragile ecology. When news broke about this gig last weekend, it seemed like a dream.The videos that emerged the next...

Album Reviews | November 2014 Releases

For November, weve got 13 capsule reviews from Alex Wood. A key track from each release is included in the embedded Spotify playlist at the bottom of the page.Neil Young- Storytone [11/4]Recorded live with a full orchestra, Storytone is yet another odd project by the endlessly productive Neil Young. The orchestral backing is lush, adding...

Review / Setlist / Video: Neil Young @ Chicago Theater 4/22/14

Contributed By: Alex WoodNeil Young performed a perfectly balanced, career-spanning set during his second night at Chicago Theater.Though the set list hardly differed from the previous evening, it was designed with such fluidity that changing wasnt strictly necessary.The first set felt deliberately somber in tone, purveying a deep melancholy that only Neil Young...

Review / Setlist / Stream / Download: Neil Young @ Chicago Theater 4/21/14

When I last checked in with Neil Young, he was fronting Crazy Horse in a hockey stadium, collectively stumbling upon glory through a thick layer of noise and electric guitar. The shambling was more literal last night for his solo show at Chicago Theater, the first of two nights at the venue. Shuttling around the...

Map: Which Musician Does Your State Love Uniquely?

There's some pretty interesting math that went into creating this map, so definitely check it out in its original context at musicmachinery.com. Using days analysis, the author is trying to identify an artist that is popular in one state, that doesn't get as much love elsewhere.  A few states that I had...

Video: Widespread Panic's "Time Traveling Neil Young Trip"

One of the highlights of Panic's NYE run was the opening trio of Neil Young covers from Time Fades Away, Young's '73 Live Set that has never seen a proper CD release due to his inherent Neil Young-ness. However, JB points out that it was one of the only vinyl albums that the band had...

Phil Lesh & Friends Poster Holds Clues To Setlist Themes at Capitol Theater 10/31, 11/1, 11/2 & 11/3 2013

Update: He's done it again! Check out the poster / setlists from the NYC run.Phil Lesh indicated that he'd try something interesting for his fall tour with Phil & Friends. He promised to weave certain themes, including a focus on great albums, into both his sets as well as those of the opener American Jubilee....

Music, Technology, Learning Converge: 100 Greatest Guitar Riffs Visualized

This is just so cool in so many ways. Let's start at the beginning and work our way to the end...1. Somebody identified what he considers to be the 100 most essential riffs of all time -- spanning seven decades of rock history2. This person can play every single one in a convincing manner3. He has...

The Barn's 2012 Year In Review

Are you annoyed when you see "Year In Review" type articles start popping up around the end of November? If so, I hope you're not offended by a late-January 2012 summary...The Barn is offering a few different attempts at 2012 recap. The first is my list of the best musical things of the year - a...