Three years in the making, Slothtrop Music is proud to announce the national release of More Barn: A Tribute to Neil Young. This benefit release for the Bridge School of San Francisco, which was founded by Neil Young, is sure to bring attention not only to the cause of the school, but to the diverse artists interpreting Young's work.
Blasting off with a twang-and-rock version of Young's notorious Revolution Blues by Chicago legends The Waco Brothers, More Barn features a list of indie-rock luminaries clearly influenced by Young s distinctive style: The Silos, Steve Wynn, Howe Gelb, Rick Rizzo, Eric Ambel and Jay Bennett & Edward Burch. There are also tracks by a variety of up-and-coming groups from across the U.S.
All of the artists cover many points in Young's career, from the Carolinas guitar-heavy stomp through Young's first solo hit, The Loner, through Mister Vague s atmospheric take on Young s Bandit from his concept album Greendale. All of the artists on More Barn which also include melaniejane, Mike Fredrickson, Phil Lee, Aimless Blades, Mark Croft, Junipar Tar, Susan Howe, West of Rome and Albert choose songs both well-known and obscure.
Showing the full range of Young's career was a must when Eric Hester, President of Slothtrop Music, was approached with the idea of doing a record for a good cause. "We've had a successful run and wanted to do something to celebrate that, but we also wanted to give to the broader community in some way," Hester said. "I'm a huge fan of Neil Young s work all of it, from the noise rock to the acoustic/solo side of his music."
The Bridge School, based in Hillsborough, Calif., is an educational program for children with severe speech and physical impairments. As part of the school, children learn augmented and alternative communication techniques with a goal of full participation in their communities.
With the task at hand, Hester, with the help of Music Supervisor team Chris DeMay, Blaine Schultz, and Jason Mohr, started calling some of their indie-rock favorites to participate and were cheered by the willingness of others to help out and provide their own tracks. They also called on several popular Midwestern bands, including those on Slothtrop, to help bring More Barn to life.
The album was named for a classic Young moment that will make fans chuckle. Graham Nash has told the story in interviews where Neil rowed him out on the lake at his ranch to hear some new music. As it happens, Neil had his house wired as the left speaker, and his barn wired as the right speaker. When his longtime engineer yelled, "How is it?", Neil shouted back. "More barn!"
With recording, sequencing, licensing and distribution plans taking the better part of three years but with a great deal of help-- More Barn is now ready to both raise funds for the school and entertain fans of Neil Young, especially the ones ready for adventure.
"There were no rules we gave the artists when they signed up for the record, which fits well with Neil s aesthetic", Hester said. "Some of the songs are close to the originals, while others are radically reworked. It s quite a ride, but one we hope fans of Neil s music will enjoy."
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