The Neil And The Damage Done

Thursday, January 22

Of all the tribute nights put on at clubs in this city, I’m surprised no one has done this one before. Because when you get right down to it, Neil Young is one of the most commonly shared inspirations among musicians. Ask any band for their influences and ol’ Neil’s name will probably be dropped somewhere. You can hear him in any musician that plays crunchy mountain rock, wears plaid and denim, doesn’t comb their hair, sings in a high-pitched whinny, or plays grass-stained acoustic music with harmonica and stomps their boot heels onstage. Then again, I am (borderline?) obsessed with Neil Young, so my opinion of the guy is more than a little corrupt. So, here we have a most fitting tribute night put on by some of Seattle’s rootsiest rockers, playing multiple Neil jams each. Here’s a sampler: At the Spine will do “My My Hey Hey,” Herman Jolly will do “Tell Me Why” (which will likely be a highlight of the night), and the Harvest Moons will be doing the entire Harvest Moon LP (please include “Natural Beauty”!). Being the Neil geek I am, I will show up to hear the less famous tunes, such as Spanish for 100’s take on “Albuquerque” and “Walk On,” and Joe Gould’s Secret doing “Piece of Crap” and “Thrasher.” Of course, all of this could add up to a big disappointment, since covering Neil Young can be like trying to wrestle a mountain lion. But whether the bands rage or not, I’ll probably still go home after the show, get high, and fall asleep to Side 2 of On the Beach.

Thu., Jan. 22, 9 p.m., 2009