I’m listening to Neil Young being interviewed by David Fricke on the SiriusXM Neil Young channel on Deep Tracks channel 26 while thinking about Neil Young & the Bluenotes performing a several night stand at The World, a club located in Alphabet City in New York. There had been rumors circulating that Neil Young was going to do some pop up dates with his blues band and I scoured the music magazines and newspapers hoping to discover a Neil blues show. A band called Young Neil & the Vipers was playing a club in New York; Young Neil? Vipers? I thought this had to be it. I can’t remember who I went with but we went to a pretty nice club in a basement n New York City and Young Neil & the Vipers hit the stage but, alas, it was not Neil Young. Young Neil turned out to be somehow related to the Fabulous Thunderbirds and this kid could play guitar.

In the audience sitting at a table was Ace Frehley from Kiss and near the end of the show he was cajoled into joining the band on stage; bad move on Ace’s part as Young Neil wailed while Ace looked uncomfortable with a likely borrowed guitar.
Neil Young & the Bluenotes played several nights at The World, a club I had never been to before or since. The band played two sets a night with a single admission and unbelievably I only planned on going one night. I believe the evening we went was the last night of the stand and Young was reportedly sick. Rather than cancel, the band played one elongated set that night in the packed general admission venue. I remember thinking that Neil appeared to be a little under the weather but I was pumped and I remember leaning over toward the bartender in the rear of the space energetically and loudly singing along while Neil sang “This note, this note, this note, this note’s for you”.

Ten Men Workin’

Rock on!

GQ