Farm Aid 25 Announced

I’d just like to say I hope that some of the money that’s raised for the people in Africa – maybe they could just take a little bit of it – maybe one or two million, maybe - and use it, say, to pay, er, the mortgages on some of the farms . . . that the farmers here owe to the banks. --- Bob Dylan at LiveAid, 13 July 1985

Prescient? Out of line? Whatever your interpretation of Dylan's 25-year-old quote above, it was these words that gave birth to the Farm Aid organization, devoted to "helping farmers find the resources they need to access new markets, transition to more sustainable and profitable farming practices, and survive natural disasters."

Willie Nelson and Neil Young allowed their names to be affiliated with Farm Aid and have served on its Board of Directors and performed at the annual concert for a quarter century. Along with other high profile artists John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews, it was announced this morning that Farm Aid 25 will be held at Miller Park baseball stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 2 October. JSOnline reports that tickets for "Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America" will go on sale at 9 a.m. Aug. 14, at the Miller Park box office, by calling (414) 902-4000 or online at www.tickets.com. Ticket prices range from $39.50 to $97.50. Farm Aid will offer special advance sale tickets to Farm Aid members beginning Friday, August 6. To become a Farm Aid member, visit www.farmaid.org.

In addition to Nelson, Young, Mellencamp and Matthews, the full lineup of the concert will be announced in the coming weeks. TNOP will keep you updated.

Covers, Covers Everywhere

TNOP has been impressed with a number of covers from noted artists flying around the internet, so we've gathered some of these efforts together for your enjoyment.

Dave Matthews & Neil Young, "Alone and Forsaken"
Out of the much hyped "Hope For Haiti" national telethon that featured dozens of musicians, this pairing and choice of song most floored us. The tune was written and recorded by Hank Williams, Sr and originally released 25 July 1951. The plaintive cry of the lyrics were transposed perfectly to the tragic situation in Port-au-Prince and beyond by Dave Matthews and Neil Young. It is our best guess that the genesis for this choice was Young, given his affinity for Hank and covers in the recent past by fellow Canadian Neko Case (0n 2001's Canadian Amp) and frequent collaborator Emmylou Harris (from the 2002 Hank tribute CD Timeless).



Annie Clark & Justin Vernon, "Harvest Moon"
And speaking of Ol' Shakey, his "Harvest Moon" was covered by the stellar pairing of Annie Clark (St. Vincent) and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on 23 January for Haiti relief.


Phoenix, "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"
A number of sites have revealed the mp3 of Phoenix's interesting choice of covers: Dylan's opus to his first wife. [The track on Blonde On Blonde exceeded 11 minutes; the French band cuts that by more than half.] Interesting to note Thomas Mars' vocal approach on this one. Listen to it via Twenty-Four Bit here.

Fiona Apple, "He's Funny That Way"
Ms. Apple has been lying low for some time, so it is good to see her in this performance with her frequent collaborator/producer Jon Brion. The selection is an old jazz standard written by Richard Whiting and Neil Moret, previously recorded by a number of artists, including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Nat "King" Cole. The venue is Los Angeles' Largo at the Coronet on behalf of the "Love and Haiti, Too" benefit concert on 23 January.

(RED) Holiday CD

Here's an idea to ignite your holiday spirit and feed your rock 'n roll jones at the same time. Starting today, spend $15 at your local Starbucks and receive a four-song CD of unique tunes (preview here) that will benefit the (RED) Global Fund and the Fight Against AIDS in Africa. The tracks include:

1. Playing For Change, "All You Need Is Love" - a reggaefied version of The Beatles anthem tinged with some Cajun flavor.
2. U2, "I Believe In Father Christmas" - the Dubliners' take on the Emerson, Lake & Palmer holiday tune. Author Greg Lake is impressed, by the way.
3. Dave Matthews Band, "You & Me (Acoustic)"
4. John Legend, "(RED)Emption Song" - cover of the Bob Marley classic.