Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute To Neil Young @ The Gibson Guitar Artist Showroom

Everybody knows that the music of Neil Young is timeless. Neil is a legend, an innovator, an original and some would even say, the godfather of grunge. He's also perfect material for the often dreaded tribute album. Most of the time, these types of albums don't really work, but Borrowed Tunes, which was released in 1994, did. For the most part. It contained some excellent covers by Crash Vegas, The Skydiggers and Cowboy Junkies as well as some not-so-excellent covers too, which I won't mention by name but if you've ever listened to it, you know what they are. Well, a sequel has been released, and although I haven't listened to it yet, judging by the performances at the launch party last night, it sounds pretty good too.

We were invited to this special event for industry insiders (which I'm not) hosted by Sirius Satellite Radio and Universal Music. The performances were excellent, and the atmosphere was laid back and fun.

The first performer was Pat Robitaille, who performed a whiskey stained version of one of my favorite NY songs, "Sugar Mountain." I really appreciate that he made the song his own, and the same could be said for Melissa McClelland, who's version of "Cinnamon Girl" was a complete reworking, exchanging 'the rock' for something a little bit more subdued and mysterious. In between those two was Liam Titcomb, whose version of "Bandit" could only be described as arresting. You could tell that he was a massive fan of the song, and his enthusiasm was certainly contagious. Next up was the great Canadian smirk himself, Danny Michel. He's been on a bit of a hiatus as of late, but he came out of hiding to perform "After The Goldrush." The guy is a guitar king, and if you haven't yet seen him live, next time he comes, do it. Seriously. Don't even think about it, just do it. He's the most fun you'll have in concert all year. Finally, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings came out to perform "Unknown Legend." Tom Wilson was there, oozing arrogance and attitude, but if you've ever seen them, that ain't a bad thing. In fact, you wouldn't want him any other way. For the grand finale, all the cast got together to do the final tribute song singalong which, if you've ever seen one of those, they rarely work. Unless the song is "Helpless." That one always works. Neil's sister Astrid also jumped onstage for the singalong, which ended the evening on a supremely triumphant note. The only downside is that now I'm REALLY irritated that I can't afford to go to the ACTUAL Neil Young show at Massey Hall on November 26, 27 and 29.

Photos: Borrowed Tunes II @ Gibson Guitar Showroom on flickr

Download Other Neil Young Covers:
Don't Let It Bring You Down (Weeping Tile) mp3
Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Saint Etienne) mp3
Through My Sails (Soulsavers feat. MarkLanegan & Will Oldham) mp3
Hangin' On A Limb (Richard Reagh feat. El Perro Del Mar) mp3
Dying Breed / Cortez The Killer (Marissa Nadler) mp3

Myspace:
Pat Robitaille
Liam Titcomb
Melissa McClelland
Danny Michel
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings
Neil Young

Purchase:
Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute To Neil Young on Amazon.ca
Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute To Neil Young on Amazon.ca