Rocker takes on Monsanto on latest LP and tour
EXCERPT (item 2): Last year, Young sharply criticized efforts by the Grocery Manufacturers Association to block the Vermont [GMO labelling] law. “Whatever you think of GMOs,” he wrote on his website neilyoung.com, “corporations should not be using massive lawsuits to overturn legitimate, democratic decisions with strong public backing.”
1. Neil Young readies new album, tour with Willie Nelson's sons
2. Neil Young's Monsanto album set for release June 16
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1. Neil Young readies new album, tour with Willie Nelson's sons
By Daniel Kreps
Rolling Stone, April 20, 2015
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/neil-young-readies-new-album-tour-with-willie-nelsons-sons-20150420
* The rocker takes on GMO-producing chemical company Monsanto on latest LP and Rebel Content tour
Neil Young and Promise of the Real, a band featuring Willie Nelson's sons Lukas and Micah, will hit the road this summer in support of their upcoming album together, The Monsanto Years. Young's new LP will reportedly arrive on June 16th according to a press release sent to promoters, while the Rebel Content Tour itself will kick off July 5th at Milwaukee's Summerfest.
For years, Young has railed against Monsanto, the chemical company specializing in genetically modified seeds. In January, Young revealed that he was working on an album called The Monsanto Years, but the rocker appeared to be joking about the title at the time. "I'm working on another album now that I'm going to be doing with Willie Nelson's sons," Young said. "It's an upbeat review of the situation."
At a surprise concert April 16th at San Luis Obispo, California's SLO Brewing Co., Young and Promise of the Real debuted 11 new tracks that might appear on their joint LP. Those songs boasted protest-minded titles like "Monsanto Years", "Rock Starbucks", "Seeds", and "Too Big to Fail", fan site Sugar Mountain reports. Young had previously teamed with the Nelson brothers at Farm Aid and the Bridge School Benefit.
According to the Burlington Free Press, Young's Rebel Content tour will feature the rocker's first ever concert in Vermont. The newspaper speculates that Young is rewarding the Green Mountain State for their stance on genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Vermont passed a law requiring companies to list whether their food contained GMOs, and in a note to fans, Young called for a boycott of Starbucks for their part in the effort "to sue Vermont, and stop accurate food labeling." The coffee giant later clarified that they were not involved in the lawsuit against Vermont.
Neil Young Tour Dates
July 5 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
July 8 & 9 - Denver, CO @ Red Rocks
July 11 - Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
July 13 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
July 14 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 16 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
July 17 - Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
July 19 - Essex Junction, VT @ Champlain Valley Expo
July 21 - Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach
July 22 - Great Woods, MA @ Xfinity Center
July 24 - Oro-Medonte, ONT @ Wayhome Festival
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2. Neil Young's Monsanto album set for release June 16
St Louis Post-Dispatch, 22 April 2015
http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/neil-young-s-monsanto-album-set-for-release-june/article_f3d3bea6-b7a4-593c-8cc7-91f727fecdc2.html
Neil Young has been a long-time critic of agribusiness, especially Monsanto Co., the maker of genetically modified seeds and Roundup herbicide.
Turns out the 69-year-old rocker wasn't joking earlier this year when he said he planned to release an album that namechecks the Creve Coeur-based company.
"The Monsanto Years", the new LP from Young and his band, Promise of the Real, arrives on June 16, according to a press release sent to promoters, Rolling Stone magazine reports.
Young's band features Willie Nelson's sons, Lukas and Micah.
The band's "Rebel Content" tour to support the album release kicks off July 5 in Milwaukee and includes Young's first-ever concert in Vermont, a state that passed a law requiring food companies to label GMOs.
Last year, Young sharply criticized efforts by the Grocery Manufacturers Association to block the Vermont law.
“Whatever you think of GMOs,” he wrote on his website neilyoung.com, “corporations should not be using massive lawsuits to overturn legitimate, democratic decisions with strong public backing.”
His tour does not appear to include a stop in St. Louis.
A Monsanto spokesman was not immediately available for comment.