All One Song :: Chris Forsyth on "Lookout Joe"

Welcome back to All One Song: A Neil Young Podcast, presented by Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions. You may have noticed our awesome theme music. No, you’re not hearing some unreleased Neil Young and Crazy Horse rehearsal. You’re hearing Coca Leaves and Pearls, the Philadelphia-based Neil tribute band fronted by guitarist Chris Forsyth and featuring John Murray (guitar), Jordan Burgis (bass), and Joey Sullivan (drums).

They’ve been playing primarily Ditch-era Neil tunes at various clubs around the northeast for the past few years, bringing a very Horse-y vibe to the chosen few (you can check out a tasty recording via Archive.org). They’re incredible—and Coca Leaves and Pearls was kind of enough to record some killer theme music for All One Song at Jeff Zeigler’s Uniform Studios.

Now, Chris Forsyth is much more than just the leader of a great Neil Young tribute band, of course. Much more! For more than a decade, he’s been one of our favorite guitarists, blending Richard Thompson with Tom Verlaine, Robert Quine with John McLaughlin, Sonny Sharrock with … well, Neil Young. His albums with the Solar Motel Band are modern day classics, and his recent work with the Basic trio has been insanely good. Chris is an extremely tasteful player, but he’s also willing to stretch beyond the barriers of tastefulness into the sublime.

For his All One Song appearance, Chris selected “Lookout Joe,” which first appeared on Tonight’s the Night just about 50 years ago in the summer of 1975. It’s a darkly humorous tune that has all the hallmarks of Neil’s Ditch era—that seedy swagger, a druggy vibe, Ben Keith’s wild pedal steel and backing vocals, and some dangerous guitar work. “Lookout Joe” was recorded with the Stray Gators in late 1972 at Neil’s northern California barn, but it’s a million miles away from the country rock gloss of Harvest. As we get into in our conversation, “Lookout Joe” sees Neil taking on the changing and challenging times of the 1970s. A weird, dark era! It’s a deep cut, but it’s a deep cut that’s very much worth getting into. 

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