Take a journey with maverick musician Neil Young in this personal, behind-the-scenes doc as he cruises the coast on his recent solo tour. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker and Young’s wife, Daryl Hannah, “Coastal” offers a glimpse behind the curtain of this unguarded iconoclast as he navigates a return to the stage post-COVID from his everyday observations on the bus to his candid, wry banter with his audience.
The illuminating film also features songs rarely, if ever played live, performed in breathtakingly beautiful theaters.
After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, the Canadian-born Young moved to Los Angeles, joining the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield.
Since the beginning of his solo career, often backed by the band Crazy Horse, he has released critically acclaimed albums such as “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” (1969), “After the Gold Rush” (1970), “Harvest” (1972), “On the Beach” (1974), and “Rust Never Sleeps” (1979), not to mention his work with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Young’s guitar work, deeply personal lyrics and signature high tenor voice define his long career. He also plays piano and harmonica on many albums, which frequently combine folk, rock, country and other musical genres.
His often distorted electric guitar playing, especially with Crazy Horse, earned him the nickname “Godfather of Grunge” and led to his 1995 album “Mirror Ball” with Pearl Jam. More recently, he has been backed by Promise of the Real.
Young directed or co-directed films using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey, including “Journey Through the Past” (1973), “Rust Never Sleeps” (1979), “Human Highway” (1982), “Greendale” (2003), “CSNY/Déjà Vu” (2008) and “Harvest Time” (2022). He also contributed to the soundtracks of the films “Philadelphia” (1993) and “Dead Man” (1995).
Young has received multiple Grammy and Juno Awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted him twice: in 1995 as a solo artist and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Young No. 30 on its list of the 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Young is also on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest musical artists, and 21 of his albums and singles have been certified gold or platinum in the U.S. Young was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2006 and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2009.
In late 2024, Young began playing with a new backing band, Chrome Hearts. The band consists of Promise of the Real members Micah Nelson (guitar), Corey McCormick (bass) and Anthony Logerfo (drums) alongside organist Spooner Oldham.
They released their debut single, “Big Change,” in January, with producer John Hanlon describing the song as “in your face loud irreverent rock ’n’ roll paint splatter on the canvas in the vein of a Jackson Pollack (sic) painting.” A full studio album is expected to be released this year, with an accompanying world tour that includes a headline performance at Glastonbury Festival.
