Exclusive Interview: Cinema Music Group On Curating ‘Heart of Gold Volume 1’ – A Star-Studded Neil Young Tribute Album Supporting The Bridge School

Advertisements

Dave Resnik has composed music for major networks like ABC and CBS and performed with artists including Ricky Martin, Donna Summer, and Sonia Dada. He also spent time in A&R, signing bands like Kyuss and working with Lucinda Williams. Niko Bolas is a legendary producer and engineer whose credits include James Taylor, Sting, Billy Joel, KISS, and a long-running collaboration with Neil Young.

In 2021, after reconnecting at a friend’s wake, Dave and Niko launched CMG with the goal of reimagining classic songs and producing new music with both established and emerging artists. They quickly became known as “the cover guys,” working out of their LA studio The Surf Shack and partnering with talents like Chris Pierce and Charlie Greene.

Their latest project is their most ambitious yet: Heart Of Gold Volume 1, a compilation of Neil Young covers performed by artists including Fiona Apple, Brandi Carlile, The Doobie Brothers, Eddie Vedder, Mumford & Sons, and many more. What began as a one-off session with Chris Pierce turned into a full-scale benefit project with Neil’s blessing, supporting The Bridge School—a pioneering nonprofit that helps children with severe speech and physical impairments through assistive technology.

Each artist on the album personally chose the song they covered, and nearly every track was recorded in just one or two takes, giving the record an intimate, live feel. Thanks to a distribution deal with Killphonic Rights, CMG has already raised $100,000 for The Bridge School, with Volume 1 out now, and Volumes 2 and 3 on the way. Beyond Heart of Gold Volume 1, CMG is working on a new Chris Pierce album and a protest song compilation featuring artists like Draco Rosa, continuing their mission to make meaningful, soulful music with purpose.

Cover art for 'Heart Of Gold Volume 1', featuring a large black and white daisy with a yellow center on a light yellow background. — *Heart Of Gold Volume 1 Album Artwork*

I had the opportunity to chat with Dave Resnik (CMG below) about their approach to ‘Heart of Gold Volume 1‘, why supporting The Bridge School is important to them, and the legacy they hope the album leaves.

Kat: How did the idea for ‘Heart of Gold Volume 1’ come about, and what inspired you to make it a benefit project for The Bridge School?

CMG: We were recording an album with Chris Pierce in 2022. He’s such an incredible songwriter. We knew we wanted to record more with him and we started looking at cover ideas. Niko’s worked with Neil for a long time and their friendship goes back 30+ years! So, we ended up speaking with Neil and got his blessing to record a few covers but the idea only ended up growing from there and after a few more conversations we booked a studio session in 2023 and invited Chris Pierce, Sharon Van Etten and Draco Rosa along. We reached out to Brandi Carlile too and she said yes but her schedule was really busy. We tracked 3 songs in one day! The session was great success and we just kept going. Brandi recorded “Philadelphia” about 15 months later! The Bridge School is such a huge part of Neil’s legacy. The old benefit concerts were so memorable, it was such an exciting thing to be part of. It only felt natural for us to turn the Heart Of Gold project into a benefit record to benefit The Bridge School.

Kat: Neil Young is such a revered and complex artist—what was it like securing his blessing for this project, and how did that influence how you approached the covers?

CMG: It meant everything, we definitely couldn’t have done it without him. His songwriting is so good, His songs are some of the best ever written. We wanted to approach recording the record with as much care and respect for the original songs as possible and we believed the best way to do that was by letting the artists pick the songs they wanted to cover. By doing that it meant that they were able to pick and play the songs that they really connected with. We wanted to make a heartfelt record and this approach made it easier to record and capture all the emotive performances.

Kat: With artists like Fiona Apple, Brandi Carlile, Eddie Vedder, and The Doobie Brothers involved, how did you go about curating such a diverse and legendary lineup?

CMG: Similar to how the concerts were put together… The concerts had this family feel to them where everyone knew everyone. We wanted to keep that family feel so we reached out to people who we knew. Sometimes we were able to reach out directly to the artist and sometimes we reached out to the producer, or a manager or even the guitar tech! The whole project happened via word or mouth. We ran with the whole six degrees of separation… “who do we know who knows ___?”. We were really surprised by how many people wanted to be involved. It was amazing to have so many artists wanting to use their talents and music to do something good.

Kat: You chose to record most songs live in just one or two takes—why was it important to you to keep the process raw and immediate, and how did that affect the final sound?

CMG: We used Neil’s “1 take” approach to tracking. It’s really difficult to capture the emotion in a session if it’s all been recorded in parts and sections. It’s best to do full takes, that’s when the magic happens! You feel the energy between the musicians. The drummer is playing with the bassist and they’re feeding off of that… the guitar digs in a little harder and the vocalist is feeling it too because they’re all in the same room together! You can’t get that with a computer. It’s not squeaky clean but the magic is found in all those subtle mistakes and nuances. If you listen to any of Neil’s records you can hear him use that process too. It has such a vibe to it. It feels much more intimate.

Kat: Each artist selected their own Neil Young song—were there any surprising choices or emotional stories behind the selections that stood out to you?

CMG: Brandi Carlile picked “Philadelphia” which is a lesser known Neil track from the movie soundtrack. That was a hidden gem!

Kat: You’ve raised over $100,000 already for The Bridge School. Can you talk a bit about why this cause is so close to your hearts and how you hope to grow the impact with future volumes?

CMG: We had the opportunity to visit the school a few months ago shortly after finishing Volume 1. We got to hang out with some students for the day and we met some parents, teachers and the staff too. It was really amazing to see the work they do there for the students. They help disabled children through the use of assistive technology and we were happy we were able to raise enough to help them buy some new equipment they needed. We hope that through this record and the future volumes to follow that we can spread the word about The Bridge School and continue to help support the incredible work that they do there.

Kat: You’ve both worked with musical icons across genres—how did your combined experiences shape the vibe and mission of Cinema Music Group?

CMG: I think because we both cut our teeth in the industry at the same time we share a similar work ethic and approach to how we do things in the studio. In a time when music production is accessible by anyone with a computer some of the old school ways of doing things are getting forgotten. We just want to make good, timeless records the old school way and there’s so many new artists we’d love to work with.

Kat: The Surf Shack studio seems like an important creative hub for CMG—what’s the atmosphere like there, and how does it foster such genuine performances?

CMG: We like to record a lot out of the old studios that are still standing in LA. Studios like, The Village, Sunset Sound and Boulevard Recording. They all have so much history, it’s buried in the walls. You can’t help but feel it when you walk in those rooms. The Surf Shack is where we like to bring everything together and mix it. Our studio The Surf Shack is just as important to our process as those other studios. All of these studios feel like a home away from home to us. In a session it’s really important that the musicians and artists feel comfortable and welcome and studios like The Village, Sunset Sound and Boulevard recording all do that so well.

Kat: Beyond Heart of Gold, you’re working on a protest song compilation and a new Chris Pierce record—what can you share about those upcoming projects and your ongoing mission to make music with purpose?

CMG: We’re very excited! Chris Pierce has been writing some of his best music the last few months. We love him and we’re really looking forward to producing his next record. His voice is so powerful and soulful, it’s really a pleasure to work with someone like him. The protest record is something we’re currently still in the early stages of, we’re still thinking about song choices and reaching out to artists we’d like to include!

Kat: Looking ahead, what do you hope Heart of Gold Volume 1 leaves behind—not just musically, but in terms of its broader legacy?

CMG: It would be amazing if in 10 years people looked at this record and saw it as evidence for how important music is in the world. Music is such an important thing in our society. It brings people together and makes good things happen. This record is evidence of that. Music doing good things for good people.