Levon Helm

[Whodat81]

[Y-NO-9-O]

Drummer/singer for The Band...

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/19/showb ... evon-helm/

[dnw]

Sail on, Levon.

[ParrotheadRPB]

Sail on ,Levon

Very sad.Thank you for the great music and great memories.

[rich_big]

I am sorry to read this news.....

[Tiki Torches]

Drive-By Truckers and Megafaun sent one out to Levon at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC last night. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.

[citcat]

All the good ones are goin' to Heaven. Sail on, Levon. I love The Band.

[NYCPORT]

I was lucky enough to see him with his band last summer at Gathering of the Vibes. His voice had come back and we thought he might make a full recovery. Sad to see it wasn't ment to be. Sail on Levon.

[Tiki Torches]

Real nice write up in The New York Times about the wake held out at Levon's place in Woodstock earlier today. Hopefully the Rambles will continue in some form or fashion.

Thousands Remember Levon Helm of The Band In Woodstock


Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times
Mourners at the wake for Levon Helm, former drummer and singer for the Band, held in Woodstock, N.Y., on Thursday.

[nycfeat]

Pete Fornatale isn't far behind. I would love to hear a conversation between the 2 of them.

[weirdo0521]

For those of you in the Chicago area, Fitzgerald's in Berwyn is showing the Last Waltz on Thursday 5/3.

http://www.facebook.com/events/343506339045412/

[ParrotheadRPB]

Heres a version of The Weight Bruce did last night.

[Tiki Torches]

John Fogerty and the Black Keys rehearsing "The Weight" for Coachella.



The actual performance.

[springparrot]

There is a nice article about Levon in this issue of Rolling Stone

[Tiki Torches]

Guitarist Larry Campbell's tribute to Levon Helm:

Quite a few years ago when I was in one of the darker periods of my musical journey, I was half heartedly skimming through a book called "Zen Guitar" by Phillip Sudo. Early in the book a paragraph ends with the phrase "most of all, play with joy" . . . I remember feeling a strange discomfort when I read this, because I wasn't really sure I knew what that meant. The words were simple; the concept was simple. I certainly knew what it was like to get enjoyment from playing music, but I sensed there was a more profound meaning that I just wasn't getting. And adding to that discomfort, I remember thinking that the only way I was gonna get it would be through a long period of tedious self examination and immersion into some cult-like eastern philosophy that involved fasting and uncomfortable body poses.

It wasn't long after this that one day in early spring my phone rang. It was Levon asking me if I wanted to come to Woodstock to make some music.

Though this wasn't the first Midnight Ramble, it was still in it's embryonic stages, and he was just beginning to tentatively regain use of that voice. The voice that so many of us were lamenting would be gone forever after his bout with throat cancer. When I heard him sing that night, I remember feeling like I'd just been told that the Beatles were getting back together or that JFK was coming back to finish his term. Having listened to Levon for most of my adult life and having shared the stage and recording studio with him a few times over the years, I knew what a great musician he was, and I could go on all day about that, but that night I caught a glimpse of something behind those drums that I hadn't seen before, though it was there all along. There was a glow. A light that over the next eight years became as bright as the sun. I soon came to recognize the various elements in his playing that fueled this light. He played with love, he played with honesty, he played with generosity, but most of all he played with joy: the joy of creativity, the joy of sharing and comraderie, the joy of self expression, the joy of telling the truth. He was incapable of having a false musical moment. There was never any distance between who he was and what he did. His playing and singing came out as naturally as breathing, seemingly without effort, (which was a good thing because the exertion of effort was never one of Levon's Daily Ambitions.)

His light would spread across the stage like a Santa Ana wind, igniting the flames of joy in all of us.

This band always seemed to be making music for the right reason: for the simple pleasure of making music. From the stage the light would spread to the audience and they'd be in it with us. Then we'd all feel the joy and power of communal experience.

Steven Bernstein and I did a radio talk show a few days ago, and someone called in saying he was a singing drummer who tried to play and sound like Levon. I told him I thought the best way to imitate Levon was to find that light within yourself. The light that shows who you are. To have the talent to get out of your own way and give that light a clear path to shine. In order to honor my friend, whenever I pick up an instrument from now on, I'll try to play with that in mind. But most of all I'll play with joy!

[Tiki Torches]

According to American Songwriter, this is a new documentary on The Band that recently aired on Japanese television.

[Tiki Torches]

From a tribute to Levon Helm that was held at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville, TN last night following the Americana Music Awards at the Ryman. There was also a tribute to Levon there but to my knowledge that clip has yet to surface. Featured in this one is Hayes Carll, Patterson Hood, Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell and Steve Gorman of the Black Crowes on drums.

[Tiki Torches]

All Star performance of "The Weight" from the Americana Music Awards at the Ryman in Nashville, TN earlier this week. More on the performance from Relix.

2012 Americana Honors & Award Show Jam honoring Levon Helm with Bonnie Raitt, Richard Thompson, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Brittany Howard, Jim Lauderdale, Amy Helm, Larry Campbell, Darrell Scott, and Sam Bush on September 12, 2012 at The Ryman, Nashville, Tennessee. "The Weight" is a song written by Robbie Robertson. Probably the best known version was released by The Band in 1968.

[Tequila Revenge]

I'm not gonna lie, even on a JB website: I'm gonna lose my sh*t when Bob Dylan dies. As much as I love JB (and loved Garcia) Dylan is to me the greatest singer songwriter of my time. That being said, for as talented as I believe him to be, his work with The Band helped introduce him to the world and, more importantly, introduce one of the greatest rock and roll bands to the world. Anyone who loves (or even likes) rock and roll needs to watch "The Last Waltz."



Prayers for Levon and his family.

Stayed up way too late last night and watched a PBS special on The Troubadourhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episod ... film/1772/ about the history and all the performers that went through there. The special had a section on The Band and mentioned the last performance. This AM on BN Tiki T had posted the tribute to Levon. I saw Jacks post about the movie and was able to find it at my favorite used CD store. I love it when the universe aligns itself like this. Thanks to TT, Jack and BN!

[Tiki Torches]

Thanks. Saw that special on the Troubadour on PBS's American Masters series not too long ago myself, very good stuff.