The Man Behind The Drums

Asked what band he would want to join, Eric Clapton said The Band.   They were the quintessential American musical group who looking back birthed an entire genre of music.  Robbie Robertson wrote the songs and Richard Manuel was their soul but Levon Helm was their heart.  We've all known this day would come as he has been battling cancer off and on since the late 90's but the news today still hits home really hard.  I've never met Levon, but he has been a big part of my life through his music for over 35 years.

When I was a kid in the 70's it was all about Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith.  Then I saw The Last Waltz on HBO around '78 and my musical journey changed forever.  Who the hell are these old guys (that's pretty funny looking back) and why haven't I heard this music before.  My parents were vast musical wastelands so it was by accident that I heard all of these great sounds.  I was hooked and it led me to so many other great artists over the years, but I kept coming back to the Band time and again.  I was hooked from the first song...



These guys made a sound that uniquely American music and Levon in particular was, for me, the voice. I bought it all from Big Pink right up to The Last Waltz and I've been playing the crap out of them ever since.



One of my big music regrets is that I was too young to ever see them live. I was so excited a couple of years back to catch Levon and his Ramble band a couple of times. It may not have been the same but it was, well it was wonderful. His voice was pretty shot by this point but the joy and love came shining through. My family had been playing Electric Dirt pretty heavily at the time. My son is still singing Tennessee Jed...he thought it was one of his because when Levon sang one he owned it.



I really don't have the ability to put into words how much Levon has meant to me over the years. A true American treasure that won't soon be forgotten. If you don't know this already you have some catching up to do.  Rest In Peace Levon.

Best Records of 2011

And I do mean records.  2011 will be remembered, at least by me, as the year that virtually every new release I wanted was available on vinyl in addition to those other formats.  I love it.  Wanna stop piracy?  Release it all on vinyl.  One negative that has not been corrected by many of the labels is the failure to provide a download code. C'mon you money grubbing whores at the majors...those of us buying the new vinyl are your core customers so how about a little respect.

OK, enough of that.  2011 was for an OK year in music.  There were some really good releases but not as many as in years past...at least to these ears.  What I did like I enjoyed immensely with some great music coming from both new and established artists.  What follows is a list of records that did it for me in a bid way in 2011.  These are in no particular order and I am leaving what I think is the top album for the end.  So here goes nothing...

I know, I know this is chock full of the same old blues classics but you know what?  Johnny Winter is playing and singing better than he has in years.  This is a legend ripping through some of his favorites along with some top notch guests.  You can't go wrong with this one if you like the blues at all.  Good time, beer drinking rockin' blues.

John Hiatt has been making great records for decades.  All of them are good, some of them are great.  This one falls in the latter category.  This is the best thing he has done since Slow Turning.

Austin Lucas doesn't look much like a country singer, but he sure as hell sounds like one.  The best high-lonesome sound I have heard in years.  Real Country Music!

Speaking of real country music...it doesn't get much more real than this one.  The self described "scumbag country" band returns with their finest work yet.  Ever so slightly less in your face than last year's Old Highs and New Lows, Damaged Good benefits from the approach.  The song writing and performances are top notch.  You can trash all those Jason Aldean records...Hellbound Glory is the real deal my friends.

The hardest working man in rock & roll serves up his first solo project since the mid-90's.  Warren turns to the soul music he loves and gives it a little kick.  I haven't enjoyed a Mule record this much since Life Before Insanity.

I never much cared for The Decemberists.  That is until I heard The King is Dead.  With an REM meets Neil Young sound, The Decemberists take it in a much more accessible direction which is a very good thing.  This was my favorite album for most of the first half of the year and it is still right up there.  Love it, love it, love it.

By now you know the story.  Glen Campbell has early Alzheimer's and he wanted to make one last record and go out on the road before he can't anymore.  If this is his goodbye record he is going to be remembered for creating a classic.  A tremendous record from start to finish that rivals and often surpasses his best work from the late 60's and early 70's.  A shining example of how great music is timeless and ageless.

This one took a bit to grow on me.  I didn't dislike it at first...it just wasn't doing it for me.  More than a few folks whose opinions on music I respect said I need to give it a few more spins.  How right they were.  This record has grown on me to the point it is on my year end list.  Both Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks are undeniable talents who have left me a bit cold on previous efforts.  This material fits them both quite well and all the Delaney & Bonnie comparisons are not that far off.  A very, very good listen.

Matt Schofield is a British Blues guitarist who has made quite a name for himself on the other side of the pond over the last couple of years.  He reminds me quite a bit of Robben Ford in his playing.  Definitely more polished than raw with some great vocals and never less than impressive playing.  I hope he gets over here this year for a couple of shows.

I know is voice is shot now but it wasn't too bad when this was recorded back in 2008.  I don't care about that.  The shear joy that jumps out of the grooves is worth the price of admission.  Levon Helm is an American classic!

They may not be the most traditional bluegrass outfit but they can sure play their asses off as this live document attests.  The best of the young bluegrass/newgrass/jamgrass bands.

Any record that starts off with a killer (pun intended) murder cut has to be good and this one is.  Cruz Contreras and the rest of the Black Lillies have turned in one of the best Americana releases of the year.  Tall trees is like some kind of bluegrass meets the Allman's with a kick of gospel mash up and it works really, really well.  I've been playing this since it ended up in my ReviewShine inbox.  I'm still playing in December.

And last but not least my favorite album of the year....

Former Hot Water Music vocalist Chuck Ragan has been leading the folk-punk charge for a bit now and he has released what may be the perfect example of this genre (whatever the hell folk-punk means).  A stripped down guitar/fiddle/bass sound to go along with his gruff but honest vocals singing songs of the road has kept me playing this over and over since it came out.  Think Springsteen rocking out with acoustics and no E. Street band with a little high lonesome sound thrown in for good measure.  A couple of cuts with Brian Fallon doesn't hurt either.  An instant classic.

So there it is,  my faves for 2011.  It wasn't the best year ever but there were some really great releases.  Let's hope 2012 is another good one.

Levon Helm at the Beacon

So last night it was off to the Beacon to see Levon Helm and Bettye LaVette.  I am late to the party with Ms. LaVette but I have to say I enjoyed her latest Interpretations: The British Rock Song Book.  She has a great soul singer kind of voice and can still belt it out at 65.  In particular I found Isn't It a Pity and Love Reign O'er Me to be excellent.  The uptempo numbers were good, but she's a bit too old to be shaking it in my opinion.  Just a touch creepy.  Other than that she was very good.

Levon Helm is a throat cancer survivor.  He's lucky to be talking much less singing but has still made two excellent albums over the past few years.. Dirt Farmer and Electric Dirt.  The latter is a big favorite of my son so I took him last night.  I posted back in July about his show with Willie at Radio City and how much I enjoyed it and this was no different.  Great night of music all around.  Levon only sang on a few cuts (he has had throat issues  for the past year or so which are not cancer related) opening with Ophelia as well as parts of Deep Elem Blues, Blind Willie McTell (duet with Larry Campbell), the Weight (everyone sings) and the closer I Shall Be Released with his daughter Amy.

In between you get some really great music.  Some Band, some Dead, it's different every night as it should be. The band is very tight and also freaking huge at 12 counting Levon.  At one point during the encore there were 15 people on stage.

The Band played Americana before anyone knew what it was.  They were the great American band of the 60's.  Levon Helm continues to bring this great music to folks 35 years after they broke up. I hope he continues and am planning on attending a Midnight Ramble some time this summer.  I love this stuff...

Pictures courtesy of Larry Dell'Erba.

Willie Nelson & Levon Helm at Radio City

Two albums that were big influences on how I looked at and appreciated different music were The Band's "The Last Waltz" and Willie Nelson & Family "Live". Way back in the mid 70's I was the typical 14 year old...a card carrying member of the KISS Army. Then around 1977 at the ripe old age of 15 things changed. Bye-bye theatrics, hello music.

I've seen Willie a bunch of times over the years (more on him in a bit) but I was too young to ever see the Band. The Last Waltz was my entry into something more varied, more mature, more...special. I remember watching it over and over on HBO at one point. I bought the triple album set and played it incessantly. Then I began to branch out. First with Music from Big Pink and The Band, then Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, and Van Morrison. Off I went and I have never looked back. The music of the Band will always hold a special place in my heart.

I have loved Levon's two most recent albums. In fact my son went nuts for Electric Dirt. When the needle drops on his version of Tennessee Jed the whole house seems to smile at once. It was so great to hear that voice, older and more rough as a result of his bout with throat cancer, but no less engaging. You can almost feel the south pouring out of him as he sings. Levon has had a rough time with his throat of late (no cancer thank God) and he doesn't get to sing as much but when he does it is no less wonderful. Rough, scratchy, but pure Levon. The rest of the band is excellent including his daughter Amy (from Ollabelle) and Larry Campbell. Last night we also got Donald Fagen who took lead on King Harvest. Great set, great songs. I am looking forward to a Midnight Ramble in the near future. Oh yeah, Levon and Larry on Tennessee Jed was a hoot.

Willie Nelson is a national treasure in the vein of Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley at this point. At once instantly recognizable and familiar. At the same time he takes those songs and always slightly re-works them in the Willie Way. A short set but hey he is pushing 80! The band is small now just sister Bobbi on piano, Mickey Raphael on harp, Bee Spears on Base and the brothers English switching off on drums (Paul recently had a stroke). It's calmer than back in the 70's but no less engaging. Willie sounds great and can still played that old beat up Martin.

All told, a great night of music. It's a sad commentary on much of today's music that the old guard still can teach the new kids a thing or two. Thanks Willie & Levon, for everything.

Levon Helm - Electric Dirt

You have probably heard the story by now. Levon Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer some years back and he could barely speak much less sing. At some point his voice miraculously returned, albeit a little more ragged but no less engaging. He began to host semi-regular musical events, rambles, at his farm in Woodstock featuring music friends and family. A couple of years back he released the wonderful Dirt Farmer which featured some covers of folk & bluegrass tunes both old and of a more recent vintage.

While Dirt Farmer was pretty much an acoustic album, his newest release Electric Dirt is more firmly rooted in his own musical history, that is it sounds like something that the voice of the Band would make. Robbie Robertson may have written the songs, but it was Levon Helm who imbued them with the sound of the rural south. His voice was, and is, instantly recognizable and while it is a little more worn and ragged it is no less compelling an instrument.

Check out the video of Tennessee Jed below. The joy that comes through is infectious. This album, more than its predecessor reminds the listener of just why the Band was such a great group to begin with. The sound is pure Americana with an authenticity that many newer artists can only hope to achieve some day. Tracks like Growin' Trade and When I Go Away stay with you. At once new and interesting while at the same time familiar and comfortable. I've heard some good albums this year, in particular from Otis Gibbs and William Elliott Whitmore,but as of right now this is my favorite. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.


The Making of Electric Dirt


Tennessee Jed on Letterman