Levon Helm, copyright Paul La RaiaWe’re back from the road. The high point of our trip was the performance by The Levon Helm Band at the Midnight Ramble on Saturday night. Held at Levon’s studio, the sound was terrific and the atmosphere intimate. If my seat had been much closer to the stage, I’d have been IN the band.
Upon arriving in Woodstock, NY on a cold and rainy Saturday morning, our first mission was to find Big Pink, the house where much of the material for The Band’s first album was written. Located on Parnassus Lane, in the shadow of Overlook Mountain, it was the house they rented and retreated to just outside Woodstock after their first tour with Bob Dylan as his backup band — the tour where Dylan went electric and the crowds booed when the electric guitars appeared during the second half of his shows. The basement of Big Pink was where The Band rehearsed and worked out new material, where Dylan would show up daily to write and play, and where the often bootlegged Basement Tapes were recorded.
Big Pink, copyright 2010 by Dory Adams
Big Pink, copyright 2010 by Dory AdamsBig Pink looks much the same today as it did in the old photos. And yes, it’s still pink, though faded to a more muted hue. We photographed the house from the lane, trying to be unobtrusive and respectful of the current owners. Much to our surprise, the owner opened an upstairs window and chatted with us for a few minutes, welcoming us into his yard to get better shots of the house.
In the village of Woodstock, we visited the local cemetery where Rick Danko is buried. The last cars from a funeral were departing through the gates as we arrived. Driving slowly along the road past the back section, we scanned the names on tombstones before deciding Danko’s must be one of the flat stones that we couldn’t see clearly. It was too rainy and muddy to walk the section row by row looking for his headstone, but one of the grave diggers graciously walked over to show us the gravesite, saying, “I knew that was who you were looking for.” Danko is buried next to his son, who died nearly a decade before him. Tokens left at the graves – two small peace signs cut from paper, a scripture card, and three small stones placed on Rick’s headstone – indicated there had been recent visitors.
In the village of Woodstock, we visited the local cemetery where Rick Danko is buried. The last cars from a funeral were departing through the gates as we arrived. Driving slowly along the road past the back section, we scanned the names on tombstones before deciding Danko’s must be one of the flat stones that we couldn’t see clearly. It was too rainy and muddy to walk the section row by row looking for his headstone, but one of the grave diggers graciously walked over to show us the gravesite, saying, “I knew that was who you were looking for.” Danko is buried next to his son, who died nearly a decade before him. Tokens left at the graves – two small peace signs cut from paper, a scripture card, and three small stones placed on Rick’s headstone – indicated there had been recent visitors.
Rick Danko's Grave, copyright 2010 by Dory AdamsDuring the afternoon when the rain eased to a mist, we took a brief walk along Tinker Street, the main street through the village. Our intention was to visit the Center for Photography, but because a new exhibit was being hung the gallery was closed until the opening reception later that day. Instead, we stopped at Oriole 9 to shake off the chilly dampness with hot coffee and then we browsed at a bookshop where Kevin Tomasic bought us a copy of Across the Great Divide: The Band and America, which I’m now reading and enjoying – particularly the chapter I’m in the middle of now about Big Pink.
Saturday evening in the studio at Levon’s home on Plochmann Lane, a fire burned in the fireplace to warm the ramble guests while a storm raged outside bringing down trees and causing power failures a little further down the road. Not that we were paying attention to the storm. Rapt with the show, we were oblivious to the weather conditions. We only knew about the nearby damage and power outages because an announcement was made between sets about the storm damage with directions for which end of Plochmann Lane was still open and how to get back to the highway after the show. We were reassured that in the event of a power outage at the studio they were prepared with lanterns and the show would continue as an acoustic performance.
Saturday evening in the studio at Levon’s home on Plochmann Lane, a fire burned in the fireplace to warm the ramble guests while a storm raged outside bringing down trees and causing power failures a little further down the road. Not that we were paying attention to the storm. Rapt with the show, we were oblivious to the weather conditions. We only knew about the nearby damage and power outages because an announcement was made between sets about the storm damage with directions for which end of Plochmann Lane was still open and how to get back to the highway after the show. We were reassured that in the event of a power outage at the studio they were prepared with lanterns and the show would continue as an acoustic performance.
Studio, copyright Paul La RaiaThe studio never lost electricity in the storm – possibly because so much power was generated onstage by Levon and his band. And what a band it is: Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, vocals) and his daughter Amy Helm (vocals, mandolin); Larry Campbell (guitar, fiddle, vocals) and his wife Teresa Williams (vocal, guitar); Jim Weider (guitar); Byron Isaacs (bass, vocals); Brian Mitchell (keyboards, vocals); and a 5-piece horn section adding a New Orleans R&B flavor with Jay Collins (saxophones), Erik Lawrence (saxophones), Howard Johnson (tuba), Steven Bernstein (trumpet), and Clark Gayton (trombone). Former bass player Mike Merritt, who was in the audience, also joined the band for a few songs.
After an opener by the Ulster County AOH Pipe and Drums Band in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and an acoustic set by Brewer and Shipley, we were treated to 2 ½ hours of music by The Levon Helm Band which included songs from Dirt Farmer and Electric Dirt as well as songs from The Band era. Levon played drums through most of the show. I loved seeing the interaction between Levon and his daughter Amy on stage. Amy and Teresa’s voices blend beautifully on harmonies, and each took turns as lead vocalists on several songs. Larry Campbell, an extremely talented musician with an impressive history as a session player and producer, gave a strong performance at center stage (also notable for his gracious and down-to-earth demeanor). The horn section engaged in a little Mardi Gras parade around the studio, and later Levon showed off a few dance steps. Best of all, Levon’s vocal cords are healing and he was able to sing a few songs and join in on harmonies from what he calls the “best seat in the house” behind his drums, taking center stage only when he played mandolin and to do his little dance.
After an opener by the Ulster County AOH Pipe and Drums Band in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and an acoustic set by Brewer and Shipley, we were treated to 2 ½ hours of music by The Levon Helm Band which included songs from Dirt Farmer and Electric Dirt as well as songs from The Band era. Levon played drums through most of the show. I loved seeing the interaction between Levon and his daughter Amy on stage. Amy and Teresa’s voices blend beautifully on harmonies, and each took turns as lead vocalists on several songs. Larry Campbell, an extremely talented musician with an impressive history as a session player and producer, gave a strong performance at center stage (also notable for his gracious and down-to-earth demeanor). The horn section engaged in a little Mardi Gras parade around the studio, and later Levon showed off a few dance steps. Best of all, Levon’s vocal cords are healing and he was able to sing a few songs and join in on harmonies from what he calls the “best seat in the house” behind his drums, taking center stage only when he played mandolin and to do his little dance.
Levon Helm, copyright Paul La RaiaDespite the storm, it was a perfect night. I must’ve been grinning from ear to ear all evening because after the show Teresa Williams told me “I saw you out there smiling!” Yep. Couldn’t help it. It was an evening of pure joy and once-in-a-lifetime experience – except that I’m planning to go back for more.
Photo Credits:
News & Updates:
Around the Blogosphere:
Photo Credits:
- Photographs of Levon Helm and the studio copyright © Paul La Raia, used by permission
- Photographs of Big Pink and Rick Danko’s grave copyright © 2010 by Dory Adams
News & Updates:
- I’ve added additional subscriber options to the sidebar at the right of the screen to make it easier for readers to subscribe (there is no cost for subscriptions). You can now subscribe by e-mail and have notifications of new posts at In This Light sent to your inbox. You can also subscribe through an online Reader such as Google, Yahoo, Netvibes and others. A Followers widget has also been added near the bottom of the sidebar for those who want to follow the blog.
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Around the Blogosphere:
- Watch a very clever video “The Future of Publishing” created by DK (UK). (via Boing Boing)
- Laura Benedict writes “Me, My Kindle, and that Sticky EBook Subject” at Notes From the Handbasket.
- “A Conversation with Philip Graham” by John Warner at The Morning News was especially interesting to me for the discussion of the low residency writing program at Vermont College, which is where I earned my MFA prior to when Phil Graham joined the faculty there. (thanks to Erika Dreifus pointing out this interview via Practicing Writing)
- In “Future Saving Time” Robert Gray writes about ‘on time’ vs. ‘in sync’ at Shelf Awareness.
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