We’re still shaken up over here at the loss of Levon Helm. As writers, we’re easing our pain by putting our thoughts and memories about The Band drummer and Midnight Ramble host down “on paper.” Last night HT founder Slade Sohmer eulogized Helm and earlier this afternoon three contributors shared their memories for our Love For Levon series, which continues now.
This past November I had a chance to go down to Zuccotti Park and watch Jackson Browne and Dawes perform to the remnants of Occupy Wall Street. Speaking to the members of Dawes afterward, I was struck by how excited they were for their upcoming Midnight Ramble with Levon. The opportunity for a young band to become friends with and connect with a legend doesn’t come around very often and I think it’s this reason not only fans, but also fellow musicians are feeling such sadness today.
[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]
Another of the many musicians to sit at the Midnight Ramble was Phil Lesh (and his sons). And as Phil Lesh is currently borrowing from Levon’s model with his own Terrapin Crossroads, Levon borrowed right back by recording and performing the classic dead tune Tennessee Jed on his Electric Dirt LP. Helm and his band covered the song on the Late Show With David Letterman…
PAGE TWO = Marc Millman PAGE THREE = Jimmy Coulas
I remember meeting Levon and Garth at the Lonestar Roadhouse in the early ’90s when when my good friends Matt and Craig Dreyer played an acoustic Dreyer Brothers set before both the early and late shows of The Band. Like everyone else, I remember how nice Levon was.
Fifteen years later, I met him at The Beacon Theatre on St. Patrick’s Day when a good friend brought me back stage after the show. My friend Catherine Russell was singing with his band at that time. I got to engage them both in conversation briefly. And still he was just a wonderful and sweet smiling man. They don’t make them like Levon anymore. Not musicians who are complete masters of their trade, can sing like he did for so many years and most importantly, completely understand the HISTORY of the music. If you’ve never read Greil Marcus’ Mystery Train, now is the perfect time. And when you are done, you will know that the loss of this kind man from Arkansas will be felt by many lovers of the music near and far.
PAGE THREE = Jimmy Coulas
“They say everything can be replaced” opens the Bob Dylan classic, I Shall Be Released. And while that is generally a true statement, there are always exceptions to the rule. And Levon Helm happens to be an exception to the rule.
I don’t think you could find many people that would disagree with that statement. As the news broke that Levon faced the final stages of cancer, I teared up, but they weren’t all tears of sadness. Levon was a fighter, and in 1998 when he was diagnosed with cancer, he beat all of the odds and reignited his passion for music. Levon inspired and influenced countless musicians and his contribution to music is immeasurable. He will be missed, but his spirit will live on forever.
Saturday, February 2, 2008 is a date that is permanently burned into my memory. That was the day that I saw my first and only Midnight Ramble. If you ever caught a Ramble, you know just how special they were. I remember everything about that night and what stands out the most about that evening wasn’t necessarily the music, but how welcomed I felt at his home. Don’t get me wrong, hearing Levon sing songs like Ophelia, Up On Cripple Creek and The Weight was something that I won’t soon forget, but I truly felt like I was a part of his family and I am forever grateful for the experience. I have been to countless shows and I’m not sure anything will even come close to the experience that I had on 160 Plochmann Lane in Woodstock.
Ramble on Levon, ramble on.
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