Originally published in The Aquarian Weekly
photo by Paul LaRaia
LEVON
HELM/ALEXIS P. SUTER
BAND/BOW
THAYER AND
PERFECT
TRAIN WRECK
April
28
by Ken Shane
the last time you went to a see a band
at Giants Stadium. Remember all the
people? Remember how far you had
to walk from the parking lot and how
far your expensive seats were from
the stage? Remember how bad the
sound was?
Now try
to picture the exact opposite
of that situation, and you may begin
to get an idea of what Levon
Helm’s
simply an extraordinary musical event.
The
Ramble is held in a studio which
is attached to Helm’s house in
welcomed into the legendary
drummer’s home for an evening of
superb music in a most intimate setting.
When he
created Midnight Ramble,
Helm was
inspired by the southern
medicine shows of his youth. Since it
began in 2004, he has invited some
of the greatest musicians in the world
to take part, and guests have included
former Band-mate Garth Hudson,
Rickie
Lee Jones, Dr. John, Emmylou
Harris,
Donald Fagen, Warren Haynes,
Allen Toussaint and many others.
The
Ramble is held every Saturday
night that Helm is in town and was
originally started as a way to keep the
wolf from the door. The house that
Helm built
in the ’70s, and rebuilt after
a fire in the ’90s, was threatened with
foreclosure, and the Ramble was
created in an effort to make sure that
this very special property didn’t fall
into the wrong hands. Set on 16 acres,
with a three acre lake, and signs
warning you to watch out for bears,
this is exactly the sort of rustic spread
that you would expect the former Band
drummer to occupy. It’s not exactly Big
Pink in
appearance, but it certainly
retains the spirit of that nearby shrine.
There
are generally two opening
bands, and on this evening the
Vermont-based
Bow Thayer And
Perfect
Train Wreck were making their
second Ramble appearance. They
thrilled the audience with their brand
of beautifully played and sung
released an album featuring a guest
appearance by Helm.
Next up
was the Alexis P. Suter
Band,
which has appeared at nearly
every Ramble. Led by Suter’s
powerful
vocals, this is a top notch classic R&B
band. Their set included deep soul
covers of Gladys Knight’s “Imagination”
and The Beatles’ “Come Together.”
The Levon Helm Band, joined on
this night by guitarist Jimmy Vivino
of
the Max Weinberg Seven, began their
set with a two song knockout punch
of early rock and roll, “Slippin’
And
Slidin” and “Rock n’ Roll Shoes,” before
segueing into The Band classic
“Ophelia.” It should be noted that Helm,
who was unable to sing for a few years
as a result of throat cancer, has a
better voice than ever. His drumming
style remains unique and immediately
identifiable.
The
nearly two hour set included
vocal highlights from blues legend
Little
Sammy Davis, Teresa Williams,
Vivino (a particularly powerful
performance of “Tears Of Rage”),
keyboard player Brian Mitchell, and
a special guest appearance by Imus
sidekick Rob Bartlett. Nothing could
compare, however, with the sound of
Levon Helm singing classic Band
songs like “Rag Mama Rag,” “W.S.
Walcott
Medicine Show,” and the
evening’s closer, “The Weight.”
The Levon Helm
will remind you of how great an evening
of music can be. It brings to mind an
earlier time when music meant
everything, when life was simpler and
more joyous. It will soothe your soul
while it stirs your heart. I can’t
recommend it highly enough.
Visit www.levonhelm.com for information.