Saturday, May 30, 2009

Ollabelle live vid of "Corrine Corrina" from Madison Square Park performance.


Ollabelle live vid from Madison Square Park performing "Traveling Wilbury's" "Congratulations."


Former "The Band" road mgr asks for your support for the New Paltz (NY) volunteer fire dept.







Butch Dener has many amazing tales & experiences from his life on the music road, but he is a man of the people when it comes to his Catskills region. As many of us have recently witnessed severe city & town imbalanced budgets, so too has Butch. Unfortunately, we have also seen the cutting of key departments, including fire.

Butch has jumped in w/ both feet while assembling a June 14th rally for the New Paltz, NY volunteer fire department that may face deep budget cuts. The department has responded to nearly 300 calls since the beggining of '09 & the town will suffer if its department is reduced.

The rally will be held 2 PM @ New Paltz's Firestation II (near Putt Corners Road & Henry W. DuBois). Live music by The Trapps (a recent opening act for Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble), food & beverages, other local fire departments & celebrity speakers. Have your kids photographed on the fire trucks. Butch asks that folks who attend bring bottled water to help protest during the rally as one of the fire department cuts will be to cut drinking water.

To help Butch honor & support the New Paltz fire department, you can contact him @ supportNPVFD@aol.com or 845.527.4100.

It's a baby boy for Bow Thayer & Lori!


Congrats to one of our fav musicians Bow Thayer & Lori on their new addition - River Bullitt Thayer.

Levon Helm & Butch Dener to participate in today's New Paltz (NY) Memorial Day parade.





A wonderful annual tradition w/ in a beautiful Catskills region to honor all military participants. Levon Helm & Butch Dener, as they always do, will again ride in the parade. Here are some pics from a past Memorial Day parade. Two cool cats who never forget their own heroes.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

This week's Levon Helm "Midnight Ramble" guest...Jackie Greene.




We were first introduced to Jackie Greene thanks to the Endless Highway album, a tribute to The Band's music. Jackie performed the tune Look Out Cleveland, previously sung by The Band's Rick Danko. Levon's Midnight Ramble this coming weekend is sold out & it is no surprise based on the scheduled talent.


Dr. Ralph Stanley...a very influencial musical artist.


Two of our musical heros, Levon Helm & Bob Dylan, have strong musical ties w/ the amazing Dr. Ralph Stanley. Helm tapped into the Stanley magic on his Grammy-winning '07 Dirt Farmer album. Here is a bit about Helm's tie to Stanley from his http://www.levonhelm.com/ website:

What's rare about Levon is that he can shift seamlessly between genres in American roots music, which is what The Band did," Campbell said. "They took all those genres, threw them in a pot and came out with a unique sound in which you can hear those elements in everything they do. Levon is now doing music that is at the roots of what the Band was. At a Ramble, you're not going to hear a blues concert, or a country concert or a rock show -- you're going to hear all those things and nothing will seem out of place. And the root of all of that is blues. Even when we do a Ralph Stanley tune or a Cajun tune, you still feel a blues base to it. We don't do a Ralph Stanley tune bluegrass style. It still has this other sexy thing underneath."

Dylan & Stanley teamed up on the tune The Lonesome River. Some tunes Stanley performs that Dylan & Helm also tied to include:
Somebody Touched Me
Up on Cripple Creek
Little Birds
Man of Constant Sorrow
Banks of the Ohio

"Pennebaker Hegedus Films" website.






The website for D. A. & Hegedus Pennebaker. D. A. is well known for his Bob Dylan Don't Look Back & the Monterey Pop docs.

D. A. Pennebaker "facebook" page.


Pennebaker & Hegedus "facebook" page.


Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Bob Dylan "If You Go To Houston" live performance video from May 5th in Dublin.


Our wonderful Irish friend Mary Wogan, who operates the very cool Visions of Dylan blog, recently posted a youtube.com video of Dylan during the live performance she caught in Dublin.

Remembering the late, great Jimmie Rodgers...


The very influencial country singer passed away 76-yrs ago today @ the very young age of 35.

Happy b'day Stevie Nicks!


The Fleetwood Mac member & solo artist turns 61 today.

Happy b'day to the "amazing" Levon Helm!


Levon Helm, the amazing The Band drummer & co-lead vocalist, accomplished solo artist & family man, turns 68 years young today. Thanks to his love for music & inviting demeanor, we have endured a wealth of experiences w/ many more to come.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Another blog posts about "Levon & The Hawks" song "He Don't Love You."




Always love to hear this song w/ Richard Manuel on lead. Check out Doctor Mooney's 115 th Dream blog...very cool.