Apparently Levon passed away earlier today. Levon Helm, Drummer and Singer of the Band, Dead at 71

This was shot at the Berkeley Cafe in Raleigh, North Carolina a few weeks ago. Some of you may remember Dan Baird from his band the Georgia Satellites.

This was shot at the Norva in Norfolk, VA last night where Megafaun were opening for the Drive-By Truckers. I'll be seeing this show tonight when it hits the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC.

Joe Henry on Levon. GONE/NOT GONE: LEVON HELM IN MOTION As I sit writing this, on the late evening of April 17, Levon Helm is not yet gone, but neither is he fully here among the living. As we understand from his family, he is hovering now at the doorway between this world and the next…taking the air of mortals in shallow and halting breaths, but with his eyes rolled back against the drawn curtain of his times. Already, for many of us sadly absorbing the falling shoe of this news and preparing for the other, he has assumed the flickering posture of memory; of those who have danced alive in our high beams, throwing shadows that move like ancient black rivers, and pointing the way forward from so far behind us that he shall forever, hence forth, stand ahead on the pathway like an omen of what is still to come. Levon entered my life when I was so young as to have had no notion that my gate needed a guard; thus, he waltzed right in and I was completely vulnerable to his raucous and ranging alchemy, and he changed me. Like children pulled into ministerial service when still in single digits, I looked unquestioningly upon Levon Helm as my church elder…a deacon who spoke our gospel; who swung- and sung-out time in glorious illumination of its wild and elastic poetry. In the same way that his great friend and sometimes-boss Bob Dylan connected the dots between Jimmy Reed, Arthur Rimbaud, and Muhammad Ali, so Levon drew the second line that had Howlin’ Wolf, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Hank Williams all dancing out in front of the same New Orleans funeral party. (They all walked liked Bo Diddley and didn’t need no crutch.) As I await word of the inevitable –while we all wait— I find there is nothing I can do but listen. And when I do, I am moved; moving…leaning, as implied, from the past tense into present action; loosing my mind to the instinctive sway of my knees and shoulders, as I am reminded how much of our true intelligence resides in our bodies’ southern hemisphere. Yes, all we can do this day is listen and move. But then, that is all Levon Helm ever asked of any of us. Joe Henry South Pasadena, CA

From VH1's Classic Albums series, the making of The Band.

In honor of Fandango which was released 37 years ago today. http://youtu.be/B-e7GKaoQuI

Preview of the Ramming documentary which will be part of the deluxe reissue of Ram that's coming out on May 22nd. More info here.

I saw them in '79 and then again in '08. I enjoyed both of those concerts but I'm also very content with those being the only two times I've ever seen Van Halen. At least I got to see them with their original line up in '79. Eddie seemed to be in pretty good shape in '08 but he seems to be in even better health now. That's pretty impressive as it looked like his personal demons were about to get the best of him there at one time.

Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson Send Prayers to Levon (from Relix) Levon Helm’s two surviving The Band co-founders, Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson, have both issues statements about the drummer’s condition. As previously reported, The Band drummer is “in the final stages of his battle with cancer.” In message on his homepage, Hudson—The Band’s keyboardist—stated, “I am too sad for words right now. Please continue praying for Levon and family.” He also posts a link to the video above. Hudson and Helm first met as members of Ronnie Hawkins’ Hawks and continued to perform together through the latter day Band’s final shows in the late ’90s. In recent years, the musicians have continued to collaborate at Helm’s Midnight Rambles as well as at select other dates. Earlier this year, Hudson and Helm played a special tribute to Band co-founders Rick Danko and Richard Manuel at Helm’s studio before the drummer underwent a medical procedure. Band guitarist Robbie Robertson and Helm also started performing together in The Hawks but their relationship has been strained since The Band parted ways for the first time in the late ’70s. Though the two musicians have not performed together in years, Robertson posted the following message on his Facebook page: Last week I was shocked and so saddened to hear that my old band mate, Levon, was in the final stages of his battle with cancer. It hit me really hard because I thought he had beaten throat cancer and had no idea that he was this ill. I spoke with his family and made arrangements to go and see him. On Sunday I went to New York and visited him in the hospital. I sat with Levon for a good while…, and thought of the incredible and beautiful times we had together. It was heartwarming to be greeted by his lovely daughter Amy, whom I have known since she was born. Amy’s mother, Libby Titus, and her husband, Donald Fagen, were so kind to help walk me through this terrible time of sadness. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Sandy. Levon is one of the most extraordinary talented people I’ve ever known and very much like an older brother to me. I am so grateful I got to see him one last time and will miss him and love him forever.

From RollingStone.com: Grateful Dead 'Touch of Grey' Live in 1989 On Thursday, April 19th, the Grateful Dead Second Annual Meet-Up at the Movies 2012 will take fans down memory lane with a one-night in-theater concert event. The Meet-Up will feature a previously unreleased gig recorded July 18th, 1989 in Wisconsin's Alpine Valley Music Theatre. The two-and-a-half hour concert – which includes this rendition of their hit "Touch of Grey" – will be presented in its entirety along with a pre-show featuring previously unseen photos of the band. This week also sees the release of a definitive 14-DVD box set entitled All the Years Combine: The DVD Collection. Featuring 12 complete concert films, the set includes The Grateful Dead Movie (1977), which was screened in theaters last year for the inaugural Meet-Up. To watch the Grateful Dead's performance of "Touch of Grey" from Alpine Valley in 1989, click here.

Thanks for sharing your stories. I had always wanted to catch one of Levon's Rambles up in Woodstock but alas, that'll never happen now. A few years ago he even did one at MerleFest in North Wilkesboro, NC. I missed that one but several of my friends that were in attendance are still raving about it. It was one of my older brothers that turned me onto The Band, at least beyond the music I knew from the radio. Back in the 70's and 80's we'd spend countless hours out at his place in the country just hanging out, spinning records and making mixtapes. We listened to a lot of stuff by The Band but the one that seemed to get played the most often was Stage Fright. Around a year or so ago I was out at his place to celebrate his birthday when he told me someone had given him a refurbished turntable. The first album to get played that night? You guessed it, Stage Fright. Several years ago I gave this same brother a copy of Levon's Dirt Farmer. I hate to admit it but I had to explain to him who Levon was, even though my brother is as well versed in The Band as almost anyone I've ever met, at least as far as their music is concerned. Once he started listening I'm sure he made the connection. Even though Levon's voice sounded different post-cancer it was still pretty unmistakable.

I never did see The Band, at least the version that included Robbie Robertson. They were scheduled to play The Attic in Greenville, NC back in '86 but the night before the show Richard Manuel hung himself in his motel room in Florida. Years later, they were part of an afternoon of music billed as "Music From Big Pink" that played at Woodstock '94. In addition to The Band, the other musicians on stage that day included Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen from Hot Tuna, Roger McGuinn, Bruce Hornsby, Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at that one. I was camped not far away, up on a hill from the South Stage so it was only a short stroll down to where they were playing.

From Levon Helm's website:

Drive-By Truckers w/ Megafaun at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC this Thursday. I'm looking very forwarding to seeing two of my favorite bands on the same bill.

Folding Lava - Kilauea, Hawaii (from Imgur)

Great compilation of performances from The Old Grey Whistle Test from over the years including ZZ Top, Skynyrd, Elvin Bishop, Tony Joe White, Charlie Daniels, the Marshall Tucker Band, Delaney & Bonnie (with Eric Clapton), Dickey Betts and others. http://youtu.be/BVV1S3SxgHM

All Things Music Plus ON THIS DATE (38 YEARS AGO) April 15, 1974 – Lynyrd Skynyrd Second Helping is released. # ALL THINGS MUSIC PLUS+ 5/5 # allmusic 5/5 # Rolling Stone (see original review below) Second Helping is an album by Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on this date in 1974. It was the band's second album, and featured its biggest hit single, "Sweet Home Alabama", an answer song to Neil Young's "Alabama" and "Southern Man". The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1974. This was the first Lynyrd Skynyrd album to feature the band's trademark triple guitar attack. The album reached #12 on the Billboard album charts. It was certified Gold on 9/20/1974, Platinum and 2x Platinum on 7/21/1987 by the R.I.A.A. It was hard to believe that Lynyrd Skynyrd could possibly top its classic, near-perfect 1973 debut, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd. However, the boys from Florida accomplished the near-impossible with their sophomore release one year later, Second Helping. It's hard to determine the better album of the two, but both proved to be a solid one-two punch that made Lynyrd Skynyrd one of the '70s' biggest (and unfortunately, most tragic) rock bands. Second Helping also helped define and create the Southern rock movement, as proven by such tracks as the classic anthem "Sweet Home Alabama" (which include the now-famous dig at Neil Young), the cautionary rocker "The Needle & the Spoon," and the biographical tale of "Workin' For MCA." With its fine writing and playing, and scores of hard-hitting Southern rock riffs and grooves, Second Helping assured Skynyrd's ascendancy to rock stardom and FM radio immortality. ORIGINAL ROLLING STONE REVIEW This group is frequently compared to the Allman Brothers but it lacks that band's sophistication and professionalism. If a song doesn't feel right to the Brothers, they work on it until it does; if it isn't right to Lynyrd Skynyrd, they are more likely to crank up their amps and blast their way through the bottleneck. They do, however, play a solid brand of Allman-influenced blues rock, drawing on gospel and other components of southern music as well. Second Helping is distinguished from their debut LP only by a certain mellowing out that indicates they may eventually acquire a level of savoirfaire to realize their many capabilities. ~ Gordon Fletcher (July 4, 1974) TRACKS: Side One "Sweet Home Alabama" (King, Rossington, R. Van Zant) – 4:43 "I Need You" (Ed King, Rossington, R. Van Zant) – 6:55 "Don't Ask Me No Questions" (Rossington, Van Zant) – 3:26 "Workin' for MCA" (Ed King, Ronnie Van Zant) – 4:49 Side Two "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" (Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant) – 4:51 "Swamp Music" (Ed King, Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:31 "The Needle and the Spoon" (Collins, Van Zant) – 3:53 "Call Me the Breeze" (J. J. Cale) – 5:09 1997 CD reissue bonus tracks "Don't Ask Me No Questions (Single Version)" (Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:31 "Was I Right Or Wrong (Demo)" (Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant) – 5:33 "Take Your Time (Demo)" (Ronnie Van Zant, Ed King) – 7:29

Taken somewhere in Scotland (from Imgur)

You're not the only one. I was a mere 20 years old when this one came out... All Things Music Plus ON THIS DATE (29 YEARS AGO) April 13, 1983 – R.E.M. Murmur is released. # ALL THINGS MUSIC PLUS+ 4.5/5 # allmusic 5/5 Murmur is the debut album by R.E.M., released on this date in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. The record reached number 36 on the Billboard album chart. A re-recorded version of "Radio Free Europe" was the album's lead single and reached number 78 on the Billboard singles chart that year. Despite the acclaim awarded the album, by the end of 1983 Murmur had only sold about 200,000 copies, which I.R.S.'s Jay Boberg felt was below expectations. Murmur was eventually certified gold (500,000 units shipped) by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1991. In 1989, it was rated number eight on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. In 2003, the TV network VH1 named Murmur the 92nd greatest album of all time. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its sound, defined by singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bassist Mike Mills' melodic basslines. R.E.M. started recording its debut album in December 1982. I.R.S. paired R.E.M. with producer Stephen Hague, who had a higher profile than the band's previous producer Mitch Easter. Hague's emphasis on technical perfection did not suit the band; the producer made the group perform multiple takes of the song "Catapult", which demoralized drummer Bill Berry. Also, Hague took the completed track to Synchro Sound studios in Boston and added keyboard parts to the track without the band's permission and to their dismay. Unsatisfied, the band members asked the label to let them record with Easter. I.R.S. agreed to a "tryout" session, allowing the band to travel to North Carolina and record the song "Pilgrimage" with Easter and producing partner Don Dixon. After hearing the track, I.R.S. permitted the group to record the album with Dixon and Easter. R.E.M. entered Reflection Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina in January 1983 to begin recording sessions with Easter and Dixon. Much of the band's material for the album had been tested on preceding tours. Because of its bad experience with Hague, the band recorded the album via a process of negation, refusing to incorporate rock music clichés such as guitar solos or then-popular synthesizers, in order to give its music a timeless feel. Berry in particular was resistant to "odd" musical suggestions, insisting that his drums be recorded in a drummer's booth, a practice that was antiquated at the time. Dixon and Easter took a hands-off approach to much of the recording process. The pair would only fix up a vocal track or ask singer Michael Stipe to re-record a vocal if it was very substandard REVIEW by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic Leaving behind the garagey jangle pop of their first recordings, R.E.M. developed a strangely subdued variation of their trademark sound for their full-length debut album, Murmur. Heightening the enigmatic tendencies of Chronic Town by de-emphasizing the backbeat and accentuating the ambience of the ringing guitar, R.E.M. created a distinctive sound for the album -- one that sounds eerily timeless. Even though it is firmly in the tradition of American folk-rock, post-punk, and garage rock, Murmur sounds as if it appeared out of nowhere, without any ties to the past, present, or future. Part of the distinctiveness lies in the atmospheric production, which exudes a detached sense of mystery, but it also comes from the remarkably accomplished songwriting. The songs on Murmur sound as if they've existed forever, yet they subvert folk and pop conventions by taking unpredictable twists and turns into melodic, evocative territory, whether it's the measured riffs of "Pilgrimage," the melancholic "Talk About the Passion," or the winding guitars and pianos of "Perfect Circle." R.E.M. may have made albums as good as Murmur in the years following its release, but they never again made anything that sounded quite like it. [As far as deluxe editions go, Universal's 2008 expansion of R.E.M.'s 1983 debut Murmur leans toward the skimpy: it may spill over to two CDs, but the only bonus material is a live show recorded at Larry's Hideway in Toronto, just three months after the album's release. There was enough room on the first disc to add both the early Hib-Tone single of "Radio Free Europe" and their first EP, Chronic Town, plus assorted stray tracks; much of this material has shown up on various releases over the years -- the bulk being reissued on 1987's clearinghouse Dead Letter Office, which also had Chronic Town on the CD, but the Hib-Tone single has popped up on Eponymous and the rarities disc, 2006's And I Feel Fine -- so most R.E.M. fans have this in their collection, which is necessary as it's not here. Any lingering resentment over this missing music should be soothed by the live show on the second disc, which captures the band in full flight. This release constitutes the first official release of an early R.E.M. concert (there are bootlegs containing a slightly longer set but this is close enough to qualify as a full show) and it's a welcome addition to their catalog as it crackles with an energy that is missing from the hazy, ethereal Murmur. R.E.M. barrel through the bulk of the album -- only "Moral Kiosk" and "Shaking Through" are absent -- plus a chunk of Chronic Town, throwing in a cover of "There She Goes Again" and early versions of Reckoning's "Harborcoat," "7 Chinese Bros.," and "Just a Touch," which didn't surface until 1986's Lifes Rich Pageant. This wasn't a showcase night for R.E.M., it was just another gig on the tour, and that's the great thing about it: the band isn't self-conscious, they're just tearing through their songs, rocking harder than they did on any of their studio albums. It's direct and a little raw -- with microphone feedback on occasion -- in a way that none of their early albums are, and that's what makes it worthy of a special edition, even if it's hard not to wish that first disc had just a few extra cuts as well. TRACKS: All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, except where noted Side one "Radio Free Europe" – 4:06 "Pilgrimage" – 4:30 "Laughing" – 3:57 "Talk About the Passion" – 3:23 "Moral Kiosk" – 3:31 "Perfect Circle" – 3:29 Side two "Catapult" – 3:55 "Sitting Still" – 3:17 "9-9" – 3:03 "Shaking Through" – 4:30 "We Walk" – 3:02 "West of the Fields" (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe, and Neil Bogan) – 3:17 1992 The IRS Vintage Years edition bonus tracks "There She Goes Again" (Lou Reed) – 2:48 "9-9" (Live in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, July 13, 1984) – 3:04 "Gardening at Night" (Live in Boston) – 3:47 "Catapult" (Live in Seattle, Washington, United States, June 27, 1984) – 4:03 2008 Deluxe Edition bonus disc (Live at Larry's Hideaway) "Laughing" – 3:51 "Pilgrimage" – 4:08 "There She Goes Again" (Reed) – 2:43 "Seven Chinese Brothers" – 4:15 "Talk About the Passion" – 3:02 "Sitting Still" – 4:11 "Harborcoat" – 3:45 "Catapult" – 3:51 "Gardening at Night" – 3:33 "9-9" – 3:16 "Just a Touch" – 2:27 "West of the Fields" (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe, and Bogan) – 3:06 "Radio Free Europe" – 4:57 "We Walk" – 2:55 "1,000,000" – 3:05 "Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)" – 3:58