“I was lost, I was gone, listening to Levon.” Marc Cohen
Levon Helm, who I wrote about earlier, died yesterday. He was 71. Here’s an article from Forbes that helps explain why the Band held its “farewell concert” in 1976, less than a decade after their first release.
Divide and conquer might have been a good strategy for Julius Caesar, but it is a lousy one for any collaborative enterpirse, especially a musical group.
The article also talks about the success and acclaim Levon earned and received late in his life. He built a recording studio near Woodstock, that magical place where music blossomed so long ago. My dear friend and client Ana Egge recorded her most recent CD, Bad Blood, in Levon’s Studio, in the shadow of his home. Another legendary troubadour, Steve Earle, produced, played, and sang on the record. One night, late into a furious recording session, Levon wandered into the studio. He was wearing his bathrobe against the Fall chill, and sipping from a cup. He didn’t stay long, nor say much. But the nod of his head and smile on his face spoke volumes. The record that Ana and Steve made in Levon’s barn has the burnished raw sound that harkens back to the Band’s finest works. Check it out at www.anaegge.com
And listen to Levon. You’ll be lost, you’ll be gone.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “From what I’ve heard from the outside sources for many years I was very, very much surprised and I’m very happy to say we think the people of this country should be proud of these kids, not withstanding the way they dress or the way they wear their hair, that’s their own personal business; but their, their inner workings, their inner selves, their, their self-demeanour cannot be questioned; they can’t be questioned as good American citizens. ” Chief of Police at the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, August, 1969
softrights 