Levon's Midnight Ramble

Uncle Remus and the Whole Show, Woodstock, New York, January 24, 2004

by Todd Atkinson

The photos below of Levon Helm's new group are from a rehearsal in Levon's studio/barn in Woodstock, January 2004. Uncle Remus & The Whole Show is: Levon Helm - drums and vocals, Johnnie Johnson - piano, Jon Smith - saxophone Amy Helm - vocals, mandolin, & drums Sean Costello - guitar and vocals, Andrew Shober - bass and vocals, Julia Smith - vocals. Photos by Joe Lore.

The Journey

We found the road to Levon's place, and headed down the long driveway that winds through the woods. We were met at the gate by some of the Ramble crew, showed them our tickets, and were directed to drive into this huge snow covered field for parking. Bottomed out the car good on the way into the field, taking care not to slide into the creek. Again, not the best vehicle choice, but I figured that I was there, I wasn't going to miss the show, and I could worry about the "getting out part" later. We headed up to the barn/studio, and found some seats inside. It's got to be one of the most beautiful barns I've ever been in. It's a timber frame construction with exposed beams and large granite walls at each end. There's a balcony/loft area in the back and the height from the floor to the peak of the roof inside is easily three stories. It was obviously built with care by skilled craftsmen, just as the songs of the Band were. I remember sitting there just taking in all in and knowing that the Band recorded three albums there in the 90's and undoubtedly a lot of other sessions. You could really feel the energy of the room. I can't imagine a more appropriate place for the Ramble to be.

Downstairs, in the basement of the barn, there was a refreshment area with coffee, soda, water, and popcorn. People who wanted to could bring in their own beer and wine etc. Me, I had some Brooklyn Brown Ale. It was a night that required plenty of antifreeze. Before the show started, people were milling about, chatting etc, and the vibe was very laid back and low key. I don't know why I think that this is so cool, but over in one corner was this huge road case that was orange and had "The Band" stenciled on the side. I found myself just staring at that damn case for a good long time, and just thinking back about the role that case played in bringing the music to people, and all the memories floating around in there. I went back upstairs, and headed up to the loft. I ran into some folks up there obviously having a good time, and I asked where they were from. Vermont was the answer. I had to figure that it was John Cass and his crew, and it was. He's a die-hard fan if there ever was one. He's been to twenty-five Barnburner's shows. Twenty-five!! I talked to John for a little bit then headed back downstairs.

The Show

After a short break, Uncle Remus and the Whole Show came out. They had to adjust a couple of things. The drummer for the Apple Pickers was left handed, and Levon had to tweak the position of the snare drum and hi-hat etc. Everyone got settled, and Levon introduced the Band members. His speaking voice was fairly low, and I was sitting there wondering how he was possibly going to sound singing. Let me tell you, there was no need to worry, he opened his mouth, and the sound was so sweet. It was obviously a more seasoned voice than from the Band days, but all of the funk and soul of Levon was intact, filling the room with sound. I could not believe how lucky I felt to be sitting there, and truly happy for Levon, and his family. They did a really nice mix of tunes blending, folk, rock, blues, and boogie-woogie piano courtesy of Johnnie Johnson. There was some great saxophone by Jon Smith who used to play with Edgar Winter. Sean Costello was tearing it up on guitar. I was not previously familiar with his work, but I will be now. My friend said that he first heard Sean when he played with Susan Tedeschi, and that Sean could play notes that he didn't even know existed! The Bass player, Andrew Shober, who also played with the Apple Pickers, fit in perfectly. He was a somewhat younger guy, and in my opinion, was definitely channeling Rick. He played an upright Bass, and added some great vocals, and it just seemed he was the guy having the most fun in the room.

And then there was Amy. She, in my opinion, is one of the greatest vocalists around, and when she sings with her Dad, things just go up to another level. And she's got a smile that could melt ice. You could see how proud Levon is of her, and I'm sure she's equally as proud of him. It was truly a beautiful experience to be in the same room with them. They did a great version of "What Kind of Man Are You" They definitely delivered the goods with that one. A little while into the show, Levon switched over to acoustic guitar I think it was a Gibson, but it had a very pretty red back to it [*]. Levon held it up to show us and said, "It looks like Christmas, doesn't it." It sure felt like Christmas to me. He then joked, "Only three more payments then it's mine." They did a gorgeous rendition of "Crying Heart Blues" with Levon on guitar, and then a couple of other slow tunes. Between Levon, Amy, Sean, and Andrew, and Julia on vocals, there was such a nice layering and blending thing going on. If all that wasn't enough, Dr. John showed up and sat in on guitar and vocals. Later on Johnnie Johnson was looking for Dr. John to play some piano, but he must have left by then. Gone on a "housecall" as Levon said. Levon mentioned that Dr. John had just moved to Woodstock, and cautioned everyone that "if you spend more than two nights in Woodstock, you'll end up moving here!" I left about 1:00 AM, when it seemed like things were winding down. I'm not sure if they came out and played anymore after that. I got my car out of Levon's field without mishap. Had to gun it a little by the creek where I had bottomed out earlier. Didn't want to take any chances of getting stuck at that time of night. I guess I won't have to move to Woodstock yet, although it sure is nice country. Got home about 4:00 AM

It was really a fantastic night. They had a crew documenting everything on digital video. As such, they weren't allowing any photography, so I don't have any photos to post. I just hope that the video sees the light of day sometime, especially for those who couldn't make it to the show. I got the impression that there will be more shows in the future. Do yourself a favor, and get on over to Levon's barn!

[*]: The "Christmas guitar" is an accoustic Gibson "Dove" that was presented to Levon on September 19th, 2003 (although he was not present) by The Americana Music Association in Nashville, TN, as part of a Lifetime Achievement Award.