One of the most talked-about sets of the roots festival year, the Levon Helm Band performance at MerleFest 2008, is now available for paid download from FestivaLink.net. There were many reasons I was sorry to have missed the festival, but not hearing the comeback performance by the one-time vocalist/drummer/mandolinist of The Band topped the list. Sad to say, I also missed his only other 2008 festival performance in August at Newport Folk.
Now I can enjoy the live MerleFest performance in its entirety thanks to the lovingly produced downloadable recording from FestivaLink. I have written before that live festival sets are not always unique enough to merit paying for. This one is — without question.
Helm has been playing "rambles" for friends and neighbors near his home in Woodstock NY for several years now, but concerts for wider audiences have been exceedingly rare since his recovery from throat cancer. This recording finds him in fine voice and surrounded by his house band and special guests, as he leads the band though a 75-minute set mixing old favorites with new material, traditional songs, and some well-picked covers.
Of course, it is songs by The Band that are the main attraction. The set begins with "Opehlia," and closes with a drop-dead series of Band favorites — "Rag Mama Rag," "The Shape I'm In," "Long Black Veil" and "The Weight" — all sounding very much like the originals only slightly world-wearier and a bit folkier.
The set includes two selections from Helm's recent studio CD Red Dirt, the trad-sounding "Anna Lee" and hard-rocking "Got Me a Woman." The standout covers are Springsteen's "Atlantic City" and the country chestnut "Ashes of Love," which the band just kills. I also love their version of the bluegrass standard "Deep Elem Blues."
The band are the members of the group Ollabelle, including his daughter Amy Helm. Larry Campbell is the multi-instrumental wizard and Teresa Williams, who takes the lead on one track, "Did You Love Me At All?" Little Sammy Davis, who is featured on the 2005 "Midnight Ramble Sessions" CD adds a potent second male voice on the several blues numbers. The kick-ass horn section is reminiscent of The Band's great brass section. Among the special guests of musicians on hand at MerleFest are Sam Bush and Bruce Hornsby, whose piano licks play a big role on several tracks.
The 17-song set is available by online order for $11.95 for MP3 format and $15.95 as a high-quality FLAC file. A physical CDs with informational insert is $17.95.
