By: David Schultz


Even though neither the 1969 festival nor its infamous children took place in the upstate New York township, Woodstock is still intimately associated with the best that classic rock has to offer. With the Rambles, Woodstock finally makes good on the implicit promise of the birthright that’s been thrust upon it. Everyone who has been to a Ramble describes the experience as special, magical, a beauteous wonder that exceeds all possible expectations. After going to my first Ramble this past Saturday night, I can honestly say that all of those people are right.

The logistics of attending a Ramble have been pretty well documented: the travel through the woods, the innocuous entrance to Helm’s property, the welcoming and gracious nature of the volunteer staff, the intimacy of the room and even the popcorn machine (which I regret not taking sampling). The show itself plays out like an old time rock and roll revue. Helm may be the main attraction but everyone gets their moment. Larry Campbell transforms Garth Hudson’s organ intro to “Chest Fever” into an amazing virtuosic guitar solo, Amy Helm wrings every bit of emotion out of Linda Ronstadt’s “Everybody Loves A Winner,” Teresa Williams empathically channels the hopelessness of the narrator of “Long Black Veil” and brings an inspired gospel fervor to “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning,” Brian Mitchell does his best Dr. John on “Such A Night,” Byron Isaacs offers up a poignant reading of his own “Calvary,” a song sung by Helm on The Dirt Farmer, Jim Weider steps back into his old shoes with the post-Robertson version of The Band and the horn section of Clark Gayton, Steve Bernstein and Erik Lawrence took a Mardi Gras stroll around the room while Howard Johnson rocked the tuba.


Due to the hefty ticket prices and the effort involved in making the trip to Levon’s Woodstock home, everyone inside the barn is there because they have the same love for the music as those on stage playing it. In the absence of a bar dispensing drinks, college kids getting loaded, chatty folks ignoring the show and hipsters trying to act cooler than the band, all that’s left is crowd full of fans who have a unified reverence for the music and respect for the performers. When Potter sang the a capella intro to “Nothing But The Water,” the room turned deathly quiet, totally engaged by the performance. The same deference was paid for Campbell, Williams and Helm’s take on the Grateful Dead’s “Attics Of My Life.”

In recent months, the Rambles have been without Helm’s distinctive voice. This Saturday, Helm chimed in on the background vocals of “Deep Elem Blues” and received a helping hand from Campbell on a romp through “Tennessee Jed,” saving enough strength to take a verse on the show-closing version of “The Weight.” The heart and soul of the band, even after all these years Helm still has some surprises to offer. While the horn section blasted away during one of the acoustic selections, Helm left his stool, set his mandolin down and dance a marvelously goofy jig.

I was fortunate enough to get to linger around the studio after it had been returned to its normal condition. Wandering around the room, it seemed astounding that GPN and Levon Helm’s 11 piece band had just played a show within its cozy confines that could have easily attracted a couple thousand people before only 300. For a music studio, the space is quite roomy; as a concert venue, it’s extraordinarily intimate. If you consider yourself a proper fan of The Band or American folk music, you are doing yourself a disservice by depriving yourself of this experience.

Labels: Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Larry Campbell, Levon Helm

By: David Schultz

Former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh participated in one of the election season’s hipper Democratic fundraisers when he rejoined Bob Weir and the other surviving members of his old band to support Barack Obama’s Presidential bid. Given Lesh’s staunch support of Obama, it’s slightly ironic that the Deadheads that populate Phil & Friends shows might have strongly identified with the subtext of the propaganda spouted by Sarah Palin with respect to the so-called elitist liberal media. For the brief period of time that the Republican Vice Presidential candidate was allowed to speak freely, Palin tried to curry favor by identifying with a segment of the population she perceived as unrepresented by the press and tired of being talked down to by a news force that acted like they knew more about the country’s core ideals than those who live in America’s heartland. Little did Palin know that the Deadheads of the world understood her rhetoric probably better than she did.

For decades, Deadheads have endured the backhanded praise extended by most critics towards their beloved band: acknowledgement of the Dead’s longevity paired with bewildered observations as to why their music would attract such loyalty; a plaudit to the fans’ devotion coupled with a gibe as to their cleanliness and the customary dig that in order to truly enjoy the Dead’s music, you would need to repudiate a drug-free status. Such oratory has never bothered the Dead faithful: in fact, their thoughts on the elite musical press that have disrespected and mocked the Grateful Dead eerily echo those of Palin for “rags” like the New York Times and Washington Post.

The disdain reserved for the Dead is odd given the reverence those same pundits have for the musical genres featured prominently in their music. Journalists rarely have anything bad to say about Americana musical styles like folk, blues and country, among the more populist forms of music, yet, they never seem to take to it when it’s being performed by Jerry Garcia or Bob Weir. Doing his part to flip the proverbial finger at those who can’t see the forest for the trees, Phil Lesh and his exemplary band comprised of Larry Campbell, Jackie Greene, Steve Molitz and John Molo, returned to the New York City’s Nokia Theater in Times Square, the site of their wildly successful 2007 residency, for a fourteen night run, affectionately dubbed the Phil-A-Thon.

Lesh does more than get by with a little help from his Friends. Even though Jackie Greene joined Lesh, Larry Campbell, Steve Molitz and John Molo just a little more than a year ago, this incarnation of Phil & Friends plays as if they’ve been together for decades. During last year’s residency, this lineup was just starting to gel: Greene having just come into the fold and Molitz just starting to find his niche. For this year’s run, Phil & Friends are a supremely confident unit, taking fine advantage of Greene’s versatile ability to handle vocals so intimately associated with both Garcia and Weir to give new life to songs like “Jack Straw,” “Samson & Delilah” and “New Speedway Boogie.”

Lesh remains one of the finest bassists to ever pick up the instrument and it’s possible to get lost in just watching what he’s doing with each song. Very rarely will you catch Lesh picking a simple bass line; more often, he’s crafting an intricate pattern that weaves gingerly between the rejoinder of Campbell and Greene’s guitar work. For many of this year’s shows, former Friend Barry Sless sat in, bringing a third experienced guitar to the mix as well as the fine twang of the pedal steel. With Sless there to handle the second guitar role, Campbell had many opportunities to show why he’s called the “Master of Strings,” expertly playing a variety of instruments to add different textures and a sense of Americana authenticity. Whether soloing on a variety of instruments or engaging in a challenging give-and-take across the stage with Greene, Campbell remains a wonder on stage. Ageless, he provides sweet harmony with his mandolin and bouzouki but can also coax ferocious solos from the traditionally peaceful instruments. It’s a role he fills not just with Lesh but with Levon Helm as part of The Band drummer’s Midnight Rambles.

Physical resemblance to Dylan notwithstanding, Greene shies away from playing up the easy comparisons to the storied singer. He’s doesn’t shy away from them though: much of his wardrobe, with the exception of a wool Rasta-styled hat, looks like it came straight out of the transcendent folk-singer section of the vintage clothing catalog. Along with Molitz, Greene brings a youthful energy to the band as well as some solid songs from his own catalog. On an early show of the residency, Greene’s “About Cell Block #9” and “Like A Ball & Chain” not only fit in nicely with the classic rock based set, they were definite highlights.

A master of jamtronica, Particle’s Molitz has found his niche within the band, vaulting into the breach with confidence and bringing his technical wizardry to some of the more traditional Dead songs. He’s even lending vocals. Anyone thinking that Lesh & Friends aren’t able to keep up with the young guns only need listen to their rendition of Particle’s “The Elevator.” Molo, who deftly handles all the various tempos Lesh guides the band through, rips through the high-paced beat and Campbell adds a slight bolero feel to the song’s techno beat.

For the last night of the Phil-A-Thon, Lesh seemed in high spirits, an extra bounce in his step. After a wildly upbeat first set that included an opening version of “Terrapin Station,” a wild version of “The Elevator” and a wonderfully moving “Morning Dew,” the second set was a decidedly subdued affair. Lesh handled an exceedingly substantial part of the vocals during a stretch that included “Dark Star,” “Mountains Of The Moon” and “Unbroken Chain.” In contrast, Teresa Williams, who along with Sless earned “sixth Friend” status during the residency, wowed the crowd with an astounding take on “Gimme Shelter.” Normally providing the higher notes on sweet harmonies with Greene or Lesh, Williams stepped to the front with a rock star turn on the Stones’ classic, enlivening the crowd and earning the wildly appreciative reaction she received when she quietly walked off behind the stage.

Other than The New York Times favorable take on the Phil & Friends residency, most of the major media pretty much ignored the festive goings-on at the Nokia, probably spending quality time over at Terminal 5 to lavish praise on The Hold Steady and Conor Oberst. Regardless of whether the “elite” music press wishes to acknowledge the resurgence of the Phil & Friends lineup or take note of strong sense of community that still brings people to multiple shows, the Deadheads probably won’t take notice, or care for that matter. They will be on high alert though when word of the 2009 residency gets out.

Labels: Jackie Greene, Larry Campbell, Particle, Phil Lesh

By: David Schultz

Larry Campbell has long reigned as one of the preeminent sidemen in rock and roll, playing alongside such luminaries as Bob Dylan, Phil Lesh and Levon Helm. Having seen Campbell play numerous times alongside many of the greats, it was a real treat to see his name above the ampersand as Larry Campbell & Friends played an open admission show in Greenwich Village as part of the New York Guitar Festival. The Apple Store may have seemed like an odd venue for the venerated multi-instrumentalist; at least until you got there. The intimate second floor theater, which has some of the coziest seats found outside of Radio City Music Hall, proved to be a marvelous venue to see (and hear) Campbell practice his craft.

Accompanied by Lincoln Schleifer on the standup bass, Campbell opened his set with a couple “country rags.” After the two finished their impressive but hardly showoffey fretwork gymnastics, Campbell brought out the rest of the band: his wife, Teresa Williams, Ollabelle’s Amy Helm and as a surprise guest, her father Levon. In a slight bit of irony, the largest round of applause at the Guitar Festival event went to the beloved drummer. Flanked by Ms. Williams and Ms. Helm, Campbell led his band of Midnight Ramble veterans through a very nice mix of country style tunes that included a brilliant original, “Did You Ever Love Me,” and touched upon Carl Perkins and George Jones.

Williams, who has a Grand Ole Opry quality voice, also plays a pretty mean guitar. With the younger Helm playing mandolin and Campbell playing guitar, the three kicked up a nice little acoustic dust storm. Even when surrounded by two lovely ladies, it was hard to take your eyes off of Campbell’s guitar work: he really does wonders with the instrument. Playing resonator guitar on Helm’s smoldering cover of Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You),” Campbell brought an enormous country feel to the song without losing one iota of its soul; a perfect example of interpreting an iconic song and transforming it without losing the elements that make it great.

Campbell tipped his cap towards Lesh by playing “Attics Of My Life,” his favorite Grateful Dead tune. Needing only the sparse of accompaniment of Schleifer’s doleful bass and Campbell’s simple strumming, Williams and Helm wrenched every bit of aching loveliness out of the tune and showed how spellbinding the song can be when sung by true singers. With no drum part to play, Levon closed his eyes and seemed as enraptured with the song as the audience. Speaking of the elder Helm, he really seemed to enjoy his role as the “anonymous” drummer. At the end of many songs, he and Schleifer bore the mischievous grins of rascals as they seemed to look for what trouble they could possibly stir up. His night though would not be spent entirely behind his simple drum kit. For the encore, father and daughter traded places and with Amy playing drums, Helm picked up the mandolin and finished the night with a hearty version of “Got Me A Woman” from his Grammy nominated album, The Dirt Farmer.

Last night's show was one of the handful of free shows that are part of this year’s New York Guitar Festival. Played amidst the high priced electronics and iPODs, Campbell's li'l ramble may likely turn out to be Apple's best bargain ever.

Labels: Larry Campbell, Levon Helm

By: David Schultz

In their glory days, a multiple night run of Grateful Dead shows at Madison Square Garden used to change the landscape of New York City. Deadheads from all over would flock to the City in droves and throw a tie-dyed gloss over the entire area. The days of the Dead may be a thing of the past but the spirit lives on with Phil Lesh & Friends, who are currently in the middle of a ten night residency at Times Square’s Nokia Theater.

Hardly content to rest on his laurels as the Dead’s bassist, Lesh has become a classic rock Godfather of sorts, keeping the Dead’s sizable catalog vital by assembling first rate musicians to serve as his Friends. If fans come for a nostalgic trip with Uncle Phil through “Sugar Magnolia” and “Uncle John’s Band,” they are leaving with a new found awareness of the musicians guiding their way. In bringing Larry Campbell, Jackie Greene, Steve Molitz and John Molo together for this current tour, Lesh has put together a band that is the perfect mix of veteran musicianship and young blood.

The two week long residency has just passed its midway point. As Phil & Friends hit the homestretch of the New York run that will close out their seven week long U.S. tour, some short and possibly scattered thoughts and observations.

Larry Campbell has become a true caretaker of classic rock. In playing with Bob Dylan, Levon Helm as well as Lesh, the smooth-playing guitarist has been entrusted with a sizable share of treasured riffs and leads. He is also just as capable with the violin, pedal steel, mandolin and practically anything else with strings.

“Jackie Greene is just like a young Bob Dylan,” says Maggie Campbell with confidence. Larry’s mother knows her stuff; plus, she once accompanied Dylan to the Grammy Awards, so I’m going to give her opinion quite a bit of weight. Wearing a fedora style hat and playing with his guitar slightly askew, the 26-year-old consistently justified Mrs. Campbell’s belief in his unlimited potential. On Monday night, Greene simply made “Sugaree” his own, offering a staggeringly powerful first set closing version that left people awestruck at the young guitarist’s maturity.

The success of keeping Ryan Adams’ guest appearances a secret arose from the fact that hardly anyone knew he was coming until he arrived at the theater. Since jamming with Lesh on “Wharf Rat” at the 2005 Jammys, Lesh and Adams have formed a bit of mutual admiration society with Adams keeping “Wharf Rat” in his repertoire and Lesh often inserting an Adams song or two into his setlists. His inclusion provided some wonderfully improvised moments as well as a couple confused ones. To Adams’ credit, he ran through “Eyes Of The World” with Greene backstage only minutes before taking the stage and handling the song like he’d known it all his life.

On Friday night, Molitz was an iron man. After nearly four hours on stage at the Nokia, Molitz hustled a few blocks south to meet up with Particle for an after-hours gig at the Highline Ballroom. None the worse for wear, Molitz shifted gears and entered into full bore jamtronica mode and helped guide Josh Clark from Tea Leaf Green through his first full gig with Particle as they played well into the night. Originally believed to be a one-off gig, Particle announced that Clark would be joining them for the majority of their month long winter tour. Particle’s show also featured an appearance from Marty Ylitalo, New Monsoon’s former drummer. Fresh off his first appearance with the Blue Man Group, the newly bald drummer came onstage for a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Young Lust” and remained onstage sharing the drums with Darren Pujalet for the lengthy jam that ensued.

One thing that makes Phil & Friends shows so much fun is that Lesh doesn’t limit the set lists to Dead songs. Although Lesh cobbles his set lists primarily from the Grateful Dead catalog, he is quite expansive with them. Friday night included an electric version of “Midnight Rider,” an acoustic run through “Dead Flowers” and with Teresa Williams and Amy Helm providing the proper disembodied vocals, Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse.” On Monday, with Molitz and Greene providing a double keyboard assault, Campbell belted out a fantastic version of The Band’s “Chest Fever,” establishing that someone other than Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson actually knows the words to the song.

For a bunch of thoughts on the first half of the Phil & Friends residency, Phil Lesh’s name seems undermentioned (as is John Molo’s, who deserves more than the casual mention I’ve given him). It’s emblematic of the fact that Lesh has surrounded himself with musicians who are every bit equal to the task of keeping up with one of the forefathers of improvisational rock and roll. Even though his name is above the ampersand, Lesh exhibits not one shred of ego, graciously allowing his star to provide light for his Friends to shine.

Labels: Jackie Greene, Larry Campbell, Live Reviews, Particle, Phil Lesh, Ryan Adams