Today Levon Helm, the fantastic drummer/vocalist from the legendary The Band, sadly lost his battle with cancer. Levon will always be an important part of my life because his music played a part in helping me break out of my shell.
Back in the day, the mighty Herb Griffin and I, after many appearances in the audience, became guest stars of the fabulous Frank Jaklitsch when he performed at J.K. McZak’s in Middle Village. And our biggest songs were either Beatles classics, Blues Brothers tunes (complete with dark glasses and sometimes porkpie hats) or songs by The Band. Our favorite one to perform as a trio was The Weight, but Up On Cripple Creek was also a big fave, and always included the famous “Levon face”, mimicking Mr. Helm’s passionate mug as he flawlessly drummed and sang simultaneously. Now before McZak’s I was a poetry-writing, insecure, borderline nerd boy, but alcohol mixed with great music and the new-found ability to perform in front of an audience led me on the road to the career writer, slightly insecure, extremely outgoing, borderline nerd boy that I am today.
Thanks, Levon. May you rest in eternal peace. And may you forever give ’em the ol’ Levon face up there in Heaven.
By the way, my favorite The Band song? When I Paint My Masterpiece, led by Levon’s stunning vocals. Enjoy.
Von Luger's Butter 
You always brought the house down with “Up On Cripple Creek”.
A good example of the aforementioned “Levon Face”:
[IMG]http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t254/bigliamogrady/levonface.jpg[/IMG]
Hmm..picture not coming through? Link bad? The people demand entertainment, Griff!
At least these three are together again.
[IMG]http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t254/bigliamogrady/dankohelmmanuel.jpg[/IMG]
http://www.berniejtaupin.com/index.php?page=blog&b_id=459670
Cool. Thanks for sharon, son
I meant sharin. Stupid auto spell check
Levon dead, Lemmy still alive. Who would have thunk it?
I was at McZak’s too! How funny. I wish I could’ve seen you perform. I really enjoyed this post! I’m always happy to read your stuff.
Thanks, lady! Right back at ya
I was at McZak’s too! How funny. I wish I could’ve seen you perform. I really enjoyed this post. I’m always happy to read your stuff.
Maria
Dude, good on ya. It’s funny that you would mention those two songs, since “Cripple Creek” is a huge favorite of my friend Fred–who I know was equally saddened by Helm’s passing–and although I’d never call myself a Band fan per se, I dearly love “The Weight” (which, bringing us full circle, I came to through THE BIG CHILL). Much as I love THE LAST WALTZ, which my family decidedly did not, I’ve always preferred the studio version of “The Weight.” To each his own… Nice post, sir.