A Mood I was In.

We love Levon Helm's version of A Mood I was In on his late '70s Levon Helm & The RCO All-Stars album. The song was written by Fred Carter, Jr., an amazing guitarist w/ Nashville roots & played guitar w/ Levon & crew while the RCO's toured. He played guitar on Bob Dylan's album Self Portrait, played bass on Lay Lady Lay & produced Levon's American Son album. Due to a scheduling conflict, he could not play in The Last Waltz. It is has been stated that he was Robbie Robertson's guitar teacher during the Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks days. Fred's daughter is reknowned Nashville star Deanna Carter.

This is a prime example why we love The Band & Bob Dylan as we are introduced to so many other amazing musicians.

http://theband.hiof.no/albums/american_son.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Carter,_Jr.

Congrats to winners Levon Helm & Larry Campbell.

Levon's Dirt Farmer album won Artist of the Year & Larry won a Lifetime Achievement Award for an instrumentalist @ the recent Americana Music Awards in Nashville, TN.

http://levonhelm.com/index1.htm

Motown songwriter Norman Whitfield passes away.

Great Motown songwriter Norman Whitfield passed away @ age 67 on September 16th. He wrote big tunes, such as Papa Was A Rolling Stone, War & Heard It On The Grapevine. He will be missed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Whitfield

Jim Weider to play @ Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble.

This Saturday, frmr reunited The Band guitarist Jim Weider will play guitar w/ Levon Helm & his band during the Midnight Ramble.

Ollabelle's Glen Patscha to be on Conan O'Brien tomorrow night.

Glen Patscha, keyboardist / accordian / co-vocalist for Ollabelle, will perform w/ Loudon Wainwright tomorrow night on The Conan O'Brien Show.

profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=101129807

Levon Helm youtube video for Same Thing live.

Great live tune from Charlottesville, VA this past wkd (you can also see Ophelia live from the same show):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkB6gNF2rW4

Levon Helm's Paramount Theater set list.

From www.levonhelm.com:

September 14, 2008
The Paramount Theater
Charlottesville, VA
Set List:

Ophelia S
ame Thing
Memphis
Fannie Mae
Scratch My Back
Bye Bye My Love
Long Black Veil
Got Me A Woman
Ashes of Love
Whisperin’ Sea
Deep Elum Blues
I Ain’t Got No Home
A Train Robbery
Anna Lee
Rag Mama Rag
Everybody Loves a Winner
Time Out For The Blues
Shape I'm In
Tears of Rage
Chest Fever
The Weight

New "Plochmann Lane" Myspace page.

Check us out on our new up & running Plochmann Lane Myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/plochmannlane

Ollabelle's bassist / dobro / vocalist Byron Isaacs.

Houston, TX native (now NYC) Byron Isaacs is another one of Ollabelle's multitalented musicians - bass, dobro & co-vocalist. Married & father of two, he is another band member that we have connected with, such as we have w/ Glen. We also recently found out he wrote Calvary on Levon Helm's Grammy winning Dirt Farmer album (also played bass on the album). Extremely gratious gentleman.

http://www.ollabelle.net/

Ollabelle's keyboardist / vocalist Glen Patscha.

Winnipeg native (now NYC) Glen Patscha is someone we have very much connected with (obviously on a limited basis) as he is recently married & he & his wife are soon expecting. We too are recently married (not yet expecting though) & we have shared w/ him the trials & successes w/ being a young couple in a financially troubled business world. He too is one of Ollabelle's co-vocalist, plays accordian & frequently has a Garth Hudson-esque keyboard sound. He played pump organ on Levon Helm's Grammy winning Dirt Farmer album.

http://www.ollabelle.net/

www.myspace.com/glennpatscha

Ollabelle's guitarist / vocalist Fiona McBain.

The Sidney, Australia native came to the US (thankfully) nine years ago & is one of the two beautiful female voices (& plays guitar) in Ollabelle. Two songs that we love her voice on are Everything's Broken & the Dead's Ripple. This pic taken last night @ the 137th Tunbridge (VT) World's Fair. Very nice woman.

http://www.ollabelle.net/

www.myspace.com/fionamcbain

Ollabelle's drummer / vocalist Tony Leone.

Here's a pic (09/13/08 @ the 137th Tunbridge (VT) World's Fair)of Hartford, CT native & multitalented Tony Leone. He is the drummer & co-vocalist for Ollabelle. He also regularly fills in @ Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble on drums while Levon sings & plays mandolin. Great guy to talk to as well.

http://www.ollabelle.net/

http://www.myspace.com/tonyleonemusic

Ollabelle pics from Tunbridge (VT) Fair set.

Photos we took while catching last nights Ollabelle set @ the 137th Tunbridge (VT) World's Fair.

Set list:

Gone Today

High on a Mountain

Laughin' for the Rain (Chris Whitney tune)

I'll Remember Never to Forget

Ain't No More Cane (Leadbelly tune.....popularized by The Band too)

Reach for Love

Easy Wind (Grateful Dead tune)

Martha Scanlan tune (still learning her titles)

Martha Scanlan tune - Happily (?) (still learning her titles)

Too Late (?)

I've Endured (Ola Belle Reed tune)

Long Black Veil

Brotherly Love

Get Back Temptation

Ripple (Grateful Dead tune)

Riverside

Encore:

Jesus is on the Main Line

?

Martha Scanlan fills in for Amy Helm w/ Ollabelle.

The beautiful voice of Minnesota native Martha Scanlan filled in for Amy Helm (w/ Levon Helm in Stamford, CT) w/ Ollabelle @ the Tunbridge (VT) Fair set we caught last night. This photo is from her website. Check her out.

www.marthascanlan.com/index.html

Ollabelle autographed cd.

After Ollabelle's set last night @ the Tunbridge (VT) Fair, we met w/ them & had the members autograph their second album Riverside Battle Songs. Amy Helm was w/ her father Levon in Stamford, CT, but we have her autograph on Levon's Dirt Farmer cd. Last night we met w/ Fiona McBain, Tony Leone, Glen Patscha & Byron Isaacs. This is our second opportunity to catch this amazing band live & speak w/ the down to earth members afterwards.

Ollabelle's MerleFest live recording.

Ollabelle joined Levon Helm's traveling Midnight Ramble @ the April 26, 2008 MerleFest held @ the Cabin Stage in Wilkesboro, NC. This is a wonderful eight-track live recording produced by FestavaLink.net & we picked it up while catching last night's Tunbridge (VT) Fair 1 1/2-hr set by Ollabelle, only the second time it has performed in VT.

http://www.ollabelle.net/

www.merlefest.org/MerleFestCMS/default.aspx

festivalink.net

Levon Helm Stamford, CT set list.

From http://www.levonhelm.com/:

September 13, 2008
Blues on Bedford
Stamford, CT set list:
Ophelia
Same Thing
Memphis
Fannie Mae
Scratch My Back
Bye Bye My Love
Long Black Veil
Got Me A Woman
Ashes of Love
Whisperin’ Sea
Deep Elum Blues
I Ain’t Got No Home
Anna Lee Rag
Mama Rag
Time Out For The Blues
Shape I'm In
Tears of Rage
Chest Fever
The Weight