(dictated but not read)

I was raised since a very young age on a healthy dose of The Band and other similar southern/folk rock acts such as The Allman Brothers. I took a Scorsese class in film school and wrote an extensive final paper on his documentary, “The Last Waltz,” where Levon delivers an impassioned version of ,”The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down.”  Needless to say, the news that Levon Helm is in his final stages of terminal cancer has really hit me hard. I tried to get my dad come to come see him play in Montclair (New Jersey) on April 6th, but he had already booked a camping trip, and now it seems I’ll forever regret not sucking it up making the journey alone.

Over the past year his albums “Dirt Farmer” and “Electric Dirt” have really opened the doors to a lot of music for me. While I was working on a feature film in the Poconos this past August I listened to “Dirt Farmer” almost exclusively. The pairing of the mountains and the farm-land, accompanied by Levon’s southern-inspired lyricism, as well as his distinct regional musicianship, is something I felt really connected to for the first time ever, despite being the son of a landscaper/outdoorsman.  That connection was cemented by the drive I took down to New Orleans this past March, where I distinctly remember blasting his cover of “Tennessee Jed,” while passing through Knoxville. I love the South. 

There’s something about working long 12+ hour days that take a physical toll on your body, while initially not paying all that well, that harkens back to Levon’s lyrics about long days on the farm, and the creativeness and freedom to travel within the film business somewhat echoe that of the music business in which Levon spent the majority of his life. I’m also a drummer, and Levon’s style is a huge influence on the way I play. I don’t want to talk about Levon in the past tense yet, but I do think a “thank you” is in order.

Jess Bowen is a babe. 

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BIRTHWATER on my BIRTHDAY!