HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (Sept. 15, 2006) – Legendary Yamaha drummer
Levon Helm has discovered the formula for success with his biweekly Midnight Ramble Sessions held at the Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y. Set in the picturesque Catskill Mountains, the concerts are a hot ticket, and all the remaining dates in 2006 are already sold out.
Named for the traveling minstrel shows of his youth, the Midnight Rambles are intimate concerts with Helm's various musical friends often making surprise appearances. Special guests that have joined him in the past include Elvis Costello, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Donald Fagen, Emmylou Harris, Rickie Lee Jones, and former Band organist Garth Hudson.
"It is an honor to have a legend like Levon Helm playing Yamaha Drums since 1978. He has been and continues to be an influence on the history of rock 'n roll. Levon has reinvented himself with the highly successful Midnight Ramble Sessions, and there is no one else like this talented and pioneering musician," comments Joe Testa, international artist relations manager for
Yamaha Drums.
A recent Rolling Stone article promised guests at the Midnight Rambles "will have a front-row seat to some of the best music you will ever hear." Helm was also praised as "an inexhaustible, irreplaceable fountain of American music." Some of these great performances can be heard on Helm's
Midnight Ramble Sessions Vol. I and Midnight Ramble Sessions Vol. II CDs.
Making music for more than 40 years, this musical icon is perhaps most famous for his role as drummer for the rock group The Band. Helm's deeply soulful voice is highlighted on many of The Band's recordings, such as "The Weight," "Up On Cripple Creek," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "King Harvest," and "Ophelia."
After the 1976 demise of The Band, Helm didn't slow down. He went on to record several solo records (
Levon Helm and the RCO All Stars, American Son, Levon Helm), try his hand at acting with roles in movies such as
The Coal Miner's Daughter and
The Right Stuff, and publish his autobiography,
This Wheel's on Fire.
Helm's Yamaha drum kit includes the following models:
Acoustic Drums:
Absolute Birch Nouveau
BBD-1520 20" x 16" bass drum
BTT-1512U 12" x 9" tom
BFT-1514 14" x 14" floor tom
BSD-0545 14" x 5.5" snare drum
Hardware:
(3) CS-845 Boom cymbal stands
SS-840 snare stand
HS-950 hi-hat stand
FP-9310 foot pedal
DS-840 drum throne
For more information on Helm and his Midnight Ramble Sessions, please visit
www.levonhelm.com.
