The Fabled Automatic

Been burning up The Band on the ipod over the last month and have really gained new appreciation for a band and a musician I already held in high esteem.  Came across a couple of good items  From Wilco .  Love the picture of Levon and drummer Glen Kocthe.   Really nice piece on a fans' first visit to a Midnight Ramble (long, but worth it.) Nice song (w/ Max Weinberg) and interview with Levon on Late Night with Conan in 1993.  

The new record from The Gaslight Anthem "Handwritten", is due out July 24.  Hear a preview here . We have written about these guys before , and this should be one of the highlights of the summer.  Produced by Brendon O'Brien , this first song has his wall of sound hallmarks all over it. Sometimes this style serves him well, sometimes lots gets lost in the mix.  We shall see.  

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band (eh.. orchestra these days) have played 4 shows since the passing of Levon Helm, with many in the fan community, including myself, wondering if and when some tribute might come.  The Seeger Sessions Band played "Rag Mama Rag" several times, making it an obvious choice.  I would have loved to hear them tackle "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down". Instead, as the the first US leg of the tour ended last night in Newark, they opened the encore with "The Weight".  A fitting tribute and a heartfelt rendition by Bruce, who I image has already been thinking a lot about loss nightly on stage these past few months.