The Last Waltz Tribute Bio
2006is the 30thanniversary
of the Martin Scorsese
film, TheLast ltaltz, whichcommemorates
the historyandmusicof The Band. THE LAST WALTZ ENSEMBLE, from AtlaritaGeorgia"
is a fitting celebration
ofthe vibe,energyandmusicofThe Band, oneofthe world's most
popular,influentialandsignificantrock groups.
" I haveneverseena group playing for the first time in Athens,makesucha connection
with the audience"declaredGeorgiaTheatre managerWill Greeneafter a recentshow.
"This musicis timelessand this groupis boundless."
"As the eveningwent on, I realizedthat the degreeof separationbetweentheseguysand
the original Band was minimal; they were all just peopleinteractingthrough their
individual and collectivelove of performing great,timelessmusic.It's a palpablefeeling
during the group hug that is "I ShallBe Released,"For this and the show-stopping,
verse.
trading closer,"The Weight," there ain't a voicenot lifted or a smilenot found. I walked
out of that placehumming,and I'm sureI wasn't the only onein the capacitycrowd at the
GeorgiaTheatrethat kept that goodfeelingfor the rest ofthe weekend."
- HarryMcNeiVJambase.com
The Last Waltz Tribute Ensembleis:
o Kris "Jellyroll" Gloer- guitar/vocalsliterallygrewup in the GreatSoutheast
Music
Hall, holdingcourtasa boy with the day'sleadingrock androll musicians.
Kris has
sharedstagesacrossAmericawith musicianswho love his differentiated
style:
Widespread
Panic,TheDirty DozenBrassBand,DerekTrucks,DaveMatthews,Hootie
& TheBlowfish,TinsleyEllis, SeanCostello,TommyTalton,TheBlueDogs,Barry
Richman,andWillie Green.He alsoknowshisway arounda recordingstudiowith
creditson ten albumswith four differentbands:Jellyroll,Houndog,Arlan & Jellyand
TheWaysideRiders.
o Mark Kramer- vocals/guitarMark, a NC native,cut histeethat a streetmusicianin San
Francisco.
He movedto Seattlein the 1980sandbecameinvolvedin the burgeoningfolk
scene.He hassharedthe stagewith MichelleShockedandTheLove Mongers.Mark is
highlyregardedfor this senseof styleandinteractionwith audiences.
o Eric Reed-bass/vocalsEric providesa uniqueblendof fluid basslinesaswell as
intrinsicharmonies.
He hasplayedwith Bluefish,TheIrregularsandtheKnoxville
SymphonyOrchestra.
His diversemusicalstyleencompasses
bluegrass,
sambaandrock.
. Kevin "Little Budda" Rutschman-drumsKevin blew out of his nativeKansas,
graduated
from the eliteschoolof musicat EmporiaStateUniversityandupsetthe field
to win the Outstanding
Performance
Awardat theNotreDameJazzFestivalin 1995.He
hassharedthe stagewith the likesof BluesTravelerandIndecision.
r Brad Thomas- Sax-Brad's passionandpresence
illuminateany stagehe'son. Best
knownasthe saxplayerfor progressive
bluegras's
band,Bluestring,Bradhasalsoplayed
with Tishamingo,CaptainSoularcat,
andHoundog.Hivimpressivesoloscontribute
mightilyto TheLastWaltzEnsemble.
Dan Seifert- HammondB-3 - A veteranof the Atlantajazzlbluesscene,Dan Seifert
touredwith the AtlantabasedbandTheUrbanShakedancers
assupportfor TheBlack
Dan
CrowesandHORDETours.Danusesall vintageHammondandLeslieequipment.
canbe foundanchoringvariousorgancomboson thejazz,bluesandR&B scenesin and
aroundAtlanta.
Jasonis withouta doubtoneofthe moretalentedmusiciansin
JasonFuller-keyboardsaround,
Athens,a town knownfor hot players.He'salsooneofthe mostversatilepla.yers
honky
boogieto nastyNew Orleansswingto rollicking
ableto leaplrom barrelhouse
tonk to tastyjazz.Jasonhashadtouringstintswith Ween,Marc Ford(TheBlack
Crowes)andTishamingo.
Benji Shanks-Lead/slide
Guitar-Benji hasgainedlots of attentionin the lastcoupleof
yearsin his role with southernrockersCaptainSoularcatandhis work asa guestartist
with Tishamingo. Benji wasalsofeaturedon theBluestringJammynominatedrelease
Benji is
Pick Me Up (FlyingFrogRecords).From
rock opera(OPUS9) to bluegrass,
knownfor his dramaticsolosdeliveredwith a stoicalmostserenefacialexoression.
Benii's slidestvleis oftencomoared
to WarrenHavnes.
The Last Waltz Ensemble's
specialguestsoverthe yearshaveincluded:
TheDirty DozenBrassBand
SeanCostello
Rev.JeffMosier
Mimi Holland
TheSundogs
TommyTalton
Rick Richards
SwamiGoneBananas
Lee Shwartz(Outformation)
OliverWood
Big City Sunrise
Tony G
ScottGlazer
ShawnMc Crystal(Indecision)
{i,i:3, LJ\/E jltLJS|C
THE LAST WALTZ LIVES ON
Words byi Harry McNeil :: lmages by Stewan llnge
The LastWallz TributeEnsemble:: 03.03.06:: GeorgiaTheate :: Athens,GA
"WhenI getotfalhisa'mountain..."
Thestage
lightscameon,andtherewasthegreatRick
Richards
of theGeorgiaSatellites
leadinga
nine-piece
bandandhornsectionthroughthe
same"UpOn CrippleCreek"openerthatThe
Bandhadusedon thathistoricnightbackat
Winterland.
Thesceneon thisnight- 30 years
later wasthe historicGeorgia
Theatrein
Athens.GA.whereThe LastWaltzTribute
Ensemble
openedtheirSpringtouringseason
by performing
26 songsfromthe original
Winterland
show.
Richards,
the mosthigh-profile
memberof the
show,is a forceof nalure,settingthe temposfor
hissongsbasedon however
thespirithappens
to movehimat thatparticular
moment.Richards
is
chiseled
fromthe stoneageof the 70's,a "guitarplayels"guitarplayer.Hischopsarejustas nastyas
theyweretwentyyearsago whenKeithRichardscalledAristaRecordsanddemandedto know,"Whois
thalfuckingguitarplayeron 'KeepYourHandsto Yourself."'
RickRichards
closedhisraunchyrendition,
andthetributewasoff andrunning.
givesyouTheLastWaltzin sections,
TheEnsemble
ordering
thesetlistbasedon the particular
joiningtheshiflinglineupon thatparticular
performers
evening.
Theconstant
is Houndog,
thefour-piece
Atlantabandledby Kris"Jellyroll"
Gloer,whichservesasthe backingbandwithcloeras the hosvemcee
fortheentireshow.A talentedbandin theirown
right,Houndog
leadsthe ensemble
thougha
delicate
versionof "LongBlackVeil"off Music
fromBigPinkwiththe understated
harmony
guitarist
between
MarkKramerandbassistEric
Reedgivingthesongaboutmisguided
murder
andadultery
itsemotional
heart.
Trueto form,the ensemblebringsout yet
guest,harmonica
anothertalented
madman
DavidFisch,to revupthe energyforthe blues
rave-up"Mystery
Train"andlhe country
brilliance
of "Ophelia,"
showcasing
thetop-notch
and
hornsectionof BradThomas(Bluestring)
NeilMackelfoy.
Thecrowdwasthickwith
:
1-5fi3:Lfi/El\ltLJSIC
TH E L AS TW A LT Z LI V E SON
words byi Harry McNeil :: lmages by Stewan Lange
The LastWallz TributeEnsemble:: 03.03.06:: GeorgiaTheate :: Athens,GA
"WhenI getotfalhisa'mountain..."
Thestage
lightscameon,andtherewasthegreatRick
Richards
of theGeorgiaSatellites
leadinga
nine-piece
bandandhornsectionthroughthe
same"UpOn CrippleCreek"openerthatThe
Bandhadusedon thathistoricnightbackat
Winterland.
Thesceneon thisnight- 30 years
later wasthe historicGeorgia
Theatrein
Athens.GA.whereThe LastWaltzTribute
Ensemble
openedtheirSpringtouringseason
by performing
26 songsfromthe original
Winterland
show.
Richards,
the mosthigh-profile
memberof the
show,is a forceof nalure,settingthe temposfor
hissongsbasedon however
thespirithappens
lo movehimat thatparticular
moment.Richards
is
chiseled
fromthe stoneageof the 70's,a "guitarplayels"guitarplayer.Hischopsarejustas nastyas
theyweretwentyyearsagowhenKeithRichards
calledAristaRecords
anddemanded
to know,"Whois
'Keep
thatfuckingguitarplayeron
YourHandsto Yourself."'
RickRichards
closedhisraunchyrendition,
andthetributewasotf andrunning.
givesyouTheLastWaltzin sections,
TheEnsemble
ordering
thesetlistbasedon the particular
joiningtheshiflinglineupon thatparticular
performers
evening.
Theconstant
is Houndog,
thefour-piece
Atlantabandledby Kris"Jellyroll"
Gloer,whichservesasthe backingbandwithcloeras the hosvemcee
fortheentireshow.A talentedbandin theirown
right,Houndog
leadsthe ensemble
thougha
delicate
versionof "LongBlackVeil"off Music
fromBigPinkwiththe understaled
harmony
guitarist
between
MarkKramerandbassistEric
Reedgivingthesongaboutmisguided
murder
andadultery
itsemotional
heart.
Trueto form,the ensemblebringsout yet
guest,harmonica
anothertalented
madman
DavidFisch,to revupthe energyforthe blues
rave-up"MysteryTrain"andlhe country
brilliance
of "Ophelia,"
showcasing
thetop-notch
hornsectionof BradThomas(Bluestring)
and
NeilMackelfoy.
Thecrowdwasthickwith
revelers
bythistime,fillingthe oldtheatrewithold-fashioned
singing,
boozing,
and
energy- dancing,
laughing.
A bitlaterin theset,I tooka litilelapof theswelledcrowdandfoundthatfromthe stageto the
backdoor,folksweresingingeverydamnedword.
justoozingoutof
Whatstrikesme mostaboutthisshowis the extreme
confidence
of the performers
everysong- theguestscomeon anddo theirthingwithabandon
andjoy,bringirlg
outtheirinnerJagger.
Neveris lhatmoretruethanwithournextguests,
WillandLeeHaraway
of theAtlantarock& rollband
TheSundogs.
Withan introfromGloerandmomentof silenceforthe National
Anthem- the band
"The
launched
into
NightTheyDroveol' DixieDown,"wilhthesignature
voiceof LeeHaraway
leadingthe
wayandwithWillandKramer(andtheentireTheatre)
addingharmony.
Olderbrother
Willthenleda rousingrendition
of "StageFright"behindthestirringkeyboard
interplay
between
JasonFulleron pianoandDanSeiferton Hammond
B-3.Thebrothers'set
tookusthrough
somegreatbloodharmony
on "Evangeline"
and"lt MakesNo Difference,"
alongwitha tightversionof the
"This
complex
Wheel'sOn Fire"thatthewholeensemble
seemedto particularly
set
enjoy.TheHaraways'
endedwiththe MaNinGayesiandardandcrowdfavorite"Don'tDo lt,"whereinWillHaraway
laiddown
hisacoustic
to grabholdof hismicstandandchannelChrisRobinson.
Now,my favotitepartof The LastWaltzis Van
"Caravan,"
Morrison's
andonthisnight,we
neededan lrishman
to filltheshoesof Vanthe
Man.GregHestertookthestagein a sltck
leatherblazerlo giveeverybodya reasonto
TURNlT UP,followedby a soulfulversionof the
"Orrtof the
little-known
RickDanko-oenned
Blue."Hesterhasthesoulof JamesBrown
running
throughhisAugusta,
GA,veinsand
gavethe crowdplentyof funkyad-libsand
improvisation
duringhisset.Thenit wastimeto
bringthe RockStarbackon stage,andRick
Richards
didn'tdisappoint
witha nasty,rocking
"ShapeI'mIn,"a "Mannish
Boy"thatMuddy
wouldhaveloved,and'WhoDo YouLove"that
"Mountain
feetured
an extended
Jam"duelbetween
Richards
andGloerthatagainhighlighted
the
extrememusicianship
of thisgroupof badasses.
As the eveningwenton, I realized
thatthedegreeof separalion
between
theseguysandtheoriginal
Bandwasminimal;
theywerealljustpeopleinteraciing
throughtheirindividual
andcollective
loveof
performing
great,timelessmusic.lt'sa palpable
feelingduringthegrouphugthatis "l ShallBe
Released,"
withHesterleading
the entirecompany
throughthe Dylanclassicvia hisbrandof blue-eyed
soul.Forthisandtheshow-stopping,
verse-trading
closer,"TheWeight,"
thereain'ta voicenotlifledora
smilenotfound.I walkedoutof thatplacehumming,
andI'msurelwasn'tthe onlyonein the capacity
crowdthatkeptthatgoodfeelingforthe restof theweekend.
Formoreinformation
aboutTheLastWaltzEnsemble
andadditional
tourdates,
visit
www.LastwaltzTri
bule.com.
JamBaseI Athens
Go SeeLiveMusic!
htto://www.
laslwaltztribute.
com
on 4/18/20061
lPublished
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'LastWaltzrmusician'sfirst tribute
BY MARK R, PANTSARI
Specialto The PostandCourier
This year marksthe 30th anniversaryof "The Last Waltz."
On ThanksgivingDay in 1976,5,000 fans got to witness one ofthe greatestfarewellconcertsof alltime.
The Band,who initiallybegan as Bob Dylan'sbackingband during Dylan's"electric"period,bid farewellwith the
helpof amazinglistofguest musicianssuchas Or.John,Van Morrison,Bob Dylan,EricClapton,NeilYoung,
Neil Diamond,Emmy Lou Harris,Joni l\ritchell,Ringo Starr and MuddyWaters.
The conced was filmed and releasedin 1978 by famed darectorlvlartinScorseseand to this day is still regarded
as one of the finest concertfilms ? rockumentaries? ever.A kue must-havein anyone's[.,VDcollection.
And now, with the help ofthe Atlanta-basedThe Last Waltz tribute,fans can experience"The LastWaltz" for
themselves.
"l've always been a big fan ofthe movie,"
said Last Waltz Tributefounderl(is Gloer in a recent interviewwith
"l have so many friendsand conlactsin
the music businessthat one day I kind ofjust imaginedwhat it would be
like to performthis music. My imaginationkind of went wild, and once I starledto try and put it togetherit all
came togethervery easily."
Gloer,who also performswith the Allanta-basedband Houndog,put togetherthe first tribute on Thanksgiving
night in 2004 with the help of esteemedguestslike Rev. Jeff Mosier,membersofthe Dirty Dozen Brass Band
and several otherAtlanta-basedmusicians.The show was an overwhelmingsuccess and led Gloer and
companyto pursuetaking The Last Waltz Tributeon the road.
"Ofallthe
things l've done musicallyover the past couple of years this projecthas gottenthe most response,"
Gloersaid.
IntrepidArtists has expressedan interestin the project,and Gloer said The LastWaltz Tributeshould be hitting
the road nearlyfull time in the fall of this year. Featuringa rotatingcast of musiciansaround a core seven-piece
band,the tribute band also incorporateslocal artistsin the city it's visiting.Of course,the set list includesevery
song performedin the original"The LastWaltz," and then some.
"The kibute
has kind of grown at this point to be a tributeto the spirit and the work of The Band. Right now we
have a littleover 30 songs in the repertoire,and we're goingto add in some more obscuresongs from The
Band,"Gloersaid.
'We
try not to put limits on what we can do and we're lookingto reallytake this thing for a ride. lt was just a
funny idea I had one day, and now it seems to be garneringa lot of interest.Peoplejust seem to love The
Band's music."
The Last Waltz Tributewill be taking the stage of the Pour House on l\raybankHighwayon Saturdaynight,with
Poly Toxic openingthe show. The show will featurespecialguests Robert Page, Donna Hopkins,creg Hester,
Brad Thomas and perhapsseveralmore musicians.The show starts at 10 p.m., and tickets are S10 in advance
throughetix.com.
"l really don't
think of us as a traditionaltribute band,"cloer said.
"l'm
intriguedby how things are going with it, that's very interestingto me. And the cool thing is we're gettingto
do somethingwe really love and really have fun at, and I think lvhei peoplecome to the show they will get that."