Originally published in DoSavannah
The last time I interviewed Kris Gloer about his way-cool, respectful-yet-not-rigidly-so musical tribute to the iconic “Last Waltz” farewell concert by Bob Dylan’s legendary recording and touring partners The Band, they were directing people to their MySpace page.
Yes, it’s been that long since we’d spoken.
Back in April 2008, this Georgia-based jam collective was a little more than two years into their touring career, and over the course of those two years, they had logged countless miles and played more than 200 concerts. That’s more than 200 more times than “The Last Waltz” itself was performed, for that historic Thanksgiving show in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 5,000 at San Francisco’s famed Winterland Ballroom was a one-night-only affair in 1976.
Captured for posterity on multiple 35mm cameras by renowned filmmaker Martin Scorsese, “The Last Waltz” found The Band — one of the most impressive and admired rock/pop/country/folk/rockabilly/soul/blues acts of their time (or any other, for that matter) —bidding goodbye to the rigors of the road with a lengthy retrospective of their own tunes, as well as a copious number of songs made famous by a few fistfuls of special guests who sat in with the group just for this occasion.
Those guests included (among others) Muddy Waters, Ronnie Hawkins, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Neil Diamond and, of course, Bob Dylan.
It was a dream come true for those in attendance, and through Scorsese’s film, for millions of subsequent viewers worldwide. Decades later, “The Last Waltz” is still routinely named one of the greatest concert films ever made (if not the greatest).
These days, it’s become increasingly common for roots-rock artists around the world to, in varying degrees, replicate the format, spirit and sometimes even the exact setlist of that glorious, timeless show. This tends to happen once a year, usually around Thanksgiving. In fact, the night before this past Turkey Day, Savannah bands The Accomplices and The Train Wrecks used “The Last Waltz” as a template for their own tribute to The Band, which also featured a number of local guest musicians and wound up selling out the Lucas Theatre.
Gloer (or “Jellyroll,” as he’s sometimes known) was far ahead of the curve when it comes to such endeavors. He and his blues-based jam-band of the time put on what may have been the very first such “tribute show to this tribute show,” learning and playing 14 songs from the movie soundtrack, abetted by a number of special guests. The response was both positive and tremendous. Within a year, their band had metamorphosed into a traveling salute to that show and film, regularly selling out all manner of venues, from small bars and music clubs to seated theaters.
There’s a difference between what his group does, however, and those increasingly popular regional salutes.
“Most of the local one-off tribute nights stick to the most recognized tunes,” Gloer says. “But over the course of our 12 years doing this, we’ve learned and played over 110 different songs.”
That number includes not only songs played during the actual “Last Waltz,” but other material by the various artists who appeared at the original concert, and even cover tunes those artists were individually known for.
In other words, the sheer volume of superstar talent at the original event, and The Band’s penchant for blending a wide variety of genres into one (they practically single-handedly invented “Americana” as we now know it) allows the improv-friendly Ensemble to keep their setlist incredibly eclectic and continually evolving.
“The only other similar touring group out there that I know of is called The Weight,” Gloer says. “Everyone in that group is a former member of either (a later incarnation of) The Band, or (Band members) Levon Helm or Rick Danko’s solo bands.
“The main difference between us and them is that we do this in more of a ‘jam-band’ format. We’re a little more Southern rock and guitar-heavy — almost as if the Grateful Dead or the Allman Brothers were interpreting these songs.”
Gloer adds that his group has been “really fortunate” to have welcomed a great number of established, and even famous, players and singers into the group as special guests at various shows — some of which (such as Little Feat guitarist Fred Tackett and Neville Brothers drummer Willie Green) have themselves toured or recorded with Dylan and/or members of The Band.
“We’ve featured Zac Brown, Susan Tedeschi, Oliver Wood (of the Wood Brothers), Rick Richards from the Georgia Satellites, organist Ike Stubblefield, guitarist Coy Bowles and Col. Bruce Hampton,” Gloer says. “You name ‘em.”
For the Last Waltz Ensemble’s upcoming show at the beautifully restored, 230-seat Mars Theatre in Springfield (just 35 minutes from downtown Savannah), Athens-based vocalist McCayla Cook will join the group, as will Hilton Head’s Mike Korbar and Andy Pitts.
“And who knows who else might show up,” muses Gloer with a smile.
It’s worth noting that the Last Waltz Ensemble is playing the Mars just a few nights after Dylan himself graces Savannah’s own 2,500-seat Johnny Mercer Theatre.
“We booked this concert a couple months before Dylan’s tour dates were announced and we wound up playing in Atlanta and Savannah really close to him,” Gloer says. “I don’t know if that will hurt or help us, but it’s a cool coincidence!”
In the end, he says, “We’re not an impersonation act. We’re not playing the roles of any of these artists. It’s just a jam-band version of the music of Bob Dylan and The Band played in a downhome Southern way with some new twists.
“We try to have a real good time and take everybody on a little bit of a voyage so they can forget about their troubles and enjoy the medicine of the soul: Live music.”
Originally published on April 14, 2015.
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