Ollabelle - live this afternoon

[Big Wooly Mammoth]

If you haven't heard this band, you can catch them live at 12:00 EST today. And trust me, you want to.

The band includes Amy Helm, Levon's daughter and has included Larry Campbell and Ryan Adams in their rotating guitar slot. They have been involved with Levon's Rambles and played in the American Beauty project.

WXPN, November 20, 2008 - It began as an informal folk-rock jam session at a bar on weekends, but Ollabelle evolved into a full-time entity at the beginning of this decade. After recording its organic, impressively collaborative debut on spec at a local studio, Ollabelle won over producer T-Bone Burnett, who was impressed enough to sign the group to his label. Return to this space at noon ET Friday to hear Ollabelle perform live in concert from WXPN and World Café Live in Philadelphia.

The New York band, named for Appalachian folksinger Ola Belle Reed, is a supergroup of sorts, featuring Levon Helm's daughter Amy Helm (vocals, mandola), Byron Isaacs (vocals, bass, dobro), Tony Leone (vocals, drums, percussion), Fiona McBain (vocals, acoustic and electric guitars) and Glenn Patscha (vocals, keyboards, accordion). Each member was a previously established artist in his or her own right, pursuing individual projects before Ollabelle took off. The group mixes gospel, blues, bluegrass and country seamlessly, sounding more polished than ever on its new CD, Before This Time.

you can listen to them on World Cafe here or here .

you can also listen to them on their web site:

http://www.ollabelle.net/index.cfm

[timouse]

ooh...thanks for this heads up. i have Riverside Battle Songs, i think it's probably my favourite album of...well, favourite in recent memory.