Levon Helm Studios, the storied and intimate Woodstock venue founded by the legendary late drummer of The Band, is in turmoil after a shift in voting control removed Helm’s daughter, musician Amy Helm, from management and put longtime shareholder Brian Parillo in charge.
The change intensified a dispute among the family and business partners behind the institution. In the weeks since the late-May management change, three scheduled Helm Family Midnight Ramble shows were postponed, and a confrontation between Amy Helm and Parillo drew Woodstock police to The Barn, as the concert space is known.
The general manager, operations manager, and studio manager resigned during the turnover. Parillo, who became involved with the studio in the early 2000s, said shareholders removed Amy Helm from management on May 26 and later appointed him chief executive officer. He said he now controls 60% of the company’s voting power after Sandra “Sandy” Helm, the longtime wife and widow of Levon Helm, and shareholder Barbara O’Brien assigned him their voting rights.
Parillo and Sandra said the assignments transferred voting power, not ownership. Amy and Sandra each retain 40% of the company, while Parillo and O’Brien each own 10%. O’Brien, who served as Levon Helm’s manager during the Midnight Ramble era, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Woodstock police were called to The Barn on May 28 after a confrontation between Amy Helm and Parillo. No charges were filed, and the two have offered contradictory accounts of what happened.
A June 6 show billed as “The Helm Family Midnight Ramble” was postponed three days before the event. A July 10 email from Tixr, the studio’s ticketing company, said two more Helm Family Midnight Rambles, scheduled for Aug. 1 and 2, were postponed.
Sandra Helm, 76, said she shifted control because she wanted new leadership at a venue that she believed was staging too few performances and booking acts that didn’t fit The Barn’s rock ’n’ roll character. She also wanted to make clear to Amy, her stepdaughter, that she was serious about changing leadership.
“It was a way to show Amy that I was serious about restructuring and a new administration, and this is who it’s going to be,” she said in an interview.
Amy, 55, a singer-songwriter who has released four solo albums, offered a different account. She called the situation “unconscionable” and said the changes were disrespectful to her father’s memory.
“In time, I will be able to speak to the disturbing circumstances behind the current situation at my father’s home and recording studio,” she said in a statement. “Neither I, nor our long-time core staff, are currently part of Levon Helm Studios and have nothing to do with any decisions made or actions taken by the new ‘management.’”
At stake is the future of an institution that the Helm family sustained through a 1991 fire, bankruptcy, Levon’s cancer, and mounting medical and mortgage costs. The Midnight Ramble shows, which he began in 2004, helped stave off foreclosure and fueled a late-career comeback before Levon’s death in 2012.
Artists including John Prine, Phil Lesh, Norah Jones, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, and Mavis Staples have performed at The Barn.
Parillo also said an investigation into the studio’s financial mismanagement was underway, but declined to provide details.
Amy alleged in a June 4 filing in Ulster County Surrogate’s Court that Sandra was vulnerable to manipulation during the shift in control. She accused Parillo of “financial exploitation and elder abuse” and asked the court to appoint a guardian to represent Sandra’s interests in a long-running proceeding over Levon Helm’s estate.
Sandra denied that she had been coerced.
“I deny that,” she said. “Absolutely.”
Sandra said the decision followed months of concern about the studio’s direction. She described the concert calendar as too thin, criticized some of the bookings, and said she feared for the institution’s survival.
She said she reached a point where she “definitely wanted a change of administration” and turned to Parillo, a friend of hers and Levon’s since around 2000.
“I didn’t like that they wanted to portray Brian like some kind of a puppet master or Svengali that came in and overtook my mind,” Sandra said. “It’s been blown out of proportion. I just wanted to restructure Levon Helm Studios and bring it back to the glory days. And it’s as simple as that.”
The dispute spilled into a physical confrontation at the studio on May 28.
According to a Woodstock police report, Parillo told officers that Amy “began shoving him.” Amy told police that Parillo approached her aggressively and that she placed her hands on him to stop him from moving closer, then lightly shoved him away. The report said a recording captured Amy shouting, “Get the fuck away from me!” shortly before the physical contact.
The report does not determine who initiated the physical contact.
In the filing, Amy said Parillo arrived while she was speaking privately with Sandra and followed them through the studio despite requests that he leave them alone.
“At this point, I got angry at Brian and started to raise my voice,” Amy wrote in the June 4 filing. “I told him to leave me alone. Then, when he seemed to take a step towards me, I put my hands up and pushed him away.”
Amy also wrote that other core staff members were at The Barn to resign and collect personal belongings in response to what she called an “aggressive takeover.”
Sandra said six people left during the turnover including Amy, while Parillo confirmed that the general manager, operations manager, and studio manager resigned. The Overlook couldn’t independently confirm the full number of departures.
“I didn’t fire anybody,” Sandra said. “I didn’t want anybody to quit.”
Amy’s filing portrays Sandra as confused and distressed during their conversation that day. Amy alleged that Sandra cried, expressed regret over putting Parillo in charge, and asked her to help undo the decision. She also alleged that Sandra said she had been “conned” and was being taken advantage of.
Amy wrote that she was “truly concerned about Sandy’s ability to act rationally and protect herself from further manipulation.”
Sandra acknowledged that she was disoriented that day but rejected Amy’s assertion that it showed she had been manipulated into assigning her voting rights to Parillo.
“I didn’t sign anything that day,” Sandra said.
Sandra said she signed the voting document on a different day. She attributed her confusion on May 28 to the confrontation and the turmoil of employees gathering their belongings and leaving, and she opposed Amy’s request for a court-appointed representative.
The police report attributes a different account to Sandra.
“Amy Helm and Sandra Helm reported that Parillo is trying to take over the company and obtain ownership,” the report reads. It also says the two reported “ongoing issues with the business and business partners.”
That account conflicts with Sandra’s later interview, in which she said she deliberately chose Parillo to lead the company.
Amy also alleged in the filing that Sandra told her Parillo had sought Sandra’s 40% interest and planned to force Amy to buy the company back for $5 million, with money from Amy’s stepfather, Donald Fagen of Steely Dan.
Parillo denied ever making such a proposal or statement.
The fight over Levon Helm Studios is unfolding alongside a separate, long-running proceeding over the late drummer’s estate.
The legal entities are distinct. Amy’s filing describes Levon Helm Studios as an asset outside the estate. The Barn property is owned by Levon’s Barn LLC, which Amy said she and Sandra each own equally.
Parillo, 48, arrived in Woodstock with his band in 2000 after an invitation from Levon Helm. He said he co-created and produced the first Midnight Ramble on Jan. 24, 2004. When Levon Helm Studios was formed that October, Parillo became a 10% shareholder and vice president.
He has also worked as a musician and DJ, managed local music venues and other businesses, and served as managing partner of the Lodge, a former Woodstock hotel, bar, and restaurant.
For now, Parillo is moving ahead with changes at the studio. He said he isn’t taking a salary, although he hopes to do so if the business reaches firmer financial footing. He is working with a new manager, Jonathan Skurnick, and plans to increase the number of performances.
Asked whether the Midnight Rambles would continue, Parillo said, “That kind of remains to be seen. We’re trying to navigate that.”
John W. Barry is a reporter for The Overlook. Reach him at john@theoverlooknews.com.
Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.
