













The second annual Hug Your Farmer benefit took place at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont on Friday night. This year’s concert was billed as a tribute to Levon Helm. The evening’s house band was made up of local scene fixtures Bob Wagner (guitar), Clint Bierman (guitar), Peter Day (bass) on bass, Ray Paczkowski (keys), Ron Rost (keys), Steve Hadeka (drums), Chris Peterman (tenor sax), Adam Dotson (trombone), Dave Grippo (alto sax), Luke LaPlant (baritone sax) and Levon Helm Band member Steven Bernstein (trumpet). The setlist consisted of both originals and covers The Band performed at The Last Waltz as well as Last River to Cross off of Helm’s Dirt Farmer LP.

After the house band delivered the first three songs of the evening, Vermont governor Peter Shumlin came on stage to talk about the plight of Vermont Farmers. Singer/songwriter Anders Parker then led the ensemble through Stage Fright, which was followed by Lendway’s Matt Hagen and Mike Clifford on lead vocals for Who Do You Love? Other guests included Will Evans of Barefoot Truth singing Ophelia and Helpless, indie songstress Marie Claire reprising Emmylou Harris’s role on Evangeline, Guster’s Ryan Miller laying into the vocals for The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and Forever Young as well as country-soul singer Joshua Panda leading the all-star band through four tunes (Life Is A Carnival, Caravan, Don’t Do It, Baby Let Me Follow You Down). Phish drummer Jon Fishman emerged 12 songs in for Life Is A Carnival and stayed behind the kit for the rest of the evening. For the last song of the show, which raised funds for NOFA VT’s Farmer Emergency Fund, all of the guests filed back out for I Shall Be Released.

Here’s a look at Life Is A Carnival featuring The Hug Your Farmer house band with Jon Fishman and Joshua Panda thanks to The Burlingtone…

Hug Your Farmer Band featuring Joshua Panda and Jon Fishman – Life Is A Carnival

And Guster’s Ryan Miller guesting on The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and Joshua Panda’s standout delivery on Caravan, both with Fish on drums, courtesy of our friend Jessica Coughlin…

Hug Your Farmer Band featuring Ryan Miller – The Night They Drove…

Hug Your Farmer Band featuring Joshua Panda and Jon Fishman – Caravan

Hug Your Farmer: A Tribute To Levon Helm

2012-05-18

Higher Ground

South Burlington, VT Set: Up On Cripple Creek, Down South In New Orleans, Further On Up The Road, Gov. Shumlin speaks, Stage Fright*, Who Do You Love?**, Rag Mama Rag, It Makes No Difference, Ophelia***, Evangeline#, Helpless***, Wide River To Cross, Life Is A Carnival^, Don’t Do It^, Caravan^, The Shape I’m In, Forever Young^^, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down^^, Baby Let Me Follow You Down^, The Weight Encore: King Harvest (Has Surely Come), I Shall Be Released^^^ Bob Wagner- guitar/vocals

Clint Bierman- guitar/vocals

Peter Day- bass/vocals

Ray Paczkowski- keys

Ron Rost- keys

Steve Hadeka- drums

Chris Peterman- tenor sax

Adam Dotson- trombone

Dave Grippo- alto sax

Steven Bernstein- trumpet

Luke LaPlant- baritone sax *- w/ Anders Parker on lead vocals

**- w/ Matt Hagen & Mike Clifford on lead vocals

***- w/ Will Evans on lead vocals

#- w/ Marie Claire on lead vocals

^- w/ Josh Panda on lead vocals

^^- w/ Ryan Miller on lead vocals

^^^- w/ everyone [via notes on bt.etree.org – mikesalvo recording]