All-Star Tribute to The Band

Three years ago psychologist and South Strand veteran bluesman, Jonathon ‘Doc’ Simons, first dreamt up the idea of staging a tribute to what he says was “the most influential group’ of his misspent youth, The Band. Now, three years later, the annual tradition continues at the Pawleys Island Tavern, 8 p.m. Sunday Oct 18.

A who’s-who lineup of area players and visiting guests, all donating their time and talent to pay tribute to the legendary act, all seem to agree with Doc that The Band has justifiably earned its place in the hearts of devoted fans. Some, like Doc Simons, followed the group in the 70s, and younger fans, such a Daniel Simons of PaperWork, Doc’s son, discovered the group long after its most influential years. The younger Simons is a typical representative within countless new generations of admirers, just as devoted as The Band’s earliest converts. I count myself among the longtime followers who discovered the magic spark of these Canadians who invaded America so many years ago.

I’ll never forget my trip to the local record shop in the mid-1970s — yes, I’m that old — when I asked the clerk to help me find a record (a vinyl gem, which I still own) of some group I’d just heard about called ‘The Band.’ A friend at a party played a few tunes, and raved about the group, suggesting I check them out.

“Who is ‘The Band,’ anyway?” I asked the clerk, who wore a long beard, a flannel shirt, and round eyeglasses, the typical costume the 60s and 70s. You’d have thought I slapped his mama. With utter disbelief, he answered. “Well, for starters they’re the only group with the balls big enough to call themselves ‘The Band.’ He selected for me the 1969 self-titled project nicknamed ‘The Brown Album,” which included the hits “Rag Mama Rag,” “The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down,” and “Up on Cripple Creek,” saying ‘this was as good a place as any to start my indoctrination.’ He was right. So I, like Doc Simons, and millions of other fans around the world, became a true fan.

“The Band sort of crossed the bridge from folk to rock,” said Simons, “and there’s something about the earthiness of the group that resonates with people. It’s for the same reason I love the blues—its earthiness. They were Bob Dylan’s backup band when he went electric, and then went on to make a name for themselves.”

Billed as the “Third Annual Grand Strand Tribute to the Band,” the event will include as many as 12 players on stage for any given song, from more than 30 performers total on loan from the area’s busiest bands, including a few out of town guests.

The list of all-stars includes: Doc Simons (The Doc Simons Band), Daniel Simons (PaperWork,), Steve Marino, Patterson Barrett (Nashville), Blair Mathis, Rob Steuer (Sawgrass), Emerson Wells Barrett (Well Worn Soles), Alex Lawson, Alex Robinson (PaperWork), Dean Black, Drew Jacobs (The Sauce), Jody Harrison (Sawgrass), Marc Serio (The Paul Grimshaw Band), Charles Freeman (Lion’s Pride, Grocery Store Gentleman), Chelsea Dix Chessler (Well Worn Soles), Craig Keffer , Kelsey Hudgins (Cornbread), Cameron Nesbitt, Jeremy Dunham (Sweet Sweet, Bullfrog, Potato Heads), Kerrine Gifford (Sweet Sweet), Nick Andolora (Grocery Store Gentleman), Bob O’Conner (The Mullets), Russ Flack (The Mullets), Tom Smith (The Mullets), “Kid” Drew Voivedich (The Brassholes, The Kid Drew Band, Carolina Opry), Steve Russell, Leanne Smith, Paul Ondrus (The Marsha Morgan Band), Brian Langlinais (Nashville), Conner Mills (PaperWork), Tony Mauldin (Doc Simons Band), Stephen Healy, Zachery Douglas (Flabbergasted, PaperWork). Seth Funderburk (audio engineer).

The event will feature only songs recorded by The Band, many of which will be familiar, such as the aforementioned hits from The Brown Album, as well as the career-making tune from The Band’s debut, “The Weight,” which serves as the tribute’s finale and all-star jam.

“I grew up in [New York City] and The Band was from upstate New York, so they’d come down and play a lot,” said Simons, “The Garden, Central Park, all over—too many to remember, it was many years ago.”

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 11:48 AM with the headline "All-Star Tribute to The Band."