A dispute at Levon Helm Studios, the Woodstock studio and venue founded by the late Band drummer, has led to the removal of Helm’s daughter, singer-songwriter Amy Helm, from the management group.
Per The Overlook, a Hudson Valley news outlet, Levon Helm Studios is now being run by Brian Parillo, a musician and longtime shareholder in the space. Parillo has the support of Helm’s widow, Sandra “Sandy” Helm, but Amy has alleged that her stepmother was manipulated into backing Parillo (which Sandra has denied).
Though news about the shake-up has only emerged now, Amy was ousted, and Parillo was put in charge, after a shareholder vote on May 26. (Parillo is backed by both Sandra and Barbara O’Brien, another key shareholder, and Helm’s former manager.) Along with Amy’s ouster, several core staff members at the Barn, as the space is known, resigned, including the general manager, operations manager, and studio manager.
Two days after the May 26 vote, police were called to the Barn about an altercation between Amy and Parillo. Parillo claimed Amy “began shoving him,” while Amy said she put her hands on Parillo to stop him being aggressive toward her. A police report did not say who initiated the physical contact, and no charges were filed.
In early June, Amy laid out her version of events in a filing in Ulster County Surrogate’s Court, in which she asked the court to appoint Sandra a guardian in the ongoing matter of Helm’s estate. Amy claimed that Sandra was susceptible to manipulation, and accused Parillo of “financial exploitation and elder abuse.” And she alleged that during the confrontation at the Barn on May 28, Sandra expressed regret over backing Parillo and said that she’d been “conned.”
The police report from the May 28 incident also mentions that Amy and Sandra “reported that Parillo is trying to take over the company and obtain ownership.” And the two reportedly mentioned “ongoing issues with the business and business partners” to the police.
In her new interview with The Overlook, however, Sandra denied Amy’s claims and reiterated her support for Parillo. Sandra said she wanted to see new leadership at the Barn after growing concerned that the venue wasn’t booking enough shows, and the shows it was hosting weren’t in-line with its original rock & roll character. Backing Parillo, Sandra said, “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.”
As for what happened on May 28, Sandra admitted to being disoriented, but said it was because of the confrontation and the departures of several key Barn employees. (“I didn’t fire anybody,” Sandra said. “I didn’t want anybody to quit.”) She also said her behavior was not evidence that she was being coerced and stated her opposition to Amy’s request for a court-appointed guardian.
On Sunday, Amy posted her first public statement on Instagram, writing, “In time, I will be able to speak to the disturbing circumstances behind the current situation at my father’s home and recording studio. 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.’ What’s paramount to us right now is making sure that The Barn — both the legacy and the community of which we’re family — is safe and protected.”
A rep for Amy declined to comment further.
In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, Parillo noted his long friendship with Helm and Sandy, which began after the late drummer asked Parillo and his band to play with him in Woodstock. “I am saddened that Amy Helm, his daughter, has chosen to make a private family matter public, and we now have no choice but to respond to set the record straight,” Parillo said.
Parillo alleged that, in the 14 years since Helm’s 2012 death, Amy had denied him, Sandra, and the other shareholders “access to any corporate records or any meaningful updates on how the company was being run.” They also had concerns that Amy had “coopted and mismanaged” Helm’s legacy. This, Parillo said, is what prompted Sandra and the other shareholders to back his takeover, so that he “could conduct an investigation into how LHS has been run.”
“No one is above being held to the legal, ethical and moral standards of running a company for the benefit of all of its stakeholders, which we believe includes Levon, our performers, guests, employees, officers, directors and stockholders. No claim of ‘birthright’ washes clean a decade plus of malfeasance,” Parillo said in the statement.
While he did not level any specific allegations of malfeasance, Parillo said that the “initial phase” of the investigation had been completed and sent to Amy “in connection with a settlement offer.” But, he stated, “Amy has made her response publicly known. She would rather burn her father’s company to the ground by mobilizing ignorance and hatred against LHS instead of accepting responsibility for her actions. If she can’t have it, then no one can.”
Amid the dispute, some concerts at the Barn have continued, but several Helm Family Midnight Ramble shows — a special concert series that Helm himself launched in 2004 to stave off foreclosure — have been postponed. While Parillo told The Overlook it “remains to be seen” if the Midnight Ramble shows will continue, he’s pushing ahead with a new manager and plans to book more shows. He also said he’s not taking a salary at the moment.
While the shakeup has left Parillo in control of Levon Helm Studios, and with a majority of shareholder votes, he does not have a majority ownership position. Amy and Sandra each maintain 40 percent of the company, while Parillo and O’Brien still have 10 percent each.
