When The Band’s Levon Helm built his Woodstock barn and recording studio in 1975, he envisioned it as a place where people could come together to celebrate live music. More than five decades later, Levon Helm Studios (known as “The Barn”) has become the focal point of an increasingly ugly rift between Levon’s daughter Amy, his wife Sandra, and his longtime friends Brian Parillo and Barbara O’Brien. In May, Sandra and O’Brien transferred their voting rights in the company to Parillo, giving him control of the board and final decision-making authority, resulting in Amy’s removal from her leadership position. Parillo was subsequently installed as CEO.
Amy claimed Parillo had “conned” her stepmother into going along with the change, calling the situation “disturbing.” In turn, Parillo claimed Amy had mismanaged the venue and denied shareholders access to financial records, prompting them to launch an investigation into her leadership and “malfeasance.” The Catskills-based paper The Overlook News now reports that Levon Helm Studios has filed a federal lawsuit against Amy Helm over millions of dollars worth of alleged “self-dealing.”
As reported in the paper, the studio has filed a 61-page complaint asserting 13 causes of action, including allegations that Amy used company funds for personal gain, concealed financial transactions from fellow shareholders, and caused the venue to suffer at least $2 million in damages. The lawsuit further alleges that Amy deliberately canceled shows to weaken the studio financially, making it less able to investigate her alleged wrongdoing.
According to the Overlook’s report, $400,000 was charged to Levon Helm Studios during Amy’s tenure as CEO “with no apparent business purpose.” It also alleges that nearly $200,000 in undisclosed loans were obtained from Helm’s estate and related businesses, including approximately $100,000 from Dirt Farmer Music LLC, which distributed royalties from three of Helm’s Grammy-winning solo albums. The lawsuit seeks repayment and monetary and punitive damages. It also accuses Amy of copyright infringement and seeks an order preventing her from using the “Midnight Ramble” name or any name similar to Levon Helm Studios’ federally registered “Midnight Ramble” trademark.
In a July 30 Instagram post, Amy Helm wrote, “The question that should be asked is: Who is Brian Parillo and who is bankrolling him? There is no dispute; this is a shakedown.” She later announced she would continue touring, though not under the “Midnight Ramble” name. Amy and her representatives have not yet commented on the lawsuit.
