Amy Helm to shine her light on folk festival stage

Amy Helm, a singer-songwriter with influences of Americana, country, blues and gospel will be returning to Sisters as a performer at the Sisters Folk Festival.

Helm comes from rock-and-roll royalty, being the daughter of The Band's drummer and singer, Levon Helm. But she has made a name for herself playing in a number of bands over the years, since she was 14 years old.

"From the time I was young I knew I wanted to be in the music industry. I continued to play in bands and was able to grow as a musician having the opportunity to play with a variety of musicians," said Helm.

Helm started as a founding member of the alt-country band Ollabelle and served as a backing musician in her father's band, The Midnight Rambler Band. She now plays alongside a variety of musicians as a duo and part of bands. She is currently touring as a solo artist with a band behind her.

Helm was scheduled to perform at last year's festival before it was cancelled due to the smoke impact of the Milli Fire and other fires across the region. However, Amy stuck around for an inspirational performance at a community gathering held at The Belfry the weekend of the festival - in the spirit of keeping the music going.

"I come from a small, music-oriented community, so I was really feeling for Sisters at the time and thought it was beautiful how the community came together," said Helm.

Helm and a number of other musicians pulled together a show.

"Everybody wanted to make something happen, and the sense of unity is infectious there. Everyone involved with the festival was so kind and were giving the best experience they could have given the circumstances," she said.

Helm and her good friend Martha Scanlan gave a powerful performance together during the weekend.

Helm often plays with bands and with other musicians, and is often featured on other musician's albums. However, she is coming out with her second solo record in the upcoming months. "This Too Shall Light" is an interpretive album including a collection of covers by singer-songwriters including Rod Stewart, Milk Carton Kids, and Allen Toussaint. The title is off one of the songs on the record written by Mike Taylor and Joe Coffman.

"They were friends of mine and wrote this song for me to sing, and with their permission I asked for the title track of the record to be their song. I thought it felt like a good fit for the rest of the album," she said.

Helm worked under Grammy-winning producer Joe Henry on the record alongside a band.

"Joe Henry was very calm and confident and took charge in a quiet way, and we did all the recording in a four-day period," she said. "I had the opportunity to work with a hugely talented band that I will be bringing with me to the festival. When we play we try to create a set list of music that really highlights the band because they deserve to be heard, especially in a live setting."

Helm loves learning from her fellow musician friends, a number of them she looks forward to seeing at the festival.

"I so look forward to coming back to Sisters for the festival. I can't wait to see the immediate beauty of that place with music in that setting. I am excited to see and hear my musician friends," she said.

"I think this year's festival is going to be very special. Last year was something that music makers and music lovers triumphed and overcame and I think that will create a special vibe this year."

Helm will be playing a number of sets on the Sisters Folk Festival stages throughout town.

The Sisters Folk Festival is set for September 7-9. Day passes are still available and can be purchased at http://www.sistersfolkfestival.org. Call 541-549-4979 for more information.