In another twist in the ongoing dispute over control of Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, Amy Helm has filed a New York State Supreme Court complaint against Brian Parillo and, by extension, Levon Helm Studios.
Levon Helm Studios, affectionately referred to by fans as "The Barn," is the former home, recording studio, and performance venue of Levon Helm, the former drummer, mandolin player, and singer for The Band. It's particularly famous for the Midnight Ramble concert series that Levon Helm started with his daughter Amy as a fundraiser for his cancer treatments. It featured performers he'd gotten to know over the course of his music career. He lived there until he died in 2012, and until recently, it was being run by a group of four people: Amy, Levon's widow Sandra, his former manager Barbara O'Brien, and Brian Parillo, who was a fellow musician who was part of some of the early Rambles.
The complaint seeks to do a couple of things, but most notably, it asserts that Parillo's takeover of Levon Helm Studios was unlawful because it was done without convening a meeting of the Levon Helm Studios shareholders, including Amy.
According to state law, shareholders can only make changes to the company outside a shareholder meeting if all shareholders give written consent, which, according to Amy's complaint, never happened. Amy further claims that she is in fact still the president of Levon Helm Studios, that control should be returned to her, and that Parillo does not have authority over the company.
In May, there was an abrupt takeover of Levon Helm Studios by Parillo, who convinced Sandra — Levon's widow
who is in her late 70s — and O'Brien to assign him their shares. Parillo said that gave him majority control of the business, and he used that to remove Amy as president and install himself as CEO.
In August, Parillo filed a lawsuit against Amy in federal court, alleging that she spent years committing various forms of financial malfeasance, and plunging Levon Helm Studios into debt. Amy has, in her words, "unilaterally" denied all of Parillo's claims — she has called them an attempt on Parillo's part to intimidate, and described them as "extortion."
A central scene in this drama is a confrontation that happened at Levon Helm Studios in late May, right after Parillo made the move to install himself as CEO.
Sandra, as part of a separate legal proceeding, has been accused of financial malfeasance of her own. She was found to have transferred about $200,000 of Levon Helm Studios funds into her personal account, and an Ulster County judge designated her as a "person under disability" and appointed a guardian to represent her interests. The underlying rationale is that she's not capable of doing that herself.
According to Amy, on that day in late May, she went to the Barn to talk to Sandra about this situation, and Sandra allegedly told Amy that Parillo had a plan to extort Amy.
According to Amy's attorneys, Sandra said, "Brian asked me to give him my 40% of Levon Helm Studios. He said he had a plan to force you to buy the company back from him for $5 million, and I’d be set for life. I asked him how you'd be able to afford that, and he said that your stepfather would pay the money."
Amy's stepfather is Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen. Amy's complaint also alleges that Sandra sent her attorney an email asking to withdraw her transfer of her voting shares to Parillo. The larger allegation here is that Parillo is taking advantage of Sandra's vulnerable state to manipulate her.
One of Amy's attorneys, Benjamin Waisbren, said in a statement that Parillo's previous actions constitute a "public smear campaign" against Amy, and that Amy's complaint addresses that.
After Parillo took over, a wave of artists canceled shows they had scheduled at Levon Helm Studios in solidarity with Amy. There is only one show on the calendar at the venue, and it's not until April.
Seemingly, the historic venue is just sitting empty while all this plays out, though Sandra also technically lives there.
"I disagree with Amy’s complaint, and I’ll respond to it in court," Parillo told WAMC. "I don't agree with how Sandy is being portrayed, and anyone who knows her knows that Amy's account of Sandy is callous and untrue. Levon built the barn to bring people together, and that’s still what it’s for. Keeping music in that room, for the musicians who play there and the neighbors who come to hear them, is the best way I know to honor him. I’m going to keep doing that work, and I hope everyone who loves this place, including Levon’s family, will be part of its future.”
