I am sorry to report, but the last member of The Band has passed on.

That's right. The man behind the squelching organ, the marvel on the Hammond, Garth Hudson has passed away. He was the sole remaining viable member of the legendary group after the passing of Band leader Robbie Robertson a few years ago. A quiet figure behind the keyboards, Garth let his organ do the talking. Unlike the erstwhile leader of The Band Robbie Robertson, who became a more controversial figure and bar-hopping friend of Scorsese in the 70s and 80s.

 The Last of The Band.

The Band. They had many fans. Not sure this guy was one.

I intersected The Band back in the day. Dug the organ. The folksy, rocksy, sound. Heard 'Tears of Rage' and Rick Danko's soulful remorse... Indeed, who would treat a father so? We had a Pye stereo box in the Lounge. And I interrupted the old man's Babs and Liza with a Z so I could enjoy the sounds of The Band and that other guy they hung out with.

He was not only a member of Robbie's crew. I can certainly hear Garth in Mercury Rev's Opus 40. We are alive we cry but we dunno what it means... Always thought he played on that one, but turns out he played on another tune on the same album. It was a memory I was so certain of. But now seems it was just a half remembered lie.

How long has he been dead for? A few days. Has the earth changed? Well I feel that Band feeling has gone...

It was 1979. We had The Last Waltz. Garth leaving reminds me of the time we were leaving Renaldo and Clara, standing on the North Richmond station only to hear about the biggest thrashing ever.

I think Kerry Martin was with us that afternoon. Good old days. Certainly good while Garth's mighty Wurlitzer was driving them on. Interestingly, it turns out Mr Goodguy Robbie was an arsehole. I mean, just ask Levon.

Garth, it is not a common name. But wasn't the organist in Sherbert a Garth too?

One memory that is definitely true is the time that we shot the car on Chandler Hwy listening to the Night they drove Dixie Down. Wagging school and drinking brandivino we were. Listening to Before the Flood. These guys knew their Rimbaud. I do too. Cause I can remember reading it to a friend on the Herbert St windowsill while he was in bed.

And of course, after that incident with the car we come full circle cause Ray looked exactly like Garth.

Hope Ray is still alive.