Bob Dylan faithful should check out The Last Waltz Ensemble

It started as a movie. It became a tribute band.

The Last Waltz Ensemble, which describes itself as "progressively playing the music of Bob Dylan and The Band," will be at the Pour House with The New Familiars at 9 p.m. Saturday.

Just as interesting as what you'll hear are the origins of the band.

"The event that we took our whole thing from was the movie 'The Last Waltz' by (Martin) Scorsese in 1976," said Kris Gloer, guitar and vocals. "The movie documented the career of The Band. They had a lot of hits in the early '70s. One of the first big gigs they got was being Bob Dylan's back-up band.

"We did a tribute to 'The Last Waltz' in 2004," Gloer added. "And we brought in some of our friends, just like all the guest spots the actual band had. In the spring of 2006, we became a touring band and we did more and more Dylan material than what was just in the movie. It developed into a thing where we did the music of both Dylan and of The Band."

The Last Waltz Ensemble includes Gloer, Mark Kramer (acoustic guitar, vocals), Benji Shanks (stunt guitar), Eric Reed (bass, vocals), Jason Fuller (keyboard, vocals) and Kevin Rustchman (drums).

The group boasts a play list of more than 70 songs from Bob Dylan, The Band and related songs that cover material from all eras of the artists' careers.

"(Fans) can expect to hear a lot of the familiar material," Gloer said. "Then, they might hear some deeper tracks, something they might be less familiar with."

What fans hear Saturday night, though, will be a surprise. The Last Waltz Ensemble plays shows in a jam-band format, mixing traditional and original arrangements in an improvisational way. They use vintage equipment and borrowed arrangements, and frequently incorporate special guest performances from national and regional friends.

"The difference would be if you go see a theatrical show of an artist in one given night, you're probably going to see the exact same show in the exact same order every night," Gloer said. "But we mix things up. Some songs will have a totally different arrangement from one night to the next."

Gloer says the song "Ophelia" is often requested, as is "The Lake."

"So many people have great memories with those. We get a lot of people signing along at shows; it's very interactive."

And that's part of why The Last Waltz Ensemble loves performing.

"Just the live nature of it. Anything can happen," Gloer said. "You can have a real outstanding performance at any time. It's just really fun to be a part of it and have people react to it."

"And we always love playing at the Pour House," he added. "It's one of the best music venues in the Southeast, if not in the country. They take good care of anyone who comes in those doors. If you've never been there, you're missing out on a lot of Charleston hospitality."