Singer, songwriter, and player of multiple stringed instruments Bow Thayer cut his teeth in various punk, reggae, bluegrass, and roots/rock bands around the Boston area, and had none other than Levon Helm of The Band perform on his 2006 release, “Spend It All.” Thayer has released two albums since then and returns to Helm’s Woodstock, NY studio, The Barn, to record his fifth album “Bottom of the Sky,” featuring his band Perfect Trainwreck.

The band is made up of Jeremy Curtis on bass, Jeff Berlin on drums, James Rohr on keyboards and Chris McGandy on pedal steel, all seasoned players who’ve been playing around Boston for many years. Listening to the album leaves no doubt of The Band’s influence on this great songwriter, but leads one to speculate on the many other influences that combine to create Thayer’s unique and powerful sound.

The album opens with “Buffalo Joe,” a smoking one-two punch of a song that sets the tone with chunky guitars and lyrics that state unequivocally “A little more truth make a little more clear/a lot more hope a lot less fear.” The album then goes about showing off the diversity of the band and its music with the laid-back “Epitome,” a Beatles-y pop number called “Dark Light,” an upbeat Burrito-Brothers-ish romp titled “Dawning,” and a fun and funky country-rock ditty that recalls a “Good Time to Holler.”

Thayer never lets up and gives us plenty to holler about throughout the remainder of the record. Come to think of it, that pretty much sums up what this album is about: good music, good fun, good hollerin'!