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The Band Web Site

News and Updates

Dec.28.2004

  • The Band's original version of "The Weight" has been included on the new "Deluxe Edition" of the Easy Rider soundtrack album.

  • Added photos of drummer Peter Deremigis from Robbie's early group the Suedes, and of the Brass Rail Tavern in London, Ontario, where the Hawks played regularly in the early '60s. Both photos contributed by Bill Munson.

  • New photo of Robbie from a recent video commercial for GAP clothing. Thanks to Brown Eyed Girl for sending this one.

Dec.27.2004

  • According to musictap.net, Capitol has once again moved the release date back for the upcoming Band box set. It is now scheduled for September 27, 2005, instead of August 30th. Thanks to David Powell for the info.

Dec.23.2004

  • From our chat room last night:
    maud: garth and i had a very successful magic keyboard tour and filled with the spirit of christmas that the many nice people who live north of toronto have shared with us. thanks to all of you who came out through the cold and snow. we hope to come again next year. We are planning a night of driving from toronto to woodstock, ny in the freezing rain. so cross your fingers and send warm thoughts our way. may you all have a wonderful holiday season full of love.

Dec.22.2004

  • After Garth and Maud Hudson finished their annual Magic Keyboard Tour in Ontario, they stopped in Toronto where Garth sat in on accordion with the Bare Naked Ladies at Massey Hall in Toronto last night (Tuesday, Dec. 21). You may recall that in 2003 Garth recorded accordion and Lowery organ on Kevin Hearn's CD, Night Light with his own group Thinbuckle... another CD you may want to add to your own Christmas list if you haven't heard it yet.

Dec.21.2004

  • There are now two recent interviews/articles where Garth Hudson mentions both the new Band box set and a box set with early Hawks/Levon & the Haws/pre-Hawks recordings:

    • From the article "Burrito Grande" in the San Diego Union-Tribune, 12.09.2004:
      "A boxed set of previously unissued Hawks recordings -- both with and without Hawkins -- will be released next year. 'Tapes have been gathered from attics and basements from Southern Ontario to Oklahoma, live and some studio things,' Hudson says. 'This boxed set was put together by CBC archivist Jan Haust. I think he even included some things I did in the late '50s with (pre-Hawks Hudson group) the Capers.'"
    • From "The world according to Garth" in simcoe.com, December 2004:
      "In February [2005], the couple [Garth and Maud Hudson] will release their first ever CD together, LIVE at the WOLF, recorded on the opening weekend of the Wolf Performance Hall in London, Ont., Garth's childhood hometown." And for long-time fans, separate boxed sets featuring the Band and its predecessor, Levon and the Hawks, are also in the works."

  • Added a page for the new non-official The Band DVD Puistoblues Festival 1996. Thanks to Niels Amond Adsersen for the information.

  • Solomon Burke covers The Band's "It Makes No Difference" on his upcoming album Make Do With What You Got.

  • The company that now runs The Band's old Shangri La studio in Malibu, California, has built a web site for the company and the studio.

  • Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for a die-hard Band fan? Wolfgang's Vault has loads of vintage Band-related items for sale, some quite expensive -- $625 for a 1970 Berkeley concert poster, anyone? Hey, Santa, if you read this, how about the $68 Last Waltz necktie for a hard-working webmaster?

  • The Arkansas Times ran two articles on Ronnie Hawkins, "Ronnie Hawkins, part 1" and "Ronnie Hawkins, part 2", in November this year.

  • Added a few stage photos from Tour '74.

Dec.20.2004

  • The Band web site and a few other Linux servers at our host college were attacked by hackers this morning (successfull root kit attack, meaning the bastards had admin access for a while). No damage found so far, let's hope they were some script kiddies having fun, and not the real baddies. Or the people that want the site shut down...

Dec.18.2004

  • We received an interesting e-mail today from Goldy McJohn, keyboard player with Steppenwolf way-back-when:
    From: GoldMusic@aol.com
    Subject: goldy mCjohn here
    Garth HUDSON was my MENTOR in TORONTO and told me to buy a LOWERY. WE both attended the ROYAL CONSERVATORY as did Paul Shafer... It is the oldest question ever asked by STEPPENWOLF FANS: "How'd you get that sound on your first album especially BORN TO BE WILD." I have to thank GARTH for that... GOLDY. My web site is www.goldymcjohn.com. He is the GENIUS and I dont mind saying I LOVE HIM for what he did and said to me back in TORONTO in 65... GM
    See goldymcjohn.com for more about McJohn and Steppenwolf.

  • The track list has now been announced for the Levon Helm Band's upcoming CD/DVD The Midnight Ramble Sessions Vol.1. The disc can be pre-ordered from levonhelm.com.

  • There are loads of video clips from Levon Helm's film career available on the bio page at levonhelm.com

Dec.17.2004

  • Levon Helm's next Midnight Ramble is scheduled for 03.26.2005.

  • Currently, UPN 9/WWOR-TV, which is owned by Fox Television Stations, plans to air segments of Levon Helm's Midnight Rambles at 1 a.m. on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Jan. 8 and Jan. 15.

Dec.15.2004

  • Ho-ho-ho! Santa is back again with more music for the Holiday Season:

    [Christmas Must Be Tonight]

    This year he also has a Christmas quiz for us!

  • New concert dates for Professor "Louie" & the Crowmatix.

  • The Band web site (currently consisting of 19733 files) was moved to a new and faster server yesterday. The site was unavailable for a few hours after the move, but everything should be back to normal by now. The site's numerical IP address has changed (from 158.36.33.11 to 158.36.51.95) but all URLs (e.g. http://theband.hiof.no/) are the same as before.

Dec.14.2004

  • In Februay 2003, Levon Helm did a radio interview together with Aaron Neville on WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show. The whole interview, where Levon and Neville discussed the influence the blues had on their musical careers, is now available from The Band web site archives as a large MPEG-3 file (15MB). Thanks to Jonathan Katz for sending us this one.

  • Jim Weider is all over the new Mavis Staples CD Have a Little Faith.

Dec.10.2004

  • Today, it is five years since we received the sad news that Rick Danko had left us. You may want to revisit the old guestbook from that day and the days that followed -- the response from Band fans on the net was overwhelming.

Dec.09.2004

  • Nice Garth Hudson article/interview in today's issue of the The San Diego Union-Tribute. Thanks to Richard Wall for the link.

  • New photos by Bob Wigo of Garth Hudson with Burrito Deluxe last Sunday.

  • Producer John Shanks has been nominated in the Best Production, Non-classical category for the upcoming Grammy Awards, for his production of Robbie Robertson's "Shine Your Light" from the Ladder 49 soundtrack.

Dec.08.2004

  • Director Joel Gilbert has just released a new DVD titled Bob Dylan World Tours 1966-1974 -- Through the Camera of Barry Feinstein, a documentary feature on Bob Dylan and The Band's legendary 1966 and 1974 World Tours. The films was screened as a World Premiere event at Experience Music Project's "Bob Dylan's American Journey" in Seattle, Washington on November 19th. The DVD can be ordered from bobdylan66-74.com. Here you'll also find reviews and photos from the film.

Dec.01.2004

Nov.29.2004

  • Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Session - November 27th:
    To share with everyone - the November 27th Ramble was a huge success with over 250 people in attendance. The evening opened with The Bennett Brothers and Alexis P Suter, an outstanding, 5-member band. Alexis rocked the house with her very soulful and powerful voice. Amy Helm and Ollabelle followed with Levon joining Tony Leone on drums. Levon sang 5 songs with Ollabelle and the place went wild!! There were cheers, screams, applause and even some tears from fans who have been waiting for that special moment to happen. Levon was spectacular. The evening's highlight was The Levon Helm Band starring Little Sammy Davis, but the pot was sweetened by Hubert Sumlin joining them. Erik Lawrence was on sax and Steven Bernstein was on trumpet. Seeing the three legends - Helm, Davis and Sumlin - on the same stage was outrageous and all were in top form. The music continued into the wee hours of Sunday morning with other surprise guests joining in. Murali Coryell joined the group, too, arriving at the studio after finishing his own gig elsewhere in Ulster County. We announced that we would be taking pre-sale reservations for the CD/DVD pack that will be coming out in December. We're going to call this "Volume I" of the Midnight Ramble Sessions and it will be The Levon Helm Band, starring Little Sammy Davis. You can make your reservations via www.levonhelm.com. The studio made a cash and toys donation to the Ulster County Marine Reserve Unit's Toys for Tots program. Thank you to all who attended and many thanks to those who contributed in some way to its success (Deisings Bakery, Enzo's Restaurant, Brueckner's Cooler Trucks, Allegro Music, Yamaha Drums, Rondout Savings Bank, Sauger-Tees, and to all those individuals who donate their time, energy, effort and talent to making the Ramble Sessions happen. You all know who you are). Jan, we especially thank you for posting our information and for being a friend. The Ramble Sessions will continue so keep checking our site for up-coming dates and times. Again, thank you all. Keep the music alive. As Levon says, "Support Live Music, Hire A Musician"...
    --Barbara, Woodstock, NY

Nov.28.2004

  • A new CD/DVD titled The Levon Helm Midnight Ramble Sessions Volume I can now be pre-ordered from levonhelm.com.

  • Our e-mail servers have been unreliable the last few days. Please re-send important mail dated Friday morning or later. We need more ISPs...

Nov.25.2004

  • From Eye Weekly's "Anti-Hit List", 11.25.2004:
    6. BURRITO DELUXE, "The Letter": This unlikely country cover of The Box Tops hit should bring a smile to the face of anyone fortunate enough to have caught Garth Hudson at one of his intermittent appearances on the current Wilco tour. The ex-Band/current Burrito member embroiders the song's threadbare structure with some of the most extravagant and unpredictable solos you'll hear this year. (From The Whole Enchilada, www.burritodeluxe.com)

Nov.23.2004

Nov.21.2004

  • New 2002 photo of Levon Helm & the Barn Burners.

Nov.20.2004

  • American Routes, a public radio program based in New Orleans, Louisiana, featured an extended interview with Robbie Robertson last week. The interview is available from their archives. Thanks to Alex Hoffman for the link.

Nov.18.2004

  • Included pages for the various-artists CD Norah Jones - Artist's Choice and the new DVD Norah Jones and the Handsome Band Live in 2004.

  • Added a scan of on original 1970 Festival Express poster.

  • A new bootleg DVD with The Band at the Isle of Wight and elsewhere is on its way, according to information from several sources on the net:
    "We have received information on a number of planned releases over the next couple of months... from the 4Reel Productions camp comes word of some very impressive DVD titles... closer to Christmas are Bob Dylan Isle of Wight 1969, which is going to cause a lot of buzz!.. and will also feature some surprise bonus material... audience recorded, twenty-five minutes of Bob's set, some of The Band's preceding set and another set from The Band at another European venue of the same time period. It is black & white and from a Super-8 cine camera or similar and was shot from the press pit so it is very close."
    Thanks to Dag Braathen for letting us know about this one.

  • Added a scan of an original Finnish Last Waltz poster. Contributed by "Jakke."

Nov.14.2004

  • Added the concert poster for Garth and Maud Hudson's "Magic Keyboard Tour."

  • More concert dates/info. added for Garth and Maud Hudson's "Magic Keyboard Tour" (with Paul Rigby on guitar/bass and Mike Sloski on drums) in Canada in December.

Nov.11.2004

  • There's an article in the New York Post titled "The Band Cells Out", about the use of the original version of "The Weight" in a recent cell phone TV commercial.

Nov.09.2004

  • The Levon Helm Blues Band (Levon Helm, Little Sammy Davis, Fred Scribner, Mike Merritt) are appearing at Tarrytown Music Hall, April 9, 2005, 7 p.m. at the Woodlawn Memorial Benefit Concert in memory of Barbara Connor, Tommy Steffens, Peter McCaffrey and Brian Timlin. Proceeds are going to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Tickets are available through Tarrytown Music Hall (tarrytownmusichall.org) or Ticketline at 866-302-5729. Tarrytown Music Hall is located at 13 Main Street, Tarrytown, New York.

  • The current line-up for Levon Helm's next Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, NY, on Saturday 11.27.04 is:

    • The Levon Helm Blues Band, featuring Levon Helm, Little Sammy Davis, Fred Scribner, Mike Merritt and Eric Lawrence.
    • The legendary Hubert Sumlin.
    • Bluegrass virtuoso Riley Baugus
    • Ollabelle with Amy Helm.

    More special guests to be announced. See levonhelm.com for more information about the Midnight Ramble Sessions.

Nov.08.2004

  • New Canadian concert dates for Garth and Maud Hudson in December.

  • From musictap.net:
    I'm going to unleash this bit of bad news first, just to get it off my chest and out of your hair early. As much as I've been waiting on this box set..well..I'm going to have to wait a bit longer as will those of you waiting for it as well. Capitol has changed the release date for the boxed set from The Band to the long way away date of August 30 from the last long way away date of May 24. This release was supposed to be out the end of this year. Patience fellow Band lovers, patience. In the meantime, hop on over to an excellent Band resource site.

Nov.06.2004

  • New concert dates for Garth Hudson with Burrito Deluxe, in California in the beginning of December.

    Though Garth will not be able to join Burrito Deluxe for their following Southern California dates (because of prior committments), he encourages you to please go hear them (update on fill-in keyboardist soon) at one of these venues:

    12/09/04Pioneertown, CAPappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace
    12/10/04Culver City, CABoulevard Music
    12/11/04San Diego, CAAcoustic Music San Diego

    December venue/ticket info for Garth and Maud Hudson's annual Peter's Players concerts and food drive north of Toronto before Christmas coming soon.

Nov.05.2004

Nov.03.2004

Nov.02.2004

  • US cell phone carrier Cingular has a new nation-wide TV commercial out that uses the original version of "The Weight."

Nov.01.2004

Oct.28.2004

Oct.27.2004

  • Information about Levon Helm and his Midnight Ramble Sessions in Woodstock can now be found at levonhelm.com. The site also offer tickets, t-shirts, caps and other merchandise.

  • Added the Australian album Live at the Vault (Sam See and Glyn Mason, 2004) to the list of cover versions of Band songs. Thanks to Bill Munson for pointing us to this one.

  • Added loads of photos from Getty Images and WireImage of Robbie at the Ladder 49 press conference and world premiere last month.

Oct.25.2004
    Levon Helm's Ramble Session - Saturday November 27, 2004

    Levon Helm, Little Sammy Davis, Fred Scribner, Mike Merritt, Eric Lawrence and featuring Mr. Hubert Sumlin. More names and acts to be announced. Gates open at 7:00 p.m. $100 per person and we're asking for advance ticket purchases/reservations through levonhelm.com. Session will be audio and video taped for production - please, no cameras or recording devices. T-shirts, hats, CDs and bumper stickers will be sold. We do a raffle with incredible, autographed prizes. Event is being held at Levon Helm Studios, 160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock New York 12498. Driving directions and additional information will be emailed to attendees upon confirmation of ticket sale/reservation. More information will follow - keep checking this site and levonhelm.com. Please bring a wrapped toy for the Toys for Tots Drive, too. Thank you,
    --Barbara, Levon Helm Studios.

  • Signed copies of Elliott Landy's photo book Dylan in Woodstock are now available from Genesis Publications. The book contains high-quality prints of Landy's classic 1968-69 photos of The Band (previews available from The Band site). Highly recommended for Dylan and Band fans.

  • And even more links from Brown Eyed Girl...

Oct.23.2004

Oct.21.2004

  • Levon and Amy Helm play on the new album Anonymous from Kieran McGee.

  • There's a web page dedicated to the Hawks' bass player from the late '50s, Jimmy Evans, at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame site.

  • Check out photos of Garth and Levon manning the Scullville Potato Gun.

Oct.20.2004

  • "Let Levon Be Your Guide"!

  • Looks like Levon Helm is ready, willing and able to sing, play and act these days -- he is going to Texas next week to do a small part in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, a movie directed by Tommy Lee Jones, who also plays the main character. From hollywoodreporter.com, July 2004:
    Tommy Lee Jones will direct and star in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, an indie feature written by 21 Grams scribe Guillermo Arriaga. Jones also will produce the film along with Michael Fitzgerald. The story follows ranch hand Pete Perkins (Jones), who attempts to keep a promise to a recently deceased friend by making sure that he is buried in his hometown in Mexico. Production begins in mid-September in Texas with two-time Oscar winner Chris Menges serving as cinematographer. Luc Besson's Europa Corp. is financing and executive producing. It is Jones' first feature directorial assignment. In 1995, he helmed the made-for-television film The Good Old Boys, which he adapted from Elmer Kelton's book of the same name. Jones, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for 1993's The Fugitive, will be seen next in Revolution Studios' Cheer Up.

Oct.19.2004

  • Levon Helm will be singing with Uncle Remus and the Whole Show at the Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, NY, this weekend! The Uncle Remus line-up is Levon Helm on vocals & drums, Little Sammy Davis on vocals & harmonica, Freddy Scribner on guitar, Mike Merritt on bass, Frank Luther on bass and Cary Brown on piano. See levonhelmstudios.com for tickets and more info.

  • New photos of Garth and Maud Hudson with Jeff Alexander at the AMA Awards in Nashville, TN, last month.

Oct.18.2004

  • Included some interesting photos from the filming of The Band on the Last Waltz sound stage.

  • Added photos of Garth playing with the Dixie Hummingbirds in NY, July 2004.

  • Even more links to Band-related stuff on the net, submitted by "Brown Eyed Girl."

  • Added the albums Jotter's Whiffle (Wouter Planteijdt, 2002) and Snapshot (Penelope Houston, 2003) to the list of cover versions of Band songs. Also included a page for the bootleg EP Drunken Minstrels. Thanks to Norbert and Brown Eyed Girl for the info.

Oct.17.2004

  • Would you buy a car from this guy? (960K MPEG-3 file). Thanks to Brown Eyed Girl for the link :-)

  • New links to Band-related stuff on the net, submitted by "Brown Eyed Girl." Many more to come...

Oct.13.2004

  • The 10.23.2004 Midnight Ramble at Levon Helm's Studio in Woodstock, NY, will feature a special performance from the great Luther 'Guitar' Johnson & his band. Mike Merritt is also going to play bass with Levon, Little Sammy and Fred Scribner, other guests TBA. The arrangers of the Ramble will collect wrapped toys for children for Toys for Tots. See levonhelmstudios.com for tickets and more info.

Oct.12.2004

  • We're celebrating today! It's now 10 years since The Band web site first appeared on the internet, as a couple of web pages on an old Sun Sparcstation sitting in my office. Can anyone still remember when we looked something like this? It's been 10 interesting years...

  • From our friend Paul Cantin:
    "This past Saturday night, Wilco performed at Massey Hall in Toronto. Garth Hudson joined them during the encores and played organ on When The Roses Bloom Again, Christ For President and California Stars. The members of Wilco were smiling so widely, their faces must have hurt after the show. A great conclusion to the performance."

Oct.11.2004

Oct.09.2004

  • Garth & Maud Hudson's upcoming LIVE at the WOLF CD release has been postponed. However, they will send an updated release date to the Band web site soon.

  • New concert dates for The Jim Weider Band.

  • New Robbie Robertson web pages at Capitol Records. Weird, unreadable biography, generic Macromedia Flash layout with several empty menu selections... and not much else. Robbie deserves something better than this from his own (former?) label.

Oct.07.2004

Oct.06.2004

  • Included a page for the new Eddie Baltimore album The Space Between, featuring Garth Hudson.

Oct.05.2004

  • Added a scan of the artwork at the back of the booklet for the upcoming LIVE at the WOLF CD from Garth and Maud Hudson.

  • Garth and Maud Hudson will be participating in The Eddie Baltimore Musical Memorial in Toronto, Canada, tonight (Tuesday, Oct. 5th, 8:00 PM) at The Silver Dollar Room, 486 Spadina Ave. (at the corner of Spadina and College). Eddie was location engineer for the Hudson's LIVE at the WOLF CD. Garth played on one of the tracks on Eddie's final, unfinished CD, The Space Between. A copy of Eddie's CD is included with the $12.00 admission price!
    We thought an awful lot of Eddie and loved him like crazy! --Maud Hudson

  • Tickets to the next Midnight Ramble at Levon Helm's Studio in Woodstock, NY, on Saturday October 23, are available from levonhelmstudios.com, together with more information about the performers and the event. Tickets are also available from these local merchants:
    • Catskill Mountain Pizza, 51 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock, NY
    • Rhythms, 68 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY
    • The Golden Notebook, 29 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY
    • Woodstock Music Shop, 18 Rock City Road, Woodstock, NY
    • Blue Byrd's, 21 West Strand, Kingston, NY
    • Wild & Sweet, 17 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY

Oct.02.2004

  • Tom Izzo, who often played harp with Jim Weider's band, has passed away at the age of 51. Tom was a regular visitor to The Band web site for many years. Both he and his wife Marianne have contributed photos and other material to our archives. May he rest in peace.

  • New concert dates for Professor "Louie" & the Crowmatix.

Sep.28.2004

  • 9-year old musical talent Myles Mancuso played with Levon and his Band on Sunday, here are some photos from the performance.

  • New review of the concert with Garth and Burrito Deluxe last weekend in Nashville.

  • Added the new music video for Robbie Robertson's song "Shine Your Light" from the Ladder 49 soundtrack. The video is available in Quicktime format in both a small (10MB) and a large (50MB) version. You can also see this music video as a video stream in .WMV-format from the Ladder 49 film clips page at firehouse.com.

  • Included lyrics for Robbie's "Shine Your Light." Thanks to "Brown Eyed Angelina" for transcribing the lyrics.

  • Added a page for the "Shine Your Light" promo single.

Sep.28.2004

Sep.27.2004

  • He-hey! Check out levonhelm.com!

  • New photos from the outdoors concert with Levon Helm's blues band in Woodstock, NY, yesterday.

Sep.26.2004

  • New Midnight Ramble at Levon's at 10.23.2004:
    Are you ready to "Ramble" again? October 23, 2004. Gates open at 4 p.m. Music begins a little later. Levon Helm, Little Sammy Davis, Fred Scribner - and more surprises, as usual. $100 per person, payable through Paypal at our site www.levonhelmstudios.com or in advance, by check. We do the BBQ, you bring whatever. The session is being taped and being aired on national TV between December and January, along with other Rambles from the past. Please, for this reason, we ask that you not bring cameras or recording devices. Contact barbara@levonhelmstudios.com for more information and ticket confirmation. Hope to see you there!
    --Barbara O'Brien

  • "Fans of the Band should mark their calendars for May 2005, when Capitol/EMI is slated to release a box set, curated by band member Robbie Robertson. 'I'm working on the definitive musical history of the Band,' Robertson tells Billboard..." Read more about the new box and Robbie's work with the soundtrack to new film Ladder 49, a special-edition DVD of Raging Bull and a new Native American musical, in this Billboard article.

  • A little report by our ol' friend Jeff Alexander from the gig with Garth and Burrito Deluxe in Nashville, TN, yesterday:
    Burrito Deluxe smoked a packed American Music Association party at BBKings here last night. Nashville turned out and Burrito Deluxe wowed em. I have a lot to say about this but am hurried to get back to from whence i came, so more to come later. But let me tell you, this is a pop band to be reckoned with. Talent and passion packed at every instrument, and they sure came across in a huge way. I cannot rave enough about last night's show or this band. Carlton Moody is the real deal, a phenomenal country singer, it don't get no better than Lonow and Davis on the rhythm section, and Sneaky and Garth played to their youthful souls content. The musical wisdom of the ages that they were born with,with the virtue of their years, but tempered by the youthfulness of their hearts. It all came through. More to come about this show.

    Garth goes directly from here to record with Neko Case in Arizona. The session is for Neko's upcoming release on Epitath Records.

    I witnessed a remarkable phenomenon Friday night at the awards show. The room worked Garth. Just hanging out, thoroughly enjoying himself as he does wherever he is and whatever is transpiring, everyone came over to meet Garth and Maud. The room worked Garth! Everyone had a ball. and everyone was just tickled pink and floored to meet Garth. Who was genuinely thankful, joyous and interested to meet everyone. Mavis Staples came over and was just ecstatic to see Garthand Maud again, old friends, who could not get enough of each other and probably could spend a month just catching up and most likely will soon as they can. Mavis received an award and performed a wonderful "Will The Circle Be Unbroken".

    More on that show and the performances, etc, etc, later.

    --Jeff

  • From a new Rolling Stone interview with Elvis Costello:
    I recently met Martin Scorsese. I said, "I wanted to meet you all these years." And he said, "I was at your first show in Hollywood." I said, "You were?" "Yeah, with Robbie [Robertson]." If I'd known Robbie was there, I wouldn't have been able to play. I worshipped the Band. I remember being on the tour bus with the Attractions watching a bootleg of The Last Waltz as soon as it came out, until we had it memorized.

Sep.24.2004

  • Our "house artist" Paul Fleming has created new portraits of the five original members of The Band, based on footage from The Last Waltz. The Elliott Landy photo on the home page will be replaced by these portraits for a while. Thanks to Paul Fleming for the contribution, and to Serge Daniloff for sending us scans and helping Fleming in the creative process. Prints of Fleming's artwork are available for purchase from the artist.

  • Greil Marcus (Mystery Train, Invisible Republic) writes about The Band in the fall 2004 issue of the US literary magazine Threepenny Review. Unfortunately(?) the article is not available on-line.

  • A live version of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" by Bruce Hornsby, recorded yesterday at a concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, is available in MPEG-3 format from bruuuce.com.

Sep.23.2004

  • Levon Helm and his blues band are schduled to play at the Europa Club in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY, tonight. This is the first in a series of Thursday Night Blues-Rock-special concerts, hosted by The Michael Packer Blues Band. See the concert list for details.

  • The new Artie Traum compilation Acoustic Jazz Guitar includes the instrumental "Yankee Swamp", recorded in 1998 with Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Jim Weider.

Sep.22.2004

Sep.21.2004

  • Garth Hudson plays accordion on Leonard Cohens new album Dear Heather. To be released 25.10.2004 in Europe and 26.10.2004 in the US.

  • Robbie Robertson is currently scheduled to be a guest on Bob Coburn's Rockline radio show in the U.S. on Wednesday, October 13, 2004. For a radio station near you, visit rocklineradio.com and click on the "AFFILIATES" button. Thanks to Gary Palmer for the update.

Sep.20.2004

  • The free concert with Levon's band in Woodstock, NY, this weekend has been moved from Saturday to Sunday:
    Due to the high holy day of our Jewish community, we have decided to change the free concert on the Village Green in Woodstock to Sunday, 09.26 from 2-4 pm. We're inviting an opening act, Songs of Solomon, to play right before Levon and Little Sammy. They'll play from 1-2.
    --Barbara O'Brien

Sep.19.2004

  • Yesterday's The Band documentary with Barney Hoskyns on BBC Radio 2 is available for listening from the BBC archives, for seven days after the transmission. A mention of The Band web site (a rather nice one, too) can be found at the bottom of the archive page.

  • Here are some recent photos of Garth Hudson.

  • Added a photo of Justin Danko and Cousin Paul outside Big Pink, May 2004.

Sep.18.2004

  • Check out the article in todays issue of the London Free Press, about the upcoming CD Live at the WOLF from Garth and Maud Hudson.

Sep.17.2004

  • Hmmm. Looks like anyone can get into the Burrito Deluxe party with Garth Hudson at the Americana Music Association Conference in Nashville, TN, on Saturday 09.25.2004. Info. about this is available at the AMA convention website, if you scroll way down this web page...

Sep.16.2004

  • Added a QuickTime video file (18MB!) with the Electronic Press Kit promoting Burrito Deluxe's new album The Whole Enchilada. The video has a few interview clips with Garth Hudson.

  • Levon Helm with Little Sammy Davis and Fred Scribner are playing on the Village Green in Woodstock, NY, on Saturday, September 25th from 2 to 4 p.m. This is a free concert sponosored by the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce, individual merchants of Woodstock and fans of Levon's.

Sep.15.2004

  • More about the Midnight Ramble at Levon's Studio in Woodstock, NY, on Saturday:
    The next ramble on 09-18-2004 will basically feature the same blues band as the last time with Levon, Little Sammy and Fred Scribner -- no Ollabelle or Riley Baugus this time, they're all on tour. An added group to the line-up is Tin Halo Recording artists, Lonesome Sisters, an accoustic country band. As usual, we'll have more surprise guests as we go on. $100 per ticket, payable via Paypal at the site www.levonhelmstudios.com or cash only at the door. Gates open at 4, music starts a little later than that. Information can always be found at levonhelmstudios.com.
    --Barbara O'Brien

  • New review by Peter Viney of the Festival Express concert/tour movie.

  • Levon Helm & the Barn Burners are playing at the Mexicali Blues Cafe in Teaneck, NJ, on 09.25.2004.

  • BBC Radio 2 is broadcasting a documentary on The Band called Across The Great Divide, this Saturday at 9.30pm GMT. There is a preview of the show on the BBC Radio 2 website and it should be available to listen online. Although it is an hour long, it will probably not be in-depth and could be more Dylan biased as the show before it is a sort of "classic albums" affair, reviewing Blonde on Blonde. Also, the preview talks about Richard Manuel as The Band's bass player which doesn't sound too promising... Thanks to Chris Todd in the UK for this information.

  • Added song list and cover art for the new soundtrack album Ladder 49, featuring the Robbie Robertson original "Shine Your Light."

  • The Dutch band Sjako! are currently touring the Netherlands with a "Tribute to The Band" show. Recent live recordings from this tour are available from the Sjako! web site (on the "Tour Dates" page, scroll down a bit to find the audio streams).

  • The Band web site was off-line again yesterday. Local power failure this time.

  • To those of you that have sent us web site material lately: We're a bit too busy with work and assorted private matters to keep up the normal level of maintenance at The Band web site right now. Please be patient -- the mail backlog here is huge, but we'll give you all a proper reply sooner or later, when the smoke clears. Thanks for all your contributions.

Sep.08.2004

  • There will be a new "Midnight Ramble" at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY, on Saturday September 18th! See levonhelmstudios.com for more info.

Sep.07.2004

  • Some news about The Band's guitarist Jim Weider:
    • Jim co-wrote the album title song and single for the new Mavis Staples album Have a Little Faith, produced by Jim Tullio on Alligator records, and also played guitar on five of the tracks.
    • Jim just finished recording 6 guitar tracks on recording artist Phil Roys new album.
    • Jim produced, mixed and played all the guitars on Tom Pachecho's album Year of The Big Wind.
    • Deborah Coleman recorded "Love's Like Rain", a Jim Weider /Colin Linden song from Big Foot, on her new Telarc release What about Love.
    • Cindy Cashdollar and special guest Sonny Landreth recorded Jim and Colin Linden's song "Sliding Home" on her new album.
    • Jim is going into the studio to produce and play on a new Tom Pacheco album next week.

Sep.06.2004

Sep.04.2004
[logo]
See levonhelmstudios.com for tickets and more info.

Sep.03.2004

Sep.01.2004

Aug.31.2004

  • A first version of a web site for the Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY, is now up and running at levonhelmstudios.com. It currently consists of an ad for the Ramble this weekend and a guestbook.

  • New Line Home Entertainment have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Festival Express for 2nd November 2004, priced at $24.98. The 2-DVD set has more than 50 additional minutes of exclusive performance footage not seen in the theatrical version of the film, plus extra interviews and other goodies. Thanks to Karl Gedlicka for the info.

Aug.28.2004

  • Robbie Robertson's new song "Shine Your Light" from the Ladder 49 soundtrack, will be released as a single. Robbie is currently recording and producing a music video for the song.

Aug.25.2004

Aug.22.2004

  • The concert with Garth Hudson and Burrito Deluxe at WoodSongs in Lexington, KY, tomorrow will be broadcasted on the internet, and the concert video will also be archived. See the WoodSongs web site for more info.

  • From the arrangers of the Midnight Ramble at Levon's Studio on 09.04.2004:
    This Midnight Ramble has turned into a bigger production than we could have even hoped for -- and we need to raise the price to the original $100/ticket. The musical cast for this Midnight Ramble will be very similar to our last one but with even more special acts and guests. Nobody wanted half a Ramble anyway, and this one's gonna last all day and night. See you all in Woodstock.

  • There's a good article about Garth and Burrito Deluxe in Charlotte's Creative Loafing. The article includes an interview with Garth where he talks about songwriting credits in The Band. Thanks to Amanda for sending us the link.

Aug.19.2004

  • The Muscle Shoals, Alabama band the Drive-By Truckers are releasing their new album The Dirty South this month. It includes the song "Danko/Manuel", a tribute to the late members of The Band.
[cover]
Toronto Star TV Guide Cover

Aug.18.2004

  • This Friday, August 20, at 9:30 p.m. ET on the Canadian CTV Network: The Ronnie Hawkins TV special Still Alive and Kickin'. Thanks to Serge Daniloff for the reminder and scan from the Toronto Star.

Aug.17.2004

  • Added photos and reviews from Garth Hudson's concert with Burrito Deluxe in Virginia, August 15, 2004, and his performance with Wilco at the Newport Folk Fest.

  • Here's a little review of the gig with Garth and Burrito Deluxe in New York City last night:
    Burrito Deluxe in New York City

    Burrito Deluxe rolled into Manhattan last night and stopped to play a beautiful set at Joe's Pub in the East Village. The 70 minute show, attended by only about 50-60 people, was evenly distributed by Flying Burrito Brothers standards and selections for the new classic Burrito Deluxe. As the band took the stage of this cozy club, one keyboard member was noticeably absent. Carlton Moody announced to all that Garth was caught in traffic somewhere near the Holland Tunnel. For those not familiar with New York, that meant that he was at least 20 minutes away. Even with that, the anticipation of hearing Sneaky Pete Kleinow awaken the ghosts of the Burritos was worth the price of admission. If the Web has this right, Pete celebrates his 70th birthday this week. While the venue could have turned the sound of his pedal steel up a notch, his signature sound - which more than any other is the sound of the Burritos past and present - was clearly there.

    Since the group has been on tour for a short while, they played a very tight, driving set. From the new material, it included "You Got Gold" (a song, according to Carlton, that Garth suggested to record), "Woman Like You," "Everywhere I Go," "Memphis Money" and "Rex Bob Lowenstein." From the previous CD, the group revised "Cash On The Barrelhead," "Bluest Brown Eyes," Christine's Tune," Streets of Baltimore," and "Hickory Wind." Through this all, Garth came on stage about 30 minutes into the set (a gentleman called JT handled the keyboards during the first half). With Garth trading breaks with Sneaky Pete, the show really took off. Having seen Garth play over the course of 30 years, his playing is as great as it has ever been. Die-hard Band fans will appreciate the extended Genetic Method-like solo that leads into "The Weight," which was a real highlight of the show.

    What strikes you about Burrito Deluxe is not only how tight the sound is, but how genuinely nice the guys in the group seem to be. They are old pros with no pretense and great players all. They seemed to really enjoy playing together which hopefully will bode well for future studio work. And yes, these guys do deserve the support, certainly the 50 or so folks last night enjoyed the show. Here's hoping that many more will go and enjoy some great, great music as they continue their tour in the U.S.

    --John "Band Thought", jsls77@aol.com

Aug.14.2004

  • Here's a nice photo of Levon's daughter Amy Helm on stage with Ollabelle last week.

Aug.13.2004

Aug.10.2004

  • Garth Hudson made an unexpected guest appearance with the great Wilco at the Newport Folk Fest this weekend! Here's a quote from an article in the Boston Globe:
    "All of the songs I write are folk songs to being with," Jeff Tweedy said earlier, but he and Wilco dared to veer from their roots on nearly every outing, cracking sweet folk songs open to spill out the ugly insides and turning country tunes to fuzz. When the Band's Garth Hudson -- an elder statesmen of folk-rock keyboards who had accompanied the Dixie Hummingbirds earlier in the day -- joined Wilco for wildly spirited takes on "California Stars" and "Late Greats," time stood still for a few musical moments, precisely as it should at this festival.
    Review and photos from the event coming at this site soon...

  • There was a nice article about Garth Hudson in yesterday's issue of The Newport Daily News. Thanks to Timothy Wood for pointing us to this one.

  • Ronnie Hawkins and Gordon Lightfoot were the main attractions at a sold-out Flood Relief concert in Peterborough, Ontario, last Friday. Here are some photos from the event.

Aug.09.2004

Aug.08.2004

  • A good quality audio stream of the epic country song "Rex Bob Lowenstein" from the new Burrito Deluxe album The Whole Enchilada, with great keyboards/piano from Garth Hudson, is available from CaroZong Records in Holland. I love this one!

  • From our UK friend Peter Viney: In the forthcoming new releases column, Record Collector gives a tentative date of May 24th 2005 for the new Band box set. It also has a four-star review of Burrito DeLuxe.

  • Added cover art for the promo CD for Garth and Maud Hudson's upcoming album LIVE at the WOLF.

  • New photos of Levon Helm on stage with young drummer Tyler Hough at the Baltimore Blues Fest in June.

Aug.05.2004

Aug.04.2004

We would like to announce the upcoming release of our duo CD LIVE at the WOLF on Make It Real Records:
  • Garth Hudson, piano
  • Maud Hudson, vocals
  • Lance Anderson, producer
This CD is a live recording of our first intimate duo concert performance on September 8, 2002 in London, Ontario, Canada. Though Garth was born in Windsor, Ontario, he was raised and educated in London. We were there to celebrate the opening weekend of the new London Public Library's wonderful Wolf Performance Hall. It will be released in Canada October 15, 2004. There will be a concert/release party on October 16th in Toronto. More details later.

--Maud Hudson

Aug.04.2004

  • The upcoming special documentary on Ronnie Hawkins from the Canadian CTV network, will use some of Serge Daniloff's 1959-60 photos of Ronnie and the early Hawks (including a 19-year old Levon Helm) that were first published on this web site in the mid '90s. The show, titled Still Alive and Kickin', was 2 years in the making and will show both his private and musical life. On CTV Friday August 20th, at 9:30 pm.

Aug.03.2004

  • Added RealAudio sound samples for the 2002 Burrito Deluxe album Georgia Peach.

Aug.02.2004

  • [photo]
    It's Garth Hudson's birthday today. Happy 67th, Honey Boy!

  • Added a little review of a UK concert with Burrito Deluxe.

  • More US concert dates in August for Burrito Deluxe with Garth Hudson.

  • New cover scans for the Burrito Deluxe CD The Whole Enchilada.

  • Added a page for the new bootleg The Band at Woodstock. Scans and album info. by Peter Viney.

  • More photos of The Band on stage in Guelph, Ontario, 1970, by David Gary Fisher.

  • Press release:
    Attention Entertainment Editors:

    Tears, Fears and Miracles. Ronnie Hawkins Cheats the Grim Reaper in Ronnie Hawkins: Still Alive and Kickin', August 20 on CTV

    From a terminal cancer diagnosis to cancer free - Ronnie Hawkins is still alive and kickin'

    TORONTO, July 29 /CNW/ - To his friends, he's Mr. Dynamo. To his doctors, he's a miracle. To the rest of the world, he's The Hawk, the Arkansas-born King of Rockabilly who made Canada his home and his stage for more than four decades. He's still rocking the house today - against all odds. On Friday, August 20 at 9:30 p.m. ET (check local listings), CTV premieres Ronnie Hawkins: Still Alive and Kickin', a 90-minute original documentary.

    In this special, director Anne Pick spends a rollercoaster year and a half with The Hawk, following the story from his original diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer in 2002 through to his mysterious recovery. In between, the cameras capture the highs and lows, the frustration, fears and the tears and love during this emotional time in Hawkins' life. From the family who worship him, to strangers on the street, to friends like Bill Clinton, Robbie Robertson and Kris Kristofferson, everybody is pulled into this truly unbelievable time in the life of a living legend.

    "It has been an incredible journey; from the prospect of facing death to an inexplicable new lease on life," said Bob Culbert, CTV's Vice-President Documentaries. "This documentary is the story of his amazing struggle - the dark days and the fun times he had as he worked towards recovery."

    Hawkins came to Canada in 1959, becoming the "Prince of Yonge Street" making a generation of women swoon at the Coq D'Or. The history behind Hawkins is rich, filled with the famous, the wanna-be's, and a legion of musicians that owe their success to his extraordinary ability to bring out the talent in his band members including The Band.

    With a tumor on his pancreas the documentary shows The Hawk struggling with old age and his own mortality, and facing the prospect of meeting "the Big Rocker in the sky." Viewers get to see all of Ronnie Hawkins: the Idol, the Family Man and the Patient. Alternately the consummate Southern gentleman, a foul-mouthed "old boy," an unparalleled storyteller, a loving husband, stubborn, vulnerable and dependent, afraid, defiant, one of the funniest men alive, and the Pope of rock 'n roll. It's Ronnie Hawkins, warts and all, like he's never been seen before.

    Ronnie Hawkins: Still Alive and Kickin' is produced by Real to Reel Productions in association with CTV. Real To Reel Productions is a Toronto- based award-winning independent production company producing factual programming whose past credits include Helen's War: Portrait of a Dissident, Fast Forward: The Life and Times of Pamela Wallin, The Notorious Mrs. Dick, Hearing Voices: the Rich Little Story, Moe Norman: The King of Swing, and Ryan's Well.

    CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It boasts the number-one national newscast, CTV News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTV owns 21 conventional television stations across Canada and has interests in 14 specialty channels, including the number-one Canadian specialty channel, TSN. CTV is owned by Bell Globemedia, Canada's premier multi-media company. More information about CTV may be found on the company Web site at www.ctv.ca .

    For further information: Emily Young Lee, CTV Inc., (416) 332-7367, eyounglee@ctv.ca ; Mike Cosentino, CTV Inc., (416) 332-5048, mcosentino@ctv.ca .

Aug.01.2004

Jul.29.2004

Jul.28.2004

  • A recent article in the New York Times about the Festival Express film ends with this quote from Robbie Robertson:
    "The stars of this movie are Rick Danko, Janis Joplin and Jerry Garcia," said Robbie Robertson, who performed with the Band at the festival's concerts but missed the train ride because he was mixing the group's album, "Stage Fright," in New York. "They seemed to be leading the pack of madness. And it's so sad that they're not with us anymore. I saw the film as a tribute to their crazy spirit. There was a wonderful blindness, a beautiful innocence, to those times -- anything seemed possible. "I also thought," he concluded, "that this may be the last of this kind of footage. I don't know if anybody's got another one of these in their basement. This may be it."

Jul.27.2004

  • A nice e-mail just came in:

    trophy
    This site has been voted TOP music site by the So Musical! music directory! A fine example of what a high quality web site should be!
    From: Mike <awards@somusical.com>
    To: jan.hoiberg@hiof.no
    Subject: Top Music Site Award

    Hello!

    Congratulations on having a very useful and relevant web site. We have included you in the largest, and most prestigious Music Directory on the internet, somusical.com.

    This is no small matter. This directory, with over 100,000 links, has strict guidelines and your site has made it into this exclusive, high-end directory.

    Because your site is on-topic and informative for the category it is in, we have decided to issue you the So Musical! Top Music Site Award. You may display this award anywhere on your web site, either with or without a link to us. You can download the award, or let our server host it, either way is fine, it's your award, you earned it. Congratulations

    Sincerely,
    Michael Thiessen
    SoMusical! Editor
    http://www.somusical.com

    The new award has been placed in the web site "trophy gallery".

  • New photos of Levon Helm & the Barn Burners at the Rynborn Blues & Funk Festival, in Swanzey, NH, 07.18.2004.

  • Check out this February 2003 radio interview with Levon Helm and Aaron Neville!

  • Added pages for the new soundtrack albums A Home at the End of the World and Lightning in a Bottle.

  • Looks like an October release in Canada for the new live CD with Garth and Maud Hudson -- there are plans for a big celebration in Toronto.

  • New/updated concert dates for Garth Hudson and Levon Helm.

  • Added cover art and track list for the new Burrito Deluxe album The Whole Enchilada. See the Burrito Deluxe web site for more info. about this CD.

Jul.25.2004

  • The City of Stratford, Ontario honoured Richard Manuel, "late singer and keyboardist of legendary Canadian rock group The Band," during Canada Day festivities at City Hall (July 1st, 2004). A bronze plaque was presented by Stratford City Councellor Chris Rickett to Richard's brother Jim Manuel. The plaque will be laid in the sidewalk in front of Stratford's old post office at a date to be determined later this year. Here are some photos from the event. Thanks to Dave Fisher for this information.

  • Added two more 1976 photos of The Band, by Leo Kulinski, Jr. Check out his web site to see more of Leo's photography.

  • Be there: Garth Hudson & Dixie Hummingbirds, Apple & Eve Newport Folk Festival. Sunday, Aug. 8th at noon. FORT STAGE: A rare oportunity to hear GARTH HUDSON on a Hammond B3 organ. He will also take along various keyboards, modules, and accordion. Righteous accompaniment for the gospel voices of the DIXIE HUMMINGBIRDS! Location: Fort Adams State Park, Harrison Avenue, Newport, RI. Contacts: Festival Office 401-847-3700. Lodging Reservation Service 800-848-8848, Newport Visitors Bureau 800-326-6030, Camping Information 800-556-2484.

  • Check out this Scottish article about Garth titled "Return of the Master".

  • Here's a link to a fine article about the Festival Express film. Thanks to Brent Waltz for sending us this one.

  • New Irish articles about Garth and Burrito Deluxe at rte.ie.

  • Here's the set list from Garth and Maud Hudson's concert at Slim's, SF, June 17, 2004, with Jim Nichols, guitar, John Hettle, bass, and special guest Christian Keifer, poet:

    1. When I Go Away
    2. Beyond the Beakers
    3. Dardinella - Garth Solo
    4. Cheap Lovin - Maud a cappella
    5. Dark Star
    6. Willow Weep for Me
    7. The Shape I'm in
    8. Blind Willie McTell
    9. Everytime I See the Sun - Garth Solo
    10. Bull Dog Blues
    11. Old Folks
    12. You'll Be Thinkin'
    13. Yesterdays - Garth Solo
    14. Accordion Solo
    15. How's Bobby, Bobby? - Reading
    16. Gershwin Medley - Instrumental
    17. One Mint Julip - Instrumental
    18. Youngblood
    19. It Makes No Difference
    20. The Weight
    21. Stand by Me
    22. Caravan - Garth Solo

  • Both of these concerts are postponed because of a conflict in schedule:
    08/14/04 Pittsburgh, PA Rex Theater Garth Hudson with Burrito Deluxe
    08/13/04 Sellersville, PA Sellersville Theater Garth Hudson with Burrito Deluxe

  • Back from Gomorra... here's a photo of British Band fans Deluxe Karl and Roger with Garth in London this month. Archived in the Band fans section of the photos archive.

Jul.02.2004

  • Time for our summer holiday, time for celebrating life, love and good beer in the South of Denmark. No updates of this site for three weeks or so, then.

  • New 1976 photos of The Band, by Leo Kulinski, Jr. Check out his web site to see more of Leo's photography.

  • Added pages for the albums Night Light (Kevin Hearn & Thin Buckle, 2003) and Welcome Home (Vickie Russell, 2004), both featuring Garth Hudson.

Jul.01.2004

  • The photos of The Band's and Dylan's '60s photographer Elliott Landy is on exhibition at the New York State Museum, from June 19 to September 6, 2004. The NY museum is also hosting a Woodstock Concert Series with performers from the original Woodstock Festival this summer, including "Music of The Band" on Friday, August 6, 2004. See the the museum web site for more information about these events.

Jun.29.2004

Jun.28.2004

Jun.27.2004

  • And now for something completely different.

  • Added more cover art for the Australian remastered DVD version of The Band is Back. Scans by Niels Amond Adsersen.

  • Norah Jones on stage in Oslo Spektrum last night: "There's a guy down there with a Levon Helm and the Barn Burners t-shirt! Is that cool or what?" Yes, that's cool, Norah. Real class, if you ask me :-) And so was the version of "Life is a Carnival" ("...a song by our favorite band of all times: The Band!") that you and the Handsome Band did as an encore. Thanks for the wonderful music. Highly recommended.

Jun.25.2004

  • Added a little story to the photo of Garth and Maud with fans Jojo and Tom in San Francisco last week.

Jun.24.2004

  • Included a photo of the lovely Norah Jones with Levon and Garth. Copied from the Norah Jones web site. Guess who's going to see Norah in concert in Oslo on Saturday? Guess who'll be standing in front of the stage in a Levon Helm & the Barn Burners shirt drinking beer and shouting requests for "Bessie Smith"?

  • New cover of "It Makes No Difference" (3.7MB MPEG-3 file) by C T Fall. This one was posted in the Usenet newsgroup alt.music.the-band yesterday.

  • Bob Dylan received an honorary music doctorate degree on Wednesday, from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Here are a few AP photos from the event, courtesy of Mike Nomad.

  • Added a scan of the Last Waltz backstage badge, provided by Todd Atkinson.

Jun.23.2004

  • Added Levon Helm's article "The Music" from the February 2004 issue of Razor magazine to the archives.

  • Garth Hudson and Burrito Deluxe will be releasing their new CD August 10th in the USA. They will tour in the states after that date, starting with a few Pennsylvania venues beginning August 13th in Sellersville. Here is the ininerary so far:

    SatAug 28Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
    ThuAug 26Thirsty Ear, Columbus, OH
    WedAug 25Southgate House, Newport, KY
    TueAug 24The Dame,-Lexington, KY
    SunAug 22Pour House Music Hall, Raleigh, NC
    SatAug 21Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC
    FriAug 20Neighborhood Theater, Charlotte, NC
    ThuAug 19Ashland Coffee and Tea, Ashland, VA
    WedAug 18Tin Angel, Philadelphia, PA
    SatAug 14Rex Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
    FriAug 13Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA

    The Burritos then go to Switzerland for the first week of September and Nashville September 23 through 25.

Jun.22.2004

  • The kid appearing with Levon Helm in the photos from the Baltimore Blues Fest this weekend is Tyler Hough from Connellsville, PA. Levon has taken a special interest in mentoring Tyler because he has a great gift as a drummer, and Levon wants him to learn other instruments, including the guitar. See Tyler's web page at www.tylerhough.com for more info. about this talented kid.

  • John Donabie posted this at the new "guestbook" today:

    New Garth and Maud Hudson CD Being Released This Fall

    Well it's official! The new Garth Hudson CD featuring Ms. Maud Hudson will be released this fall on "Make It Real Records." "Make It Real Records" is owned and operated by Lance Anderson who Produced the Hudson's in London, Ontario and Toronto. The album is getting it's finishing touches and will be released this fall.

    Make It Real is a Canadian label. For more information please go to www.makeitrealrecords.com. I would wait awhile on how to order; because as I said it is a fall release; but I'm sure you'll be able to order through Lance's website. I'm sure Lance will put some ordering information on the site.

    At last some new music from the Hudson's. Some of it will be familiar for those of you lucky enough to have seen them live.

  • Here's a nice report by Jonathan Katz from the Baltimore Blues Fest this weekend, headlined by Levon Helm & the Barn Burners.

  • New photo of Jojo and her husband Tom with Garth and Maud Hudson, at their San Francisco show at Slim's on 6/17/04, added to the Band fans page

Jun.21.2004

  • A little review of Garth and Maud Hudson's concert at Slim's in San Francisco last Thursday:

    I was very happy to attend Garth and Maud's show at Slim's nightclub (owned by Boz Scaggs) in San Francisco last week (June 17). It was a rare opportunity to see the great master musician Garth on the West Coast, and especially in an intimate setting. With friends John Hettle on bass and Jim Nichols on guitar, they ran through a wide variety of material, including three Band songs. One highlight of the show was a rendition of the Grateful Dead's "Dark Star", which they dedicated to San Francisco. They also covered a few jazz standards along the way, including a fine instrumental version of "I've Got Rhythm" that showcased Garth's skillful genius. The rest of the set was a delicious mix of blues, gospel, R&B, and poetry, with a touch of "Lady Of Spain" thrown in, courtesy of Garth on the accordian.

    Garth and Maud gave us an evening of soulful music, played from the heart, along with flashes of melodic brilliance, much to the enjoyment of an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

    --Kurt Huget, San Francisco, California

  • Garth and Maud Hudson recorded at Closer Recording Studios in San Francisco last week for Christian Kiefer's new album. From christiankiefer.com:
    Wednesday, June 16, 2004: Staggeringly tired after an incredible (weird, and beautiful) all night session in San Francisco with a man who is simply one of my musical idols: Garth Hudson of the Band. Sun just crests the Eastern hills somewhere beyond the city (Suisun, perhaps). I recall driving home early in the morning from the woman's house who later became my wife, trying to catch a quick shower at home in Colfax before work. And in the back of the car, the computer that holds a night's work with Garth's accordion and organ sounds and his wife Maud's weird, spooky, soulful vocals. My God.

  • Added a page for the 2003 bootleg DVD of the Dylan/Band 1966 world tour documentary Eat the Document. Thanks to Dag Braathen for sending us scans of cover art, booklet etc.

Jun.18.2004

  • Added an MPEG-3 file (14.5MB!) with a version of "The Weight" recorded in May by Bob Weir's group The Dead during rehearsals for their summer tour this year. Woodstock Records' Tom Moretti about the Dead covering "The Weight": "Out of all the bands to do it, I know Rick was proud Jerry Garcia/ The Grateful Dead chose it. The Dead are going to pay tribute to the Band this summer with it."

  • The great Wilco performed a cover of "The Weight" last Wednesday night (06.16.2004) on the Late Show w/ David Letterman

  • The concert with Burrito Deluxe, featuring Garth Hudson, in Newcastle, UK, 07.30.2004, has been cancelled. The venue, the Newcastle Opera House, closed down this month.

Jun.17.2004

  • New, great photos by Crabgrass from the "Howlin' for Hubert" concert in NY, 06.12.2004.

Jun.15.2004

  • From the "News in Brief" section of the June 2004 issue of UK's Mojo magazine:
    Canned Band
    Robbie Robertson is currently putting together the last word in Band retrospectives. "I'm in the midst of putting together the real definitive collection," he told Mojo. "Five CDs and a DVD. We've come across a lot of previously unreleased things, and obscure things. It's being done right -- one and for all, finally. I've never really liked what was done in the past. Garth Hudson still has all the original tapes from this time -- and while I was up in Canada, I heard a bunch more stuff that I hadn't heard before, that were recorded in different places we had in Woodstock. On some of it, the quality is very poor, but there's also some very funny things. When will it come out? Probably this September."

  • John Donabie just posted this in the new "guestbook":
    Garth and Maud were in Toronto over the weekend to finally complete their album; with Lance Anderson. A combination of "Live In London Ontario" and in the studio at Cherry Beach Sound. Now we just have to wait for it's release. Will it be Bluenote?

Jun.14.2004

Jun.13.2004

  • The 5-DVD box set SCTV Network/90, Volume 1, containing nine 90-minute episodes of the 70s/80s comedy series SCTV, has just been released in the US and Canada. Levon Helm with the Cate Brothers band are musical guests in "Episode 1". Thanks to Jay Wardlaw for the info.

Jun.11.2004

  • Levon Helm and Garth Hudson are playing with the Dixie Hummingbirds in Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City, New York, NY, July 7th 2004, 7:00 PM. This free concert is part of the Downtown NYC River to River Festival 2004. See the River to River web site for details.

  • The "Howlin' for Hubert" band featuring David Johansen, Jimmy Vivino, Hubert Sumlin and Levon Helm are playing a free concert at the World Financial Center Plaza, New York, NY, 06.22.2004. See the River to River web site for details.

  • Garth and Maud Hudson will be performing Thursday, June 17th at Slim's in San Francisco sans The Mike Reilly Band. The show will now lean more toward jazz than blues. John Hettle is joining them on bass. We hope Mike Reilly will be feeling better soon.

Jun.10.2004

Jun.06.2004

Jun.04.2004

Jun.03.2004

  • Several sources on the net, e.g the Internet Movie Database, reports that Levon Helm currently is working on a role as "himself" in a new film titled The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico, together with Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard and Ronnie Hawkins. According to Levon's long-time road manager Butch Dener this is not true, Levon is not involved in the production of this movie.

Jun.02.2004

  • Musician, singer/songwriter, and award winning producer/engineer Eddie Baltimore, who recorded Garth and Maud Hudson in concert in Canada in September 2002, passed away on Sunday.

    Garth Hudson and Eddie Baltimore

    [photo]

    Photo © Terry Blersh 2003, Cherry Beach Sound, Toronto

    "Our sincere condolences to Eddie's wife Patricia, his family and many friends."
    --Garth and Maud Hudson

    Services information:

    Eddie Baltimore (Hutchinson)
    Wednesday June 2, 2004, 11:00am
    St. Bonaventure Church
    1300 Leslie St., Toronto, ON, Canada

    Musician's Memorial to follow. Notice will be given.

Jun.01.2004

  • Press Release: "Burrito Deluxe Announces European Tour Dates":

    BURRITO DELUXE TAKES ON THE WHOLE ENCHILADA

    BURRITO DELUXE, FEATURING SNEAKY PETE KLEINOW, GARTH HUDSON AND CARLTON MOODY ANNOUNCE EUROPEAN TOUR IN SUPPORT OF THEIR FORTHCOMING RELEASE THE WHOLE ENCHILADA

    Nashville, May 28, 2004 - In support of their sophomore release The Whole Enchilada, the legendary members of Burrito Deluxe have announced European summer tour dates. Burrito Deluxe, featuring musical sage Garth Hudson of The Band and Flying Burrito Brother, pedal-steel innovator Sneaky Pete Kleinow, is a musical treat that has found it's own voice with their second release. On tour, the band will be performing their new material from what is sure to be one of the most highly regarded albums of the year.

    Musicians' musician and pedal-steel guru Sneaky Pete Kleinow is rendering his California country sound, which has laid the foundation for present-day Americana and alt country steel sound. A founding member of The Flying Burrito Brothers, Sneakys trademark sound has been heard on landmark records from Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell, and he counts albums by Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa and John Lennon as among the hundreds to which he has contributed.

    Living legend Garth Hudson is providing his immediately recognizable keyboards for the Burritos as well. Best known as the greatest virtuoso talent in the stellar cast of musicians that was The Band, Hudson has also recently graced the tracks of Norah Jones' latest release, the Dixie Hummingbirds phenomenal 2003 breakout, Diamond Jubilation, as well as Los Lobos' new CD Ride and the recent CD by the Gypsy Kings, Roots. Hudson was inducted along with former members of The Band into the Juno Hall of Fame in 1989, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and has received the coveted Canada South Blues Society's Lifetime Acheivement Award.

    Carlton Moody will provide the pure-as-spring-water vocals, as well as guitar and mandolin playing. Steeped in the mountain music tradition, Moody is the eldest son of fiddler Dwight Moody of Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys. Continuing this rich musical heritage, Moody formed The Moody Brothers with his two siblings, and garnered two Grammy nominations and three International Country Music awards.

    The indomitable rhythm section is made up of bassist Jeff "Stick" Davis of Amazing Rhythm Aces fame, and Rick Lonow, percussionist extrordanaire, who has recorded with everyone from Johnny Cash to Tommy Tutone.

    Tour dates for the UK will begin Sunday, July 11th at the Americana Festival in Newark, England winding through England, Scotland, Ireland and ending up in Newcastle on July 30th. Here's a complete list of tour dates.

    Lee Blankenship
    Lotos Nile Media
    Nashville, TN

  • New video clip (28.5MB!) in MPEG-4 format, from a French TV documentary on Dylan and the Hawks in the '60s. Thanks to Johnny Gundersen for sending the clip.

  • Included more CD artwork for Levon Helm's 1978 solo album, contributed by Niels Amond Adsersen.

  • Added/ updates pages for the videos Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band and Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band Live in LA. Thanks to Harm van Sleen for the info. about the new Live in LA DVD.

May.30.2004

May.29.2004

  • Ten years ago today, The Band played in Aarhus, Denmark. Here are some photos and scans from the event, courtesy of Jan Ingemann Sørensen.

May.28.2004

May.27.2004

  • Long-time Levon Helm and The Band associates, the brilliant Cate Brothers, has just released a new album titled Play by the Rules, with a cover of "The Shape I'm In."
[photo]
Levon Helm

May.26.2004

  • New photos from the 15.05.2004 free concert with Levon Helm and friends in Kingston, NY. Thanks, Kay.

  • It's Levon Helm's birthday! Happy 64th, Levon, hope to see you guys soon!

May.24.2004

    New MPEG-3 (5.9 MB) with Ricky (vocal/guitar) and Levon (harp) doing "Java Blues" live in Eugene, OR, 1/29/83. Thanks to Johnny Gundersen for this one.

May.17.2004

  • Garth and Maud Hudson have reported that The Blues and Beyond Tour has been postponed due to illness -- Mike Reilly was bitten on the hand by a black widow spider, he will be okay. Humphrey's at 05.21.2004 is postponed. Garth and Maud will still join Mike at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, California on May 26, near Mike's home. Then they will be at Slim's in San Francisco on June 17. LIMITED SEATING, PLEASE ORDER TICKETS EARLY! Other tour dates will be announced as they are rescheduled. Sorry for any inconvenience.

  • Added a page for the new various-artists album Live from the Bardavon, featuring Levon Helm. Thanks to "JTull Fan" for the info.

May.14.2004

  • Added concert dates for Burrito Deluxe's UK/Ireland tour with Garth Hudson in July. This tour is to launch the July 1st European release of their new CD, that Garth coproduced with Carlton Moody (more CD info coming soon), The line-up for this tour is: Garth Hudson (keyboards, accordion, saxophones), "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow (pedal steel guitar), Carlton Moody (vocals, guitar), Rick Lonow (drums, percussion), and Jeff "Stick" Davis (bass). See e.g. the bios at the Newcaste Opera House web site for more about the members of this group.

  • Levon Helm will play drums (and maybe sing a little) at a free concert tomorrow, Saturday May 15th, 1 p.m., at the T.R. Gallo Memorial Park in Kingston, NY, with bluesman Little Sammy Davis on vocal, string player Larry Campbell, horn player Eric Lawrence, vocalist Randy Ciarlante, guitarist Jim Weider, bass player Tony Garnier and more. The event is a fund-raiser for US troops abroad. See today's article/interview with Levon in the Kingston Daily Freeman for more info. Thanks to Lil for posting this info. in the new guestbook.

May.13.2004

  • Garth and Maud Hudson with the Mike Reilly Band are playing at Slim's in San Francisco, CA, 06.17.2004. See the concert poster and the concert dates list for details. More tour info. for Garth and Maud with the Mike Reilly Band, plus European gig dates for Garth and Burrito Deluxe, coming soon.

  • Added the new album The Howlin' Hill Project, recorded last year at Levon Helm's studio in Woodstock with Levon and Garth Hudson.

  • There's a little note in today's Boston Herald about Garth's and Levon's appearance with the Dixie Hummingbirds at the Newport Folk Fest in August.

May.11.2004

  • Here are a few photos of a group of die-hard The Band fans, the Rich Lewis Band, who recently made the pilgrimage from Minnesota to Big Pink.

  • Collectors may want to check out the Wolfgang's Vault web site. Loads of Band posters, vintage t-shirts and more, supposedly from Bill Grahams' estate, are now available if you have the $$$.

  • New concert dates for the Jim Weider Band.

May.10.2004

  • Garth and Maud Hudson with the Mike Reilly Band are playing at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA, on Wednesday, May 26. See the concert poster and the concert dates list for details. More tour info. for Garth and Maud with the Mike Reilly Band, plus European gig dates for Garth and Burrito Deluxe, coming soon.

  • Professor "Louie" & the Crowmatix are playing at the 7th Annual JMHCA Community Free Concert in Montgomery, NY, Sunday June 6th, w/horn section. Other acts at this concert, possibly including former members of The Band, to be announced. See the concert list for details.

May.06.2004

  • He-hey! Our favorite Italian Band fans, The Beards aka The Flying Dogs, are now distributing their The Band tribute CD, with complete MPEG-3 files and printable cover art, free on the net.

May.05.2004

May.04.2004

May.03.2004

  • New photos by Bob Pierce of Garth Hudson and Eric Andersen in Bryn Mawr, PA, November 2003.

May.02.2004

  • New concert dates for the Jim Weider Band and Professor "Louie" & the Crowmatix.

  • Last Tuesday Motown Records released a two CD set called Joined Together by Diana Ross and the Supremes with The Temptations. It includes all the studio recordings by the two groups. There are two versions of The Band's "The Weight", the original from the Together album and a new unreleased version. Thanks to "Bones" for the info.

  • There's a birthday tribute to Levon Helm at the Princess Cafe.

May.01.2004

  • If you have the newest version of the RealPlayer for audio/video streaming , you can listen to the entire new Los Lobos album, The Ride, featuring Garth Hudson. In RealPlayer, go to Music Guide, then Listening Lounge, and scroll down. Thanks to that ol' grumpy Robertsonian for posting this info. in the Little Pink guestbook.

Apr.28.2004

Apr.25.2004

  • Check out this 1994 interview with the legendary Uncle Tupelo, discussing their early '90s tour with The Band, Taj Mahal and Michelle Shocked. Thank for the link, Brown Eyed Girl.

Apr.23.2004

  • More info. about the new albums Roots from the Gipsy Kings, featuring Garth Hudson. Thanks to Peter Viney for the input.

Apr.21.2004

Apr.20.2004

Apr.19.2004

  • A little review by a Band fan from a recent screening of Festival Express:
    I saw the film in San Francisco over the weekend, and was very impressed, as the rest of the audience obviously was for a fun-filled, sold-out screening. The director and editors have done a admirable job of sifting through many hours of disorganized material to piece together a fine documentary. The quality of the cinematography and soundtrack are remarkably good, considering the filming conditions, the technology available at the time, and the inebriated condition of the cast and crew. In particular, the audio track quality is excellent, being that it was originally recorded in 8 tracks.

    The three performances by The Band (Slippin' and Slidin', The Weight, and I Shall Be Released) are exceptional, and feature good close-up shots of Levon and Richard when they're singing. It's a real joy to see them in action at their best. One hilarious and engaging scene shows a very drunk Rick Danko in the train's club car teaching Ain't No More Cane to Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia, and Bob Weir. It's just like stepping back in time and being there with them.

    The director, Bob Smeaton, was in attendance to talk about the production and answer questions. The DVD will be released in December, and will contain extra songs by many of the performers, including Chest Fever by The Band. I look forward to the day when all Band fans can see this glorious piece of musical history.

    --Kurt Huget, San Francisco, CA

Apr.18.2004

Apr.17.2004

Apr.14.2004

  • The Band is mentioned in several of the album reviews in the March 2004 edition of the on-line music mag americana-uk. Of particular interest to Band fans is the review of Clayton Denwood's Sunset on the Highway. For more about Denwood, who worked with Levon, Rick and Garth in the '90s, see his new home page.

  • The new album Long Way Back Home from bluegrass duo the Gibson Brothers has a cover of The Band's "Ophelia."

  • Check out this great review of Ollabelle's new album, featuring Levon Helm. The review is from the local Public radio station WVIA-FM. This station covers about 6 counties in Pennsylvania and produces a local PBS music show called "Homegrown Music." George Graham, the programming director, has always been supportive of The Band and all it's members and play Professor Louie on the show as well as mentioning Garth's album and Levon's concert dates. Thanks to Mark DeFederico for sending us the link.

Apr.13.2004

  • The 04.17.2004 concert with Levon Helm & the Barn Burners in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, has been cancelled. A new concert date at the same venue will be announced later.

  • Added more covert art and info. for the rare 1983 promo CD single Atlantic City. Thanks to Todd Richards for sending us the scans.

  • We're hearing from good sources that a new The Band box set is in the works, most likely headed up by Robbie Robertson, who was unhappy with the now 10-year old Across The Great Divide box. We've also heard that the new set will come with a DVD included...

  • Added a page for the Dylan/Band Tour '74 bootleg New York Madison Square Garden. Contributed by Niels Amond Adsersen.

  • "The Weight" is included on the 2004 soundtrack CD for the film Starsky & Hutch.

  • Added the 1980 LP C-Weed Band to the list of Band cover versions. Thanks to Bill Munson for the info. about this one,

Apr.11.2004

  • A bunch of The Band covers by the group The Yoricks are available on CD-R from their home page.

Apr.10.2004

  • Garth Hudson contributes accordion to a few tracks on the new album Roots from Flamenco legends the Gipsy Kings.

  • "King Richard's Manual": 
    I got so tired of ridin' on Jethro's back
I couldn't sit down 'cause the rocking chair got wrecked
I don't need no goddam' vicar
Gimme pills
Gimme liquor
I got so tired of ridin' on Jethro's back
Got to get unconscious
Because I can't find no rest
Got to get forbidden fruit
The strongest is the best
This sunny place is hell for me
I've got winter in my blood
The life here really got me chained
I'm adrift before the flood

I tell you man this waltz will be the last
I'm too old to die young but I sure lived fast
Life may be a carnival
But I got so low I can't even fall
Tell you mama this waltz will be the last
I don't wanna start all over
Fighting my stage-fright
Since the snow of fame came down
I'm just longin' for the night
Take me to the hobo-jungle
Put the load on me
Listening to the whispering pines
Maybe I could feel free
Now if you'll find my rags & bones
Don't you ring your bell
'Cause you will know a few good songs
If your memory serves you well

I got so tired of ridin' on Jethro's back
I got so tired of ridin' on Jethro's back
I got so tired of ridin' on Jethro's back
I got so tired of ridin' on Jethro's back
I got so tired of ridin' on Jethro's back
I got so tired of ridin' on Jethro's back
I got so tired of ridin' on Jethro's back
Got so tired of ridin' on Jethro's back
    From the 1995 album Once Upon A Revolution by the Dutch group Sjako!.

Apr.02.2004

  • There will probably be no updates of The Band web site for at least a week. We're going for a well-deserved Easter holiday, skiing in the wonderful Sølen Mountains. And we're not bringing modems and computers this time.

Apr.01.2004

Mar.31.2004

Mar.30.2004

  • Looks like our Danish friends may have been misinformed regarding Levon Helm's appearance with the Howlin' Wolf tribute band "Howlin' for Hubert" in Odense, Denmark, 04.30.2004. Levon Helm plays with this band in the US, but we've been told that he'll not come along for the European mini-tour they are doing in April/May, even if the gig poster claims he will. We will try to get this clarified ASAP.

  • 30 more links to Band-related stuff on the net, submitted by "Brown Eyed Girl."

  • Festival Express will be released in movie theatres in San Francisco on July 16th and in Toronto, New York and L.A. on July 30th!

Mar.29.2004

  • The Howlin' Wolf tribute band "Howlin' for Hubert", with Levon Helm, Hubert Sumlin and David Johansen, are booked for the Odense International Blues Festival in Denmark next month! See the concert list for details and gig poster. Thanks to Niels Amond Adsersen for the info.

  • 30 more links to Band-related stuff on the net, submitted by "Brown Eyed Girl."

Mar.28.2004

  • New photos from Garth Hudson's performance in Woodstock yesterday.

  • Garth will be touring England and Ireland in July with Burrito Deluxe. Garth and Maud Hudson will tour the western and southern states with the Mike Reilly (blues) Band this year and also do some shows on their own, like the one yesterday.

Mar.27.2004

  • Garth Hudson's show tonight, with Maud Hudson, Steve Rust and Ted Orr, will start at 9 p.m. at the Colony Cafe, Woodstock NY . Admission is $25. For Master Keyboard Classes with Garth Hudson, send inquiries to Buscador Music, P.O. Box 90, Glenford, N.Y., 12433.

  • The 04.17.2004 concert date with Levon Helm & the Barn Burners in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, has now been confirmed. More Canadian dates to come.
[poster]
Concert poster

Garth and Maud Hudson are performing Saturday, March 27, 2004, at the Colony Cafe in Woodstock, NY, with special guests Steve Rust and Ted Orr. See the concert list for details.

Mar.26.2004

  • There's a new article in the Woodstock Times about Garth and Maud Hudson and their performance tomorrow at the Colony Cafe in Woodstock.

Mar.25.2004

  • The cover story of this month's issue of Rolling Stone is titled "The Immortals - The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time". There's a short article about each of the "greats", written by a music celebrity. Our boys are at #50 (50?!), the comments on The Band are by the lovely Lucinda Williams. Bob Dylan is #2 on the list, after the Fab Four. The piece on Dylan is by Robbie Robertson.

  • The Festival Express film will be shown in San Francisco on April 17 as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival. See the film festival web site for details. Thanks to Kurt Huget for the info.

Mar.22.2004

  • A complete RealAudio version of Steve Forberts's "tribute" song to Rick Danko from his new album Just Like There's Nothing To It is available from tripleradio.com.

  • A note from our friend Tracy, who runs the Robbie Robertson Basement:

    Be aware that the BASEMENT has been updated. You will find that a petition to get Robbie Robertson onto the CROSSROADS GUITAR FESTIVAL is NOW AVAILABLE. Just click on the banner that states "Wanna see Robbie rock on?" We don't know if it will happen but it's worth a try.

    [photo]

    It does not matter if you have no plans to attend this festival or if you are even in the area of Texas or even the U.S. This would be an absolute joy for any fan who wants to see Robbie rock out the way we know he still can. DON'T BE SHY! BE SPONTANEOUS!

    Thank you and good day! Spread the good word!

    --Tracy

  • Please note that the 04.17.2004 concert date with Levon Helm & the Barn Burners in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, has not been confirmed by Levon's management, even if the gig is listed at the "Live in the Village" web site.

Mar.18.2004

  • Levon Helm & the Barn Burners are playing in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, on Saturday April 17th. See the concert list for details.

  • New painting of Rick Danko, by George Frayne, aka Commander Cody. Thanks to Dick Pepper for sending us the scan.

Mar.16.2004

  • Added an MPEG-3 file with a pretty good live cover of "It Makes No Difference" (6.2MB) by the Norwegian band Respatexans. Recorded by NRK Radio P1 at the Muddy Waters music club in Oslo, May 2003. Musicians: Bjørn Holm - lead vocals, bass, Knut Hem - drums, Lars H. Haugen - el. guitar, vocal, Geir Sundstøl - steel guitar, Aslag Haugen - Acc. guitar, vocal. Thanks to Aslag Haugen for sending us this MPEG-3. Aslag is "world-famous-in-Norway", by the way, as lead singer for the brilliant country-rock outfit Hellbillies. I had the pleasure of introducing him to Garth Hudson in May 2001, backstage at the Dylan 60th birthday tribute gig in Oslo ("Hey, Garth, this guy is the leader of a bunch of Band-wannabes" :-)

    [photo]
    Respatexans

Mar.12.2004

  • In an interview with Eric Clapton in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, he mentions meeting The Band in 1969. A few quotes from the interview:
    After Cream's final U.S. tour, in 1968, you went to Woodstock to visit the Band and Bob Dylan. What happened on that trip?

    It was a funny feeling. I was so disenchanted with Cream and my role in it and my view of English music. Do you know that term "giving away your power"? It's like self-help or recovery-speak, giving away your power. It's a good term. I wanted to give my power to the Band -- I went and knocked on their door, and I was ready to be a groupie. I was drooling about what they had going on: They were all equal, they all took turns and, to me, it looked like integrity. There was no hierarchy. They were all doing it from the heart. So I was completely in awe. On the same visit I went to see Bob, and he was wearing Timberlands, a checked shirt, and he was chopping wood. And I'm a drug-crazed psychedelic. The sad part was that it made me feel like what I was doing was worthless. I was ready to give up and become their road manager.

    Did you get to jam at Big Pink?

    No! I said, "It'd be great to play," and you know what Robbie [Robertson] said? "We don't jam." It was like he was telling me off, or he was saying they were above that. God bless him. That's the way it was. Big Pink was their clubhouse, and they worked there -- they wrote. So for a guy to come over with pink trousers and a perm and say, "Let's jam!" -- they weren't into that. Not at all.

    Have you ever met a genius?

    I met the genius of that outfit, who was Richard Manuel. He was a drunk like me -- a real practicing alcoholic, and he'd slunk off with me. He was as close to genius as I've ever met in a white guy -- all the other geniuses I've met have been black blues players, like B.B. and Buddy Guy. The reason I say they're geniuses is that they do what they do effortlessly with a gift that is so powerful that they don't need to engage in any kind of thinking to pursue it.

    Thanks to Tim Wood for pointing us to this one.

Mar.10.2004

  • Garth and Maud Hudson are performing Saturday, March 27 at the Colony Cafe in Woodstock, NY. See the concert list for details.

  • Added the Swedish LP Levande i Luleå (Rekyl, 1983) to to the list of Band cover versions. Thanks to Ole Lien from Stockholm for the info. about this one and the other Swedish The Band covers we added earlier this month.

  • The new Dylan/Band bootleg Isle of Wight contains the complete The Band set from the 08.31.1969 concert.

  • In 1998, Capitol Japan released limited edition CD versions of all eight '60s and '70s Capitol Records albums by the original line-up of The Band. The Japanese CDs have high quality cardboard sleeves with accurate reproductions of the original LP artwork. They also come with printed lyrics, obviously transcribed by someone in Japan with a very limited knowledge of English. The sound quality on the 1998 limited edition CDs is quite inferior to the remastered re-issues with bonus tracks that Capitol USA put out in 2000 and 2001.

    A new set of eight Japanese card sleeve CDs are being re-issued on April 21st, 2004, with all the bonus tracks from the 2000/2001 Capitol editions and the last round of remastering. The best of both worlds, then -- but be prepared to pay up to $40 per import CD. This is said to be a very limited edition expected to sell out almost immediately.

    Thanks to Peter Viney for informing us about the new Japanese Band CDs.

Mar.10.2004

  • The Australian remastered 2002 version of Spooky Tooth's 1968 album It's All About Spooky Tooth includes two covers of "The Weight" among the bonus tracks. Thanks to Peter Viney for the info.

Mar.08.2004

  • In the new movie Starsky and Hutch they use The Band's "The Weight" in a parody of Easy Rider. It's very prominant, being the only sound at the time it is played, all of the verse and the first chorus, then a little of the second verse. Thanks to Kelly Marshall for the info.

  • It's the international day for Equal Rights for Women! Let's celebrate by adding a few more of Sister BEG's links.

Mar.07.2004

Mar.05.2004

Mar.04.2004
[photo]
Richard, 1969

  • 18 years ago today, on March 4th 1986, The Band's lead singer and piano player, gifted songwriter on his own and with Bob Dylan, Richard Manuel, died in a motel room in Winter Park, Florida.
    "For me Richard was the true light of The Band. The other guys were fantastic talents, of course, but there was something of the holy madman about Richard. He was raw. When he sang in that high falsetto the hair on my neck would stand on end. Not many people can do that." -- Eric Clapton
    Unfortunately, I never saw him live myself (although I was this close in 1984). We'll be listening to the old records and having a few for Richard tonight.

Mar.03.2004

  • Garth Hudson plays on the new album The Real Thing from L.A. blues singer Peach. For more about the album and the artist, check out peachmusic.com.

Mar.02.2004

  • There are several concert dates shaping up for a Burrito Deluxe (featuring Garth Hudson) tour in Europe in July, which will include England, Ireland, and possibly the continent.

  • Fans of the lovely Norah Jones (whose latest album includes contributions from Levon Helm and Garth Hudson) may want to check out the unoffical Norah Jones web site.

  • Added the 1985 maxi-single Al's Pals to the list of Band covers. Thanks to our Swedish friend for sending this one (and can you please mail us your name and address again, so we can send you a little something in return?).

  • A 5-disc DVD boxed set containing nine 90-minute episodes of the 70s/80s comedy series SCTV will be released in June 2004. The boxed set is titled SCTV Network/90, Volume 1. Comedians include John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara and Dave Thomas. Levon Helm with the Cate Brothers band are musical guests in "Episode 1". A few video clips with interviews and performances with Levon from SCTV are available at this site. See the review at the DVD Movie Guide web site for more about these DVDs. And thanks to Jay Wardlaw for the info.

Feb.27.2004

Feb.25.2004

  • New photos of Jim Weider from a concert in Annapolis, MD, earlier this week.

  • Video previews from four of the '80s movies that Levon Helm acted in, plus a preview from the 1997 Band bio video, are available from videodetective.com. Thanks to Tony LoBue for sending us the link.

Feb.24.2004

Feb.23.2004

  • Added a review/ travel report by Todd Atkinson from the concert with Levon Helm's new group Uncle Remus and the Whole Show in Woodstock last month. This review first appeared in the Usenet news group alt.music.the-band in January 2004.

Feb.21.2004

Feb.20.2004

  • Added an MPEG-3 file with a cover of The Band's "Across the Great Divide" (2.8MB), recorded by the the South Florida quintet Pygmy. Check out their web site for more about these guys.

Feb.19.2004

  • Levon Helm's article "The Music" in this month's issue of Razor magazine is now available on-line from the mag's web site. Enjoy.

  • Folk-rock singer/songwriter Steve Forbert's new album Just Like There's Nothin' to It , to be released in May, contains a a tribute to Rick Danko titled "Wild as the Wind." See the Steve Forbert web site for more. Thanks to Kent Allan Beck for the info.

  • Added a late '90s photo of Rick Danko with bass maestros Tony Garnier and Scott Petito. Thanks to Karen Mullins for pointing us to this one.

  • This coming Saturday night February 21st, the "Nighthawks" radio show on Provincetown, MA's WOMR 92.1, hosted by Bob Reichers, will have a full evening with the Band. -- together, solo, Levon & the Hawks, etc. WOMR's "Nighthawks" is on 10:00pm - 1:00am PST / 1:00am - 4:00am EST and can be heard live anywhere in the world by logging onto www.womr.org/listen.html.

  • Here's an excerpt from a review in the Dallas Observer of Norah Jones' new album Feels Like Home:
    But Feels Like Home isn't Come Away With Me, which at this late date feels repetitive and even a touch dull; no wonder it became a hit. The new album is far more varied than its predecessor--a showcase rather than a label's attempt to show off new talent just finding her way. Country meets jazz plays pop at an upscale blues club where the audiences likes its music just loud enough to talk over; imagine Bonnie Raitt turned down to three, with Dolly Parton and The Band's Garth Hudson and Levon Helm stopping by to anoint the child who has made being out of style more in vogue than ever before. Those who believe Jones got the audience that label mate Cassandra Wilson deserved miss the point: Wilson covered "The Weight" and left it but a dried and discarded husk on the highway, whereas Jones hired the men who wrote the song and asks only that they loan her a bit of their magic. You can hear the joy in Jones' voice, knowing she's stepping into history and not stepping all over it. Wilson, by comparison, is just a drag.
    The whole review is available here. Thanks to our friend Amanda from down South for sending us this one.

Feb.18.2004

  • The self-titled debut album from the sextet Ollabelle, with Levon's daugther Amy Helm on vocals, will be released on March 9th. Levon plays on two tracks on this CD. Check out Ollabelle's web site at ollabelle.net for sound samples and more information.

  • There's an article in today's issue of Toronto's The Globe and Mail about Norah Jones and her collaboration with Levon Helm and Garth Hudson on her new album Feels Like Home. Thanks to Bill Munson for sending us the link.

  • Ahh... we've just returned from a very extended (some would say lost) weekend in wonderful Bilbao in Spain (that Guggenheim place was pretty far out). Looking at the e-mail backlog-from-hell here tonight... please be patient if you have sent any contributions or questions to The Band web site during the last week -- we'll get to it eventually. Thanks.

Feb.11.2004
    [photo]
    Genie Swinson

  • Jeff Alexander, the bluesman/songwriter behind the School for Fools album featuring Levon Helm, is working on a new musical project. 6 of the songs that have been recorded for this project are being debuted on Paul Fields' internet music show theBluesnet this week. Levon Helm plays on the songs "Chocolate Valentine," sung by Genie "Pepper" Swinson, and the country song "Climate Control," with vocals by La-Rita Gaskins The great Larry Thurston sings on "The Mistaken Blues," a song recorded in 2001 -- Jeff Alexander himself calls it "one of my favorite songs."

Feb.09.2004

Feb.08.2004

  • Australian singer/songwriter Paul Kelly did a cover of The Band's "Christmas Must Be Tonight" on his 2003 EP Won't You Come Around. Thanks to John Stirrat for informing us about this one.

  • More video stills from the Festival Express movie are available from Norbert's web site.

Feb.06.2004

Feb.05.2004

  • Here's another way of using the incredible Google search engine: Try these links to find articles about Band members from various discussion groups: Enjoy. You may want to filter out some of the hits you get, though, e.g. the psychobabble from a certain Mr. Herrick in the Dylan newgroup. Thanks to Peter Stekel for the Google info.

  • I forgot... The Band web site is discussed in section 2.4 of the article mentioned yesterday.

Feb.04.2004

Feb.03.2004

  • Check out these great photos of Levon with the Howlin' Wolf Tribute Band, at BB King's Blues Club in NY last Friday night.

Jan.31.2004

  • Added a Canadian review from 2003 of the 2nd edition of Barney Hoskyns' The Band bio Across the Great Divide. Thanks to Rob Caldwell for scanning the article. Thanks to myself for typing it in. Thanks to Warren Zevon for providing the background music for the transcription (The Wind, 2003). Thanks to Staropramen of Prague for brewing the (highly recommended for any beer afficionados out there) fuel. Staropramen should also be blamed for any typos in the transcription.

  • More links to Band-related stuff on the net, submitted by "Brown Eyed Girl."

Jan.30.2004

  • There's a new article in Rolling Stone about the album The Ride from Los Lobos, due for release in May 2004. The album has an impressive guest list that includes Garth Hudson.

  • More links to Band-related stuff on the net, submitted by "Brown Eyed Girl."

Jan.29.2004

  • There's a bootleg DVD out there of the Dylan/Hawks 1966 European tour documentary Eat the Document.

  • Check out ollabellemusic.com to find out more about the band Ollabelle. Levon Helm's daughter Amy is their lead singer.

  • New photo of The Band in Chicago, 1969. Thanks to Pat Brennan for providing this one.

  • Added a review and some photos from the "press gig" that Levon's new group Uncle Remus & the Whole Show did on January 10th.

Jan.28.2004

  • The 1983 video The Band Is Back was re-released on DVD (with digitally remastered Dolby 5.1 sound) on the Australian Umbrella label in 2003.

  • The new Bruce Hornsby compilation Greatest Radio Hits contains a previously unreleased cover version of Robbie Robertson's "Go Back To Your Woods."

Jan.26.2004

  • The first version of an official web site for the Festival Express film is now available. You need to have the Macromedia Flash Player installed to view this site.

  • Tracy's "Little Pink" The Band guestbook has moved to a Dutch web server, the new address is tbgb.nl/guestbook/index.php.

Jan.25.2004

  • Check out these video stills of Levon Helm and Rick Danko (with Janis Joplin!), from a Dutch TV program about the 1970 Festival Express documentary.

  • Added a few photos from Levon Helm's studio yesterday, taken during a break in the concert with Levon's new band. Not many photos were taken at the show, because the event was filmed and the flash from cameras could have interfered.

Jan.24.2004

Jan.22.2004

  • The web and mail server for Levon Helm's new project Uncle Remus And The Whole Show are currently experiencing technical problems. If the server fails, you may still reserve tickets for the show at Levon Helm's Studio on Saturday, January 24th, by sending an e-mail to midnightramble@hotmail.com.

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Levon Helm, 2004

Levon's Midnight Ramble, 01.24.2004

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This is an announcement for Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Music Club the first of which is happening on January 24 here at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. The Ramble will feature very special live acts in an extremely intimate setting; this is like box-seats to American Roots Music. The first Midnight Ramble will feature Levon's new band, Uncle Remus & The Whole Show (also with very special guests).

Membership is $100 and includes one ticket to this Midnight Ramble, plus updates and product and ticket priority. Seating is very limited and we are accepting memberships on a first come, first serve basis. To secure your place at the first Midnight Ramble on January 24th, order your membership on the web from Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Music Club (VISA/ Mastercard/ check or money order).

Requests have started coming in and our seating is very quickly filling up. Upon receiving your membership request, we will send you an e-ticket with a conformation number, along with directions and other applicable information. Please include the names and all contact information of the ticket holders, as they will have to present a valid picture I.D. to gain entrance to the studio. If you have any questions please direct them to brian@uncleremusandthewholeshow.com.

Thank you all for your continued suppport! See you in Woodstock!

--Brian, rec.music.dylan, 01.15.2004

Jan.21.2004

  • The web site for Levon Helm's new band Uncle Remus and the Whole Show has been updated. The update includes a page for ordering tickets/membership for the concert this week-end at Levon's barn in Woodstock (VISA/ MasterCard/ Check/ Money Order).

  • New web server statistics for The Band site, showing around 15 percent growth in net traffic since the last time we analyzed our log files (January 2003). The relative growth rate has dropped significantly compared to previous measurements, as expected after the guestbook closure last summer. More than half of the data served are MPEG-3 audio files (and no jokes about that single hit from the ".vi" (Virgin Islands) domain, ok? :-)

Jan.19.2004

  • A preliminary version of the web site for Levon Helm's new band Uncle Remus and the Whole Show is now up and running. The group's sax player, Jon Smith, has his own website at jonrsmith.com.

  • The Howlin' Wolf Tribute Band with Hubert Sumlin, David Johansen, Levon Helm, Jimmy Vivino & Mike Merritt, and maybe a special guest or two, are playing at the B.B. King Blues Club in New York on Friday, January 30th.

  • Added a page for the album Sheryl Crow - Artist's Choice (Various Artists, 2003).

Jan.16.2004

Jan.15.2004

  • Included two 1999 photos of Levon Helm in his "barn." Scans contributed by "Bayou Sam."

  • New MPEG-3 file from the 1975 Dylan/Band S.N.A.C.K. concert, courtesy of Mr. Johnny Gundersen.

Jan.14.2004

  • The February issue of Razor - The Definitive Men's Magazine includes a lengthy article entitled "The Music" by Levon Helm and about half dozen nice photos of The Band, Dylan, etc.

  • Brothers Dave and Jon Gershen, former members of the group Borderline who released a great album with Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel in the '70s, is back with a new CD titled Faded Glory, featuring musicians from the Jim Weider Band. I received my copy a few weeks ago, this is laid-back, wonderful countryish music, highly recommended. For details, see the Boardinghouse Records web-site.

Jan.12.2004

  • More photos of Levon Helm singing and playing with his new group "Uncle Remus & The Whole Show Band." The photos were taken by Joe Lore during a recent rehearsal at Levon's studio/barn in Woodstock, NY.

  • More links to Band-related stuff on the net, submitted by "Brown Eyed Girl."

Jan.11.2004

  • Levon Helm debuted his new group "Uncle Remus & The Whole Show Band" Saturday night in his barn/studio in Woodstock, NY, with about 100 friends and entertainment people in attendence. Levon sang lead vocals on quite a few songs and is now sounding pretty close to his old self! Levon's daughter Amy Helm is involved in this new project, together with Sean Costello, Johnnie Johnson and others. Here are a few photos of the band recording at Levon's place last week.

Jan.10.2004

Jan.08.2004

Jan.07.2004

Jan.06.2004

  • Note: There has been a misunderstanding about Garth Hudson's concert schedule. Garth is not playing anywhere in Canada this coming weekend, he is currently producing and recording in Nashville with Burrito Deluxe.

  • More information about the new Norah Jones album Feels Like Home, featuring Levon and Garth.

  • The Boston band Woodpile and friends will perform The Band's The Last Waltz in its entirety (i.e. all songs from the film) at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA, on Thursday, January 15, 2004. See the Woodpile web pages for details.

  • New concert dates for Levon Helm & the Barn Burners.

  • The Dylan MPEG-3 with a live "All Along the Watchtower," posted here 01.04.2004, appears to be from an early '80s tour, probably with Al Kooper, according to our own Dylanologists Pat Brennan and Jonathan Katz.

Jan.04.2004

  • Hm. Johnny Gundersen sent us this MPEG-3 file (1.7 MB) with Dylan and backing group doing "All Along the Watchtower." The file description says it's Dylan with The Band, recorded in 1975. Probably not... or?

  • Roger Waters' The Wall Live in Berlin concert from 1990, featuring Ricky, Levon and Garth, was reissued on DVD last summer. Thanks to Mark Atkins for cover scan and additional info.

  • Added a scan of a 1971 German The Band concert ticket. Thanks to Peter Viney for sending this one.

Jan.02.2004

  • Happy New Year to everyone from us at The Band web site! And the best of luck in 2004 to Levon Helm and Garth Hudson with their new and exciting musical projects.

  • More January concert dates for the Jim Weider Band.

  • Check out the web site for Steve Guyger, the singer and harp player in Levon Helm's Barn Burners.

  • Added lyrics for "White Cadillac (Ode to Ronnie Hawkins)" from Jubilation. Thanks again to Mark Atkins for transcribing all songs from this great, final album from The Band.

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