The Band: News and Gossip

• April 2000: According to the latest ICE Magazine (the CD newsletter), Capitol is currently revamping all of The Band's back catalouge on CD for a July release. The new editions will have improved artwork and some "extra tracks" similar to the Byrds reissues.

• The Band's guitarist Jim Weider will be playing with Tom Pacheco and Steinar Albrigtsen at the Norwegian Grammy Awards, Friday February 25th.

• The Band's photographer Elliott Landy is giving a narrated presentation of his classic rock images of the 60s at the Sande Shurin Studio & Theatre in New York City, from Thursday, March 2 through Sunday, March 5, 2000.

• Rick Danko left us today, December 10th, 1999.

• October '99: Rick Danko is working on a new studio album, see the interview with Rick at the Woodstock Records web site.

• Press release:
  Rick Danko Releases Live On Breeze Hill
  Rock & Roll Hall of Famer's Latest Solo Effort Is An Inspired 11-Song Collection to Benefit Greenpeace

  WOODSTOCK, N.Y., Sept. 10 / PRNewswire / Carol Caffin -- Rick Danko, lead singer, bass player and founding member of the legendary rock group, The Band, has announced the release of Live On Breeze Hill, his first major solo album in several years. "I've been wanting to record a record like this for a long time," says Danko. "It's not often that you can get this many musicians together and have them sound this tight. I knew it was something special, even as we were performing. It was a positive, powerful experience and the whole thing just feels right to me."

  Danko's fans are sure to agree. Live On Breeze Hill, an 11-song collection of inspired performances, captures the intimacy, immediacy and excitement of Danko's live, electric shows. In addition to creative reworkings of requisite staples ("Twilight," "Stagefright"), the CD also features ingenius versions of long-lost gems ("Caledonia Mission") audience favorites ("Crazy Mama"), singalongs ("Blaze of Glory") and classics ( "Makes No Difference," "Shape I'm In"). In addition, the CD also includes a bonus studio track, a new-arrangement of Danko's "Sip the Wine," which ardent fans will recognize from its first appearance in The Band's farewell concert film, The Last Waltz.

  "As soon as word leaked out that Rick had a new record coming, the phone started ringing off the hook," says Quentin Ryan of Breeze Hill Productions. "There are a lot of people out there who love Rick, and they're excited by what he's been doing lately. We received a number of inquiries and pre-release orders, so we set up a toll-free number right away."

  Danko is in fine form both vocally and musically on this album, which is evidenced by, not only what the critics and fans are saying, but by what his peers are saying as well.

  When asked last week to comment on Rick's new record, Eric Clapton (who gave The Band's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction speech in 1994) said, "Rick's singing has had a tremendous influence on me, from 'Big Pink' right up to the present day. It's only my own humble opinion," he continued, "but I think you have to be a great musician before you can sing like that."

  Richie Havens, who, like Rick, performed at the original Woodstock festival, added that Rick is "one of the all-time great writers, musicians and interpreters. Even after 30 years, his soulful, artistic integrity has never wavered."

  A portion of the proceeds from Live On Breeze Hill will benefit Greenpeace, whose mission is to protect the health of the planet. "I like what Greenpeace is doing, and what it stands for," says Danko. "And, since music is the universal language, what better way to heighten awareness and help save the planet than through music?"

  "Rick's vibrant, fresh sound goes hand in hand with the message Greenpeace is trying to promote," says Mark Hengstler, National Membership Manager for Greenpeace USA. "We at Greenpeace are delighted that Rick has chosen to donate proceeds from his new album to our cause."

  Live On Breeze Hill will be available initially through the Woodstock Records website, (www.Woodstockrecords.com), by mail order (Woodstock Records, PO Box 158, Woodstock 12498-0158) and by calling Breeze Hill Productions' toll-free number, 800-585-1812.

• August 1999: Rick Danko did a world-wide interview in the second week of August with Voice of America; performed on a live TV show on Friday 8/13 called Jersey's Talking (audience of 2 million), did several regional interviews, and has several national interviews in the works.

• August 1999:The upcoming film The Adventures of Sebastian Cole features Levon Helm in a bit part. The movie (which takes place in 1983) is about an eccentric young man and his crossdressing father. The movie opens August 20th.

• May 1999: Rick Danko is currently working on a new album for Woodstock Records, together with Aaron Hurwitz and Scott Petito. Danko was in Scott Petito's studio recently, recording one song for the the album.

• Rick Danko will soon start recording a new album together with Jonas Fjeld and Eric Andersen, according to a January '99 interview with the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet. The trio, who released their self-titled debut album in 1991 and the follow-up Ridin' on the Blinds in 1994, will record their third album in Levon Helm's Woodstock studio.

• Congratulations to Robbie Robertson on the following Grammy nominations in January '99:
  • Best world music album: Contact From The Underworld of Redboy (Robbie Robertson)
  • Best engineered album: Contact From The Underworld of Redboy (Various Engineers)
  The Grammy Awards will be held on Wednesday, February 24th, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

• Levon Helm's Classic American Cafe
  "Levon Helm's Classic American Cafe" opened in New Orleans on December 26, 1998. Read the detailed press release for more info.

• Tuesday, January 5, 1999, Robbie Robertson will appear on Late Night With Tom Snyder.

• Robbie Robertson to Join DreamWorks Records; Acclaimed Artist Will Tackle First-Of-Its-Kind Multidimensional Role
  LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Robbie Robertson -- who for three decades has probed the American consciousness as singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and film composer -- will join DreamWorks Records in an unprecedented capacity: The former Band member will serve as creative plenipotentiary, with a wide-ranging mandate that will see him involved in both artistic and executive activities at the company.
  Robertson's unique role -- in essence that of "label muse" -- will also enable him to participate in projects set in motion by DreamWorks' parent company, DreamWorks SKG, a multifaceted entertainment studio formed in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.
  "When (DreamWorks Records principal) Mo Ostin and David (Geffen) first approached me about this, they said there was no name for what they were proposing," Robertson explains. "David just said, 'Listen -- you like to make records, write songs and produce music. You like to produce films, do music for movies, supervise music for movies. Any of these things you love to do, why don't you come here and do them with us?'" Asked about his initial response, Robertson replies, "What's the catch?"
  He soon realized, however, that there was no catch -- only limitless possibility. "What excited me the most," he confides, "was that no one with a musical background like mine had ever done this before. That kind of challenge always perks me right up."
  Also key in his decision to accept the post was the opportunity it would afford him to share his prodigious experience with DreamWorks' artists. "I've been there," he says. "I've seen the whole 360 degrees of the equation. There's nothing an artist can't talk to me about; there's no question about the music or the business I can't answer. I have a duty to take what I know and pass it on so someone else can benefit from it. It's an Indian thing (Robertson is of Mohawk descent). I was taught as a kid that what the ancestors give you -- it's all a gift. This appreciation of the gift of life was a constant, along with the idea that if you don't teach what you've learned, if you don't pass on the gift, what good is it?"
  Robertson views this aspect of the job as incontrovertible evidence of DreamWorks' artist-oriented philosophy. He says the label's commitment to artistry and artist development, as well as its family-like "we're all in this together" attitude was a perfect fit with his own outlook. "In this day and age, when companies are swallowing each other up like one big game of Pac Man, DreamWorks' efforts to break down the traditional barriers between the artist and the label is almost rebellious. What Mo Ostin, (DreamWorks Records principals) Lenny Waronker and Michael Ostin accomplished at Warner Bros. is truly a model."
  (summary of the career of Robbie and The Band deleted from press release)
  Questioned about upcoming undertakings for DreamWorks, Robertson will only say: "I'm working on several projects with new recording artists and on movies, soundtracks and animation. Lots of brainstorming. What really strikes me about this work I'm doing for DreamWorks is that it feels so natural. David and Mo insisted that I only involve myself in what I'm absolutely passionate about, in what I think I can truly bring magic to. And that's what I'm doing."

• The Museum of Television & Radio are showing the original version of the Dylan/Hawks 1966 "documentary" film Eat the Document in New York October 8 - November 20, and in Los Angeles October 8 - November 13. See the museum's Dylan pages for details

• Robbie Robertson Grooves to 'Strip'
  HOLLYWOOD 09.28.98 (Variety/Reuters) - Robbie Robertson has signed on to supervise music for a film that tells an "American Graffiti"-like story about life on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip. The film, tentatively titled "Sunset Strip" and set in 1971, focuses not on the rockers who made names for themselves in the clubs along the strip, but on the fans and the music business scene. While casting is under way for the film, no actors are set. Best known for his time with The Band, Robertson has carved out a niche in movies. He oversaw the soundtrack albums for "Phenomenon" and "Casino," and served as film composer on such films as "Raging Bull" and "The Color of Money."

• Rick Danko is scheduled for an interview on WCBS in New York on Friday September 18, probably around 1:20 EST.

• Press release from Platinum Entertainment, 08/12/98:
  The Band - with original members Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson - will preview Jubilation, the 10th studio album of their career, with a live "In The Studio" webchat on Saturday, August 15, 1998. Jubilation celebrates the 30th anniversary of The Band's groundbreaking debut, Music from Big Pink.

  "Perhaps more than any other group, The Band is responsible for the current interest in the Americana and 'No Depression' music scenes," says Tim Erwin, executive producer, Traveller Information Services. "We're proud to present this opportunity for fans on the Internet to catch a preview of Jubilation." Traveller is the Huntsville, Alabama, ISP and webcast company presenting the event in cooperation with River North Records and Platinum Entertainment. The associate producer is G.C. Hutson.

  Music fans logging on to http://www.inthestudio.com at 5 p.m. [EST] can talk with members of The Band about Jubilation, an all-new recording that features guest appearances by Eric Clapton and John Hiatt. Also available for viewing is a short performance and interview film, shot on location at The Band's studio in a converted barn in Woodstock, New York. The chat transcript, photos and promotional video will be archived at http://www.inthestudio.com for the next year.

  As a special offer, In The Studio will offer a limited-release colored vinyl edition of Jubilation that will not be available through any other retail or online outlet. A link from In The Studio will allow consumers to purchase the vinyl collector's disc at TappedInto.Com, or to pre-order a copy of the Jubilation CD on River North Records.

  The Band emerged in 1968 with Music from Big Pink, an album that literally changed the way rock music fans listened to American roots music. Thirty years later, Jubilation continues to explore The Band's unique synthesis of rock, folk, country and R&B, with such potential classics as "Last Train To Memphis" (featuring Clapton), "Don't Wait" and "White Cadillac," inspired by rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins. The album also includes Hiatt's "Bound By Love," featuring guest vocals by the composer; Allen Toussaint's "You See Me"; and Paul Jost's "Book Faded Brown."

  "There might be a call back to the past in the words or merely the titles of any number of the new songs on Jubilation," writes Mystery Train author Greil Marcus in the album's liner notes. "But the rickety feeling of the faster rhythms, the way voices curl together . . . is at once old and unheard, a sound that only has to be heard for the first time to feel as if it's being remembered."

  For further information, contact Bill Paige, Platinum Entertainment, 630-769-0033, or visit In The Studio at http://www.inthestudio.com.

• A two-part piece on Robbie Robertson on "Good Morning America" will begin airing August 13th, Check your local listings for exact showtimes.

• The PBS special "Making a Noise: A Native American Musical Journey With Robbie Robertson" will be aired on many radio stations in mid-August, here's a list of dates and locations.

• An hour-long program that features music from the winners of this years Native American Music Awards, including life-time achievement winner Robbie Robertson, will air on Tuesday July 28 at 1700, 2300 ET, as well as Wednesday July 29 at 0500 ET and August 1 and 2 at 1200 ET, on the Native American Network.

• Robbie Robertson will be appearing on Politically Incorrect on August 12.