THE Band

and your favorite guitar player's favorite guitar player

“The whole congregation was standing on the banks of the river

We are gathered here to give a little thanks”

—The Band, The River Hymn

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On this week’s Swap, we are diving into The Band’s immensely talented songwriter Robbie Robertson who recently passed away. We take a journey down to the river as we reflect on the music of The Band as well as a song by another brilliant songwriter as he reflects on The Band’s legacy. And if you’ve been living under a rock like Kody and don’t know The Band, our Bonus Track will help introduce you to the greatest band of a generation. We hope that our efforts give thanks for the lyrics left behind.

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The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down | The Band (Adam)

I swear by the mud below my feet

You can't raise a Kane back up

When he's in defeat

You’d be hard pressed to find an individual who can sing this song the way Levon Helm can. As the legend goes, Robbie Robertson visited Helm’s family in Arkansas and it led him to write this iconic, reminiscent tune. Robertson is from Canada which really sends my mind into an absolute spiral. How can someone with no real lifelong cultural experience in the South pen a tune that so vividly encapsulates the heart and passion of those leftover rebels living all throughout most of the South? That in itself is what makes Robertson such an extremely gifted songwriter. His legacy lives on through his pen despite his time on earth coming up short. If you’ve never spent time experiencing Robertson’s incredible songwriting, do it in his honor.

Also available on Apple Music.

Danko/Manuel | Jason Isbell (Mat)

Is success all it's made out to be? Is living the dream actually the dream it sounds like? "They say Danko might have been real proud of me. Is that the man I want to be?" Isbell's reflection on The Band's Richard Manuel and Rick Danko in the midst of his own addiction and life on the road is haunting, poignant, sobering, and sad. At the same time, the beauty of the song lies in the fact that it is an honest assessment of the fleeting pleasure of fame and impulsive self gratification: "15 years ago they owned that road, now it's rolling over us instead. Richard Manuel is dead." Originally released with the Drive-by Truckers, there are several great versions of this song. I leave you with this slow burn version from "Live From Alabama."

Also available on Apple Music.

The Weight | The Band (Kody)

As the intro to this week’s newsletter suggests, I (shamefully) don’t really know The Band’s catalog. But the Swap isn’t for music snobs. It’s for people who want to be introduced to music and the meaning behind it. So thanks to my friends Adam and Mat, I’ve started on The Band’s catalog. I recognized the song “The Weight” instantly. It just feels so American. I love the keys in the background during the chorus. I have no idea what this song is about, but when I listen I feel like good friends are together singing, laughing, feeling, and dancing. As Diet Coke said in this 1994 commercial featuring The Weight for its theme music, “This is refreshment.”

Also available on Apple Music.

Bonus Track: Your Favorite Guitar Player’s Favorite Guitar Player - A Tribute to Robbie Robertson by Dean Inserra

On August the 9th, your favorite guitar player’s favorite guitar player died at 80 years old. Canadian icon and popularizer of Americana music, Robbie Robertson will be remembered as the primary songwriter and lead guitar player of The Band, a group of five men who got their start as the band for rockabilly staple Ronnie Hawkins. The Band consisted of Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, and the glue of the group, Robbie Robertson.

The band would receive worldwide notoriety on tour with Bob Dylan as his band during his controversial switch to an electric sound, rather than simply having his acoustic guitar and a harmonica. Fans were so outraged by this transition of sound that cries of “Judas” and loud boos would often drown out the set. Dylan infamously turned around to The Band the first time the heckling occurred and told them to play louder.

While maintaining a close friendship with Dylan, The band would begin recording their own music. The band rented a pink house outside of Woodstock, New York together and wrote songs in the basement of the now iconic house known as “Big Pink.” The music written in the pink house would be recorded in a studio and released with the title “Music From Big Pink,” in 1968. The home remains a pilgrimage site for fans of The Band to this day. The album took the music world by storm, as it was a strong alternative to the two dominant music genres during the era, acid rock, and acoustic driven protest music. The Band was different. They produced an organic quality of instrumentation, paired with the soulful driving lyrics of 3 different lead singers, who would share the vocal duties, as Robbie usually stood center stage, playing guitar licks that inspired an entire generation of musicians.

The Band rarely gave interviews and remained a mystery to many as they spent a large amount of their time together in upstate New York. The lack of access only fueled the legend. Robbie embodied cool, and guitar legends such as Eric Clapton saw him as the one to emulate. It was Clapton who engaged in a guitar duel with Robertson at The Band’s farewell concert, The Last Waltz. This final concert of The band was held on Thanksgiving night, where a full meal was provided to the audience before the concert began, and guests such as Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Neil Young, and Muddy Waters joined The Band on stage to pay their respects to the greatest rock musicians and songwriters of a generation.

A favorite moment of mine during the concert is when Neil Young looks like a kid in a candy store being on stage with The Band. I believe it is the greatest concert in American history. To gain a glimpse of the greatness of Robertson on the guitar, watch him and Clapton go back and forth during the concert. Legend states that the duel was unplanned, as the two joined forces on a cover of Bobby Bland's “Further On Up The Road.”

Other masterful instrumentation of Robertson with The Band can be found in songs such as King Harvest, Jemima Surrender, It Makes No Difference, and Life Is A Carnival. Robertson’s most famous songwriting contribution is “The Weight.” If you think you have never heard of The Band before, one listen to The Weight will prove you wrong.  

Few music legends spend their entire careers without controversy and Robertson was no exception. Sadly, the other members of The Band would not remain in relationship with Robbie, as disputes about the rights of songwriting royalties caused a rift that would last the rest of Robbie’s life. Nevertheless, The Band’s imprint and influence on North American music is felt today in the Americana and alt-country genres, and Robbie is the undeniable force behind it all.

The best way to be introduced to The Band is by watching The Last Waltz, the farewell concert which was made into a documentary by Martin Scorsese, who filmed the concert. There is also a documentary called “Once Were Brothers,” a history of the rise, success, and demise of The Band, told from the perspective of Robertson. The most famous songs of The Band to first become acquainted with (other than The Weight) are Up On Cripple Creek, I Shall Be Released, and Acadian Driftwood. The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Only Garth Hudson, organist, horn, and piano player is still living, but the music of The Band is very much alive and will roll on forever.

Note: My favorite song of The Band’s is The Shape I’m In.

Dean Inserra is not a jabroni. He is a Miami Hurricanes fan living in Tallahassee, FL. A new band he’s diggin’ is The Arcadian Wild and a non-gospel song he’d like played at his funeral is Life’s Been Good by Joe Walsh.

If you’re into The Band, what’s your favorite song of theirs? Reply via email or in the comments section and we’ll respond.

-TheMusicSwap