Remembering Rick Danko: December 29, 1943 - December 10, 1999

I can't get over you, and the flame still burns . . .

The uncut version of "It Makes No Difference" from The Last Waltz.

Listen to more The Band at Wolfgang's Vault.

I'm an emotional person by nature; I'll cry at the drop of a hat or sentimental TV commercial.  It's one of the reasons I'm so drawn to music.  In a song, it's possible to express things that you could never say in plain language to someone's face without fear of rejection or embarrassment.

That being said, I've rarely really, truly lost it during a musical performance.  I'm usually too wrapped up in trying to commit everything to memory to allow myself full immersion in the moment.

That is, until the night I heard "It Makes No Difference" performed live by the Levon Helm Band.

This sadly incomplete video is from their appearance at the Horseshoe Casino's Bluesville venue on April 24 of this year.  When this song came up in the setlist, I was surprised by the emotion that swept over me; I was unable to restrain myself from crying openly.  (To the nice lady sitting next to me: I'm sorry if I freaked you out.)  Besides the fact that this was a very special show - Levon was playing for his hometown crowd, and literally sang his heart out that night - and that Amy Helm and Teresa Williams absolutely nailed this song, I never thought I would ever get to hear "It Makes No Difference" performed by any member of The Band live.  (I was lucky enough to meet Teresa afterwards and I told her my reaction to their performance.  Her eyes grew very large, and she took hold of my arm and with all sincerity said, "If I'd been in the audience, I would have lost it too."  I was lucky enough to meet Levon and several of the other musicians as well, but I'll save that story for later.)

This is hands-down my favorite Band song; I identify with it a little more deeply than I care to analyze or admit.  The Band weren't known for their love songs, so it was a bit of a departure for them.  Maybe that's part of the reason why this one is so special.  They really pulled out all the stops, from Garth's last-call saxophone to Robbie's stinging, sewing-needle guitar solo, and the beautiful cry in Levon's harmony vocals - much like the ones I heard him sing live that night.  All that, and then there are those poignant, poetic lyrics.

But what makes it and sells it is Rick's singing.  His was an unusual tenor - sometimes plaintive, as during "Unfaithful Servant"; sometimes goofy, as during his famous "Crazy Chester" verse from "The Weight."  He captured the feeling of schizophrenic terror in "Stage Fright" and the haunted, uncertain mood of "Caledonia Mission."  But as great as these and other performances of his are, this song sums up for me everything he was about.  With lyrics this transparently emotional, you've got to sing it like you mean it, or it will fall flat.  Rick sang this one like he'd lived it.  His sobbing, desperate vocal teeters dangerously on the edge; he sounds as if any moment he will come unhinged before our very eyes.

"It Makes No Difference" drags you to the brink of the abyss and forces you to look at rock-bottom.  It's not a pleasant sight - or sound., for that matter.  It captures perfectly that feeling of waking up bleary-eyed in the bleak a. m., having to remember all over again that he or she is gone, and feeling the sour swell of pain and knowing rise anew in your chest.  It's unabashed, it's unafraid.  In sum, it's everything that a truly great song should be.

Rick has been gone for 11 years now.  To paraphrase Sir Elton, I would have liked to have known him, but I was just a kid.  Yet I feel like I've gotten a glimpse of him through the musical legacy he left behind. His was a voice of many colors, and I believe that each shade reveals a different facet of his character. In other words, when Rick Danko sings, no matter what he's singing about, I believe him. That is the highest praise I could ever bestow upon any musician.

I also feel I've gained an understanding of Rick through Carol Caffin's fine blog, Sip The Wine.  She was Rick's friend and publicist for many years, and on her blog she generously shares stories, anecdotes, and observations about Rick.  If you want to know more about the man, there is no better source.

Rick Danko: Remembering Rick

Rick Danko: Rick Danko Dedication

Rick Danko: Rick Danko: The Crash Course

Rick Danko: Rick's Personality: Myth vs. Reality

See also Jan Hoiberg's Band site, which features Carol's biography of Rick and several of her BandBites articles - essential reading all. 

Since you've been gone, it's a losing battle

Stampeding cattle, they rattle the walls . . .

Couldn't have put it any better myself.  Ad courtesy of Jan Hoiberg's Band site. 

Thanksgiving is a special night . . .

It's that time of year again . . . when we Americans cook too much, eat too much, and indulge in self-loathing for days on end afterwards.  Yep, it's Thanksgiving, folks, and to celebrate here's a musical smorgasbord for your enjoyment. Bon appetit!

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a trip to Alice's Restaurant.  Don't forget your shovels, rakes, and implements of destruction!

And just for fun, here's a clip from the 1969 movie.  I want you to sit down on that bench and watch this - now, kid!




The Band's Last Waltz was held at San Francisco's Winterland theater on Thanksgiving Day 1976.  The price of admission to the concert included Thanksgiving dinner, which was catered for 5,000 people. How much were tickets, you might ask?  A mere $25 apiece - certainly a princely sum 34 years ago. The mind boggles at to what such a soiree would cost the concertgoer of today!

Here's my all-time favorite version of "Up On Cripple Creek."  The vocal interplay between Levon and Rick is priceless.

"When I get off of this mountain, you know where I want to go
Straight down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico . . ."




The Band + The Staple Singers = a match made in heaven.  Take a load off, Fanny, and let them take you there.



If you don't have the film, you can visit Wolfgang's Vault and listen to the concert in its entirety for free (you'll have to sign up for an account). Here's one of my favorite deep cuts from that night.

Listen to more The Band at Wolfgang's Vault.

Another must-see in our house every year is the 1987 John Hughes comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  Starring Steve Martin and the late John Candy, it never fails to make me laugh - and cry.  Here's one of the lighter moments:  Del Griffith playing air piano to Ray Charles' "Mess Around" - while driving.  I mean, who hasn't done this?



You Can't Take It With You is a Frank Capra gem from 1938 starring Lionel Barrymore, Jimmy Stewart, and Jean Arthur.  Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning Kaufman and Hart play, it's a hilarious and touching story about friendship, enjoying life, and being thankful for what you have.  This is the final scene from the film, and I agree with Grandpa that a lot of the world's problems could be solved if we just sat down and made music together.  If you've never seen this, find it and watch it in its entirety - they don't make movies like this anymore.



NPR has compiled a fantastic Thanksgiving playlist with a little something for everyone.  "Country Pie," "Drinkin' Wine Spoodie Odie," and "Shortnin' Bread"?  Sounds like my kind of Thanksgiving!  Pass the "Cornbread and Butter Beans" please, and remember to "Be Thankful For What You Got."

Eartyme's Dustin Ogdin lists the 7 Roots Music Staples I'm Thankful For.  And indeed, he is spot on - for without any one of these crucial elements, American music as we know it today would simply not exist.

I'm a fan of Rolling Stone contributing editor David Wild's writing.  His latest Huffington Post entry, about his encounters over the years with the members of the Beatles, reminds me of why I fell in love with music to begin with.  Likewise, the Wall Street Journal's Evan Newmark gives thanks to, and draws an interesting comparison between, writer Saul Bellow and Bruce Springsteen.

And last but not least, Thanksgiving just would not be complete without "The Thanksgiving Song."

"Thanksgiving is a special night
Jimmy Walker used to say "Dy-no-mite!"  That's right!"



May you and yours be blessed, on this Thanksgiving and always.

Song of the moment: Twilight

It's late in the evening on a relatively warm, Deep South November Sunday.  That, and the Facebook posting of a dear friend, put me in mind of this song.



This demo is from the 2005 Band box set A Musical History.  Curated and produced by Robbie Robertson, it includes many rare and unreleased tracks such as this one.  With no disrespect intended towards the other members of The Band - I love them all equally and subscribe to no feuds, for it was together that they created this timeless, elegant music - I find this version more haunting and full of meaning than the one originally released on the 1975 compilation The Best of The Band.  The image that this recording conjures up - of Robertson hunched over his piano, alone, quietly breathing the words to this song - is eerily fitting and impossible to get out of my head as I listen.


Over by the wildwood
Hot summer night
We lay in the tall grass
'Til the morning light
If I had my way I'd never
Get the urge to roam
A young man serves his country
And an old man guards the home


Don't send me no sweet salutations
Or silly souvenirs from far away
Don't leave me alone in the twilight
'Cause twilight is the loneliest time of day


I never gave it a second thought
It never crossed my mind
What's right and what's not
I ain't the judgin' kind
I can take the darkest, oh
Storms in the sky
We've all got certain trials
Burnin' up inside


Don't put me in a frame upon the mantle
For memories grow dusty, old, and gray
Don't leave me alone in the twilight
'Cause twilight is the loneliest time of day


Don't leave me alone in the twilight
'Cause twilight is the loneliest time of day

This week's musical miscellany

The legendary New Orleans band The Radiators are hanging up their rock and roll shoes after 33 years together, Keith Spera reported in Tuesday's Times-Picayune.  They will honor all currently scheduled gigs through next June, so catch 'em while you can!  I myself am looking forward to seeing them, the Honey Island Swamp Band, Papa Grows Funk, Jon Cleary, and the Rebirth Brass Band at Sunday's New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival on Oak Street in Carrollton.

Another musical event of note in the Big Easy this weekend is the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, sponsored by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.  It's Sunday from 11-7 pm at the Old U.S. Mint on Esplanade.  Admission to both festivals is free.

In other NOLA music news, music journalist Alison Fensterstock sent out this tweet on Wednesday:

AlisonF_NOLA Alison Fensterstock 

We hear the Mother-In-Law Lounge is closing, again. Final garage sale scheduled for Dec. 4th and 5th.

10 Nov Favorite Retweet Reply

Very sad news indeed, as Ernie K-Doe's Mother-in-Law Lounge is an irreplaceable New Orleans historical and cultural landmark.

I've been grooving lately to an advance copy of Gregg Allman's new album, Low Country Blues.    Produced by T Bone Burnett, it consists of 11 classic blues and soul covers and one original, "Just Another Rider," co-written with Warren Haynes.  I heard Allman perform this song live back in May at Bluesville at the Horseshoe Casino in Robinsonville, Mississippi.  Check it out:



The album is currently scheduled to drop on January 18, 2011, and is highly recommended.  I predict it will be another feather in T Bone's storied cap, and a triumph for Allman.

My friend Carol Caffin runs a beautiful blog dedicated to the memory of her friend, The Band's Rick Danko.  Here's Rick performing a bittersweet cover of the Grateful Dead song "Ripple," from his final solo album Times Like These.  He's joined on the track by fellow Band-mates Levon Helm and Garth Hudson.



Speaking of The Band, here's an interview with Robbie Robertson from the National Museum of the American Indian's blog.  Robertson is currently featured in their exhibition "Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture," and in the Q&A he discusses his Native American heritage and how it has influenced his music-making.

And one more Band-related item: Garth Hudson Presents A Canadian Celebration of The Band drops on November 16.  The album features such artists as Bruce Cockburn, the Cowboy Junkies, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Neil Young, and Garth plays keyboards on every track.  Sounds like a winner to me!

Though we celebrated Gram Parsons' birthday here last week, I wanted to share today's post from the fine LA-based music blog When You Awake on the story behind the song "Return of the Grievous Angel."

Finally, just for fun, courtesy of MOJO Magazine: How many Bob Dylan album covers can you name?  Try it - it's tougher than you'd think!