When Greil Marcus published Mystery Train in 1975, it was hailed as the greatest book ever written about rock & roll. Fifty years after it came out, there’s a lot more competition — but no other book has come close. It’s a radically original portrait of America and its music, …
Read More »Garth Hudson Was the Spirit and Soul of the Band's Musical Brotherhood
It’s so fitting that Garth Hudson was the last man standing from the Band. The beloved organ virtuoso died on Tuesday morning at 87, near Woodstock, New York — just a few miles down the road from Big Pink, the house where the Band and Bob Dylan transformed music history …
Read More »Garth Hudson, the Band's Keyboardist and Professor of Rock, Dead at 87
Garth Hudson, a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist best known for his distinctive organ and saxophone work with the Band, and who in his later years remained an in-demand player among young musicians — including Neko Case, Norah Jones, and Wilco — died early Tuesday morning at the Ten Broeck Center for Rehabilitation …
Read More »The Band's Garth Hudson Returns to Big Pink
When the news of Garth Hudson‘s death hit on Tuesday morning, many thoughts flooded my mind all at once. I thought of the sad reality that all five original members of the Band are no longer among the living, the sorrow that Hudson faced watching his bandmates battle addiction and …
Read More »Jeff Tweedy on Garth Hudson: 'He Was Like a Sorcerer'
Garth Hudson’s death at age 87 has left fans of the Band grieving. With this loss, none of the five musicians who made everything from ‘Music From Big Pink’ to ‘The Last Waltz’ are still living. “It’s the kind of thing that makes you really want to believe in a …
Read More »Robbie Robertson on Jimmy Carter: 'A Kind, Wonderful Human Being'
One of the first signs that Jimmy Carter was not your average politician came in January 1974. Already a Bob Dylan fan, the then-governor of Georgia was in the audience at Atlanta’s Omni Coliseum to see Bob Dylan and the Band on their historic tour. Afterward, the musicians, promoter Bill …
Read More »Southern Rock Is Rising From the Ashes
The American South is a hot mess of cultural contradictions, and while those contradictions have stoked the dumpster fire of U.S. politics for a couple of centuries, they also happen to be fueling some of the best music being made right now. And to be sure, the story of rock …
Read More »Another Last Waltz: Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and More Remember Robbie Robertson at L.A. Concert
Let’s start at the end. “We love you, Robbie!” Mavis Staples exclaimed. “We love you!” Late Thursday night in Los Angeles, a few minutes shy of midnight, the soul-stirring vocalist had the crowd at the Forum on their feet. Staples had just performed “The Weight” onstage with Bob Weir, Phish …
Read More »Martin Scorsese to Direct Robbie Robertson Tribute Concert Film
Martin Scorsese will serve as director the Thursday night’s all-star tribute to Robbie Robertson at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, which will be turned into a concert film for future release. Announced in July, Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson is set to feature artists including Trey …
Read More »Did Bob Dylan Officialize the Lighter Ritual at Concerts?
Call them the concert illuminati. You’re at a show in an arena or stadium, watching Bruce Springsteen, Chris Stapleton, Coldplay, Madonna, or Weezer, when suddenly the darkness is dotted with dozens, hundreds, then thousands points of light — all from cellphones. The origin story of this concert ritual is a …
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