#Rick Danko is gorgeous

[nancywheeeler]

any movie recs??? 👀

oh anon, i love you and you have no idea the can of worms you have just opened. heck yeah do i have movie recs...

movies i've loved recently:

Rye Lane {incredible modern rom-com, awesome lead performances, gorgeous to look at, takes the "one chaotic day together" narrative structure and runs full speed with it}

Bound {the wachowskis' first movie! a very intense neo-noir thriller. the directing is giving "we're already conceptualizing the matrix" which means they direct the hell out of it}

Harlan County, USA and American Dream {both essential documentaries by Barbara Kopple about union efforts in Pennsylvania in the 70s and Minnesota in the 80s respectively. if you're then looking for a narrative feature with similar themes, Norma Rae is great}

Duck Soup / The Gold Rush / The General {three classics of the Hollywood Golden Age for one! go with Chaplin's The Gold Rush if you want snowy antics in Alaska, Buster Keaton's The General if you wanna see a guy almost die on a train many, many times, and the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup if you want a sharp-witted satire on fascism and war}

movies i personally never shut about:

All the President's Men {it's so sexy when people are good at their jobs! especially if that job is journalist who takes down the nixon administration! if you want a thriller that isn't bloody or overtly sexual, this is the thriller for you!}

The Full Monty {a comedy i believe everyone needs to watch. a 90 minute delight about a group of unemployed blue-collar guys trying to stage a strip show. given it came out in 1997, it's not nearly as dated as you think it'll be and stars a tumblr sexyman hall of famer, Robert Carlyle}

The Vast of Night {weird to describe a movie as gentle sci-fi horror, but that's exactly what this is. it centers around one eerie night in a 1950s town where the local radio station manager and a telephone operator begin picking up strange signals. it has vibes for days and does a lot with a very simple story and small budget}

Cure {...okay, this movie is not for everyone, but if you're down for a very unsettling horror movie, i cannot recommend this one highly enough. the premise is a detective investigating a series of murderers where each murderer has no memory of committing the crime. one of the best-directed movies i've ever seen. like it'll have you holding your breath in scene after scene}

The Last Waltz {since i recommended two other documentaries, i can't resist also recommending my favorite. it's Martin Scorsese's concert film of The Band's final show together. a great movie to put on in the background while cooking / doing chores since it's mostly musical performances, or you can do what i do and stare at Rick Danko the entire time!}

okay, i'll quit while i'm ahead now. if you're looking for movies in a specific genre (drama, comedy, romance, horror, sci-fi, sci-fi horror, horror comedy, romantic comedy with a dash of horror, throw me anything), let me know! i seriously could talk about movies for the rest of my life.

#ask #i did my best to throw a bunch of different genres in here #i missed just straight-up romance so: casablanca really is one of the greatest movies of all time. #it's the movie i'd recommend to anyone looking for a way into classic hollywood

[viecome]

Twitter. Video. Neil Young

Another pre-#NeilYoung’s birthday post because he’s one of my favorite musicians, and Helpless is one of my favorite moments of The Last Waltz, and of course, Rick is gorgeous. Everything in this scene is perfect. #TheBand #JoniMitchell Originally tweeted by Rick Danko Page (@rickdankopage) on 11 noviembre, 2022.

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#Neil Young

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Jeffrey Silverstein

Jeffrey Silverstein is a songwriter living in Portland, Oregon. He has been making music for over a decade. Prior to relocating to Portland, Silverstein released music with Brooklyn-based duo Nassau and Baltimore’s Secret Mountains. You Become the Mountain is his second solo album, inspired by the Pacific Northwest, meditation, long-distance running and Silverstein’s work as a special education teacher. Reviewing it for Dusted, Jennifer Kelly observed that “You Become the Mountain explores the conjunction of the natural world and whatever’s beyond it, in slow blossoming instrumentals that carry you out of the moment into a calm meditative space.”

Staple Singers – Freedom Highway

I’d initially caught wind of the Staple Singers via The Last Waltz and praise from Dylan and Levon Helm, but diving into their catalogue of soul, folk, gospel and R&B has been one of the most rewarding listening and record-collecting experiences. I started with a re-press of their 1959 debut Uncloudy Day and have spent so many slow weekend mornings listening to Pops’ signature tremolo guitar and the pure vocal arrangements of Mavis, Pervis, and Cleotha. A defining album of the Civil Rights Movement, Freedom Highway is one of the most powerful live recordings and performances I’ve ever heard. Recorded at Chicago’s New Nazareth Church in 1965, hearing the congregation react to this music is soul-stirring.

George Harrison – All Things Must Pass

I could yammer for days about how big of an impact this record plus George’s playing have had on me. The packaging for the 3-LP set is gorgeous. It’s a record that grounds you and sets you back on the path. Hard to argue with contributions from Billy Preston and Eric Clapton. More recently I’ve come to appreciate the pedal-steel work from Pete Drake. Been listening to a lot of Pete Drake, Red Rhodes and Buddy Emmons recently. “Wah-Wah,” which might have the greatest riff of all time, being written on the day he left the Beatles, is also one of my favorite pieces of George trivia. Really nice demo version of “All Things Must Pass” here.

Jerry Garcia – Garcia

My interest in the Dead has grown quickly over the past 4-5 years. I think the best way to get into ’em is to find our own way in. Jerry’s first solo release Garcia from 1972 served as a really nice entry point for me. I just cannot get enough of “Bird Song” and these versions of “Deal” and “Sugaree.” This album also sent me down a path of listening to more of the Jerry Garcia Band and his work with Merl Saunders. Definitely a record that keeps on giving.

Vetiver – Tight Knit

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of all things Andy Cabic/Vetiver. This record holds up over a decade later. No skips, phenomenal songwriting and band. “Rolling Sea” is one of the best album openers and “Another Reason To Go” is the deepest groove. Watching them live around the time this record came out made me realize how important having the right players behind you can be. If I had to narrow down my record collection to only three, I’m 100% this record would make the cut.

Akron/Family – self-titled

Discovering the music of Akron/Family rewired my brain. I miss seeing them live more than anything but am glad to have their albums to soften the blow. This record captures so much of what I appreciate about music and I have the same “holy shit” moment every time I return to it a few times a year. It’s the record I point to over and over when people ask me what my influences are. Listen to this album immediately, please.

Ted Lucas – self-titled

This is a record I want everyone to hear at least once in their lifetime. It stopped me dead in my tracks the first time I heard it. Grateful to the folks over at Yoga Records for making it more widely available. You MUST also hear the Blind Boys of Alabama doing “I’ll Find A Way (to carry it all).”

Hailu Mergia – Wede Harer Guzo

This is my go-to Sunday morning album. Originally released in 1978, I still have never heard music that comes close to sounding like this. Spellbinding and tremendously grounding.

Norma Tanega – “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog”

Steve Gunn turned me on to this record. Norma Tanega was an American folk and pop singer-songwriter, painter, and experimental musician. An unmarried queer woman born of immigrants, Tanega’s hit single “Walking a Cat Named Dog” landed her on the billboard top 100 chart and a slot on American Bandstand. Tanega’s music would go on to be covered by the likes of Art Blakey, Barry McGuire and contemporary artists including Yo La Tengo and Thee Oh Sees. After releasing her second and final solo LP, Tanega moved back to California where she worked as a public school teacher and focused on painting and making experimental music using earthenware instruments. Stunning arrangements, guitar playing, and lyrics.

Peals – Walking Field

Beautiful record from William Cashion (Future Islands) + Bruce Willen (Double Dagger) This record pushed me towards more instrumental/ambient music. I love records that can establish mood quickly and this one does just that.

Bobby Charles – self-titled

Tracked at Bearsville Studios and co-produced by Rick Danko, this album is a collection of laid-back Americana with enough of Charles’ Cajun influence to keep things interesting. Sometimes referenced as a “lost” record of The Band, Garth, Levon, and Richard all made contributions. Sung in his signature drawl, Charles has an uncanny way of making the simplest joys in life the most interesting on songs like “Let Yourself Go,” “Grow Too Old,” and “Tennessee Blues.” A reissue is now available via Light in the Attic.

#dusted magagzine #listed #jeffrey silverstein #staple singers #george harrison #jerry garcia #andy cabic #vetiver #akron/family #ted lucas #hailu mergia #norma tanega #peals #bobby charles

[5-star-songs]

“It Makes No Difference” -- THE BAND

Both the studio version from Northern Lights - Southern Cross and the live version from The Last Waltz have 5 stars on my little mp3 player, but I think I prefer the latter, and not just cuz 1976 Rick Danko is so damn gorgeous to look at while he strains for those high notes.

It’s that his straining is integral to the song’s power, and hearing him do so live is more thrilling, because you know he’s only got one chance to get it right (well, since this performance was filmed for a Martin Scorsese-directed movie of the band’s farewell, he probably had ample opportunity to punch over any pitchy bits after the fact, but I still like to believe what we’re seeing/hearing all happened in the moment). The singer’s heartbreak is palpable; Danko sounds so fragile he might break into a thousand pieces at any moment -- which means any time his voice quavers around a particular note it feels like that crumbling is about to begin.

But his pain is also deep, so every once in a while he just roars: check out the “since you been gone” bit at 1:55 for a fine example of that tonal shift. You can also marvel at how sympathetic his bandmates sound when they harmonize with him on “and the sun don’t shine anymore / and the rains fall down on my door.” Ironically, they also join him when he insists, “I never felt so alone before,” but rather than contradicting the sentiment, they elevate it above mere self-pity, simply by witnessing and acknowledging his despair.

#classic rock #the band

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Bye-bye Glass Ceiling: An interview with Jay Bennett and Edward Burch

Another Sunday interview! This one I did in ... early 2002? I think the interview itself was conducted in some conference room at the internship I was doing out in Watertown, MA at the time. Jay was super nice -- RIP. I should listen to The Palace at 4am again ... 

"There was definitely a glass ceiling in place with Wilco," Jay Bennett said of the band he spent nearly six years in. "It was in place when I joined, for sure. While I was in the band, I pushed up against that glass ceiling, maybe even made it bulge at some points, but it was just always going to be there, no matter what."

Bennett spoke to me while on the road promoting his latest project, a collaboration with Edward Burch called The Palace at 4am (Part 1) (Undertow Records). Its classic pop songwriting, gorgeous instrumental passages and striking group vocals would make it stand out regardless of Bennett's former band. But, of course, The Palace at 4am has inevitably been released under the long shadow cast by Wilco's latest, the monumental Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which Bennett played on and engineered before leaving the band last summer.

As a result of all of the business problems and internal reshuffling that Wilco has gone through in the last year, YHF has become infamous among music fans as an example of major label short-sightedness. Now, with the album finally out on Nonesuch, the band seems (ironically) poised to find an even larger audience. But they'll be doing so without Bennett, the multi-instrumentalist who played a large part in shaping the sound of Wilco's three finest records, Being There, Summerteeth and YHF.

"I learned a lot in Wilco—emotionally, musically, communication-wise—and I met a lot of great people, both within the band and all over the world," Bennett reflected amiably as he and Burch pulled into Nashville. "But ultimately, the band kept me from exploring what it is that I am really capable of."

What Bennett is capable of is in full bloom on The Palace at 4am. Indeed, the record seems to be practically bursting at the seams with exciting ideas, studio wizardry and a sheer love of making music. It will remind listeners of almost all the great pop music of the last 30 years—from the Byrdsy opener "Puzzle Heart," to the dead-on Elvis Costello and the Attractions sound of "Whispers or Screams," all the way to the dusky, Big Star-like balladry of "Like A Photograph." Fans of the baroque lushness of Summerteeth (a record Bennett admitted he "really took the bull by the horns with") will recognize a lot of the sounds here. The Palace at 4am is stuffed with what sounds like a life-long love affair with music.

"I like good pop music, plain and simple," Bennett said. "I don't even know what that means, really. I know what it doesn't mean, though." He cites the early Bee Gees, Neil Young and John Lennon as primary influences. "I grew up in the '70s, when bands cared about things like good song arrangements and good group harmonies. You hardly ever hear stuff like that anymore, at least in a rock context. Hopefully some of that comes across on our record." Occasionally, the discerning listener will be able to pick out specific references to songs and artists Bennett and Burch admire, like the Neil Young quote on "CTM", or the drum beat lifted from Costello's "New Lace Sleeves" that forms the backbone of "Fireworks." "That sort of reference is the kind of thing that starts off as a joke, but ends up sticking to the song," Bennett said.

Though Bennett's is certainly the name that will draw most listeners to The Palace at 4am, the album is definitely a collaboration. Edward Burch met Bennett over ten years ago in Champagne, Illinois. "We started writing and recording together right away," said Burch. "But there were always other commitments that kept us from finishing things up." Burch shares songwriting and vocal duties with Bennett on the album, his vulnerable, Rick Danko-esque voice providing an effective counterpoint to his partner's lower, darker tones.

Though the album is draped in guitar overdubs, orchestra bells and what sounds like a whole fleet of vintage keyboards, Burch claimed that "the song always happens first. A song always starts with the two of us sitting around strumming acoustic guitars. When we get to the studio, that's when we [start] grabbing things to overdub, to build the song up." The duo's current tour sees them returning the songs to their stripped-down origins. "It's just the two of us up there, playing our music," Burch said.

"Collaborating is just much more fun," Bennett said of his current musical partnership. "To be sure, there are certain things you prefer to do in isolation—the stuff you do in the studio can be kind of tedious sometimes." But overall, the duo agrees that having another musician to bounce ideas off of is a preferable situation. "Last night, the soundman was having trouble, and I was getting frustrated," Bennett related. "But then we did 'Little White Cottage' [one of Burch's vocal showcases on The Palace at 4am], and I could just look over at Ed and say 'that was the most beautiful version of that song you've ever done.' That makes collaborating totally worth it."

Bennett is certainly wasting none of the time his resignation from Wilco has bought him; he has a mind-boggling number of projects in the works, including production work with a Canadian group called Staggered Crossing ("really good soulful pop"), an album with Burch's other group the Kennett Brothers and some recording with Shari Rich (who co-wrote the first song on The Palace, "Puzzle Heart"), just to name a few. "I like having a day job," he remarked. "I like getting up at a certain time, working with bands in my studio, and then having time to myself at night."

Despite these projects, his work with Burch remains his highest priority. "I spent almost seven years [in Wilco] giving in to demands on my time—whether it was touring, producing or finishing records. Now, I just want to focus on what I've got going with Ed." The duo recorded basic tracks for over 30 songs during the sessions for their record. They hope to complete the remaining tracks that were left unfinished for a planned second installment of The Palace at 4am due later this year.

With all the press attention Wilco is currently getting, hopefully some of it will trickle down to Bennett and Burch's project. "We're getting a good response so far," Bennett said of the tour. "People are listening, really listening, and paying attention, and that's cool. It's really all you can ask for."

Jay and Edward's Tour 2002 Top 5

Nick Lowe |

The Doings (Box Set)

Sdtk of Our Lives |

Behind the...

Elvis Costello |

When I Was Cruel

The Hey Goods |

The Hey Goods

Bennett & Burch |

The Palace at 4am**

**

**Burch explains: "We are not egomaniacs, we just wanted to make a record we could enjoy ourselves. And we did."

#wilco #jay bennett #edward burch #sunday interview

[itsrogerbaelor-blog]

Rick Danko

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

didn’t know who he was either so I looked him up and aw he reminded me of a celebrity crush I had when I was younger, he’s cute