Robbie Robertson looks backward and forward with film, music
NEW YORK » There’s a mournful track on Robbie Robertson’s latest album that clearly stands out. Called “Once Were Brothers,” it’s as sad as an obituary. In a way it is.
The former songwriter and guitarist for The Band wrote it in honor of his four Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ex- bandmates, three of whom have died. His raspy voice doesn’t disguise his grief.
“When the light goes out and you can’t go on/ You miss your brothers, but now they’re gone,” he sings. “There’ll be no revival/ There’ll be no encore/ Once were brothers/ Brothers no more.”
Robertson, 76, said in a recent interview that he was in a melancholy mood when he wrote the song, already looking backward on his life while he was helping create a new documentary on The Band.
“I sat down to write a song and I had no idea of what I was looking for or what I was going to do. And this just started coming my way,” he said. “I’ve lost three of my brothers,” adding: “There’s a big piece missing now and I feel it deeply inside.”
“Once Were Brothers” is the second track on Robertson’s new album, “Sinematic,” and it became the name to the documentary by director Daniel Roher. The film served as the opening night film at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures for release next year. It was picked as the opening-night film for the documentary festival DOC NYC.
The atmospheric “Sinematic” explores the dark parts of humanity, with songs about Chinese and American mobsters, climate change and the human imperative toward violence. “Shall we take a little spin/ To the dark side of town?” he asks in the opening song, “I Hear You Paint Houses,” about a hitman.
Bruce Resnikoff, president & CEO of Universal Music Enterprises, said the album is moody and evocative. “But it also sees him traveling in new musical directions that he had not previously explored. The album is aptly titled as the songs play like mini-movies with some sinful subject matter.”
Robertson is in a purple patch of late. Besides his own music, he’s written music for the upcoming Martin Scorsese film “The Irishman,” is writing a second volume of his memoir “Testimony” and is celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Band’s self- titled album with a new box set.
The Band fused rock, blues, folk and gospel to create an authentically American sound. They hewed t heir complex sound backing Bob Dylan when he first went electric.
Composed of drummer Levon Helm, bassist Rick Danko, keyboardist Richard Manuel, multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson and Robertson, The Band’s signature songs include “The Weight,” ‘’ Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove
Old Dixie Down.”
The Band’s rustic music crossed generational lines at a time when the country was in turmoil and divisive. Robertson is still in a little awe of what his group managed to do
“Nobody was writing songs like that. Nobody was making music that sounded like that,” he said. “It was totally against the grain and it ended up having a profound effect on the course of rock ‘ n’ roll and music.”
Drugs and dissension soon took their toll, warping the tight musicianship of the members. “For the most part, we were playing to one another and we were communicating with one another. And if somebody is on a different wavelength in that communication, you can’t connect,” said Robertson.
The Band broke up in 1976, going out with a bang in a memorable, starry concert finale that was turned into the film “The Last Waltz,” directed by Scorsese. Robertson said the idea was to celebrate the band and let all its members take a breather.
“Then we would come back together and the idea was to create something as good as anything we’d ever done,” he said. “At some point it was obvious that everybody forgot to come back.”
Other members of The Band grew bitter about t he many songwr i t - ing credits that Robertson accumulated and the original band members — except Robertson — regrouped and began touring in the 1980s. Helm expressed his anger at Robertson in an autoto the other thing. But for ral bond with Scorsese, biography and was abthat period of time, they working on the director’s sent when The Band was kind of went to church or “Casino,” ‘’ Raging Bull” inducted into the Rock & something.” and “The Departed.” It Roll Hall of Fame. Resnikof f said t he was Robertson who used
The 50th anniversary whole box set — includf unky, dirty Southern deluxe edition of the aling several unreleased alblues in “The Wolf of Wall bum “The Band,” out ternate takes and instruStreet.” His score for “The Nov. 15, will feature one mental mixes that RobIrishman” is “unlike anythe group’s biggest culertson has unearthed of thing I’ve ever done in my life.”ture-shiftingmoments:songslike“RagMama its 1969 performance at Rag” — was done with When asked if he’s enWoodstock, which has care and respect. “His injoying the process of dignever been officially retention was to pull you ging in his past and also leased. Robertson recalls deeper into the music,” he creating new music, Robhitting the stage on the fisaid. “It’s riveting.” ertson casts back to when nal night of the three- day Robertson’s solo career he was an awestruck teenfestival and having to win has included a lot of film ager. He recalls being 16 over the audience. work. He said he grew up and leaving Canada for
“People were jumpas a “film bug” and rethe Mississippi Delta with ing up and down and vered directors like Inthe crazy idea of getting muddy and wild and havgmar Bergman, Orson hired by rockabilly icon ing the time of their lives Welles and Akira KuroRonnie Hawkins. and they wanted to rock. sawa. “If I hadn’t become “At this stage in my life They wanted to get craso addicted to music at I think I’m still on that zier, even. And when we such a young age I would mission. I’m still doing went out and played, it have ended up in movie that. I’m still so curious was similar to somebody land and would have been and I’m so much enjoying coming out and playing a writer or a director or the discovery process,” he hymns,” he said. “We left something.” said. “I just I don’t know and they went right back He forged a natu- how to stop.”