"Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band" Review

by John Zenoni

I saw a great documentary tonight at The Nick called “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band.” Let me just say that as a person who loves all kinds of music, including that of musicians/bands way before my time, and is currently taking music lessons, that I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know that much about The Band before tonight. I haven't even seen the critically-acclaimed (and what many consider to be one of, if not the, greatest concert films of all time) film, “The Waltz.” Yes, I do know of what is undoubtedly their most famous song, ‘The Weight’, and have sung along with it many times, but I never truly understood the genius behind the group, particularly that of Robbie Robertson, until seeing this film tonight. So many things I didn't know about the group, such as how young they were when they started playing music, who they played with when starting out, including of all people -- Bob Dylan-- and what inspired their music (on a side note, and I'm sure I might get slammed for these comments, while I know Dylan is cherished and revered by many as a great singer and songwriter, I honestly cannot understand why as his voice just gives me the creeps. It just grates on me to no end.) Anyway, I also didn't realize what an influence this group of musicians had on others, including Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, George Harrison and more. Plus, it was great seeing the R&B musicians that influenced them such as Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson and many more.

This film is a great insight into these men, how they met, where they went throughout their time together and the many things they went through, including what brought the band to an end. This is a very well-made documentary that any music lover should appreciate.

One other thing I have to mention is that during the early part of the film I could hear music being played from the 1994 album by Robbie Robertson, called “Music for the Native Americans.” Very different but still a wonderful album.

Kudos to Executive Producers Martin Scorsese, Brian Grazer, and Ron Howard for making this film. It will definitely become part of music history records.