Shoot the Document: Director D.A. Pennebaker on 50 Years of Bob Dylan: Dont Look Back

BY MIKE METTLER — NOVEMBER 27, 2015

As iconic as it remains a full half-century later, when Bob Dylan: Dont Look Back was being shot by director D.A. Pennebaker during the Bard’s whirlwind tour of England in May 1965, there were literally no rules to follow. “It’s the idea of the home movie, the kind of movie […]

By |November 27th, 2015|The SoundBard Interview|Comments Off on Shoot the Document: Director D.A. Pennebaker on 50 Years of Bob Dylan: Dont Look Back

The Domino Effect: Why Derek and the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs Continues to Impact Our Ears and Our Hearts

BY MIKE METTLER — JUNE 6, 2014

Born of pain and longing, their song had the power to break the unhappiness of the world. —from The Story of Layla and Majnum, by Ganjavi Nizami

“Laaaaaaaaay-la!” That instantly identifiable, gut-wrenching battle cry has rallied the bruised and battleworn hearts of countless listeners over the past 44 years […]

By |June 6th, 2014|The Soundtrack of Our Lives|Comments Off on The Domino Effect: Why Derek and the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs Continues to Impact Our Ears and Our Hearts

The SoundBard’s Top 25 Albums of 2013

BY MIKE METTLER

Damn the naysayers — I say the album format lives! With that vital declaration out of the way, it’s high time to cite the records that caught hold of my expert ear over the past 12 months — the full-length discs and/or LPs I consider most worthy of purchase, hi-res download, and/or […]

By |December 31st, 2013|Odds & Sods|6 Comments

Rock of Ages: The Band’s Robbie Robertson on Finding the Balance in Live Mixing and Playing With Bob Dylan

BY MIKE METTLER

“Everybody loved it — except me. I was so not satisfied with it. It was my fault.” That’s Robbie Robertson, telling it like it is back in August 2013 about the original mix of The Band’s acclaimed 1972 double live album, Rock of Ages (Capitol). It only took 40-plus years for Robertson […]

By |October 10th, 2013|The SoundBard Interview|Comments Off on Rock of Ages: The Band’s Robbie Robertson on Finding the Balance in Live Mixing and Playing With Bob Dylan

The Band’s Robbie Robertson on Here’s Little Richard and New Orleans: Home of the Blues

MIKE METTLER: What was the first record you ever bought?
ROBBIE ROBERTSON: The first record I ever bought with my own money was Here’s Little Richard [released March 1957, on Specialty Records]. I was addicted to his song “Rip It Up.” It was the most amazing shuffle. It still is, to this day.

METTLER: Do you […]

By |October 10th, 2013|The Soundtrack of Our Lives|Comments Off on The Band’s Robbie Robertson on Here’s Little Richard and New Orleans: Home of the Blues