Credit: Silvia GravAn official video for Robbie Robertson‘s new tune, “Once Were Brothers,” got its premiere Wednesday at RollingStone.com. It’s also streaming on the founding The Band guitarist’s official YouTube channel.
“Once Were Brothers” appears on Robertson’s 2019 studio album, Sinematic, and in the new documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, which will open in New York and Los Angeles on February 21 before getting a wide theatrical release on February 28. The melancholy track finds Robbie celebrating his old group and lamenting his broken relationship with the other members, most of whom have passed away.
The video features grainy, black-and-white footage resembling silent movies, and includes close-up shows of Robertson interspersed with scenes of athletes and circus performers, including acrobats, a strong man, a pole vaulter and a horseback rider.
The clip was directed by Kevin Kerslake, whose many credits include videos by The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stone Temple Pilots and Bush, as well as the 2018 Joan Jett documentary, Bad Reputation.
“Writing ‘Once Were Brothers’ for my album Sinematic hurt inside sometimes, but it was a rewarding experience as it allowed me to think back about the extraordinary brotherhood of The Band,” Robbie explains. “When the filmmakers heard the song, they were deeply moved and not only wanted to use it in the movie but decided to call the film Once Were Brothers.”
He adds, “For the video we wanted to go in a different direction. Director Kevin Kerslake came on board with an abundance of imagination and style. We had a brilliant time working together.”
The Once Were Brothers doc was inspired by Robertson’s 2016 memoir, Testimony, and focuses on the Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist’s early life and the history of The Band.
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
