The Band marches on

David Renzi

Tuesday, May 14, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

You get New Age musings in an old-stoner voice from Rick Danko, The Band bassist who's been playing and partying professionally since the early '60s.

"It's a way of life for me," he says. "I'm a very thankful person that I've been allowed to live the life I've lived. I didn't have to line up at the time machine to punch in or punch out, and I'm thankful for that.

"I didn't expect to even live this long. It's good to be able to travel this world and be accepted, and they'll even pay you a little bit of money, if you want them to. I'm glad to have been born when I was born. I must confess, the earlier years were promiscuous but safe. I lucked out there."

Now here's where he gets way-out wacky.

"Music is a healing thing," Danko says. "It can be many things. The monks go, 'Mmmmmmmmmm ...' There's something to that. We all know that, right? And the vowels, like A, E, I, O, U, that's what it's all based on. You talk on one side of your brain, and you sing on the other. You knew that, right? Music ... (darn), I'm losing track of where I was. Oh, yeah. Like the monks, the vowels, right? Did you ever think of how important they are?"

Obviously Mr. Danko has, deeply and profoundly. The '60s survivor and resident of planet Woodstock is on the road with his group, The Band, two of whose members, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson, Danko has been playing with, off and on, for 38 years.

They are the three remaining original members of a group that did as much for Dylan as Dylan did for it, and is touring in support of "High on the Hog," its second studio album in 21 years." Its first, 1993's "Jericho," was the first in 18.

"It's always nice to be in a group," Danko says. "I've always considered The Band a way of life. It's truly part of my family."

It was literally from March to December 1967, when Danko, Hudson, guitarist Robbie Robertson and Richard Manuel (Helm had temporarily quit) traveled to Dylan's Woodstock, N.Y., home to work on "Eat the Documentary," a documentary of Dylan and The Band's 1966 British summer tour.

After the tour, Dylan broke his neck in a motorcycle accident and The Band spent its time in New York, recording with Carly Simon and backing Tiny Tim.

"Pretty bizarre dude," Danko says of Mr. Tim.

Once Dylan got his head straight, The Band went to Woodstock, found a pink house on 100 acres and recorded its debut album, "Music From Big Pink," in the basement.

"That was a very good time, actually," Danko says. "I think we paid like $200 a month, and with all of us living together it was very inexpensive. We got to live like kings up in the country."

The group signed with Capitol Records, which released the album in 1968.

Living together all those months "certainly did help" The Band acquire a distinguishable sound, Danko says.

"Other people were stacking Marshall amps and turning them up to 11. We were down in a basement trying to get a balance, trying to hear each other instead of show dogging."

The five original members released their final studio effort in 1977; in 1982, Helm and Danko went on tour as a duo, then invited Manuel and Hudson to make it a quartet. Guitarist Jim Weider joined in 1983, and The Band made its first U.S. appearance in six years.

Manuel hung himself in 1986, but The Band continued; when drummer Randy Ciarlante and keyboardist Richard Bell joined, it completed a lineup that remains intact.

"This band feels like its own band," Danko says. "I don't think The Band has ever been in the position it's been now. After cutting 'Jericho' and 'High on the Hog,' you can feel the evolution. I think The Band hasn't done it's best record; that's the best part."