Chest Fever is a tribute band to The Band, which gives them a huge catalog of songs to explore. The members of the original group include Robbie Robertson, who has given his official approval to Chest Fever. CF comprises Jody Bagley on keyboards, Dan Cervantes on guitar, and bassist Blake Dean. All three musicians are members of Mrs. Henry, a rock band that won the San Diego Music Award. Drummer Allan Ritter and organist Doug Organ (yes really) round out the five-piece outfit.
Chest Fever does not perform in the way most tribute bands do, by trying to recreate a performance in the style of the original group. Instead, they reinterpret the work of The Band, with a surprising result—the songs may be interpreted differently on any given night, reflecting the feeling of fluidity of The Band’s live performances.
The members of The Band were Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, and Garth Hudson. Their best-known songs are probably “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”
A review of Chest Fever says:
“Chest Fever brought The Band's music alive as these fine musicians put on a show that had the energized patrons dancing in the aisles.”
Chest Fever will be at the Iron Works in Buffalo on September 9. Organizers of events like this can use poster printing to create colorful advertisements for them.