'The Band' website

Jan Hoiberg has built a living museum. On the internet.

In the small town of Halden, in south-eastern Norway, there lives a website of immense popularity simply called ‘The Band Website‘. A reviewer describes the site as “the definitive Internet resource on one of the greatest ensembles in the history of rock music”. I agree!

Jan, the maintainer and editor of the site, makes it clear that the site is not an official Band web site, although it has been acknowledged and accepted by members of the Band and by their management and collaborators. The site was born in 1994 (yes, there was an internet back then). This is a site that MUST be bookmarked by any serious fan of The Band.

I had a chance to ask Jan the (soon to be famous) Best of Classic Rock interview question. Enjoy the interview and make sure to vist The Band Website!

When did you start the The Band site?

It went on-line in October 1994.

What was your motivation to start The Band site?

There was nothing worth mentioning about The Band on the patchwork known at the Internet back in the early ’90s. I took on the task of doing something about that. (See the About Page on the site for more info)

Has running The Band site changed the way you think about music?

Indeed. It has also changed my life. Several times. Don’t ask…

What are your 3 favorite articles/posts you’ve written?

1) http://theband.hiof.no/band_pictures/road_to_turkey_scratch/

2) http://theband.hiof.no/articles/jh_beat_rd_0300.html

3) http://theband.hiof.no/articles/fender_bass_vi.html

Are there any changes planned for The Band site?

No. The site is no longer very active, and will be preserved as a “web museum” with its 1997 design “frozen in time”. The surviving group members have their own web sites now that have taken over the news services, and there are several new sites where younger fans keep the flame burning.

What makes The Band site different from other classic rock sites?

The longevity. The massive archives with high-quality stuff. The thousands of fans that have contributed (often original and rare) material. The fact that the webmaster has direct contact with and is now a personal friend of original members Levon Helm and Garth Hudson. The numerous travels around the world to meet the players and visit historical sites, collecting material and interviews.

What is the ultimate goal for a classic rock website in your opinion?

To be accepted as the official/definite site for the group. As The Band site was in 1998, when The Band listed it as their official web site on the final studio album, _Jubilation_ from 1998.

What has been the biggest challenge for The Band site? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

Major challenges:

1) Managing the huge amount of material and the massive root system of fans and connections.

2) Running two interactive forums (guestbook, chat room) that attract too many of not-so-nice people and troublemakers.

3) Also our rather liberal attitude to copyright and such, which at the moment have forced a temprarily closure of audio and video archives (the IFIP loves ues…)

One may question if we ever will be able to overcome these challenges, it’s probably something we have to live with.

Any specific tips you have for newbie bloggers who want to make a music site?