"Ollabelle came together because of these musicians' love of this music, without thought of success or career or any of the other trappings of the modern professional music business. It has great value to our culture, adding new life to a tradition that is an important part of who we are. But mostly, they sound great. They sing great and they play great, and they are wonderful people." -T-Bone Burnett
Amy Helm—vocals, mandola
Byron Isaacs—vocals, bass, dobro
Tony Leone—vocals, drums, percussion
Fiona McBain—vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
Glenn Patscha—vocals, keyboards, accordion
Although all five were pursuing individual projects at the time, their musical affinity evolved into a solid band chemistry, and the group (which at the time also included guitarist Jimi Zhivago) quickly gained a local reputation for its exuberant live sets. They recorded their debut album on spec at a local studio, and the project won the attention of renowned artist/producer T Bone Burnett, who was impressed enough to release Ollabelle on his Sony-distributed DMZ label.
The debut disc won massive critical acclaim, as did tours with Diana Krall, Ryan Adams and Buddy Miller. Ollabelle also won new fans via a high-profile slot on the Burnett-organized Great High Mountain Tour, which saw Ollabelle share stages with such prestigious roots acts as Alison Krauss and Union Station, Ralph Stanley and Norman and Nancy Blake.
"The band is still constantly changing, and we never play the songs the same way twice," says Patscha. "We try our damndest to be honest with each other and to the music, and I like to think that people can hear that. We're still basically a group of friends who love to play music together. At the end of the day, the greatest reward for a musician is the feeling that people are truly listening, and returning a feeling to complete the cycle. What a gift it is that we get to experience that feeling through this band."
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