Chest Fever Releases “CHEST FEVER PT. 1”, the Newest Single From The 21st Century Last Waltz - Live at Massey Hall

Today, Chest Fever officially releases “Chest Fever Pt. 1”, the latest single from their upcoming album The 21st Century LAST WALTZ – Live At Massey Hall. Recorded during the band's landmark performance at Toronto's legendary Massey Hall on November 18, 2023, the release continues the band's weekly rollout of singles and videos leading up to the full album's release on September 18, 2026. 

The single arrives on the anniversary of the Watkins Glen Summer Jam—the 1973 concert that brought together The Band, The Grateful Dead, and The Allman Brothers for one of the most celebrated jam events in rock history. Featuring special guests Marc Ford (guitarist for The Black Crowes, Lucinda Williams), Murf McRee (San Diego-based guitarist and harmonica player), and Mike Butler (musician and sound engineer for Ray LaMontagne, The Shins, and The Pretenders), “Chest Fever” holds an important place in the band's history. 

Butler’s musical background, in particular, includes co-founding the band The Boxmasters with Billy Bob Thorton and spending time at Levon Helm’s Barn—the legendary Woodstock venue that has become a creative hub for the modern roots-music community. “Everyone I talked to had a really personal connection to The Band and to these songs,” says Butler. “I think that really came through in the performances in a way you don’t always get.”

Originally the eighth track on Music from Big Pink (1968), “Chest Fever” was never a major hit single, but it became one of The Band’s most celebrated live performances. Evidently, it also provided Chest Fever with their name. The song embodies the very things that defined The Band’s performances, and thus Chest Fever’s—musical chemistry, improvisation, and thoughtful composition.  “What I like about what Chest Fever is doing is that it’s an interpretation,” says Butler. “They’re not doing everything note for note or trying to play every single note from the records. I think that would be boring to watch.” The song thus becomes more than a reinterpretation of a classic, evolving into a living, breathing performance that pushes Chest Fever beyond the confines of genre and into the territory of the jam band tradition.

Rather than simply recreating the original recording, Chest Fever leans into the song's element of improvisation, allowing each featured guitarist the space to contribute their distinct musicianship. “That was probably the jammiest of the jams I’ve ever done on stage with that kind of audience,” Butler recalls. “Marc [Ford] is someone I’ve been a fan of for twenty or thirty years, so it was a real thrill to share the stage and trade some licks with him.” 

At nine minutes, "Chest Fever" is a song that captures the high spirits that made The Band's live performances so memorable and invigorating. Much like the original recording, the song begins with a church-like organ introduction—but Chest Fever’s version is slightly different. The organ doesn’t last as long as Garth Hudson’s, rather the song kicks off quickly into a driving roots-rock groove, anchored by the guitar inter-play and fully-fleshed rhythm section. 

Butler, who also mixed the album, explains how “live recordings can be a challenge to mix because you’re not in a controlled environment—you’re in a theater. The acoustics aren’t necessarily ideal, there isn’t ideal separation between instruments, and you’re very limited in what you can fix.” Nevertheless, he took the five hour concert and transformed it into one cohesive album: “Dan [Cervantes] did a lot of the groundwork: listening to the entire show, picking the best parts, and flagging things we could tighten up or repair. Then it was up to me to fix what needed fixing and put it all together.”

When it comes to his individual connection to the music, Butler thinks back to the times he spent with Levon Helm, whom he describes as “one of my all-time favorite people on the planet”: “He was one of a handful of people I’ve met who was not just a genuine human being, but a genuine lover of music—a pure soul. Everything about him just oozed music. It’s all he lived for and breathed for.” Naturally, that relationship had a profound impact: “We’d just hang out with him all day. I had moments where I was sitting in front of the fireplace with just Levon, chatting about music. He was such a generous, interesting, and philosophical person, and he left a really lasting impact on me.”

Keeping his personal history in mind, Butler notes that “I’m doing a job—I’m providing a service mixing this record—but having such a personal connection to it helped me see it not only as work, but as a huge fan who’s deeply connected to these songs.” 

For Jody Bagley, Chest Fever’s pianist and one of three lead singers, stepping onto the Massey Hall stage carried a weight that extended far beyond the performance itself: "There's a lot going on that night, and a lot of emotions, and a lot of excitement, and nerves, knowing how amazing and legendary the venue was. Just to be able to be on that stage alone was a really exciting thing, and then with all the guests we had, looking forward to playing with them was also kind of a surreal experience.”

Producer of the event, lead guitarist, and vocalist Dan Cervantes has witnessed the band's remarkable growth firsthand, as the Massey Hall performance marked a significant milestone in Chest Fever's evolution: "To go from the Horseshoe Tavern, which is a 500-capacity club, to Massey Hall, which is a 2,800-capacity theatre in less than a year is a big jump.” That growth reflects the timeless power of The Band's music and the community it continues to foster. "The Band's music does something I've never seen other music do,” says Cervantes. “There's something very magical about it. It just kept resonating and ringing with me my whole life, and it continues to do so.”

He also reflects on the responsibility of carrying that legacy forward: “There's been a great amount of reciprocation from playing this music—and from the relationships that I've grown and people that I've met, because I am a torch bearer of it. I think that time and attention to me has value.”

While Bagley had long admired The Band, to actually perform the songs themselves also deepened his appreciation for the music: "I'd always been a fan, but it wasn't until we first put on The Last Waltz in 2017 that I really dove into that concert.” He credits the lasting impact of the music to its storytelling. "So many of the songs are stories—it's like watching a movie. Those kinds of stories can last through any period.”

What the recording captures, in Butler’s opinion, is the honor and dedication to the source material: “The musicians are all doing it for the right reasons; they want to honor this music, and it really translates. If you close your eyes, you can feel like you’re really there.” When asked what he thinks is most memorable about the album, he calls to mind the “magic moments between the musicians—the interplay between the players. It may even take a few listens, but there’s some real magic that happens in those interactions.” 

For guitarist Marc Ford, the enduring appeal of The Band's music lies in its authenticity and timelessness. “Its roots really reach down into what reminds people of what is real and lasting,” he says. Looking back on the performance, he remembers one thing above all else: “The amazing feeling in the room between the band and the audience.” It’s that connection which radiates throughout the track, making listeners feel as though they're standing in the very room where the sold-out show unfolded three years prior.

Listen to “Chest Fever Pt. 1” on streaming on all major platforms. The full album, The 21st Century LAST WALTZ – Live At Massey Hall, will be available for streaming on September 18, 2026. 

For more updates, releases, tour announcements, and other exclusive content, visit chestfeverofficial.com, and follow Chest Fever on social media:

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