Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band

Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band
Years Active	1993-
Members	Max Weinberg (1993—2010) Jimmy Vivino (1993—) Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg (1993—) Jerry Vivino (1993—) Mark Pender (1993—) Scott Healy (1993—) Mike Merritt (1993—) James Wormworth (2009—)
Related Acts	Bruce Springsteen

Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band is the house band for Conan. They were originally formed by drummer Max Weinberg for Late Night with Conan O'Brien, when they were known as The Max Weinberg 7, and followed O'Brien to The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, when they were known as Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band.

Biography

Shortly after Conan O'Brien was selected as the host for Late Night, Weinberg ran into O'Brien by chance and gave him some ideas about music on the show. Weinberg had played drums in Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band between 1974 and 1989, when Springsteen dissolved the band and, at the time, had little steady work. Weinberg's ideas led to an audition as bandleader for the forthcoming show. The Max Weinberg 7 was quickly formed out of musicians Weinberg had worked with and got the job based on their collective audition.

The members of the band in its original incarnation were:

• Jimmy Vivino (guitar)
• Jerry Vivino (various woodwinds)
• Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg (trombone)
• Mark Pender (trumpet)
• Scoot Healy (keyboards)
• Mike Merritt (bass guitar)

All seven band members remained on the show for its entire 16 season run and agreed to move to Los Angeles when O'Brien became the host of The Tonight Show. The first episode of the new series revealed that the band's name had changed to "Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band" and increased to 8 members. Springsteen reformed The E Street Band in 1995 to record on a box set and in 1999 for a full-on reunion tour, including Weinberg on drums. When Weinberg went on tour with Springsteen, James Wormworth would occasionally fill in until he returned. Wormworth was added as a percussionist and substitute drummer for The Tonight Show.

In times when Weinberg was playing in The Max Weinberg 7, Jimmy Vivino would take over as bandleader and the band would play under the name "Jimmy Vivino and the Max Weinberg 7." In addition to playing incidental music, the opening and closing themes and music during commercials, band members would occasionally accompany the musical guest for the episode. Notably, Weinberg took over drums for "Romantic Rights" by Death From Above 1979.

The band members are often used in comedy bits for Late Night, which is expected to continue on The Tonight Show. After sidekick Andy Richter left Late Night, Weinberg became his de facto replacement. Most of the jokes made were about how the two have no chemistry, often used in sketches like Small Talk Moment. La Bamba, however, is typically the butt of the joke. His poor acting skills, hat, mustache and occasional percussion playing is made fun of frequently. His falsetto is also used during the In the Year 2000 sketches. Mark Pender takes on some of these roles to a lesser extent, usually singing an inappropriate song to a particularly attractive member of the audience. The rest of the band members are rarely used in sketches, although bassist Mike Merritt had a few bits where his pre-recorded voice would mock O'Brien's monologues about race.

The Max Weinberg 7 released a self-titled album on Hip-O Records in 2000.

After O'Brien's run on The Tonight Show ended, Conan moved to TBS for a new show, titled simply Conan. The band again followed O'Brien, with the exception of Max Weinberg. The band is now led by Jimmy Vivino, with James Wormworth on as the full-time drummer.

Roles

Starring Roles

Series	Role	Year(s)	Season(s)
Late Night with Conan O'Brien	House Band	1993–2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien	House Band	2009–2010	1
Conan	House Band	2010–	1	2	3	4	5

Musical Performances

Series	Song Title(s)	Episode	Airdate
Super Bowl	"Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" "Born to Run" "Working on a Dream" "Glory Days"	Super Bowl XLIII	February 1, 2009

Trivia

• The band mainly performs covers of popular music from a variety of different genres on Late Night and The Tonight Show. Some of the most often played songs include:

The Clash - The Magnificent 7 The Clash - Police On My Back The Clash - Rock the Casbah

The Clash - Spanish Bombs The Clash - Train in Vain Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart - My Funny Valentine

The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

External Sites Official NBC website for Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band