NXNE Live: The Royal Mountain Band EL MOCAMBO - JUNE 9 So The Band's been kidnapped. It might be the Rolling Thunder Review, or Dylan's fateful UK tour in '66 — perhaps his evangelical stint. None of them puts up a fight: Levon sits by, smoking; Robbie and Rick are in the trunk, muzzled; Richard sits morose and the Professor remains, as always, eccentric amid the distress. The culprits in this case come from Montreal. Endearingly self-described as "sloppy, ragged rock n' roll," the five souls that comprise The Royal Mountain Band are relaxed and confident, certain in the belief that their semblance to Robbie and co. is indistinguishable. Of course, being anachronistic, this may be bullshit, but it's a scene — minus the kidnapping — that's likely to appear in a new biopic concerning the life and times of Bob Dylan, entitled "I'm Not There," in which the fellas from The Royal Mountain Band impersonate The Band proper. In this way, watching bassist Frederic Charest pluck away on Saturday night, harmonica brace dangling from his neck, a wisp of mustache tracing his upper lip, it's hard to believe there isn't a bit of Rick Danko in his mannerisms. Given The RMB's open admiration for Dylan and The Band — "We already knew how to play all the songs," guitarist Tavis Triance told the Montreal Mirror in February in talking about their selection for the role —theirs is a sound that is nonetheless unique, to Montreal and to a certain time and era. Instinctive harmonies, decidedly blithe guitars and loose drumming all lend an air of spontaneity to the show, so that little of what happens on stage appears orchestrated. A set list, sure, but here are some guys swathed in drink, playing music as few other bands do — sloppily well. It's true that most bands thrive on, and likely pine for, a receptive and packed house, but there's a sense in watching The Royal Mountain Band that they'd somehow be just as content playing to the radiators, as earnestly as they meandered through a set for a sparse crowd Saturday night at the El Mocambo.