(NEWTON, NJ) -- Master roots rockers, The Weight Band will perform at The Newton Theatre on Friday, May 6 at 8:00pm. The Weight Band will be playing songs from their new album Shines Like Gold and fan favorites.
Composed of bandleader, renowned guitarist Jim Weider (The Band, Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band, Jim Weider Band), keyboardist Brian Mitchell (Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band), bassist Albert Rogers (Jim Weider Band, Jimmy Vivino), drummer Michael Bram (Jason Mraz) and keyboardist Matt Zeiner (Dickey Betts), The Weight Band presents a dynamic set of classic Americana that draws upon roadhouse rock, funky swamp pop, blues, country soul, and folk.
On their second studio album, The Weight Band looks at our troubled world, ponders the passage of time, and ultimately conveys a sense of hopefulness for the future.
"The song ('Out of the Wilderness') was originally written for Rick Danko when I was writing with Colin Linden for The Band's Jericho album and was never used for that album. Colin had a big hand and footprint on this record. We go back, so there is a comfortableness working with him," said Jim Weider, The Weight Band.
Tickets range from $34-$49 and are available for purchase online. The Newton Theatre is located at Spring Street in Newton, New Jersey.**Please note that this show does NOT require proof of vaccination or masks. Masks may still be worn by patrons if preferred**
Featuring nine original songs and a cover of a Willie Dixon gem, the band recorded the album live at Clubhouse Studio in Rhinebeck, NY, over four days – with minimal rehearsal during the height of the pandemic in 2020 while producer Colin Linden, an award-winning musician and Weider's longtime collaborator and co-writer on several of the album tracks, was in Nashville. "He had a big hand and footprint on this record," says Weider. "We go back, so there is a comfortableness working with him."
The Weight Band's musical kinship is evident throughout the album, giving it a more cohesive and funkier sound than its acclaimed 2018 debut, World Gone Mad. Billboard hailed it "excellent" while Goldmine Magazine cited World Gone Mad as one of the year's best indie albums.
The Weight Band’s origins are tied to Woodstock and some of its most famous inhabitants, The Band. Weider, a Woodstock native, served as The Band’s lead guitarist from 1985-2000, following Robbie Robertson’s departure. In the late 00s, he replaced Jimmy Vivino in the Levon Helm Band, which already included Mitchell. The connections extend further, as Rogers shared the stage with Helm and Hudson while in The Jim Weider Band and Bram drummed in the Chris O’Leary Band, an off-shoot of Helm’s band, The Barnburners.
After Helm’s death in 2012, Weider performed a few “Songs of The Band” concerts, which included Vivino, Byron Isaacs, Randy Ciarlante, and Garth Hudson. The shows were so well received that Weider started the first version of The Weight Band with Ciarlante, Isaacs, Mitchell, and keyboardist Marty Grebb. Over the next several years, the group shifted from mainly Band songs to their originals. Along the way, band membership moved as well. When Isaacs left for The Lumineers, Rogers came aboard. Bram joined the group after Ciarlante’s departure. Following World Gone Mad’s release, Grebb bowed out, and Zeiner stepped in.
THE WEIGHT BAND ON TOUR
April 29 - Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Center for the Arts
April 30 - Phoenixville, PA @ Colonial Theatre
May 5 - Montgomery, NY @ City Winery
May 6 - Newton, NJ @ Newton Theatre
May 13 - Dalton, MA @ The Stationery Factory
May 14 - Brownville, ME @ Stone Mountain Arts Center
May 15 - Portsmouth, NH @ Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club
June 13 - June 17 - Big Indian, NY @ Camp Cripple Creek 2022
June 18 - Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios
July 9 - Patchogue, NY @Great South Bay Music Festival
