The Weight Band (feat. members of The Band & the Levon Helm Band) Performs @ Capitol Theatre, Friday December 20th

Article Contributed by Michael J. Med… | Published on Friday, November 22, 2019

Celebrate The Band's 1971 historic concert, “Rock of Ages” with a special performance by The Weight Band with The Dap King Horns. Along with special guest Willie Nile, The Weight are five musical brothers based in Woodstock, NY featuring Jim Weider of The Band, and members of the Levon Helm Band. They have been performing their album World Gone Mad and The Band's treasured repertoire to fans around the country.

Fans can relive the iconic performance during our special Rock of Ages concert by The Weight Band, as they perform arguably rock’s greatest live album of all time. This will be a special event that you won’t want miss! Get ready to dance and sing along to beloved mega hits like “The Weight”, “Up On Cripple Creek”, “Rag Mama Rag”, and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, and hear why the Chicago Sun-Times declared, “The Weight carries on where The Band left off”.

Performing their current album, World Gone Mad, as well as classic songs of The Band, The Weight Band is led by Jim Weider, a 15-year former member of The Band and the Levon Helm Band. The Weight Band originated in 2013 inside the famed Woodstock barn of Levon Helm. Weider was inspired by Helm to carry on the musical legacy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group.

Years of touring have seen The Weight Band revive “The Woodstock Sound,” keeping the spirit of Americana/Roots Rock alive for audiences of all ages. They continue to keep the sound vibrant by releasing new music, evidenced by the album World Gone Mad (February 2018.) Their live set features Weight Band songs from the new album as well as fan favorites from The Band’s treasured catalog, including “Up On Cripple Creek,” “The Weight,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”

The Weight Band includes Brian Mitchell (The Levon Helm Band), Michael Bram (Jason Mraz), Matt Zeiner (Dickey Betts Band), and Albert Rogers (The Jim Weider Band). With a US and international tour schedule slated for 2019 and beyond, The Weight Band complements The Band’s timeless legacy while pushing the music forward for new audiences.

Billboard, Relix Magazine, and others have taken notice, as have generations of The Band fans who have yearned for new material since their last studio release almost 20 years ago. The Boston Globe proclaims World Gone Mad “strikes a chord between past & present,” and the Chicago Tribune says “The Weight carries on where The Band left off.” Goldmine Magazine cited World Gone Mad as one of the best indie albums of 2018, saying the group “effectively revives and recreates The Band’s original rustic sound as a successor [and] keeps that arcane spirit alive!”

Jim Weider (guitar, mandolin & vocals) is a former member of The Band. From 1985 to 2000, Weider replaced Robbie Robertson as their lead guitarist, writing songs and performing on their three studio albums, Jericho, High on the Hog, and Jubilation. He toured internationally with original Band members Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and Rick Danko for fifteen years and was featured with them on numerous albums, films, videos, and in television appearances.

Michael Bram (drums & vocals) is a soulful singer and multi-instrumentalist. Bram splits his time drumming for The Weight Band and Jason Mraz. He has been a staple in the New York music scene.

Sent for almost two decades- other career highlights include working with Willie Nelson and recording tracks with Bob Margolin of The Last Waltz fame.

Brian Mitchell (keyboards & vocals) is a current member of Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band and is well-known within the circles of the music industry and beyond for his solo career and his high-profile collaborations. He has recorded and performed with some of music’s most respected artists, Levon Helm, Bob Dylan, Al Green, B.B. King, and countless others.

Matt Zeiner (keyboard & vocals) began his career with Hartford’s Street Temperature band, then hit the road with Matt “Guitar” Murphy of Blues Brothers fame. Zeiner has also toured extensively with Dickey Bett; a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. Albert Rogers (bass, vocals) has shared the stage with Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and played in The Jim Weider Band. Rogers has also performed with Sid McGinnis, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Vivino, Albert Lee and many others.

Willie Nile

The New York Times called Willie Nile “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years.” His album Streets Of New York was hailed as “a platter for the ages” by UNCUT magazine. Rolling Stone listed The Innocent Ones as one of the “Top Ten Best Under-The-Radar Albums of 2011” and BBC Radio called it “THE rock ‘n’ roll album of the year.”

Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Jim Jarmusch, and Little Steven are among those who have sung his praises. His album, American Ride, won “Best Rock Album of the Year” at the Independent Music Awards. It appeared on over one hundred year-end Top Ten lists for 2013 and Bono called it, “One of the great guides to unraveling the mystery that is the troubled beauty of America.”

In November 2014 he released an album of piano-based songs, If I Was A River, to universal critical acclaim. “One of the most brilliant singer-songwriters of the past thirty years” said The New Yorker. No Depression raved “Willie Nile’s artistic renaissance continues unabated.”

His 2016 album World War Willie appeared on numerous year end top ten lists as did hid his live shows. As American Songwriter said "Nile cranks up the volume and tears into these tunes with the same hunger, passion and exuberance he displays in his legendary sweat-soaked shows." World War Willie was voted “Album Of The Year” by Twangville Magazine and the song Forever Wild was named “Coolest Song In The World” by Little Steven's Underground Garage. In 2017 he released the critically acclaimed album "Positively Bob – Willie Nile Sings Bob Dylan"

Willie has toured across the U.S. with the Who and has sung with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. As the induction program from the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame says: "His live performances are legendary". His 12th studio album 'Children of Paradise' was released in the summer of 2018 to universal acclaim. He is currently bringing his dynamic live show and amazing rock and roll band to enraptured audiences worldwide.

Remember Jones

Remember Jones is a one-of-a-kind soul/pop singer, storyteller and bandleader with a throwback vibe and authentic energy. Collaboratively supported by a large ensemble of musicians (often featuring female backing vocalists, a horn section, and a six-piece rhythm section), the band has played to countless packed and sold-out ballrooms, clubs and theaters throughout the country.

Remember Jones’ debut album, Ladies and Gentlemen, Remember Jones!, was created after raising close to $19,000 through nearly 300 small donations via IndieGoGo, and created in front of a live studio audience with a 25-piece band. Their subsequent release, Tranquilizer!, was recorded at the Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN, under the production of Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray For the Riff Raff, Langhorne Slim). Remember Jones was named one of Paste Magazine and Daytrotter’s Top 10 R&B/Soul Artists of 2017.

In addition to touring and supporting two albums worth of original material, Remember Jones presents and fronts multiple productions which have also gained wide popularity. back to BACK TO BLACK, a recreation of the entire Amy Winehouse album with an orchestra of 12, and Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen in a 20-piece arrangement, have helped Remember Jones develop a diverse audience as the band opens each performance with a set of original music. The company has performed Jeff Buckley's Grace album in its entirety as a collaboration with Grammy-nominated guitarist and Grace co-writer Gary Lucas, a 50th Anniversary concert experience of the musical HAIR, and a live revival of Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak with a 25-piece orchestra.

Remember Jones has shared stages with George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Ronnie Spector & The Ronettes, Darlene Love, Buster Poindexter, Nigel Hall, The Hip Abduction, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, and more. In the vein of putting their spin on others’ material, Remember Jones released Ain’t That a Kick in the Head?!, a single in celebration of Dean Martin’s 100th birthday, sharing studio time with Dean’s daughter, Deana Martin.

Whether you see him fronting a piano, a four-piece band, or with a soul orchestra of 25, Remember Jones evokes the energy of the great front men and women, with one of a kind song styling and expert storytelling that keep audiences on their toes and emotions in the moment.