The Weight Band Returns to The Suffolk

Suffolk welcomes back The Weight Band, featuring members of The Band and the Levon Helm Band, on Friday, August 9, at 8 p.m. Performing original songs as well as classics 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.

The Weight Band features: Jim Weider (guitar, mandolin and vocals), former member of The Band from 1985 to 2000; Michael Bram (drums & vocals), current drummer for Jason Mraz. Bram has also worked with Willie Nelson and Bob Margolin of The Last Waltz fame: Brian Mitchell (keyboards & vocals), current member of Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band. Mitchell has recorded and performed with artists to the likes of Levon Helm, Bob Dylan, Al Green, B. B. King and more; Matt Zeiner (keyboard and vocals), toured with Matt “Guitar” Murphy of Blues Brothers fame as well as Dickey Betts, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band; Albert Rogers (bass, vocals) has shared the stage with Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, The Jim Weider Band, Sid McGinnis, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Vivino, Albert Lee and many others.

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 following Robbie Robertson’s departure. In the late 2000s, he replaced Jimmy Vivino in the Levon Helm Band, which already included keyboardist Brian Mitchell. The connections extend further, as Rogers shared the stage with Helm and Hudson while in The Jim Weider Band and Michael Bram drummed in the Chris O’Leary Band, an off-shoot of Helm’s band The Barnburners.

In 2017, The Weight Band performed on the PBS series “Infinity Hall Live.” The following year, its self-produced debut, “World Gone Mad,” was released to strong reviews. Most recently, The Weight Band put out “Acoustic Live” in 2021. This 11-track album features five songs recorded at the Big Pink on October 25, 2019, and six songs recorded the following night in Levon Helm’s barn/studio. Performances include memorable versions of “World Gone Mad,” Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” Jerry Garcia’s “Deal,” and several Band covers.

Tickets are $49 to $69 at thesuffolk.org. The Suffolk is at 118 East Main Street in Riverhead.