THE WEIGHT BAND’s 10 Year Celebration

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!”
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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 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.

Lost Leaders was born in a barn. Levon Helm’s barn to be precise. Originally it was just a group of songs written by longtime friends Byron Isaacs (The Lumineers) and Peter Cole (of 2000’s pop/rock T.V. placement juggernaut Lava Baby). Byron was playing in Levon’s band at the time and so the friends were invited to live and record at his barn for a few weeks. While recording they were invited to play the Midnight Ramble with Levon which essentially was their first gig as
Lost Leaders. The resulting album won some fans in the press. RELIX called it “...a timeless sound that could have materialized just as easily in Laurel Canyon as in Woodstock, N.Y...a band out of time [and] perfectly in the now. ..” & No Depression “I love this album. I love it. I want to run out to the street and plug my earbuds into the nearest ears I can find and force them to listen to Lost Leaders...Among my top picks for this year...” Upon release the song I’m Gonna
Win was picked up in heavy rotation by AAA station WXPK in White Plains, NY and from there it spread across the country. With no label they chased the train as it was leaving the station. For the follow up L.P. Promises Promises, they worked with David Baron (The Lumineers, Jade Bird, Meghan Trainor, Vance Joy) as Producer. After touring on and off in support of that record, the Jealous Sun E.P. emerged. The lead single “Long Way Down” was the most added song at
Americana radio in June 2022 and landed in the top 100 nationally later that summer. In a strange and unexpected tangent Peter was cast in Hannah Ha Ha the debut film from Jordan Tetwesky who had been working on videos for the band. The film went on to win Best Narrative Feature at Slamdance Film Festival and was screened at film festivals around the world. Peter’s performance was even called out in a wonderful review in the New York Times.
Getting back to what they do best, Byron and Peter spent 8 weeks in the studio during the Spring of 2023 and so Lost Leaders has a new full length album exploring desire and acceptance aptly titled “Hungry Ghosts” which they plan to release in 2024.