Growing up a "country boy who liked to hunt" in Woodstock, New York, Jim Weider always felt some sort of connection to The Band, especially to members Levon Helm and Garth Hudson. Bob Dylan's onetime former backing band also included Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel.
As a kid, Weider knew of their work as Dylan's first electric touring band and "Music from Big Pink," the album they'd recorded in nearby West Saugerties, New York. A guitar player himself, he moved to Nashville and did session and touring work with people like Johnny Paycheck, but he eventually moved back to Woodstock and was asked to join Robbie Dupree and Levon Helm in the Woodstock All Stars. Helm later invited Weider to become The Band's sole guitarist in 1985, a gig he kept until the group's dissolution in 2000 following the death of Danko in late 1999.
He also performed with Helm prior to his death in 2012.
Weider and his band The Weight will perform tonight at Songbirds at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30-$50 and like all shows at Songbirds, it is a fundraiser for their Guitars for Kids program.
"We are incredibly excited to have the legendary Jim Weider perform here at Songbirds," said Chalie Moss, marketing outreach and development manger for Songbirds.
"Having someone who was part of such an influential group like The Band play on our stage just helps further our mission of sharing the transformative experience of music and preserving music history. We can't wait for you to see this show!"
Weider said he knew how important The Band was, also.
"I loved The Band when I was growing up," Weider said in a telephone interview.
"I got to meet the guys when I moved back, and I was asked to join them. They were just good ol' country boys, and I think that's part of what they liked about me. I lived in the country and wanted to be a government hunter and trapper and Levon got a kick out of that. They were as country as you get. They had great senses of humor and would talk to anybody.
"There were no airs about them, and they were as big as The Beatles to me. They wrote the book on Americana music."
Weider and The Weight's show tonight will feature some of that music, as well as some originals. Weider said The Weight rivals even The Band in some areas.
"This one of the best bands I've had with five vocalists," he said.
"It's got all the harmony The Band ever had."
The Weight features Weider on guitar, mandolin and vocals; Michael Bram on drums and vocals; Brian Mitchell on keyboards and vocals; Matt Zeiner on keyboard vocals; and Albert Rogers on bass and vocals. Their collective list of credits include playing with everyone from Helm, Dylan, Willie Nelson and Jason Mraz.
Following Helm's death in 2012, Weider performed a few "Songs of The Band" concerts, and said that the development of The Weight "morphed" over the years. The name is derived from one of The Band's biggest songs and one that features Helm on vocals.
He said being asked to work with Helm on "Electric Dirt," which won three Grammies, near the end of his life when he knew he was sick and dying was hard, but an experience he'll never forget.
"He resurrected his career," Weider said. "It was an amazing comeback. One of the best I've ever seen.
"He was all about the music 110%. They all were. No matter how crazy it got or how messed up they were, when it came to the music, it was 110%."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Follow him on Twitter @BarryJC.