Jim Weider: The Band, Jamming with Keith Richards, and Psychedelics
This week, we sat down with the legendary Jim Weider. Jim was born and raised in Woodstock, NY and from 1985-2000 he was the lead guitarist for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Inductees The Band. His first ever show with The Band was a Crosby, Stills, and Nash reunion in Dallas Texas in front of over 30,000 people. Talk about baptism by fire. Throughout Jim’s career, he has jammed with Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, Scotty Moore of Elvis Presley’s original band, played with The Grateful Dead at Soldier field and rocked the stage at The Berlin Wall Concert in front of over 300,000. No single concert has ever been bigger in attendance. In 2013, The Weight Band formed when two former members of The Band, Jim Weider and Randy Ciarlante, decided to continue The Band’s rich musical tradition. The Weight Band keeps the Woodstock spirit of The Band alive. In 2018, The Weight Band released an original album titled ‘World Gone Mad,’ a commentary on today’s divisive political climate and the hardship of American Life. In this conversation, Jim and I get into growing up in Woodstock, his time with The Band, jamming with Rock n Roll icons, the psychedelic culture, and more.