You know what would be interesting? I’ll tell you what would be interesting:
First, take all the people who knew Jim Weider from back in the days when he was with The Band – or perhaps watched Jim’s instructional videos years ago in an attempt to emulate his mastery of the Telecaster rockabilly sound, okay? Then, round up all the people who have been blown away by the uber-jam groove of Jim Weider and Project Percolator these last few years. I think it would be a gas to see the two worlds collide – classic rockabilly/country blues and modern rock/jazz/funk fusion – and have everybody realize that they both admire the same guy.
In fact, Jim Weider’s schedule these days reflects a melding of those two worlds: when he’s not on the road with Project Percolator (bassist Steve Lucas, guitarist Mitch Stein, and drummer Rodney Holmes), Weider can currently be found playing guitar with old friend Levon Helm and his band.
Justin Guip, the resident sound wizard for the “Barn” (home of Levon Helm Studios) has described Weider’s role in that setting as “totally locked in. When Jim’s supporting the sound with his rhythm guitar playing, he’s so locked in, it’s almost transparent. He’s perfect. At the same time, when he solos, he just takes over and leads the way. He’s a great player to have in the band.”
In the meantime, Weider’s Project Percolator gigs (and the new album Pulse) are gaining attention with the audience that’s looking for instrumental guitar slathered with plenty of jam. The comparison with the music of the Steve Kimock Band (of which Stein and Holmes are alumni) is inevitable; and although it’s a fair one, Percolator is definitely a band of its own. “I think the sound of this band is a bit of ‘shock and awe’ for anyone who knew my music back through the years, and hasn’t listened for a while,” says Weider. “But that’s the key: you always want to be moving forward with your music. It’s part of the trip.”
We recently had a chance to catch Jim at his home in Woodstock with a few spare minutes to talk about his relationship with Levon and The Band, the road that led to Project Percolator, and the new album, Pulse.
Part one: Telemaster
BR: Let me start by telling you something – and I mean this: if I was on Jeopardy, and the clue was “Three kings of the Telecaster”, I’d be on that buzzer in a heartbeat with my answer: “Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, and Jim Weider.”
JW: (laughs) Thanks, man … I appreciate that. Those guys are my heroes.
BR: So take care of yourself, Jim, ‘cause you’re the only one left!
JW: I’m trying! Believe me, I’m trying! (laughter)
BR: One thing I’ve always gotten a kick out of is the people who consider the Telecaster to be “limited” in its sound – it’s just not true, you know? And what you’ve done with it is living proof. When did you first fall in love with the Tele?
JW: Well, the Telecaster was one of the most popular guitars going back in the 60s. One reason was because it was cheaper than the Fender Stratocaster – two pickups instead of three, for one thing – but more importantly, it was the guitar that guys like Steve Cropper, James Burton, and Jeff Beck were playing. So the Tele was the cool guitar at the time – right up until the late 60s when Jimi Hendrix picked up the Stratocaster. Then everybody wanted a Strat, of course. Me, I stuck with the Telecaster because I figured “Who the hell can play like Hendrix, anyway?” (laughter)
So my first real guitar was a Tele and I just stayed with it over the years, although I’d always have someone yelling at me, “Get a Strat – you can do so much more!” “What are you doing with that plank of wood?” “Get a Les Paul – it’ll sustain better!” I didn’t care. I liked the way the Tele looked; I liked the way it felt … and once I heard what Roy Buchanan was doing on the Telecaster, that was it, man. Roy was getting all these great sounds out of the Tele by cranking up the amps and making use of his volume and tone controls. You know, Jeff Beck was doing some wild stuff with the Yardbirds back then, but I think he learned it from Tele cats like Roy and Paul Burlison, who was a member of the Rock ‘N Roll Trio. Same thing with Jimmy Page – he played a Telecaster before he switched over to a Les Paul.
For me, it was a matter of knowing who inspired those guys – and that was Roy Buchanan and his Tele. He was doing all these neat feedback tricks and psychedelic stuff that was simply in the touch of his fingers and tone. “That’s where these guys are getting all this shit,” I said to myself. “They’re listening to Roy Buchanan.”
BR: And his limited-sounding Tele.
JW: That’s right! (laughter)
Part two: Playing in The Band
BR: Man, you’ve been right out straight for these past few months between the Project Percolator shows and the gigs with Levon Helm, haven’t you?
JW: Yeah, I’ve been going pretty strong and it’s been good. The Percolator shows back in the first part of the summer went really well and then it was great to be back in contact with Levon and playing with him again. I love his new record, Electric Dirt.
BR: You started doing gigs with Levon’s band this year after Jimmy Vivino left, correct?
JW: That’s right – Jimmy headed out to the West Coast to play with Conan O’Brien’s band, so Levon needed someone in that guitar role alongside Larry Campbell.
BR: … who might be playing anything with strings at any given time.
JW: Exactly! (laughs) For me, it’s a matter of having played with Levon since back in 1983 and knowing his drumming style. It’s easy for me to lock rhythmically with Levon on either electric or acoustic guitar and support the sound of the band. My role is to hold the foundation down so that Larry can do his thing on the fiddle or mandolin or whatever in the meantime.
BR: Plus, you’re doing lead work, as well …
JW: Oh, sure – Larry and I trade off solos, including those great old Band tunes that Levon and I used to play together. It’s a blend of lead and rhythm stuff … it’s a lot of fun.
BR: How did you and Levon originally connect?
JW: My roots were in the Woodstock area. I lived in Nashville for a while when I first started playing professionally, but moved back to Woodstock in 1983 to work with Robbie Dupree – and that’s where Levon was living, as well. I hooked up with him to play guitar in Levon Helm’s All-Stars, which led him to ask me to join The Band in 1985. It was so cool to be playing guitar with such a talented group of musicians – Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, and Levon. I’d grown up with that music and had always loved it … now I was going to be playing it – with those guys, you know? I jumped on board and the first gig – with no rehearsal – was in front of 30,000 people in Texas on the Crosby, Stills & Nash tour. And I was with them for the next 15 years, playing all over the world.
BR: But you did get a chance to rehearse …
JW: Well, the road was our rehearsal but, yeah … eventually … (laughter)
BR: So here’s a question – and I’m thinking about when the Other Ones first went out on the road in ’98 after Jerry Garcia died and they ended up with both Mark Karan and Steve Kimock splitting the lead guitar duties; Jimmy Herring filling Dickey Betts’ role after the parting with the Allmans; George McConnell joining Widespread Panic after Mike Houser died – and then, Jimmy Herring joining them after George left, okay? In each of those examples, you had a band whose original guitarist had a unique and distinctive style – and the guys who came after them had to decide how they were going to handle that. You certainly were up against a situation like that with The Band, coming aboard after Robbie Robertson. How did you handle the situation? Were you consciously thinking, “This is how Robbie played this,” or were you trying to break away from that sort of thing?
JW: That’s a good question – I know what you’re saying. The fact was, what Robbie did was a lot of those great little fills in a Steve Cropperish vein – all those great little trademark intros and whatnot. After I’d brought the song in with one of Robbie’s intros, my soloing was just however I felt – the guys in The Band just let me be me, which was great. You take a song like “Don’t Do It” – once I’d laid down that intro lick, I was free to play what I was feeling at that moment. The guys always told me, “Play what you feel.” Actually, I never really went back and listened to what Robbie did after 1970 or so.
BR: I always figured Robbie was another player who’d been inspired by Roy Buchanan … for instance, those sort of chimey harmonics and squeals he’d get by really choking up on the pick with his thumb.
JW: That’s right. And, really, a lot of the blues side of Robbie’s playing was influenced by Levon, too – just as it was for me. Levon is just the absolute heart and soul of the blues; when it came to learning about how to play a shuffle, and playing really raw country blues, that came from Levon. He was a big influence on me.
BR: That’s cool – even though he’s primarily a drummer?
JW: Oh, absolutely – it’s the feel that makes it. Between Levon and all the great people I was able to sit down and play music with by being in The Band – people like Mavis Staples, Bob Dylan, Jesse Ed Davis – I got to pretty much play with anybody I ever wanted to. (laughs)
Part three: Percolating
BR: When did you start to work on your own solo projects? I know before Project Percolator, there was the Jim Weider Band …
JW: I was playing out, doing shows while I was still with The Band when we were between tours. My first album as “Jim Weider and the Honky Tonk Gurus” was released in 1998 – that was Big Foot, a mix of half instrumentals and half guest vocalists. We ended as The Band after Rick Danko died in 1999. My next solo album, Remedy in 2002, was more of the blues/rock thing, but more jammed out. Merl Saunders played keys on that one … Tony Levin on bass … Mavis Staples laid down some vocals … a bunch of great musicians. I did some touring with that group; we played the Montreal Jazz Fest and a bunch of blues festivals and shows in the US. The Percolator album in 2005 was next – and that was a complete change for me – focusing on guitar-driven grooves and jams. I basically went down into my studio at home by myself and just started writing songs, working with drum loops. After I’d written the basic album, I brought in a bunch of folks: John Medeski on keys, Tony Levin on bass again, and Rodney Holmes on drums.
BR: Ahh … so that’s when you first hooked up with Rodney?
JW: Yeah, I was friends with Steve Kimock – absolutely loved his songwriting and his guitar playing. And Steve had this great band at the time, which included Rodney on drums and Mitch Stein on guitar. I just happened to ask Rodney to come up and play some drum tracks on the album, which he did … and that’s when the Percolator album really came alive; Rodney did some fantastic stuff.
BR: But there still wasn’t a Project Percolator touring band as such, correct?
JW: No – when I first started touring behind the album, it was Tony Levin, Randy Ciarlante on drums, and Jesse Gress on guitar. When those guys left to go back to their own projects, I was like, “Where do I go with this from here?” At that point, someone told me, “You ought to call Mitch Stein, he’s free.” Which I did – and right from the beginning, it was just fantastic playing with Mitch. And after a while, Rodney freed up and was available, too … and they brought in Steve Lucas on bass –
BR: Who was their bandmate from the Hermanators, right?
JW: That’s right – and he was just a perfect fit for what we were trying do. With Steve aboard, we had the groove and we had the sound. [Note: When Stein, Holmes, and Lucas play as a trio these days, they call themselves “Ethereal Distortion”.] So that was it: we were off and running. We began touring Europe and the US as Project Percolator.
That’s when I began writing some new stuff – along with co-writing with Mitch and Rodney. Those are the songs that we went into the studio with that became Pulse.
BR: So you went from Percolator being a solo album –
JW: That’s right.
BR: – to Pulse, which is really a Project Percolator band album.
JW: Exactly. For Pulse, I wanted to capture the feel of the band on stage, so we went in and cut the basic album live. I think we got what we were looking for.
BR: I’d agree with that – there’s a basic, raw, right now feel to much of the album that sure doesn’t sound like “punch in/punch out” parts.
JW: Thanks – I appreciate hearing that. Of course, there’s stuff here and there that we had to add in after the fact –
BR: You only have so many hands …
JW: Right! (laughter) But the basic tracks – including the guitar solos – were all cut live to get that feeling of reacting to each other, playing off each other. From the beginning, what this band has been all about for me was the groove. When someone comes to see Project Percolator, I want them to come out saying, “Man, that band just starts to groove and doesn’t stop.” And at the same time, even though they’re instrumentals, these songs are meant to tell stories and create visuals in your head … if we’re doing it right, you’re going to feel like you’ve been on a journey after one of our shows.
Tracking Pulse
BR: “Squirrels In Paris” is the leadoff track on Pulse. I know John Holbrook is listed as co-writer on that song. He’s all over this album: engineer, mixer, co-producer with you …
JW: John and I have worked together for years and we’ve been friends for a long time. I’ve known him since 1970, when he was working with Todd Rundgren at Bearsville Studios. John’s a brilliant guy in the studio – he’s done some great work for a lot of people over the years.
BR: I always like to hear about friendships in this business that have lasted. That’s a tough thing in the music world sometimes: egos get in the way; money; whatever … it’s neat to see you guys still getting a kick out of working together after almost 40 years.
JW: Well, he’s just a great guy. On “Squirrels”, John wrote that loop at the beginning. When I first heard what he’d come up with, I said, “Wow – that’s cool. It’s like a drum loop, but it’s really just a loop of sounds.” And I tried some chords, which fit – and then John added a riff and I came up with the middle part … that’s how we work together.
BR: The song feels like a series of movements, each hinting at the one to come. How much of the basic arrangement did you have worked out ahead of time?
JW: The fact of the matter is, we rarely ever rehearsed – I’d send the guys the basic song ahead of time or show it to them at soundcheck and we’d run it down. That’s another great thing about the way we did Pulse: except for a couple of cuts, we’d pretty much worked everything out on the road and were comfortable with the songs. There’s something really cool about being ready to just go into the studio and play, you know? The basic recording of the album took just three days.
BR: And the solo that Mitch rips into at the end of “Squirrels”?
JW: (laughs) Stand back and watch him go. I just love watching the interaction among Mitch and Rodney and Steve – it’s such a great chemistry.
BR: The title track is one that you co-wrote with Mitch.
JW: Yes – and it’s typical of how the songs come together. We started with this cool drum loop and from there I came up with the main riff. Once Mitch heard that, he said, “Hey -how about we try this descending line …” One thing led to another – we wrote that tune in one afternoon.
BR: You tear into a fierce wah pedal solo at one point on “Pulse”. Again, for all the doubters out there …
JW: Yeah, it’s a Telecaster. (laughter) That’s a ‘52 maple-necked Tele through a Fargen JW40 – my signature head – and a 4×12 cabinet.
BR: Remember all you kids out there: practice! (laughter) Next up is a Mitch song: “No Exit Strategy”.
JW: That’s one that Mitch had written a while back for the Hermanators and we started playing it live with Percolator – a real fun song to play.
BR: You mentioned creating visuals in the listener’s head earlier – I definitely had one the first time I listened to that song. After the opening crunchy, driving rhythm that Mitch lays down – and that totally nasty solo he rips off – you come in and take it to that real wistful break. That moment feels like a scene from a movie where you’re standing on a lone bluff looking out over the ocean, you know? Waiting for the credits to roll or something … (laughter)
JW: I like that image! (laughs) But, yeah – my intention was to take it to a gentler spot and give people a breath after that strong opening from Mitch. Take it way down … play with the volumes and tone controls a little … try to give people a breath and bring them in closer. From there, we take it back out and Rodney carries us home.
BR: Sid McGinnis is listed as co-writer on the next song, “Dreamline.” Sid’s the guitarist on the Letterman show, right?
JW: That’s right – for the last 20 years or so. Sid is another old buddy of mine; we co-wrote some songs on the Percolator album and he’d played in the Jim Weider Band off and on years ago when he had the opportunity. “Dreamline” was a tune that we started together; the band finished it off, but it began with Sid and I sitting down together.
BR: There’s a nice yin/yang thing going on in “Dreamline” between that nice, easy – well, dreamlike – (laughter)
JW: Perfect!
BR: – feel of the main theme and that explosion of guitar on the break that pounces on you out of nowhere …
JW: I wanted this dreamy, almost Pink Floyd-y kind of thing at the front. Sid came up with those chords and we built on it from there and expanded it. Mitch does that beautiful solo on the minor and then there’s the transition to the Telecaster thing with me that’s built on the riffs. That’s a good example on the record of the kind of thing we do live: swapping off roles –
BR: Sometimes you’re the voice of reason; other times you’re the one that lights the fuse –
JW: That’s right! (laughter) It’s all part of the journey that we’re trying to take the listener on.
BR: Cool. Tell me about Sam Butler and family on “Release Yourself.”
JW: Sam was with the Blind Boys of Alabama for years; he and Clarence Fountain (Blind Boys founder/lead vocalist) have a new record out called Stepping Up and Stepping Out. I actually wrote a couple tunes and played on the album for them.
BR: Oh, great – I’ll have to track it down.
JW: Yeah – it’s a great thrill to work with those guys. So I’d asked Sam about doing some background vocals on “Release Yourself,” which seemed like a real natural for him. Sam came in with his son and daughter and they just nailed it. What I was looking to do was combine a background vocal with a cool instrumental – and then, of course, it takes off into the jam from there … finally coming back to the original groove.
BR: I remember my first impression of the solo on that song: it breaks clear of the more traditional blues thing and goes into this stretch that sounds almost Middle-Eastern. “More Buddhist than Baptist” was the phrase I wrote at the time, I believe.
JW: (laughs) Well that’s interesting that you say that, because what I wanted to do on that solo was go to a place that was a cross between some of the bluespicking from my old days and a Grateful Dead sort of thing. And what happens is, you’ll hear the organ coming in and going from major to minor chords while I’m soloing back and forth between the two modes … that’s what gives it that Middle-Eastern flavor.
BR: And it works; it just slips underneath you and all of a sudden you’re on the flying carpet …
JW: (laughs) Yeah, that’s right.
BR: You mentioned the organ, which adds so much to that song. That’s Chris Cameron on keys?
JW: Yes. I really, really dug what Chris did – that funk groove that he laid down sounds great against that almost-reggae thing that Mitch has going on the guitar. “Release Yourself” is such a fun song to play – a real danceable tune. That’s one of our goals: to cross dance grooves with instrumentals.
BR: The credits on “Talking About You” read “Written in the memory of my good friend Richard Bell.” Tell us about Richard, if you would.
JW: Richard Bell was a great keyboard player from up in Canada. He played with a bunch of people over the years, including Janis Joplin, Dylan, John Sebastian, Paul Butterfield … he was such a talented guy. I first met and played with Richard back in 1970; he ended up as the keyboardist in The Band from 1991 on.
I’d been staying in contact with Richard over the years and, in fact, had been talking to him on the phone just before he passed away … that was the inspiration for that song. That was one that I came up with during the sessions – we cut it all live in the studio in one take. Everybody just nailed their part and it all just felt right.
BR: You brought Danny Louis from Gov’t Mule in on keys …
JW: Oh, yeah – Danny’s a great keyboardist in his own right and was nice enough to play on that cut. His keyboard part was just perfect … he just hit the song. I think Richard would’ve loved it.
BR: That’s great – it sounds like everyone picked up on your vibe, your friendship with Richard …
JW: Absolutely.
BR: From there, you jump back into the funk on “Motivator,” which is another tune with Chris Cameron on organ and clavinet.
JW: Yeah, Chris played that funky clavinet part that really worked well against the riff I’d come up with. Again, our mission on that one was to come up with a groove tune to make people get up and boogie.
BR: The writing credits on “Green Zone” mention Rodney along with Mitch and yourself –
JW: It’s really mostly a Rodney tune.
BR: Well, that’s what I wanted to ask you: as a drummer, how does Rodney present a song idea to the band?
JW: On “Green Zone”, Rodney had that neat synthesizer riff and drum groove that the song is built around – it’s the backbone of the tune. In fact, when I cut my solo, I really hadn’t learned the rest of the song at that point … I just plugged in and did the solo live in the studio. You’re hearing it as it happened. (laughs)
BR: Rodney’s such a gas to watch live – a great mix of power and control. Even when he’s out there, he’s never reckless.
JW: Absolutely. Rodney’s such a powerful drummer, but he’s in total control of his abilities and technique at the same time. Another thing I love about Rodney is he always has the groove; on top of all this amazing technical ability, he’s got this great feel … it’s always so liquidy and the groove is so nice. I just can’t say enough about him.
Same thing with Mitch and Steve: Mitch has one of the greatest feels for rhythm I’ve ever been around – and then he’ll turn around and play these fantastic leads. Mitch is a master at building and improvising solos. I’ll tell you, I’ve really learned a lot about playing and stretching out in a jam situation from those guys.
And Steve is just this monster unsung hero on the 6-string bass. His playing is phenomenal: so supportive in the group setting, yet he can take you on a trip all by himself. Steve really is an amazing musician. His bass solo on “Man Cry” is just unbelievable.
BR: Cool – “Man Cry” was next on my list to talk about. That’s a lovely slide intro you do, by the way. Do you have a Tele that’s set up just for slide?
JW: Yeah I call that my “Ry Cooder guitar” – a Tele with one Teisco pickup, a Supro lap steel pickup, and the action set up for slide. “Man Cry” is a song that I wrote during the Percolator band days just for something to groove to. With this band, it’s the tune we end the shows with a lot – we tend to stretch it out. It really brings things to a high point. As I mentioned, Steve’s bass solo is a real highlight on the album cut.
BR: And then we have “Two Worlds”, which is just a beautiful piece of work. Are you doing an instructional video on electric sitar to go along with the Tele lessons? (laughter)
JW: You know a buddy of mine had the electric sitar and once I heard it, I just thought it would be the perfect thing to do the intro to “Two Worlds” with.
BR: Seriously, had you messed with one before?
JW: Well … no. (laughter) But it’s just like a regular guitar, except it has a sitar sound. Danelectro makes it.
BR: It does have a cool sound. I think my favorite moment in “Two Worlds” is Mitch’s acoustic solo …
JW: Isn’t that beautiful? It really, really is. I don’t think anyone could play a more perfect solo on that song. I had cut the basic song live in my home studio with John Holbrook, playing to a drum loop. When we were doing the album sessions, Mitch came in and overdubbed that acoustic solo – it was gorgeous.
BR: I guess if I was going to sum up Pulse as an album, I’d say this: if people think they have you figured out from all the things you’ve done in the past, they’re really going to be surprised.
JW: I think so – I really do. The album really is a band effort – a matter of playing with Rodney, Mitch, and Steve and what they contribute. It’s why the album sounds as good as it does. We’re all coming from different places, but there’s a certain chemistry to the group itself and I think that’s what makes it be what it is. If everyone approaches things exactly the same, then there’s no chemistry – that thing that makes it special.
BR: There’s nothing to seed anything …
JW: That’s right. Everybody in this band is very different personality-wise. There’s the chemistry of Mitch and Rodney having known each other a long time; there’s me being a blues rocker and I’m floating on top of those jazz/rock cats’ influences; it’s the combination of all those things. I’m very grateful to be playing with those guys. I count my blessings – I really do.
BR: So what’s on the docket in the coming months for both Project Percolator and your gigs with Levon’s band?
JW: As far as Project Percolator goes, we’ll be back out on the road right into next year doing some shows in support of the album. Plus, I have some things coming up with Levon, both shows on the road and the Rambles at his place. He’s right in the neighborhood – it makes it handy. (laughs) Levon’s such a strong being – he puts all of himself into everything he does, whether it’s a conversation, or singing or playing drums. He’s very inspirational to be around – a very strong core. It’s great to be back home in Woodstock and be part of what he’s doing, along with the great musicians that I’m in Project Percolator with.
Life is what it is; the whole thing is mapped out ahead of time, whether you know or not. I’m grateful to still be playing music and pushing myself as much as I can at this point. I’ve had wonderful people around me and I’m very lucky for that … very lucky.
*****
Brian Robbins pines for the Telecaster he owned many moons ago (maple neck/black body/white pickguard with a hand-wound neck pickup from a little shop down in Texas).
