Although The Weight played their first official gig as a headlining act on March 26, 2006, they have existed as a backup band for international touring artists since 2003. Dave Yaden, Darwin Johnson, Michael Miley, and Carl Broemel (Carl now plays lead guitar for My Morning Jacket) formed initially to backup singer/songwriter Joe Firstman (then on Atlantic Records). Over the past three years, they have supported (and recorded with) many artists, some of which are Kelly Clarkson, Josh Kelley, Ludacris, Bird, Tony Lucca, Curtis Peoples, Charles Kelley, and Pepe Aguilar.The Weight is named after the song "The Weight", written and recorded by The Band. "I named the band The Weight for a couple of reasons," says lead singer/piano player Dave Yaden. "We are highly influenced by The Band and have a few strange similarities. Before they did their own thing, they were a backup band, too. They toured backing up Bob Dylan. They were all multi instrumentalists and all sang--sometimes switching up on lead vocal, which we do, as well. Of course, I'm not saying that we are as good as The Band, but it is something to shoot for. I also like the import carried by the name because it implies a heavy experience, which is what we make every effort to do whenever we step on stage."When asked why they struck out as a band on their own, Dave Yaden said, "The feeling of inspiration I get from walking away from a great concert is not comparable to anything else. We want to inspire people, put a dance to their step, and a smile to their face. I've had my life changed by music--seen the power of what it can do. We want to be a catalyst for good, and making music is the best way we know how to."The Weight is Dave Yaden on keys, Darwin Johnson on bass, Michael Miley on drums, and Jason Slim Gambill on guitar.
