Weigh Station
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Weigh Station

Charleston, South Carolina, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2016 | SELF

Charleston, South Carolina, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2016
Band Rock Funk

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Longtime Charleston band Weigh Station to release new album next week"

Weigh Station is a local Southern rock group that’s been playing in Charleston for nine years. The band recently finished recording “Outlaw Inlaw,” the follow-up album to their 2011 debut, “Past the Tracks.” To celebrate the new release, Weigh Station will headline the Pour House at 1977 Maybank Highway on James Island for a free show at 9 p.m. Wednesday. Tom Leonczyk and John Heinsohn of the band spoke with the Charleston Scene this week about the new music.

Q: Where did Weigh Station record the latest album?

A: We started recording with Mitch Webb at Mantis Records in North Charleston in June 2014 and had it finished by April 2015. Mitch is great at recording live performances, so doing this album with him allowed us to capture the groove and spontaneity of being at one of our shows. After the initial recordings, we decided that a few tracks would sound awesome with organ and sax, so we asked Whitt Algar and Mike Quinn to come in and lay it down.

Q: Do you feel like your sound has evolved since the last recording was released in 2011?

A: We’re tighter than we were in 2011. We are mainly a four-piece band now, but we like to have friends sit in when they can. Tom’s slide guitar playing and John’s voice have improved a lot since then, and Stuart White’s drumming still surprises and ignites us at every show.

It was great to do this album with (former bassist) William Moore before he moved to Nashville last August. Even after he moved, he gave a lot of feedback and helped see this album through to the finish, for which we are very grateful. Ben Mossman learned all our songs quickly and brings a killer thunder funk style to our sound. We love having him play with us.

Q: Is there a recurring theme or style you hope audiences pick up on with “Outlaw Inlaw?”

A: As the title implies, there’s a recurring outlaw kind of theme throughout the album. There’s an element of darkness both musically and lyrically, and there’s songs of love and heartbreak.

Q: What’s your favorite song or moment on the album?

A: The climax of the jam and the punch-throwing ending of “Outlaw Inlaw” are big highlights for us. We love “To Levon” because it has a slower, different vibe than most of the other songs, and it’s rounded out by Whitt’s stellar organ playing.

Q: So what’s next for Weigh Station?

A: We would love to get out of town more often and spread our music. A regional tour would be ideal. We will be playing around Charleston in the meantime, so check our Facebook page, and very soon, our own webpage for show dates, merchandise and music. - Charleston Scene


"Charleston Band Review: Weigh Station"

“Over the past two years, the Charleston quintet Weigh Station has made a name for itself as a gritty, blues/rock band with an affection for live performances. The band’s ability to meld the sounds of hard rock and moody blues makes for a jam session that transcends both genres for a blazing concoction that speaks as much to the soul-searcher as it does the head-banger.”

Matthew Godbey, Charleston Post and Courier - Charleston Post and Courier


"Weigh Station leaves the past behind"

If you mention the Allman Brothers to Tom Leonczyk, he lights up like a giddy teenager. As a member of local rock band Weigh Station, his deep love for the sophisticated harmonies and rhythms of the Allmans — and the '70s Southern rock boom in general — is usually on full display.

"I absolutely love the Allman Brothers," says Leonczyk. "That's some of my favorite stuff. The harmonizing guitar licks and the slide guitar work — that's what I've been inspired by. The Allman Brothers had a lot of changes within the band, but they're always awesome."

Leonczyk put Weigh Station together as a Southern-fried jam band in 2006 with a few College of Charleston pals, including guitarist John Heinsohn, drummer Joseph Hope, lead guitarist John Durham, and saxophonist Eric Gaffney. Stylistically, they initially leaned toward an Allmans vein of jam-rock.

"I just called it good Southern rock," Leonczyk says," but we eventually worked elements of country, soul, and funk styles into the mix. Once we added Eric, the band started adding funk stuff like the Greyboy Allstars and Bill Withers along with the Allman Brothers and Rolling Stones songs."

Experimenting with new styles and expanding the set list allowed Leonczyk and his colleagues a chance to develop chemistry and create a more original personality. A few lineup changes affected the band along the way, too. After a while, they sounded less like an Allman Brothers tribute and more like a flexible rock band with a few new ideas.

The current Weigh Station roster features the core trio of Leonczyk, Heinsohn, and Gaffney with solid rhythm backing from bassist William Moore, drummer Stuart White, and organist Ross Bogan. The addition of the new guys provided a healthy transition.

"Things really got tight when William joined on bass. That's when we started working seriously on our own songs," says Leonczyk. "William stepped up with structuring the songs and getting us to practice the arrangements. He was really assertive about cutting things out and rearranging parts.

"It's really great having Stu on the drums. He can play anything," Leonczyk adds. "I love playing on stage with him — and I love taking road trips with him. He brings the weirdest music for us to check out."

Weigh Station's pace accelerated over the last year, as the band performed and rehearsed more frequently and with more intensity. They began veering away from the typical bar band habits of playing covers, hamming it up for friends, and noodling aimlessly during live jams. Leonczyk admits they used to meander plenty during shows in the early days, but he's proud of the effort and time they've invested in their music recently.

"We still play some covers at shows for a little variety, but we're definitely all about the originals these days," Leonczyk says.

Last fall, they booked time at Ocean Industries on James Island with studio engineers Eric Rickert and Jeff Leonard and tracked six of their best new songs. The band celebrates the release of the collection, titled Past the Tracks, at the Pour House this week.

"In the last year or so, we focused a lot more on getting these songs orchestrated," says Leonczyk. "We wanted to be prepared for the session, and we wanted to try to record some of the stronger tunes with lyrics and harmonies on one disc."

Driven by a gnarly funk-rock beat, nasty guitar tones, and earthy backing organ, Past the Tracks' lead-off track "Rockin' the Bench" demonstrates the band's classic, Southern rock, and soul leanings. Acoustic power ballad "Rain" grooves at a much slower, mellower pace, starting with light guitar and piano before gathering steam with full-band instrumentation. The groovier songs "Can't Take My Soul" and "The Heat" (featuring some of White's most fierce drum breaks) draws more from old-school New Orleans funk (a la the Meters and the Neville Brothers) and the Muscle Shoals-made soul records than the vintage redneck-tinged Southern rock out of Macon, Jacksonville, or the Carolina piedmont.

The bluesy rhythm of the riffy and pounding "What's Next" resembles both the good ole boy boogie of yesteryear and the simplified swing of the White Stripes and the Black Keys. However, lead vocalist Heinsohn sings a bit too politely on "What's Next" and the album closer "Train of Love." It sounds like he held back a little bit to hit every note. Belting his versus and choruses with a little more grit and growl would have nicely complemented the dirty grooves of the tracks.

"We weren't trying to emulate any rock album in particular," Leonczyk says. "We're really excited to have it in our hands now. It is a great straight-up rock album." - Charleston City Paper


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

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Bio

Weigh Station has become a strong, dynamic, and creative force in the Charleston music scene. They have headlined some of Charleston's most popular music venues such as the Music Farm and the Pour House, opening for acts such as Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears, Marcus King Band, and Matt Abst.  Weigh Station has played extensively across the Carolinas at clubs, bars, private parties, and are favorites at Lagunitas Brewery events around the Southeast.  
Each member of Weigh Station brings his musical background and influences to the song writing process creating a unique Rock and Roll melange. Their sound has been described as funk rock, and dirty southern soul. 
While Weigh Station has been known in Charleston as an exciting live and improvisational band, their focus as of late has shifted towards song oriented rock after having completed their first EP, Past the Tracks.  Fall 2014 brought about a period of rebuilding and new writing after long time bassist William Moore moved to Nashville.  The spot was filled by Seattle native Benjamin Mossman, who has loaned a solid funk fried low end to the band's already powerhouse sound. Their first full-length album, Outlaw Inlaw, was released in August 2015 and boasts a versatile catalog of 12 originals in the rock, funk, and even country veins. Tom Leonczyk and John Heinsohn also perform regularly as the acoustic Weigh Station Duo.  

Band Members