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Weezer Bio and Information
As one of the most popular groups to emerge in the post-grunge alternative rock aftermath, Weezer received equal amounts of criticism and praise for their hook-heavy guitar pop. Drawing from the heavy power pop of arena rockers like Cheap Trick & the angular guitar leads of the Pixies, Weezer leavened their melodies with doses of '70s metal learned from bands like Kiss.
The alternative rock band formed on February 14th, 1992, 5 weeks after forming, they had their 1rst gig, opening for Dogstar (feat. Keanu Reeves) at Raji's Bar & Ribshack on Hollywood Blvd. Weezer began playing to small audiences around L.A. clubs & recording home demos. The band began to receive attention from various A&R reps, and was later signed on June 25th, 1993 by Todd Sullivan, of Geffen Records. The band was signed to the DGC label (which later became Interscope).
The core members are Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar), Brian Bell (backing vocals, guitar) Scott Shriner (backing vocals, bass guitar), and Patrick Wilson (drums). The band's name, "Weezer," comes from a nickname of Rivers Cuomo when he was younger. Cuomo suggested it while the band was searching for a name. Original member Jason Cropper, in an interview, pointed out the irony of the band being called Rivers' nickname, as it soon became apparent that Cuomo had defining control of the band. Weezer have also played several shows under the band name pseudonym Goat Punishment. Their 1rst shows under the pseudonym feat. covers of songs by Nirvana & Oasis
As a result, their music was infused with a quirky sense of humor and an endearing awkwardness that made songs like "Undone (The Sweater Song)," "Buddy Holly," & "Say It Ain't So" into big modern rock hits during 1994 & 1995. All the singles were helped immeasurably by clever videos, which may have made the songs into hits, but they also made many critics believe that the band was a 1 hit wonder
With DGC support & a striking Spike Jonze directed video, "Undone (The Sweater Song)" became a modern rock hit in the fall of 1994, but what made Weezer a crossover hit was "Buddy Holly." Spike created an innovative video that spliced the group into old footage from the Happy Days sitcom & the single quickly became a hit, making the album a multi-platinum hit as well. By the time the final single was dropped, "Say It Ain't So," in the summer of 1995, the group had gone on hiatus, with Cuomo returning to Harvard.
During the hiatus, Cuomo suffering writer's block became a recluse, disappearing at Harvard. When Weezer returned in the spring of 1996 to record their 2nd album, Rivers had written a loose concept album that feat. far more introspective material than their debut. Ironically, the band sounded tighter on the resulting album, Pinkerton. Released in the fall, the album failed to become a hit, partially because Rivers did not want the band to record another series of clever videos. Grudgingly, the remainder of the band contented themselves to be a supporting group for Cuomo, largely because each member of the band had their own solo project scheduled for release within the next year. DGC, however, had the band make one last chance at a hit with "The Good Life," but by the time the single was released, MTV had withdrawn their support not only to Weezer, but their style of guitar driven punk pop in general.
Shortly after the tour in support of Pinkerton was completed in 1997, it appeared as though Weezer had fallen off the face of the earth. Stung by the public's initial dismal reaction to their sophomore effort, the band took time off to regroup and plan their next move. Unhappy with the sluggish rate of the reassessment period, Sharp left the group to concentrate more fully on the Rentals, fueling the rumors that Weezer had broken up. But a funny thing happened during Weezer's self-imposed exile, a whole new generation of emocore enthusiasts discovered Weezer's diamond in the rough sophomore effort for the 1rst time, & their audience grew despite not having a new album in the stores.
Once Weezer's members wrapped up work on side projects (Bell: Space Twins, Wilson: the Special Goodness), the band recruited Mikey Welsh (former Juliana Hatfield bassist) to take the place of Sharp and began creating some new material. Before they could enter the recording studio to record their 3rd release, Weezer landing a spot on the 2000 edition of the Warped Tour, where they were consistently the day's highlight. After hooking up with the producer of their 1994 debut, Ric Ocasek, Weezer recorded what would be known as "the Green Album" (a title given by the fans since this was their 2nd to be self-titled). Dropped in May/2001, the album was a hit, debuting at # 4 on Billboard and camping out on the charts for much of the spring/summer, during which such songs/videos as "Hash Pipe" & "Island in the Sun" became radio & MTV classics, reestablishing Weezer as one of alt rock's top dogs.
During that summer tour, Welsh fell ill & was replaced by Scott Shriner (of the band Broken), That fall & winter the group busied themselves with touring with bands like Tenacious D & recording their next album Maladroit, which arrived 1 year after "the Green Album." Just before Maladroit's release, former bassist Matt Sharp sued Weezer, seeking songwriting credits & compensation for the songs "Undone (The Sweater Song)," "El Scorcho" and "The Good Life." The band eventually reconciled with Sharp, though he didn't rejoin, & Weezer continued on with the lineup of Cuomo, Bell, Wilson, & Shriner. The limited edition Live EP/Lion and the Witch appeared in May 2002, & Maladroit's "Keep Fishin'" was released as the single. Most of 2003 was spent on other side projects. Rivers did some hired gun songwriting, Bell's band the Space Twins put out End of Imagining, & Wilson's Special Goodness project issued Land, Air, Sea. In 2004 Weezer returned to the studio, to work with Rick Rubin on their 5th full length album.
The group has released 5 full length albums, an EP, a DVD, and a 2 disc set, deluxe remastered edition of their debut album with the addition of b-sides & imports. Besides these official releases, they are notable for having released dozens & dozens of otherwise unreleased material onto the internet from their official website and having hundreds of songs which have never been heard by the listening public.
Their enormous pop hooks, crunchy guitar chords & quasi ironic rock the band has gained critical respect & support among even the most jaded of rock fans. With their ability to craft arena ready guitar pop that transcends mawkishness or trendy aggression, Weezer remain the bright lights on the Top 40 landscape.
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