Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1992 consisting of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, lead guitar), Patrick Wilson (drums), Brian Bell (rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), and Scott Shriner (bass, backing vocals). The line-up has changed three times since its formation in 1992.[1] Weezer has sold 9.2 million albums in the US and over 17 million worldwide.[2]
After signing to Geffen Records in 1993, Weezer released their debut self-titled album, also known as The Blue Album, in 1994. Backed by successful music videos for the singles "Buddy Holly", "Undone – The Sweater Song" and "Say It Ain't So", The Blue Album became a triple-platinum success and received positive reviews. Weezer's second album, Pinkerton
(1996), featuring a darker, more abrasive sound, was a commercial
failure and initially received mixed reviews, but went on to achieve cult status and critical acclaim years later. Both The Blue Album and Pinkerton are now frequently cited among the best albums of the 1990s. Following Pinkerton, bassist Matt Sharp left the band and Weezer went on hiatus.
In 2001, Weezer returned with another self-titled album, also known as The Green Album, with new bassist Mikey Welsh. Promoted by the singles "Hash Pipe" and "Island in the Sun", The Green Album
was a commercial success and received mostly positive reviews. After
the album's release, Welsh left the band and was replaced by current
bassist Scott Shriner. Weezer's fourth album, Maladroit, was released in May 2002 to mostly positive reviews, but did not match the sales of The Green Album.
Weezer's fifth album, Make Believe, was released in May 2005; despite mixed reviews, its single "Beverly Hills" became Weezer's first single to top the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and the first to reach the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. In June 2008, Weezer's third self-titled album, also known as The Red Album, featuring "TR-808s, synths, Southern rap, and baroque counterpoint", was released to mild reviews.[3] Its lead single, "Pork and Beans", became the band's third song to top the Modern Rock Tracks chart, backed by a successful YouTube music video.
Weezer's seventh album, Raditude (2009) and eighth album Hurley (2010), featuring more "modern pop production"[4] and songs co-written with other artists, achieved further mixed reviews and moderate sales. Their ninth album, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, was released in October 2014, and received Weezer's most positive reviews since Pinkerton.
Formation and The Blue Album (1992–1994)
Main article: Weezer (1994 album)
Vocalist and lead guitarist Rivers Cuomo, drummer Patrick Wilson, bassist Matt Sharp and guitarist Jason Cropper
formed Weezer in 1992. It had been called Weezer because it was Cuomo's
nickname given by his dad Frank Cuomo because he has asthma. The band
had its first practice on February 14 of that year,[5] and their first gig was opening for Keanu Reeves' band Dogstar shortly after. Weezer signed with Geffen Records on June 25, 1993 and recorded their debut album with producer Ric Ocasek at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. During the recording, Cropper left the band and was replaced by guitarist Brian Bell.
Weezer (also referred to as The Blue Album) was released in May 1994. Geffen originally did not wish to release a single, to see what sales could be generated by word-of-mouth alone. DJ Marco Collins of the Seattle radio station The End started playing "Undone – The Sweater Song", leading Geffen to release it as the first single. The music video was directed by Spike Jonze.[6] Filmed in an unbroken take, it featured Weezer performing on a sound stage with little action, bar a pack of dogs swarming the set.[7] The video became an instant hit on MTV.[8]
Jonze also directed the band's second video, "Buddy Holly",[6] splicing footage from the 1970s television sitcom Happy Days with Weezer performing in a remade "Arnold's Drive-In."[9] The video achieved heavy rotation on MTV[10] and went on to win four MTV Video Music Awards, including Breakthrough Video and Best Alternative Music Video, and two Billboard Music Video Awards.[11] The video was also featured on the companion CD for the Microsoft Windows 95 computer operating system. A third single, "Say It Ain't So", followed. Weezer is certified triple platinum in the United States,[12] making it Weezer's best-selling album. It is certified double platinum in Canada.
Pinkerton (1995–1996)
Main article: Pinkerton (album)
In 1994, Weezer took a break from touring for the Christmas holidays.[13]
Cuomo traveled to his home state of Connecticut and began recording
demos for Weezer's next album. His original concept was a space-themed rock opera titled Songs from the Black Hole that would express his mixed feelings about success, feeling he was "lost in space".[14] Weezer developed the concept through intermittent recording sessions through 1995.[15] At the end of the year, Cuomo began studying at Harvard University, where his songwriting became "darker, more visceral and exposed, less playful", and the Songs from the Black Hole album was abandoned.[16]
Weezer's second album, Pinkerton, was released on September 24, 1996.[17] It produced three singles: "El Scorcho", "The Good Life", and "Pink Triangle". The album's title sparked a legal challenge from Pinkerton Securities two days before its release, but the judge ruled in Weezer's favor.[18] Pinkerton sold poorly compared to The Blue Album,[19] perhaps due to its darker, more abrasive sound,[17] and it was voted "one of the worst albums of 1996" in a Rolling Stone reader poll.[20] However, the album eventually came to be considered among Weezer's best work by both fans and critics.[21][22][23]
Hiatus (1997–1999)
Weezer completed the Pinkerton tour in mid-1997. The members of the band took a break, with drummer Patrick Wilson returning to his home in Portland, Oregon to work on his side project, The Special Goodness; Matt Sharp left to complete the follow-up album for his group The Rentals;[24] and Brian Bell went to work on his group, Space Twins. Cuomo returned to Boston, Massachusetts,
but took a break from Harvard to focus on songwriting. Cuomo gathered
Boston-area musicians and rehearsed new material, including possible
songs for the next Weezer album. The group, referred to by fans as the
Rivers Cuomo Band, had several different line-ups and played several
shows at local clubs, including their first show at T.T. the Bear's on
October 8, 1997. Future Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh
was a constant of the group's evolving lineups. Pat Wilson eventually
flew to Boston to sit in on drums. The Boston songs were later abandoned
and not used on the next Weezer album, but live recordings of the
Boston shows are openly traded on the internet. In February 1998, Cuomo
left Boston and returned to Los Angeles.
Pat Wilson and Brian Bell joined Cuomo in Los Angeles to start work
on the next album. Rumours suggest Matt Sharp did not rejoin the band
and left the group in April 1998, something Sharp denies.[24][24] The group decided on Mikey Welsh
as Sharp's replacement. Weezer continued rehearsing and cut demos until
the fall of 1998. Frustration and creative disagreements led to a
decline in rehearsals, and in late fall of 1998, drummer Pat Wilson left
for his home in Portland pending renewed productivity from Cuomo. In
November 1998, the band (with a substitute drummer) played two club
shows in California under the name Goat Punishment. The shows
consisted entirely of Nirvana and Oasis cover songs, respectively. In
the months following, Cuomo went into a period of depression, painting
the walls of his home black and putting "fiberglass insulation all over
the windows and then black sheets of fiberglass so that no light could
get through.[25]
The Green Album (2000–2001)
Main article: Weezer (2001 album)
The band would not reunite until April 2000, when the Fuji Rock
Festival in Japan offered Weezer a high-paying gig to play in August
2000. The festival served as a catalyst for Weezer's productivity, and
from April to May 2000, the band rehearsed and demoed new songs in Los
Angeles. The band returned to live shows in June 2000, playing small
unpromoted concerts under the pseudonym Goat Punishment. In June 2000,
the band joined the Warped Tour for nine dates.
In the summer of 2000, Weezer (now consisting of Rivers Cuomo, Mikey
Welsh, Pat Wilson, and Brian Bell) went on tour (including dates on the
popular Vans Warped Tour). Weezer's set-list consisted of 14 new songs that fans have labeled the Summer Songs of 2000 (commonly abbreviated, SS2K).
When 13 of these songs did not appear on Weezer's next album, fans of
the songs started a petition demanding the release of studio versions.
Eventually, the band went back into the studio to produce a third album. They chose the title, Weezer
(2001), to repeat the self-titled name of their first release. This
album quickly became known as "The Green Album" due to its distinctive
bright green coloring. Shortly after the release of the album, Weezer
went on another American tour. They attracted a new generation of fans
thanks to heavy MTV rotation for the videos of their hit singles "Hash Pipe" and "Island in the Sun".
As reported on August 16, 2001, by MTV, bassist Mikey Welsh was
checked into a psychiatric hospital. His whereabouts were previously
unknown, as he mysteriously went missing before the filming of the
second video for "Island in the Sun". Weezer was prompted to find a
temporary replacement for Welsh. Through a mutual friend, Cuomo received
Scott Shriner's number and asked if he was interested in filling in for Welsh. Shriner accepted the invitation.[26]
Maladroit (2002)
Main article: Maladroit
The band took an experimental approach for the recording process of
their fourth album by allowing fans to download demos from their
official website in return for feedback. After the release of the album,
the band said that this process was something of a failure, as the fans
did not supply them with coherent, constructive advice. Cuomo
eventually delegated song selection for the album to the band's original
A&R rep, Todd Sullivan, saying that Weezer fans chose the "wackest
songs." Only the song "Slob" was included on the album due to general
fan advice.
The recording was also done without input from Weezer's record label, Interscope.
Cuomo had what he then described as a "massive falling out" with the
label. In early 2002, well before the official release of the album, the
label sent out a letter to radio stations requesting the song be pulled
until an official, sanctioned single was released. Interscope also
briefly shut down Weezer's audio/video download webpage, removing all
the MP3 demos. Online Weezer fans staged a brief protest, with several
websites proclaiming "Free Maladroit".
In April 2002, former bassist Matt Sharp sued the band, alleging,
among several accusations, that he was owed money for cowriting several
Weezer songs. The suit was later settled out of court.[27]
The fourth album, Maladroit,
was released on May 14, 2002, only one year after its predecessor. The
album served as a harder-edged version of the band's trademark catchy
pop-influenced music, and was replete with busy 1980s-style guitar
solos. Although met with generally positive critical reviews, its sales
were not as strong as those for "The Green Album". Two singles were
released from the album. The music video for "Dope Nose" featured an obscure Japanese motorcycle gang, and was put into regular rotation. The music video for "Keep Fishin'" combined Weezer with The Muppets, and had heavy rotation on MTV. Both videos were directed by Marcos Siega.
Weezer released their much-delayed first DVD on March 23, 2004. The Video Capture Device DVD chronicles the band from its beginnings through Maladroit's
Enlightenment Tour. Compiled by Karl Koch, the DVD features home video
footage, music videos, commercials, rehearsals, concert performances,
television performances, and band commentary. The DVD was certified
"gold" on November 8, 2004.
Make Believe (2003–2006)
Main article: Make Believe (Weezer album)
From December 2003 to the fall of 2004, the members of Weezer
recorded a large amount of material intended for a new album to be
released in the spring of 2005 with producer Rick Rubin.
The band's early recording efforts became available to the public
through the band's website. The demos were a big hit, but none of the
songs recorded at this time were included on the finished album. That
album, titled Make Believe, was released on May 10, 2005. Despite commercial success, Make Believe got a mixed reception from critics, receiving an average score of 52 on review collator Metacritic.[28] Although some reviews, such as AMG's, compared it favorably to Pinkerton,[29] others, among them Pitchfork Media's score of 0.4 out of 10, panned the album as predictable and lyrically poor.
The album's first single, "Beverly Hills",
became a hit in the U.S. and worldwide, staying on the charts for
several months after its release. It became the first Weezer song to hit
No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. "Beverly Hills" was nominated
for Best Rock Song at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards,
the first ever Grammy nomination for the band. The video was also
nominated for Best Rock Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. The
second single off Make Believe was "We Are All on Drugs". MTV
refused to play the song, so Weezer re-recorded the lyrics by replacing
"on drugs" with "in love" and renaming the song "We Are All in Love". In
early 2006, it was announced that Make Believe was certified platinum, and "Beverly Hills" was the second most popular song download on iTunes for 2005, finishing just behind "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani.[30] Make Believe's
third single, "Perfect Situation", spent four weeks in a row at number
one on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. "This Is Such a Pity" was the
band's fourth single from the album, but no music video was made for its
release. The Make Believe tour also found the band using
additional instruments onstage, adding piano, synthesizers,
pseudophones, and guitarist Bobby Schneck.
The band has announced the possible release of a live DVD composed of
footage from the 2005 Japan tour. It will consist of a two-day,
seven-camera shoot of the shows in Japan, plus material that will be
drawn from various behind-the-scenes footage. The DVD was announced in
late 2005, but in a 2006 update on the band's Web site, Karl Koch noted
it was "apparently edited, but has been put on hold for now."[31]
The Red Album (2007–2008)
Main article: Weezer (2008 album)
Weezer (also referred to as "The Red Album") was released in June 2008. Rick Rubin produced the album[32] and Rich Costey mixed it. The record was described as "experimental", and according to Cuomo, included longer and non-traditional songs, TR-808 drum machines, synthesizers, Southern rap, baroque counterpoint, and band members other than Cuomo writing, singing, and switching instruments.[33] Pat Wilson said the album cost about a million dollars to make, contrasting it with the $150,000 budget of "The Blue Album".[34] The album's singles were produced by Jacknife Lee. Its lead single, "Pork and Beans", topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks charts for 11 weeks, and its music video won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. The second single, "Troublemaker", debuted at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and peaked at No. 2. In October 2008, the group announced that the third single would be "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)".
On May 30, 2008, the Toledo Free Press revealed in an interview with Scott Shriner
that Weezer would be unveiling the "Hootenanny Tour", in which fans
would be invited to bring their own instruments to play along with the
band. Said Shriner: "They can bring whatever they want... oboes,
keyboards, drums, violins, and play the songs with us as opposed to us
performing for them."[35]
The band performed five dates in Japan at the beginning of September
and then embarked on what was dubbed the 'Troublemaker' tour, consisting
of 21 dates around North America, including two in Canada. Angels and Airwaves and Tokyo Police Club joined them as support at each show, and Brian Bell's 'other' band The Relationship
also performed at a handful of dates. Shortly before the encore at each
show, the band would bring on fans with various instruments and perform
Island in the Sun and Beverly Hills
with them. At a show in Austin, after Tokyo Police Club had played
their set, Cuomo was wheeled out in a box and mimed to a recording of
rare Weezer demo, 'My Brain', dressed in pajamas and with puppets on his
hands, before being wheeled off again. This bizarre event later
surfaced as the climax to a promo video for Cuomo's second demo album, Alone 2.
Raditude (2009)
Main article: Raditude
Weezer toured with Blink-182 in 2009, including an August 30 stop at the Virgin Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Drummer Josh Freese
joined Weezer on a temporary basis to play drums on the tour, while Pat
Wilson switched to guitar. Wilson said in an interview for Yahoo! Music
that Cuomo wanted "to be active and more free on stage and him having
guitar on was an impediment." Freese stated he was a Weezer fan and did
not want to pass up the opportunity to play with them.[36]
Raditude's album artwork was revealed on September 11, featuring a National Geographic contest-winning photograph of a jumping dog named Sidney.[37] The record's release was pushed to November 3, 2009, where it debuted as the seventh best-selling album of the week on the Billboard 200
chart. The band scheduled tour dates in December 2009 extending into
early 2010 to coincide with the new album's release. On December 6,
2009, Cuomo was injured when his tour bus crashed in upstate New York
due to black ice.
Cuomo suffered three broken ribs, and his assistant broke two ribs. His
wife, baby daughter, and their nanny were also on the bus, but they
escaped injury. Weezer cancelled tour dates the following day.[38] The band resumed touring on January 20, 2010.[39]
In December 2009, it was revealed that the band was no longer with Geffen Records.
The band stated that they would still release new material, but they
were unsure of the means, whether it be self-released, released online,
or getting signed by another label.[40] Eventually, the band was signed to the independent label Epitaph.[41]
Hurley, Death to False Metal (2010–2013)
Main articles: Hurley (album) and Death to False Metal
Weezer co-headlined The Bamboozle in May, 2010,[42] and performed at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee in June.[43] In August, 2010, Weezer performed at the Reading and Leeds Festival,[44] and performed at the Voodoo Experience festival in New Orleans, LA in October 2010.[45]
The album Hurley was released in September 2010 through Epitaph Records. The name comes from the character Hugo "Hurley" Reyes from the television show Lost. Jorge Garcia, the actor who portrayed Hurley, stated that being featured on the album cover is "one of the biggest honors of [his] career." [41][46]
Weezer used internet streaming service YouTube as a way to promote the
album. Weezer loaned itself to 15 amateur online video producers, "going
along with whatever plans the creator could execute in about 30
minutes." They have used many of the popular channels to promote
themselves, such as Barely Political, Ray William Johnson and Fred Figglehorn. The Gregory Brothers solicited musical and vocal contributions from the band on one of its compositions built around speeches by Rep. Charles Rangel and President Barack Obama. Weezer calls the promotion "The YouTube Invasion".[47]
In November 2010, Weezer released a compilation album composed of
re-recorded versions of unused recordings spanning various years, Death to False Metal.[48][49] On the same day a deluxe version of Pinkerton, which includes "25 demos, outtakes and live tracks" was also released.[50] A third volume of Cuomo's solo Alone series, titled Alone III: The Pinkerton Years, consisting of demos and outtakes from the Pinkerton sessions, was released on December 12, 2011.[51] They also contributed a cover of The Cars' "You Might Think" for the Disney-Pixar film Cars 2.[52]
On October 8, 2011 former bassist Mikey Welsh was found dead in a Chicago, Illinois
hotel room. Weezer performed in Chicago the very next day, and
dedicated the concert to Welsh (Welsh was supposed to be a surprise
guest at that concert).[53]
The band began working on their ninth studio album in September 2010 with the intent of a 2011 release,[54]
but the year ended without seeing a release. The band headlined a
four-day rock-themed Carnival Cruise from Miami to Cozumel that set sail
on January 19, 2012.[55][56][57] In July 2012, Weezer headlined the inaugural Bunbury Music Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio.[58] In early 2013 the band brought their Memories Tour to Australia—their
first Australian tour since 1996. They played their first two albums in
full at several venues. They also headlined the Punkspring 2013 tour in
Japan and later in the year toured Canada and USA.[59]
Everything Will Be Alright in the End (2014–present)
Main article: Everything Will Be Alright in the End
In January 2014, the band started to record their ninth studio album
with producer Ric Ocasek, who previously worked with the band on their
first two self-titled albums.[60]
A clip of a new song was posted on the band's official YouTube account
on March 19, 2014, which confirmed previous rumors of the band being in
the studio.[61] On June 12, 2014, it was revealed that the album title would be Everything Will Be Alright in the End. It was released on October 7, 2014.[62]
Musical style and influences
Weezer have been described as alternative rock,[63][64][65] power pop,[66][67][68] pop punk,[69][70][71] emo[72] and indie rock.[73]
Many modern bands, such as Real Estate,[74] Dinosaur Pile-Up,[75] Cymbals Eat Guitars[76] and The Fall of Troy,[77] list Weezer as an influence. Weezer themselves have listed several influences, among them Kiss (with direct references in the song "In the Garage"), Nirvana (who were their labelmates at DGC for a very brief time before Kurt Cobain's death), The Beach Boys, Pixies (especially early in their career), Sonic Youth, Oasis, and Wax.[78][79]
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