Rivers Cuomo: Difference between revisions

'''Rivers Cuomo''' (born [[June 13]], 1970) is a Grammy-nominated musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter of the rock band [[Weezer]]. He has also worked as a solo artist; he released his debut album, ''[[Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo]]'', in December [[2007]], which featured home demos that Cuomo has recorded from [[1992]]-2007. Cuomo mainly plays electric guitar and acoustic guitar, but he can also play drums, bass guitar, clarinet, harmonica, and piano.  Throughout the years he has entertained several different [[List of Rivers Cuomo's appearance|facial hair styles]].

Rivers Cuomo was born on [[June 13]], 1970 in Manhattan to father [[Frank Cuomo]] and mother [[Beverly Shoenberger]].  His mother claims he was named "Rivers" because she first heard the sound of a river outside her hospital window after Rivers' birth.  His father claims that he was named after three players from the Soccer World Cup of 1970: Rivelino, Riva, Rivera; all three of which played one another one week after June 13.  Rivers was, according to [[Leaves Cuomo|his brother, Leaves]], almost named "Apple"--most likely because he was born in New York City.  Rivers was raised in upstate New York at the Buddhist Zen Center.  There, Rivers' father farmed cows until he left the family in 1975.  Afterward, he was mostly absent from Rivers' youth.  Rivers and Leaves followed their mother, Beverly, to [[Yogaville]] where Rivers remained for the rest of his childhood.  There, Rivers was known as "Rama."  Said Rivers, "You have to realize we were living in an enclosed community of Hindus.  We lived in an ashram.  Isn't that insane?...It was a very mellow childhood."  Beverly remarried to [[Stephen Kitts]] who became Rivers' stepfather.

"We were all about six or seven years old.  And when we heard 'Makin' Love' or 'I Want You' off that record, we just lost our minds.  The guitar was so exciting!  I remember we'd all just run around the room in circles, playing air guitar and jumping off the furniture."

Around 1980, Yogaville moved to Virginia.  Rather than following it, the Kitts family (Beverly, Stephen, Rivers and Leaves) remained in Connecticut moving to Storrs Mansfield.  There, the family lived at an apartment in Warrenville and eventually a home on South Eagleville Rd in the Summer of 1983.  Once out of the commune, Rivers and Leaves began to prepare for public schools.  According to Rivers, they taught each other to swear to fit in.  Furthermore, Rivers joined the Columbia Record Club and bought all the Kiss albums he could.  Said Rivers, "I bought twelve albums for one penny or something.  Within that package was Eddy Rabbit, Abba, Queen...I think they all had a tremendous impact."  Clearly they did - two out of three of those artists are mentioned in 2008's "[[Heart Songs]]".

Rivers identified with heavy metal and felt that it was the sound of his generation.  He chose to identify himself as a "metalhead."  Rivers once took a Quiet Riot album cover to the hair salon and said, "Make me look like Carlos Cavazo".  He then said, "My mom got so upset, she got in the car and drove home without me, which was, like five miles away."

{{Main|Main article: [[Fury]]}}

Ten days after Rivers received his first guitar, Fury began holding rehearsals.  Fury was the band Rivers formed with Leaves, Justin and their mutual friend [[Eric Robertson]].  In September of 1984, Fury played their first show.

As Rivers entered high school with his guitar, he began to seek out more technical guitar players while still remaining loyal to Kiss.  Rivers would only allow Kiss posters on the walls of his room, but in his guitar practice room, he put up the posters of other inspiring musicians including Scorpions, Priest, [[Yngwie Malmsteem]] and Paul Gibert.  Rivers managed to see a Kiss concert with Justin on the leg of the ''Animalize'' tour.  They also saw the Scorpions.

In high school, Rivers was unsure of where he was supposed to fit in.  Said Rivers, "I went to my parents' Zen master and I said, 'Life is shit.  I want to shave my head and do this.'  He's like, 'You know what?  Being a monk is shit too, so I can't advise that for you.  What you should do is really listen to yourself and see what path would make you the most excited and just go do that, however crazy it seems.'  It took me about five seconds, and I was like, 'I want to be a rock star'."

{{Main|Main article: [[Avant Garde]]}}

Rivers rehearsed with 60WS until they played their one and only show on Thanksgiving weekend.  Rivers was slowly losing interest in the band and was more excited in his own material.  Feeling inspired by Pixies and Nirvana, Rivers and Pat set out to collaborate on a [[The 50 Song Project|50 song collaborative project]].

According to [[Jason Cropper]], Rivers sensed alternative music was about to explode.  It was this belief that guided his new songs like "Why Do We Hurt Each Other?", "[[I Need Some Touch]]", "2-2 Tango" and "[[My Name is Jonas]]".  Jason also recalled the first time he and Cuomo heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at the Italian restaurant where they worked.  After the song finished, Rivers was upset that it was Kurt who had written the song and not himself.  Jason said, "My fondest, pre-Weezer memory is I'm cooking, Rivers is cleaning, and we're both standing in the same kitchen, and that song comes on the radio, in like the first week of its release, and Rivers says, 'I should have written that.'  And I'm like, 'Yeah.  That's totally true.'  Because the music he was writing was improving in quality every day.  Every day he wrote a better song."

In March 2008 Cuomo started a video series on YouTube called "[[Let's Write a Sawng]]."  Through the majority of 2008, Rivers exchanged videos with fans online to write a new song called "Turnin' Turnin'".  The project resulted in the song "[[Turning Up The Radio]]," which appeared on the 2010 rarities album ''[[Death to False Metal]]''.

===With Weezer===

*1994 - ''[[Weezer (The Blue Album)|Weezer]]''

*2013 - ''[[スコット と リバース (Scott & Rivers)|スコット と リバース]]'' (''Scott & Rivers'')

*2017 - ''[[ニマイメ]]'' (''Naimaime'')

===Solo singles===

===Other contributions===

*1999 - [[My Head is in the Sun]] by [[The Rentals]] - co-writer