Weezer: Difference between revisions

===Homie and the Rivers Cuomo Band===

Looking for an outlet other than Weezer, Rivers began to work on a project called [[Homie]]. Homie would allow Rivers to release songs that did not fit into the Weezer catalogue. To decide what songs would become Weezer songs and what songs would become Homie songs, Rivers played several shows in local Boston clubs. The shows where Rivers tested out new Weezer material are referred to by fans as the [[The Rivers Cuomo Band|Rivers Cuomo Band]].

====Weezer begins rehearsing====

After recording "American Girls", the three remaining Weezer members announced on an LA Radio station interview that they were done with their side projects for the time being. The band reconvened in Los Angeles and began recording in a professional studio. Despite having no bass player, the band recorded "The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World" twice and "Baby". Both songs were at the time considered to be on the next album. Band tensions remained high and eventually everyone left once again.

====Mikey Welsh joins Weezer====

===The Green Album===

====Picking a producer, getting approval====

By August 18, 2000, Weezer was having meetings with various producers, learning and rehearsing new songs in their new garage, and ironing out all plans regarding recording a new album. Weezer fans voted on a .com poll to select their favorite songs for a demo tape which was sent around to producers. On August 23, the band ran into Ric Ocasek while performing in New York City. On [[October 5]], Rivers had his braces removed and a Christmas EP was announced. In mid October, the band rehearsed the song "Move It On" for the Christmas album, but details regarding it were still mostly unknown. Even as Karl frequently updated the website with "Album #3" news, it was announced on November 6 that Interscope had not actually approved any kind of new album. Weezer sent a demo tape of five songs, which Karl called the "higher ups", to Interscope/Geffen and wrote he hoped they saw the "awesomeness" of the songs. The five songs on the tape were "No More Confusin'", "[[Sugar Booger]]", "[[Don't Let Go]]", "Ayleen", and "[[Cryin' and Lonely]]."

Shortly after the filming of the first [[Island in the Sun]] video, [[Mikey Welsh]] was mysteriously hospitalized. 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 to fill in for Welsh. Shriner accepted the invitation. Cuomo would later say, "I just called this guy in L.A. that knows a lot of musicians and I said, "Send the baddest, meanest, most evil guy you got." And he sent Scott. And I said, "OK, cool. You're in." [It was] that easy. He's got a gold tooth. There's no requirements. It's like, "Come on in. Let's see what you can do, and I'll give you plenty of support and just give you plenty of space to be yourself, and encouragement. Let's see what happens." That's what it was like. It's not like there was a predetermined role that I was trying to fit him into. " Many of the details of Mikey's departure seem to be clouded and fuzzy, but it is known that he was having depression, was suicidal, and was hospitalized for his own protection. Weezer has never officially stated why Mikey left the band, but Mikey felt incredibly betrayed by Rivers. It was not until ''[[Make Believe]]'' that Mikey and Rivers became on good terms again.

===''Maladroit''===

====Writing and recording====

[[Image:Weezer180_Goofy_glasses.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Weezer Spin magazine poster, Maladroit era.]]

===Album 5 Demos===

Continuing the traditions of Maladroit, Weezer began to explore a new sound, which made heavy use of keyboards, pianos, synths and depersonalized lyrics. These songs were also posted on the official website and are referred to as [[Album 5 Demos]], because although they were intended for a fifth album, which eventually became ''[[Make Believe]]'', their sound and style are completely unique to what would eventually become the fifth album. These songs were also met with a weaker fan reception. Rivers, who had started smoking, drinking, and controlling all facets of Weezer's publicity, eventually got in contact with [[Rick Rubin]], who suggested to Rivers that he meditate. Taking his suggestion, Rivers was able to find some solitude. The result was a drastically different sound. Rivers' last appearances on Weezer message boards were to post two new acoustic demos: "[[Hold Me]]" and "[[I Don't Want Your Lovin']]". Things then became quiet.

===''Make Believe''===

====Writing and recording====

Starting the Vipassana meditation practices, Rivers quickly felt the meditation effecting his songwriting. One song, "[[Pardon Me]]" (Rick Rubin's favorite) was written because meditation asked that he seek forgiveness from all those he harmed. Another song, "Hold Me", was written on a fast. The songs began to reflect a more emotional side to Rivers that was absent from Maladroit and compressed in Green Album. Rivers would write several demos, leave them to the band to work with, and then go back to Harvard. During breaks, the band would record and rehearse new songs. Rick Rubin oversaw all of the recordings. The band was able to work with a new found cooperation. The band setup themselves as a democracy and for the first time since the old [[Amherst House|Amherst]] days, were getting along well.

===''The Red Album''===

Shortly after Weezer's last ''Make Believe'' tour, Rivers Cuomo returned to Harvard to finish a degree in English. Pat, meanwhile, set out to work on [[The Special Goodness]], having scrapped sessions he did a year earlier with Scott Shriner. Brian Bell set out on a brand new project called [[The Relationship]]. With all four members of Weezer off pursuing different things, little was spoken of on the Weezer front. In June of 2006, Rivers married [[Kyoko Ito]] and the two honeymooned to Japan. While in Japan, Rivers did an interview with MTV. The article was finally published and its selling point was that Weezer had broken up. Despite Rivers never saying "Weezer have broken up", he did say, "Really, for the moment, we are done. And I'm not certain we'll ever make a record again, unless it becomes really obvious to me that we need to do one." Rivers would later admit that he was peeved to have to do an interview on his honeymoon. Additionally, the interviewer was new. Still, the damage was done, and even well into 2008 many people were under the impression that Weezer had broken up. The band was quick to dismiss the breakup rumors on .com, where Karl posted a picture of Rivers, Brian and Scott sitting around the table.

The band also wrote a song with pop duo 'Aly & AJ', and was very pleased with the way the girls worked. It is unknown if the song will be made public on an album.

===''Raditude'', split with Geffen===

====Writing, touring, recording for the album====

Billboard reported that Weezer will be heading into the studio in early November to cut Weezer album 7 with [[Jacknife Lee]], who recorded two songs on ''The Red Album'', most notably "Pork and Beans." Drummer Pat Wilson stated the band was wasting no time cutting a new record, because they are all going to continue to write songs. Since they no longer had to rely on one person for the songs, the band accumulated an album's worth of songs much more quickly. However, in an interview with ''Spinner'', Brian Bell denied these early album plans, stating that someone "jumped the gun," and that although the band was currently writing new material, they did not have any plans to enter the studio anytime soon.

===''Hurley'' and New record label===

It was confirmed that on [[September 13]], [[2010]], Weezer will be releasing a brand new album. In an interview, Rivers stated: "It's definitley going to have more raw rock energy on this one."

[[Image:Weezer_Hurley_LP_fullres.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The bizarre album cover for ''[[Hurley]]''.]]

"Memories" was confirmed to be the first single by Brian Bell in an interview, in which it also made its radio debut.

==Members==

==Discography==

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

*''[[Pinkerton]]'' (1996)