Brian Bell

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Brian Bell
Brian live c 2016.JPG
Background information
Birth name Brian Lane Bell
Born December 9, 1968, (age 55)
Iowa City, Iowa
Origin Knoxville, Tennessee
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Years active 1989–present
Instrument(s) Guitar, Bass guitar, Drums, Piano, Harmonica, Vocals
Website The Relationship Official Website
Associated acts
Weezer
The Relationship
Homie
Space Twins
Carnival Art

Brian Lane Bell (born December 9, 1968, Iowa City, Iowa) is the rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist for Weezer. He has played both lead and rhythm for the band over the years, and, though all four band members contribute vocal parts to Weezer records, Bell's harmonies are often the centrally featured second voice part behind Rivers Cuomo. Bell has had songwriting credits on a handful of Weezer songs, spanning four albums, including "L.A. Girlz," "Thought I Knew," and "Endless Bummer." The band has recorded and played live several more of Bell's songs, but never officially released them. Bell has also sang lead on a number of Weezer's earlier-career songs during live shows.

Bell joined Weezer in 1993 following the departure of founding member Jason Cropper. While the first Weezer lineup had consisted of a relatively close-knit group of friends, Bell had only met the band in passing at shared live shows, and was hired to replace Cropper toward the end of the recording sessions for the band's debut, Weezer (The Blue Album).

In addition to his duties in Weezer, he also has fronted two bands of his own: Space Twins, (c. 1993 - c. 2004), and The Relationship (2006 - 2017). These groups have collectively released four LP's and five singles.

Biography

Early life

Brian Bell's senior photo, 1987
Brian Bell was born in Iowa City, Iowa to parents Tom Bell, a geography professor at the University of Tennessee, and Linda Menasco, an elementary school assistant principal. He was raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He first gravitated to music at the age of four when his parents took him to an Elvis Presley concert at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Soon after, Bell became obsessed with his father's record collection, playing them constantly. At a young age, Bell asked his mother to let him take piano lessons, refusing to let him take guitar lessons until high school because she "wouldn't believe that he would practice." Eventually, during his freshman year in high school, his parents allowed him to take guitar lessons from Knoxville musician Ben Bolt. Bell first performed with Glenn and Tim Maloof during this time, playing in a group called the Blue Shrooms.[1]

Carnival Art

At the age of eighteen, Bell moved to Los Angeles, California, and enrolled at the Guitar Institute of Technology. Soon he became a member of Carnival Art, a fledgling alt rock unit who had already released an indie album in 1989. After Bell joined as the bass player, the group released two more albums, two EPs, and several singles through 1993. Unfortunately, the band had extremely small record sales and were eventually dropped by label Beggars Banquet.

It was around the time Carnival Art was disintegrating that Bell became acquainted with the members of Weezer, "They started playing on the scene, and I instantly saw something unique in them. I didn't necessarily want to be in their band. They were for some reason, were in with the wrong crowd and playing at the wrong venues. I wanted to help them out any way I could and I wanted to play a show with them." Bell particularly found himself amazed with "Say It Ain't So." He believed it possessed a rare "classic" sound and expressed surprise that songs like that were still being written.

Weezer


Brianhead.png
Hi Weezer. Please enjoy this fine recording, compliments of Radioshack and Brian Bell. I hope to see you in New York soon.
Thank you,
—Brian


- Brian Bell, [2]

One night in the late summer of 1993, while driving home, Bell decided once-and-for-all to quit Carnival Art[citation needed]. When he got home he found on his answering machine a message from Weezer bassist Matt Sharp. Sharp called again the next day, "Matt was just beating around the bush, and Rivers took the phone from him and said, 'Do you wanna join our band?'"[3]

Bell then joined Weezer in 1993 during the recording of The Blue Album, replacing Jason Cropper. Since then he has remained a member of Weezer. Besides doing backup vocals and playing rhythm guitar and lead guitar on the Pinkerton classics "El Scorcho" and "Why Bother?", as well as on Van Weezer, Bell takes on many of the multi-instrumental duties during live shows. When songs call for the use of a keyboard or harmonica, Bell often plays them.

The Relationship

In 2006, Bell began recording an album for his new band, The Relationship. Multiple demos were posted onto the band's Myspace page that year and later in 2008 and 2009, reworked versions of these demos were released. The Relationship opened a few California shows on Weezer's 2008 Troublemaker Tour. On November 17, 2010, the album artwork for the band's debut album was posted onto Facebook along with a release date of November 30.

Other projects

Bell and Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson, collaborated on a cover of the Velvet Underground song "Heroin", for the 2006 film Factory Girl.

In November 2006, Lyon introduced a limited edition guitar series called "the Brian Bell Limited Edition guitar package," each of which had been hand-signed by Bell, and were in the same "strat" body style that Brian prefers to play.

Bell is looking to release his own solo album which he states will come out sometime in August of 2010. There are no details of the tracklist or what label it will be released on just yet.

Film appearance

In 2006, Bell made his on-screen debut, playing Lou Reed in the Edie Sedgwick, Factory Girl. Fellow bandmate Patrick Wilson also appeared as John Cale, another member of the Velvet Underground.

Discography

With Weezer

This section lists only full-length albums. For more detail, please see Weezer discography.

With Carnival Art

This section lists only full-length albums. For more detail, please see Carnival Art.

With Space Twins

With Homie

With The Relationship

Interviews

See Category:Brian Bell Interviews

See also


External links