Considering that most rock bands don’t last five years in the music business, you’d expect one that has thrived for more than 15 to stick to its proven formula for success. But on their latest self-titled release (a.k.a. The Red Album), the members of L.A.’s power-pop-rock band Weezer decided to shake things up a bit.“One of my greatest challenges this time was to write songs that didn’t have the same old verse-chorus-bridge structure,” says singer, songwriter, and guitarist Rivers Cuomo in a press release for the album.
Beyond arrangements and song structures, a more obvious change can be found in the song credits. Weezer’s biggest hits from its previous five albums include “Buddy Holly,” “Say It Ain’t So,” “Undone (The Sweater Song),” “Hash Pipe,” “Island In The Sun” and “Beverly Hills” — all written and sung by Cuomo. On The Red Album, all four members of the band, which also includes guitarist Brian Bell, drummer Pat Wilson, and bassist Scott Shriner, contribute to the songwriting, and each takes a turn on lead vocals.
In an exclusive interview last September, Bell said that Cuomo’s decision to more fully involve the entire group in the creative process generated a sense of camaraderie that blossomed when the band regrouped for some unique live performances in the summer of 2008.
Dubbed “the Hootenanny Tour,” it allowed musically inclined fans to bring their acoustic guitars and other instruments to the shows and play along with their heroes on a set of Weezer originals and covers. The lucky participants were selected in advance via YouTube tryouts.
“It was more fun than I could possibly imagine,” Bell said. “We hadn’t played live for [more than two] years as a band, and it was a really good way to get our feet wet again. It really helped get a great vibe going within the band and was a great bonding experience between us.”
Much of the thrill for both the band and the fans stemmed from the interactive nature of the shows.
“We didn’t know what to expect,” Bell says. “We weren’t up on a stage. We were in the middle of the floor, and the people were between us. It was kind of frightening at first, but the energy was so positive, and the smiles on people’s faces were so welcoming and inviting that we all relaxed and had a great time.”
Here's "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" from The Red Album:
Bell said that same sense of fun and rekindled excitement within the band was evident on the group’s recent tour.
“We’re utilizing everybody’s talents, the way that I always wanted to,” he said. “Along with playing bass, Scott has keyboards on his side of the stage. I also have some keyboards, as well as vocal responsibilities. Pat sings and plays guitar. Rivers plays some drums. It’s fun for all of us to show what we can do in addition to playing our usual instruments.”
Much of the media attention Weezer has received lately focuses on the more democratic nature of the group, largely because in the past Cuomo was perceived as a control freak — a view further propagated by the fact that he was uncomfortable with interviews and media attention in general. As James Montgomery wrote for MTV News, “[Weezer] was seen as his personal vehicle, operating on his personal schedule and subject to his personal whims.”
But Bell, who joined the group prior to the recording of the band’s self-titled 1994 debut (a.k.a. The Blue Album), says all members of the band have always had creative input in the recording process.
“We’ve always contributed things like introductions, suggestions of arrangements, the feel of songs, ideas for sounds,” he says. “Of course, Rivers is extremely talented and knows what he wants. I think he’s one of the best melodic writers of our time. If he has a melody and a song that he’s into, I try my best to see his dream through and make it a reality.”
Bell also believes that, as Cuomo has gotten older, he has become more comfortable with the non-musical aspects of the music business.
“There was a time when Rivers would give a number to the amount of interviews he was going to do for an album cycle,” Bell says. “It’s not his favorite thing to do. But I see him getting much, much, much better at it — really answering questions truthfully, and with some wit, and not letting it affect him so much.”
If nothing else, Cuomo finally seems comfortable in his own skin. While he’s always written from the perspective of someone out-of-step with the trendy and popular, his lyrics on The Red Album seem to embrace his inner geek.
“I’m ‘a do the things that I want to do / I ain’t got a thing to prove to you” he sings on “Pork and Beans.”
With a revitalized sense of purpose, it’s no surprise that Weezer is already making tentative plans to record its next album, currently penciled in for a late 2009 release.
“There are so many incarnations and periods of the band that it does feel fresh and new again,” Bell says. “I keep using the word ‘fresh,’ but it’s really true. I don’t feel burned out. In a way this feels like a first album for this band.”
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