Weezer: Rock the Boat

There have been music festivals for years. Woodstock and Bonnaroo are two common ones that come to mind. Now Carnival Cruise Line has picked up on the idea, along with one incentive: the alternative rock band Weezer.

The team of four will “rock the boat” as they sail from Miami to Cozumel in January  2012. The rock band is headlining the festival, but if you’re worried about getting your money’s worth, fret not. Other artists performing on the cruise are Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, Gene Ween and Dave Dreiwitz, Wavves, The Antlers, Yuck, Free Energy, Boom Bip, J Mascis, Lou Barlow, Keepaway, Ozma, The Nervous Wreckords, The Knocks, Sleeper Agent and Yacht Rock Revue. The artists will play on four stages around the deck of the ship. 

Weezer began in 1992 with a hiatus from 1997 to 2000. They have released nine studio albums within that time, two  were released in 2010. Since the alternative-rock band has been performing, writing and recording for so long, Weezer has had a few members to come and go. The current lineup features Rivers Cuomo on lead vocals and guitar, Patrick Wilson on drums/percussion, Brian Bell on guitars and vocals and Scott Shriner on bass and vocals.

If you take a look at the band, “awkward” is probably the first word that comes to mind. They resemble  the guys leaning against the wall at a high school dance. In an interview with Yahoo, former member Mikey Welsh spoke of when he joined the band. He jokingly called Weezer “losers,” including himself in that statement.  

Something changes in their music. If anything, Weezer brings a sense of honesty to their genre in all aspects of writing and performing. On stage, they look the way you would see them on the street. They write heartfelt songs with real emotion and experience behind the lyrics. The awkward and shy characteristics that the group can sometimes give off are non-existent once they hit the stage. They have raw sounds found in their music especially evident in “Hurley.”

The band writes heart felt songs with real emotion behind them, but they’ve been known for their creativity and humor since the beginning.  Spinner Magazine wrote that Weezer will literally be sharing a stage with the “Flaming Lips” in July  at New Jersey’s PNC Bank Arts Center. The two bands will set up their equipment side by side and take turns playing songs throughout their sets. Events like this have been done, but are certainly still uncommon.

Weezer also takes their fans into consideration during all steps of the recording process, even when it comes to selecting the title for their albums. Cuomo spoke about selecting the album “Hurley’s” title.  

“We struggled super hard trying to come up with an album title, trying to find some kind of phrase that summed up the whole aesthetic behind the album… ultimately, we just went with some random word that doesn’t really have anything to do with anything. I just loved this photo of Jorge Garcia — it just had this amazing vibe,”said the band’s leader. We didn’t want to do a fourth self-titled record and we knew people would refer to it as ‘the Hurley record’ even if we left it without that title, so we just called it ‘Hurley.’ No words are on the cover because all we wanted was his amazing face.”

Weezer has a huge fan base. Cuomo described the fans as “multigenerational” in an interview with NME, becausethey have fans of all ages  and they intend to cater to their fans  the best way that they can. Something about their music translates to older and younger generations—an ability that very few rock bands are able to master.    

Weezer is currently on tour, performing in various different festivals and shows across the United States. The band recently  returned from touring in Japan. When they’re not making albums, Weezer stays very active.

Weezer has already been in the rock scene for years. Continuous touring and the new Weezer Cruise should be a hint that the band still has a lot to say. They have more stories to tell and they look forward to sharing that will their old and new fans that are sure come.

-Geneva Toddy