Fall 2002

Weezer's Way
by Daniel Keller

Weezer is a band that does things their own way. In an era where major labels drop artists for spending more than a week off the charts, Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo opted for a long break after the release of Pinkerton, the band's sophomore album. Not your faraway creative sabbatical or Betty Ford Clinic type of break.... no, Rivers enrolled in Harvard. Not exactly your typical rock stars.

For most bands, being out of the public eye for six years would mean an E-ticket to the bargain bins. But with Weezer it was as if they'd never left. If anything, they're even bigger this time around.

Weezer's not a band guided by marketing or nurtured by A&R. These are guys firmly in control of their music, and fiercely committed to their fans. They finance their own recordings, and handle their own management. When their label objected to their practice of posting demos on their Website for feedback from listeners, they stood their ground.

All this has earned them a loyal audience that continues to grow. In an industry where numbers trump talent and everyone's looking for a new trick, Weezer is the real thing.

On Tour with Shure spoke with Rivers Cuomo about the band's current tour, the fans and the band's philosophy.

OTWS: How's the tour going? You've been at it for over a year now.

Rivers Cuomo: Longer than that. We started at the beginning of 2000. It's going great.

OTWS: You guys took a fairly lengthy hiatus after Pinkerton. Do you feel the audience response is different this time around?

Cuomo: It's totally different. Back then we were playing clubs. Now we're playing to ten, fifteen thousand people every night. It feels very different.

The Band

OTWS: It seems like you never play the same set two nights in a row. How do you choose from such a huge repertoire?

Cuomo: I use (12-sided) D&D dice to plan the set list. It's great, because every show is a brand new experience, something that's never happened before and never will again.

OTWS: I'd imagine it makes for some interesting segues.

Cuomo: It's great, though, 'cause we like to be challenged. It forces us to live in the moment and adapt.

OTWS: The band is self-managed, and you financed the last album yourselves.

Cuomo: Yeah, we wanted to just separate from the industry for a while, separate from our record company, and establish as much independence as we possibly could. So we produced and funded the album on our own and shipped it to radio and press before we even turned it in to the record company.

OTWS: Not too many artists are comfortable wearing multiple hats like that. Has dealing with management issues changed your artistic outlook?

Cuomo: I don't really see it as different hats. My job involves making music, and it also involves being aware of the business. If anything, without a manager filtering information from the industry, we're aware of exactly what's going on, which allows us to set our own priorities and leaves more time for creativity.

OTWS: I know the issue of file-sharing has been belabored to death...

Cuomo: We're all for it.

OTWS: ...But what's interesting is that you seem to have found a whole new angle on it. I'm referring to posting works-in-progress for instant feedback from fans. Has there been a down side to having such direct contact?

Cuomo: At first it took us a bit by surprise because people tend to be more harsh on the Internet than they would be in real life. And you get thousands of opinions. But we filter that in with our own instincts and basically let the decisions make themselves.

The Recording

OTWS: You've been recording the next album on the road. What's the plan for that?

Cuomo: We'll be going into the studio in October with a new producer.

OTWS: Do you still use an SM58¨ for vocals?

Cuomo: I switched to a Beta 58A about a year ago. It seems to cut through the guitars better. My sound guy tried the same mic that Alanis Morissette uses, but it just didn't sound like me.

OTWS: You use Shure's U14D UHF wireless systems for guitars. How has it affected your sound?

Cuomo: Not at all. That's what I like about it. We were hardwired for years, and when we made the switch, it was like nothing had changed.

OTWS: What about In Ears? I know the whole band's on them. Was it a difficult adjustment?

Cuomo: Not really. When we first got them, Derek (VanOrd, monitor engineer) was like, 'Okay, this is gonna be a little weird, but just stick with it for a couple of days and you'll get used to it.' And he was right. I used the PSM for three shows, and then I took them out for one night and it sounded horrible. We've used In Ears ever since.

OTWS: Last question-how was it working with Kermit?

Cuomo: It was great. He's the same frog behind the camera as he is in front of it.