Rivers Cuomo: Ten Years of Musical Bliss

839 Words2 Pages

Today's music scene is slowly growing, and differentiating in styles. One of the newest styles of music that has broken out is a generally unrecognized genre of music called "Geek Rock." By taking the meaningful lyrics of Emo, the heavy guitar riffs of Grunge, and the do-it-yourself attitude of Indie rock, this genre forms a new-wave approach to music. Many new artists have been categorized under this label, including Ben Kweller, Ozma, and Rooney. Rivers Cuomo, front man and lyricist of Weezer, is predominantly responsible for this underground rock movement. By transferring his life experiences into a musical statement, Rivers Cuomo has the ability to appeal to his fans on a new level.

Rivers Cuomo's childhood influenced his unique style of music. While raised in a sheltered community in the rural town of Yogaville, Connecticut, by his hippie parents, Rivers began to listen to music. He grew up with bands such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Buddy Holly and The Crickets. Later on he began to listen to the heavier sounds of Kiss, and Van Halen. He brought all of these bands' styles into his own music. By using a formula of music writing created by such greats as Brian Wilson, of The Beach Boys, and Kurt Cobain, of Nirvana, Rivers is able to cross a pop/rock song, with heavy riffs, and emotional lyrics.

Through creating such a distinctive approach to music, Rivers has developed a fan base that stands out from the mainstream crowd. For the most part, a Weezer fan has a distinct look, age, emotional status, and social status. The socially inept, clumsy nerds who sport black-rimmed glasses, and are between the ages of 17-28 are usually put under the category of being a Weezer fan. The main characteristic of th...

... middle of paper ...

...tour.

Through ten years of musical production, Rivers Cuomo has held on to most of his fans. Weezer has created four CDs, selling over five million albums throughout this decade. Because Weezer has certain elements within their musical styles unlike any other band, fans that they have collected over the years continue to listen the their music, and are always awaiting new, and innovative songs.

The future holds many possibilities for Rivers Cuomo. Weezer is currently working on a fifth album, a DVD containing music videos and live performances, and a special edition of Weezers' 1994 self titled album. The new album is said to contain songs that "are deeply personal, in fact, `deeper than he's ever gone,'" claims Billboard Magazine. Only Rivers knows what is in store for Weezer and their fans, but the fans have realized that Rivers knows what he is doing.

Open Document