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Published on: 9/26/2008
Last Visited: 9/26/2008
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.
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In a phone interview, 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 performances this summer.
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 about two and a half years as a band, and it was a really good way to get our feet wet again.It was a great bonding experience for the band."Bell said that same sense of fun within the band will be evident at Saturday's show.
"We're utilizing everybody's talents, the way that I always wanted to," he said.
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It's going to be fantastic," Bell said.
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.But Bell, who joined the group prior to the recording of the self-titled 1994 debut (a.k.a. "The Blue Album"), said all members of the band have creative input in the recording process.
"We've always contributed things like introductions, suggestions of arrangements -- the feel of songs, ideas for sounds," he said."Of course, Rivers is extremely talented and knows what he wants.I think he's one of the best melodic writers of our time.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 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 said.
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"There are so many incarnations and periods of the band that it does feel fresh and new again," Bell said.