Haters
will hate, but of bands established in the 1990s, Weezer remains one of
the most recognizable due to its sound: wailing guitar solos, harmonies
owing as much to The Beach Boys as punk rock, and lyrics dripping with
all the nostalgia and self-obsession teenagers could possibly muster.
If
fans, however, would rather not drop 50 bucks to see Rivers Cuomo and
company playing in the flesh, there exists an alternative — pun
intended.
And that is
Tweezer, a local Weezer tribute band that will take the stage Tuesday
night at Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewing Company.
Throughout
the past several years, Tweezer’s shows at Belle Isle have become a
homecoming of sorts, said drummer Kris Monier. The bar’s booking agent
usually leaves a spot open each November for the act.
The group agrees that Weezer’s freshman and sophomore efforts — the 1994 self-titled “blue” album and 1996’s Pinkerton, respectively
— are the most canonical in Weezer’s catalog, so songs from both can
be expected to compose most of the tribute band’s set list. Although the
progression of albums thereafter haven’t compared, said Tweezer lead
guitarist Danny Black, he added that “the core love is still there.”
Tweezer manages to squeeze in radio hits from Weezer’s double-decade discography, as well as requests.
“We play all — if not most, if not some — of your favorite Weezer songs,” said guitarist and lead vocalist Blake Fischer.
Tweezer
formed in 2002, playing its first show at a coffee shop. Fischer said
the act initially served as a vehicle for the four members to pay homage
to one of their favorite bands when most of them were not performing in
the now-defunct Minutes Too Far.
Monier
said Tweezer also provides an excuse for them to hang out and catch up,
since they no longer rehearse or play the songs they wrote together.
In
his self-admitted guise as the Cuomo of the group, Fischer said a
Tweezer show offers ample opportunity for them to act like rock stars,
meaning that sometimes, the drinks are on the audience. And according to
him, the adage that “The more you drink, the better we sound” certainly
applies.
On occasion,
Monier said, a listener unfamiliar with songs like “Buddy Holly” and
“Hash Pipe” will catch Tweezer’s act and tell the band to stick in
there, that it might turn into the next big thing.
“We usually don’t have the heart to tell them we’re in a cover band,” Monier said.
