Weerez

You Weezer fans out there might think that I have misspelled the title of this post. I haven't. Weerez is the name of my Weezer cover band. Is it presumptuous for the name of your cover band to be a permutation of the band's actual name? Probably. Do we care? No. (Honestly, it'd be awesome if we got some kind of cease-and-desist from the band's lawyer and had to change our name.)

Shadows, left to right: me, guitar and vocals; Devyn, drums; Jon, bass guitar and vocals when I can't sing and play guitar at the same time; and Tyson, guitar and vocals. I stole this photo from my friend Katie. Her blog is one of my favorites, visit it here.

We have been rehearsing in our garage (how appropriate) for the past couple months, and last Saturday night we played a pre-show/house party for a small audience of close friends and family so we could work out any first-show bugs. We played a short set consisting of six Weezer staples:

"My Name Is Jonas"
"The Good Life"
"You Gave Your Love To Me Softly"
"Say It Ain't So"
"El Scorcho"
"Undone — The Sweater Song"

I've said this a millions times: Weezer has had an enormous impact on my life. They were the first band that made me love music. I learned how to play guitar by teaching myself Weezer songs. Those skills served me well as I have played in bands in high school and beyond. The shy, timid teenager I was, playing in bands meant making and having friends and meeting so many like-minded people, people whose friendship and positive influence I enjoy today. In a real way—very real to me—Weezer provided a foundation for friendship and an outlet to express and be myself. While that may sound unhealthy—having used this band as a social crutch instead of learning real social skills—it was so important to me at that age. And really, music helped me learn social skills. What's unhealthy about that?

We don't have any big plans for the band. Right now, we're just four dudes who have a great time playing some of our favorite songs together. At some point—sooner or later—we will abandon it in pursuit of worthier endeavors. In the meantime, I will relish the opportunity of getting on stage and playing these songs that have meant so much to me while friends and family and strangers shout the lyrics back at me.

P.S. The name Weerez appears in this music video at the 0:14 mark.