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Rivers Cuomo

Born in NY

Rivers Cuomo's Genre:

Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock

Biography

The singer/guitarist/songwriter of Weezer, Rivers Cuomo was born June 13, 1970, and grew up in Connecticut. Intrigued by both the sounds of heavy metal (Kiss, Van Halen) and hook-heavy punk-pop (the Pixies), Cuomo moved to Los Angeles in 1989 alongside his bandmates in the progressive metal outfit Avant Garde. The group disbanded one year later, however, and Cuomo dabbled in several other projects before forming Weezer in 1992. The original lineup consisted of Cuomo, guitarist Jason Cropper, bassist Matt Sharp, and drummer Pat Wilson.

After playing L.A. clubs for over a year, the quartet was signed to Geffen, but Cropper quit abruptly around this time (reappearing later in the '90s with Chopper One). Cropper's replacement was Brian Bell, formerly of Carnival Art, and the revised band recorded their debut at Electric Lady Studios with Ric Ocasek serving as producer. As most Weezer fans know, their 1994 self-titled debut was a smash hit on the strength of the hit singles/videos "Undone (The Sweater Song)," "Buddy Holly," and "Say It Ain't So." The breakup of Nirvana had left a gaping hole in the power pop-punk genre, and Weezer released their debut just at the right time. After the yearlong tour wrapped up, Cuomo retreated from the music world and began studying at Harvard; he also grew a beard to protect his anonymity and had surgery on his leg (when he was born, one leg was shorter than the other), which resulted in Cuomo having to wear a leg brace for some time.

Weezer returned with the darker Pinkerton in 1996, having scrapped their previous plans to record a space-themed rock opera as their sophomore album. Cuomo wrote the album's ten tracks while studying at Harvard, drawing upon such themes as groupies, fan mail, lesbians, and Japanese women. While the album didn't yield any hit singles, fans treasured it as a stronger release than the band's debut. Nevertheless, Weezer once again went on hiatus following Pinkerton's supportive tour, and bassist Sharp permanently left the lineup to devote more time to his other band, the Rentals (Sharp was later replaced by Bostonian Mikey Welsh). With little news coming from the Weezer camp by the dawn of the 21st century, many assumed the band had broken up. Cuomo gave a few surprise solo shows in Boston during 1999, however, and announced the following year that a third Weezer release was forthcoming.

The release did not see the light of day until 2001, as Cuomo was waiting for braces to come off his teeth before recording would commence. Known as The Green Album, the record spawned the hit singles "Hash Pipe" and "Island in the Sun." 2002's Maladroit did not fare as well, but Weezer returned to hitmaking status with 2005's Make Believe, which earned the band a Grammy nomination for the song "Beverly Hills." The album's content was partially inspired by Cuomo's discovery of meditation, which he had practiced intensely during the three previous years. Cuomo had also been recording homemade demos since the band's inception in 1992, and he gathered 18 of them for a 2007 solo compilation, Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo. ~ Greg Prato

AOL Radio Stations Rivers Cuomo is Featured on (1)

Rivers Cuomo

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Death Cab For Cutie, Ben Folds Five, The Get Up Kids, The Stereo, Eastern Conference Champions, The Rentals, Harvey Danger, The Anniversary, The Weakerthans, Jimmy Eat World and more.

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Rivers Cuomo's Selected Discography (4)

Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo

200819 Songs

Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo

200718 Songs

Alone III: The Pinkerton Years

201126 Songs

Not Alone - Rivers Cuomo & Friends Live at Fingerprints

20096 Songs

All Albums

Artists Related to Rivers Cuomo (50)

	Death Cab For Cutie	Death Cab for Cutie's rise from small-time solo project to Grammy-nominated rock band is one of indie rock's greatest success stories.
	Ben Folds Five	Led by the pop-minded prowess of their namesake frontman, Ben Folds Five dispelled any misgivings about a band's ability to rock without guitars.
	The Get Up Kids	Kansas City's Get Up Kids play melodic, pop-inflected emo similar to the Promise Ring and Braid, with whom the band released a split single in 1998.
	The Stereo	The Stereo plays catchy rock with the levity of Weezer, mixing pop-punk with the big, honest super rock of groups like Journey and just a hint of the heartfelt, piano romping of Billy Joel.
	Eastern Conference Champions	Punk-pop, pure pop, and a wry sense of humor all meet in the sound of Eastern Conference Champions, the three-man band from Bucks County, PA, with a serious alt-rock pedigree.
	The Rentals	The Rentals were the new wave-influenced project of singer/songwriter Matt Sharp, former bassist for power pop favorites Weezer.
	Harvey Danger	Although formed in Seattle during grunge's heyday, Harvey Danger took inspiration from a wide range of influences, from hometown heroes like Nirvana and Mudhoney to such melodic cult bands as the Pixies, the Buzzcocks, and Ride.
	The Anniversary	The Anniversary brought their own blend of male-female vocals, jangly guitars, and synth keyboards to the emo scene after signing with Heroes and Villains, an imprint of Vagrant Records, in 1999.
	The Weakerthans	Formed after Propagandhi member John K. Samson got the itch to perform and record again after taking a sabbatical to write and start a publishing company, the Winnipeg-based Weakerthans took Samson's music in a completely different direction.
	Jimmy Eat World	Once a trailblazing name in the mid-'90s emocore scene, Jimmy Eat World eventually found a larger audience by embracing a blend of alternative rock and power pop that targeted the heart as well as the head.
	The Maroons	Already established members of the Northwest music scene before they came together in 1993, the Maroons-- first comprised of singer/guitarist John Moen(who was a drummer for Elliott Smith, Pete Krebs&Gossamer Wings, Heatmiser, and the Spinanes, among others), guitarist Jim Talstra (who played in the Minus 5), bassist John Cox (part of Satan's Pilgrims), and drummer Eric Bennes -- introduced themselves and their brand of indie pop to the rest of the world in 1996 with their debut, I Am to Blame, on Slo-Mo Records.
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	Pattern Is Movement	Originally a five-piece group that formed in 2001 in Philadelphia, PA, Pattern Is Movement, would -- over time -- whittle themselves down to a duo (Andrew Thiboldeaux and Chris Ward) specializing in quasi-math rock "wall of sound"-type stuff.
	Travis Morrison	Travis Morrison remains best known for his decade-long stint fronting the influential dance-punk quartet the Dismemberment Plan.
	Weezer	As one of the most popular groups to emerge in the post-grunge alternative rock aftermath, Weezer received equal amounts of criticism and praise for their hook-heavy guitar pop.
	Quiet Company	Hailing from of Austin, Texas, spirited, emotionally engaging, melodic indie rock outfit Quiet Company, which has drawn comparisons to everyone from Death Cab for Cutie to Bright Eyes, was formed by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Taylor Glen Muse after stints in numerous other bands, including the Connotations, Uncle Andrew, and Eisley.
	Lefty's Deceiver	Philadelphia math-rock trio Lefty's Deceiver was formed in 1996 by singer/guitarist Andy Williams, bassist Ed Hogarty and drummer Mike Kennedy; signing to local indie Plot Twist, they issued their debut album 45:00 in 1999.
	Sloan	Sloan was one of the most successful Canadian bands of the '90s, which was both a blessing and a curse.
	Spoon	With their heady blend of precision punk and serpentine classic rock (the band has drawn comparisons to everyone from the Pixies and Sonic Youth to Elvis Costello and Tom Petty), enigmatic, Texas-based indie pop outfit Spoon went from underground press darlings to one of the genre’s premier commercially and critically acclaimed alternative rock acts.
	Guided by Voices	Inspired equally by jangle pop and arty post-punk, Guided by Voices created a series of trebly, hissy indie rock records filled with infectiously brief pop songs that fell somewhere between the British Invasion and prog rock.
	Modern Skirts	Formed around the talents of guitarist/vocalist Jay Gulley, guitarist/pianist/vocalist JoJo Glidewell, bassist/vocalist Phillip Brantley, and drummer John Swint, smart, melodic Brit-rock-inspired indie pop quartet the Modern Skirts infiltrated the crowded Athens, GA, music scene in 2004 with their debut EP, This Is Winning and Thinking.
	Joe, Marc's Brother	Joe, Marc's Brother started their musical career in New Jersey, where Joe Pisapia and his brother (you guessed it) Marc grew up playing in various bands and developing a quirky, organic style influenced by the Beach Boys, Elvis Costello, and the Flaming Lips.
	Blueline Medic	Blueline Medic formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1999. The group, made up of vocalist/guitarist Donnie Dureau, guitarist Adrian Lombardi, bassist Dave Snow, and drummer Shaun Lohoar, quickly proved to bear the torch of such powerful and angular punk bands as Hüsker Dü and Jawbox.
	Mae	Boasting a sound that straddled the border of alternative rock and emo-pop, Mae (an acronym for Multisensory Aesthetic Experience) was formed in early 2001 by guitarist Matt Beck, drummer Jacob Marshall, bassist Mark Padgett, keyboardist Rob Sweitzer, and vocalist Dave Elkins.
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	The Wrens	One of the best bands with the worst luck, New Jersey's the Wrens were establishing themselves as one of the catchiest and most thoughtful indie rock groups of the '90s when label problems prevented them from releasing another album for seven years.
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	Folk Implosion	Indie rock fans are probably inclined to think of the Folk Implosion as the most prominent of Lou Barlow's many side projects from the influential indie band Sebadoh.
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	Self	Self is largely the project of Matt Mahaffey, a Murfreesboro, TN-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who began writing songs at age four and was a professional drummer at 12.
	The Honorary Title	The Brooklyn-based alternative rock quartet the Honorary Title initially formed as a duo between vocalist/lyricist/guitarist Jarrod Gorbel and bassist/multi-instrumentalist Aaron Kamstra in 2003.
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	The Amps	After the overwhelming success of "Cannonball" and Last Splash took the Breeders by surprise -- and led to their quick burnout -- singer/songwriter/guitarist Kim Deal formed the Amps in 1994 as a way to release new material while the Breeders took a break.
	Tourmaline	The New Jersey indie rock outfit Tourmaline features Matt Rauch (vocals/guitar), Ryan Baredes (guitar), Andrew Koes (bass), Max Rauch (drums), and Corey Zaloom (piano/vocals).
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	Superdrag	Though many have dubbed Superdrag a punk-pop or power pop band, their music has shown itself to be atop of the aforementioned genres.
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	Archers of Loaf	The Archers of Loaf were darlings of the indie world in the early to mid-'90s, thanks to an off-kilter sound that was edgy and challenging, yet melodically accessible at the same time.
	Bettie Serveert	Although they didn't cross over into the mainstream the way some of their peers did, Holland's Bettie Serveert became significant college radio stars during the '90s with their jangly, sweetly melodic, at times surprisingly muscular guitar pop.
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	Modest Mouse	Modest Mouse were one of the most surprising commercial success stories of the new millennium -- while their music was by turns taut and elliptical, and the lyrics sometimes cryptic and introspective, the band broke through to the mainstream audience with the platinum-selling Good News for People Who Love Bad News, and they became genuine rock stars at a time when their musical peers remained cult figures.
	The Juliana Theory	The five guys who have chosen the somewhat mysterious moniker of the Juliana Theory to represent their band have successfully transformed themselves from punk and hardcore kids restricted by the constraints of the emo genre into genuine, credible musicians.
	Ozma	Streaming their very own vision of puissant alternative pop/rock, Ozma started its operations in 1995.