Something special on the side
Paul Saitowitz
Pat Wilson, drummer for Weezer, is ready to break out. After being
buried behind the kit for the geek-rock poster boys for the last
decade, he is ready to explore his inner-front man.
Meet the Special Goodness, an amalgamation of Wilson’s idolatry
for Led Zeppelin and Van Halen, “with a little less wanking.”
With former Rocket From The Crypt drummer Atom Willard, the group
has been steadily creeping out from the shadows of its primary
members’ pedigrees.
“I just think that I’m ready to explore some new options as a
musician,” Wilson said. “I love being in Weezer, but there are some
other things I need to do outside of that.”
Wilson met Willard while Weezer and RFTC were touring through
Spain. The two later ran into each other at an L.A. rehearsal studio.
“We both wanted to play some new stuff, so we got together and
went from there,” Wilson said.
He had been recording songs for years at his home studio, but as
Weezer progressed, the signature sound of front man Rivers Cuomo
began to define the band, putting most of the songwriting on his
shoulders.
Wilson shouldered the majority of Weezer’s backup vocals from the
drum riser, which made him a natural for his latest transition.
“I’m really enamored with the whole thing,” he said. “It wasn’t
hard to make the change, but it’s a completely different feel when
you’re playing live.”
Another difference on stage is the size of the venues. Playing
small clubs for the first time in years -- although the band actually
opened for Weezer on its last tour and tentatively will be playing
some shows with Audioslave and the Foo Fighters in the next two
months -- has been a welcome change.
“There is definitely something amazing about playing in front of
incredibly large crowds, but at the same time there is a feeling of
disconnect,” Wilson said. “It’s just great to be able to see the
faces of the people that you are playing for.”
Another change for Wilson is the do it yourself manner in which
the band’s debut album, “Land Air Sea,” came to fruition. No
high-priced studios or big name producers were involved with the
project. Band friend Chad Bamford produced the album, which was
recorded completely analog on a 2-inch tape machine.
“Land Air Sea,” which came out on Tuesday, was released on the
band’s own N.O.S. Recordings.
“With our connections, we probably could have put something out
right away on a major label, but we just wanted to do something on a
grass-roots level and avoid the machine,” Wilson said.
So far the grass-roots thing has been working. L.A.’s KROQ-FM
(106.7) has picked up the single, “Life Goes By.”
With Weezer on an indefinite hiatus, look for the Special Goodness
to be on the road for the remainder of the year.
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