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.