Rivers Cuomo
Encyclopedia
Rivers Cuomo (ˈkwoʊmoʊ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician
, best known as the lead singer, lead guitarist
, and principal songwriter
of the alternative rock
band Weezer
. Raised in an Ashram
in Connecticut
, Cuomo moved to Los Angeles
at age 19, where he participated in a number of rock bands before founding Weezer in 1992. With Weezer, he has released eight studio albums.
In addition to fronting Weezer, Cuomo has also worked as a solo artist. In December 2007, he released his debut album, Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
, which featured home demos
that Cuomo recorded from 1992 to 2007. He released his second solo artist album, Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
, in November 2008. Alone III: The Pinkerton Years
is scheduled for release in 2011.
hospital to parents of Italian
and German
/English
descent, and raised on an ashram
- run by the late yoga master Sri Swami Satchidananda
in Pomfret
, Connecticut
. His mother, Beverly, was inspired to name her son "Rivers" because he was born between the East
and Hudson
rivers in Manhattan. Her appreciation of the sound of running water further reinforced her desire for this name. His father, Frank Cuomo, was a musician who played drums on the album Odyssey of Iska
by jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter
.
During his early childhood Cuomo attended a private school on an ashram farm where his parents raised him and his brother Leaves. Cuomo's parents moved to nearby Storrs, Connecticut
when the ashram (known as Yogaville
) was relocated to a plot of land along the Blue Ridge Mountains
in Virginia
. Cuomo attended E.O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut
under the name Peter Kitts, but reverted back to his original name once he began attending Santa Monica College
. Cuomo went on to attend the Berklee College of Music
and Harvard University
, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
in English
, after attending classes on and off from 1995 to 2006. In high school, Cuomo played the role of Johnny Casino in the stage production of Grease
.
on February 14, 1992, with members from Sixty Wrong Sausages, including drummer Patrick Wilson
. The original Weezer line-up included Cuomo on vocals and guitar, Wilson on drums, Matt Sharp
on bass, and Jason Cropper
who at first played exclusively on acoustic guitar. Weezer signed with DGC, a subsidiary of Geffen Records
, on June 25, 1993. They began recording Weezer
(also known as The Blue Album
) in August 1993 at Electric Lady Studios
in New York with producer Ric Ocasek
. "Weezer" was Rivers' childhood nickname, given to him by his father when he was a toddler, although it wasn't because he had asthma.
Throughout 2002 Cuomo frequently posted on Weezer message boards as 'Ace' to discuss music with fans. He once had a website called the 'Catalog of Riffs' ('COR') in which he shared old demos of songs as well as scans of many personal items (letters, schedules, records). Since 2003 he has kept a MySpace
page in which he has posted many blog entries including his original admission essay and two subsequent readmission essays to Harvard. Additionally he uses his MySpace blog
as a clearinghouse for clarifications, corrections, and addenda to interviews and press reports about him. (This has included responding to misinformation on his Wikipedia
entry.)
Starting on the Foozer
tour in late 2005, Cuomo would invite fans onto the stage to play "Undone – The Sweater Song
" on acoustic guitar. After the performance, fans were allowed to keep the guitars they played. In 2008, coinciding with the release of Weezer's new album, The Red Album
, Weezer announced a "Hootenanny
Tour" in which radio stations would audition fans to play songs live with Weezer. This "hootenanny" style performance was replicated for the band's "Troublemaker" video and on their 2008 Troublemaker Tour. On November 25, 2008, Cuomo invited a small group of guests to a jam session at Fingerprints Records in Long Beach, CA. This marked the release of Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
. Fans chose the songs and played the instruments while Cuomo sang.
. Cuomo played under the name Peter Kitts, Kitts being the surname
of his stepfather. The band played several shows in Connecticut. He moved with the band to Los Angeles in March 1989. In late 1989 Avant Garde changed its name to Zoom though the band dissolved in the late spring of 1990. Before Weezer, Cuomo worked as a roadie for King Size on their Guatemala
tour. During a Weezer hiatus, Cuomo formed a musical project called Homie
, consisting of what he called "goofball songs" or his "country band". An album was planned, but only one studio recording, a song titled "American Girls", has been released. Cuomo has contributed to recordings by various other musicians (Crazy Town
, Cold
, Mark Ronson
). He also briefly managed the band AM Radio in 2002 and 2003.
In early 2004 he made a surprise appearance onstage with ex-Weezer bassist Matt Sharp at his California State University, Fullerton
show to play two old Weezer favorites ("Say It Ain't So" and "Undone"), a rare Weezer demo that they worked on together ("Mrs. Young"), and a new song they wrote together, "Time Song." Also, Sharp announced that they might work on a collaborative record together. But later that year, Sharp announced on his website that although they had come up with "15 or 16 new song ideas, some good, some not so good" for their new album, their "special brand of dysfunctionality" may keep them from finishing the project.
Cuomo is a big fan of soccer. He can be seen playing in the "Photograph" video, and even planned his band's 2002 "World Cup Tour" around World Cup
games. In 2006 he wrote a song titled "My Day Is Coming" in tribute to the U.S. men's soccer team
, and followed it up for 2010
by writing "Represent", which he considers to be an "unofficial" anthem for the U.S. team. The latter song was released as a Weezer single on June 11, the day before Team USA's World Cup opener against England
.
In March 2008, Cuomo started a video series on YouTube
called "Let's Write a Sawng." Cuomo wrote a song in collaboration with YouTube users' suggestions. The end result was "Turning Up The Radio" which appeared on "Death To False Metal
". Additionally, Cuomo has had cameos
in a number of music videos. These include Crystal Method's "Murder" and the video for The Warlocks'
"Cocaine Blues." Cuomo also makes a guest appearance on Sugar Ray
's "Boardwalk", the first single on their latest album, Music for Cougars
. Cuomo featured on the song "Magic
", on B.o.B
's debut album B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
which was released in April 2010. In a May interview with HitQuarters
, producer-songwriter Lucas Secon
confirmed that he had recently worked with Cuomo on both a Steve Aoki
single and "some Weezer stuff."
Cuomo is currently in the process of recording a Japanese album with Scott Murphy of Allister
. He also collaborated with Japanese singer Hitomi
for her first indie album Spirit
, even making a duet with her. Cuomo is featured on the new Simple Plan song "Can't Keep My Hands Off You" and Miranda Cosgrove's song, "High Maintenance".
shortly before Christmas of 2005. The wedding was held at a secluded beach on Paradise Cove in Malibu and was attended by over a hundred people, including six of the seven members who played in Weezer (Mikey Welsh
being the only no show) as well as notables 3 (2011): Co-Wrote Hitomi
- "Rollin' Wit Da Homies" from Spirit
(2011): vocals, Co-Wrote
Steve Aoki
- "Earthquakey People" (2011) : Vocals
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, best known as the lead singer, lead guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, and principal songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
of the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
. Raised in an Ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Cuomo moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at age 19, where he participated in a number of rock bands before founding Weezer in 1992. With Weezer, he has released eight studio albums.
In addition to fronting Weezer, Cuomo has also worked as a solo artist. In December 2007, he released his debut album, Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo is a compilation album by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, released on December 18, 2007. It is available as a digital release, CD release and 12" vinyl...
, which featured home demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
that Cuomo recorded from 1992 to 2007. He released his second solo artist album, Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo is a compilation album by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. It is a sequel to Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo...
, in November 2008. Alone III: The Pinkerton Years
Alone III: The Pinkerton Years
Alone III: The Pinkerton Years is a compilation album by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo that is scheduled to be released December 12, 2011, at the same time as the Pinkerton Diaries. It is the third album in Cuomo's Alone series, preceded by Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo and Alone II:...
is scheduled for release in 2011.
Childhood and youth
Rivers Cuomo was born in a ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
hospital to parents of Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
and German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
/English
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
descent, and raised on an ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
- run by the late yoga master Sri Swami Satchidananda
Swami Satchidananda
Swami Satchidananda , born as C. K. Ramaswamy Gounder, was an Indian religious teacher, spiritual master and yoga adept, who gained fame and following in the West during his time in New York. He was the author of many philosophical and spiritual books, including a popular illustrative book on Hatha...
in Pomfret
Pomfret, Connecticut
Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,798 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. His mother, Beverly, was inspired to name her son "Rivers" because he was born between the East
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
and Hudson
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
rivers in Manhattan. Her appreciation of the sound of running water further reinforced her desire for this name. His father, Frank Cuomo, was a musician who played drums on the album Odyssey of Iska
Odyssey of Iska
Odyssey of Iska is a 1971 album by American jazz composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, released on Blue Note Records. The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow states "On the verge of joining Weather Report , it is not surprising that Shorter's originals include titles such as 'Wind,' 'Storm,' and "Calm'...
by jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
.
During his early childhood Cuomo attended a private school on an ashram farm where his parents raised him and his brother Leaves. Cuomo's parents moved to nearby Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census...
when the ashram (known as Yogaville
Yogaville
Satchidananda Ashram - Yogaville was founded by Yogiraj Sri Swami Satchidananda in 1980. The ashram is the international organizational headquarters of Swami Satchidananda's documented teachings, located in the county of Buckingham, Virginia....
) was relocated to a plot of land along the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Cuomo attended E.O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census...
under the name Peter Kitts, but reverted back to his original name once he began attending Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College is a two-year, public, junior college located in Santa Monica, California.Santa Monica College was first opened in 1929 as Santa Monica Junior College. Current enrollment is over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study...
. Cuomo went on to attend the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, after attending classes on and off from 1995 to 2006. In high school, Cuomo played the role of Johnny Casino in the stage production of Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
.
Weezer
After a series of musical projects in Los Angeles, Cuomo formed WeezerWeezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
on February 14, 1992, with members from Sixty Wrong Sausages, including drummer Patrick Wilson
Patrick Wilson (musician)
Patrick "Pat" George Wilson is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band Weezer. He joined the band in 1992. In addition to his work in Weezer, he also fronts his own band, The Special Goodness....
. The original Weezer line-up included Cuomo on vocals and guitar, Wilson on drums, Matt Sharp
Matt Sharp
Matthew Kelly Sharp is a founding member and former bassist for the band Weezer. In 1994, he started a band called The Rentals and released their debut album shortly after Weezer's first release, their second album in 1999, and an EP in 2007...
on bass, and Jason Cropper
Jason Cropper
Jason Cropper is a musician best known as an original member of the band Weezer.-Early years:Cropper claimed to have picked up the guitar at age 16. His mother reports that he first "rocked" to a small 45 rpm record in his bedroom where he played "Let's Go To The Hop" by Danny and the Juniors. He...
who at first played exclusively on acoustic guitar. Weezer signed with DGC, a subsidiary of Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, on June 25, 1993. They began recording Weezer
Weezer (The Blue Album)
Weezer, also known as The Blue Album, is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released in May 1994 through DGC Records. The album was produced by former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek and recorded in Electric Lady Studios in New York City...
(also known as The Blue Album
Weezer (The Blue Album)
Weezer, also known as The Blue Album, is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released in May 1994 through DGC Records. The album was produced by former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek and recorded in Electric Lady Studios in New York City...
) in August 1993 at Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
in New York with producer Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
. "Weezer" was Rivers' childhood nickname, given to him by his father when he was a toddler, although it wasn't because he had asthma.
Throughout 2002 Cuomo frequently posted on Weezer message boards as 'Ace' to discuss music with fans. He once had a website called the 'Catalog of Riffs' ('COR') in which he shared old demos of songs as well as scans of many personal items (letters, schedules, records). Since 2003 he has kept a MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page in which he has posted many blog entries including his original admission essay and two subsequent readmission essays to Harvard. Additionally he uses his MySpace blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
as a clearinghouse for clarifications, corrections, and addenda to interviews and press reports about him. (This has included responding to misinformation on his Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
entry.)
Starting on the Foozer
Foozer
Foozer was the title given to the Fall 2005 co-headlining concert tour of Foo Fighters and Weezer. Various openers for the bands included Mae, Kaiser Chiefs and Hot Hot Heat...
tour in late 2005, Cuomo would invite fans onto the stage to play "Undone – The Sweater Song
Undone – The Sweater Song
"Undone – The Sweater Song" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released on their self-titled 1994 debut album. It was released as their debut single in 1994...
" on acoustic guitar. After the performance, fans were allowed to keep the guitars they played. In 2008, coinciding with the release of Weezer's new album, The Red Album
Weezer (2008 album)
Weezer, also known as "The Red Album", is the sixth studio album by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released on June 3, 2008. Rick Rubin and Jacknife Lee both helped to produce the album...
, Weezer announced a "Hootenanny
Hootenanny
Hootenanny is an Appalachian colloquialism that was used in early twentieth century America to refer to things whose names were forgotten or unknown. In this usage it was synonymous with thingamajig or whatchamacallit, as in "hand me that hootenanny." Hootenanny was also an old country word for...
Tour" in which radio stations would audition fans to play songs live with Weezer. This "hootenanny" style performance was replicated for the band's "Troublemaker" video and on their 2008 Troublemaker Tour. On November 25, 2008, Cuomo invited a small group of guests to a jam session at Fingerprints Records in Long Beach, CA. This marked the release of Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo is a compilation album by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. It is a sequel to Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo...
. Fans chose the songs and played the instruments while Cuomo sang.
Other projects
One of Cuomo's earliest music projects was a progressive metal band known as Avant GardeAvant Garde (band)
Avant Garde was a progressive metal band most notable as an early musical project of Rivers Cuomo, who would later gain worldwide fame as the frontman of the alternative rock band Weezer. At the time, Cuomo performed under the name Peter Kitts.-Biography:The band formed when Cuomo was only...
. Cuomo played under the name Peter Kitts, Kitts being the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
of his stepfather. The band played several shows in Connecticut. He moved with the band to Los Angeles in March 1989. In late 1989 Avant Garde changed its name to Zoom though the band dissolved in the late spring of 1990. Before Weezer, Cuomo worked as a roadie for King Size on their Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
tour. During a Weezer hiatus, Cuomo formed a musical project called Homie
Homie (band)
Homie is a side project of Rivers Cuomo, lead singer of the band Weezer. Homie, as it stands now, was a one-time effort. Homie has released just one song, "American Girls", for the soundtrack of the 1998 film Meet the Deedles...
, consisting of what he called "goofball songs" or his "country band". An album was planned, but only one studio recording, a song titled "American Girls", has been released. Cuomo has contributed to recordings by various other musicians (Crazy Town
Crazy Town
Crazy Town is a rap rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1995 by Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer. The band is best known for their 2001 single, "Butterfly", which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart...
, Cold
Cold (band)
Cold is an American post-grunge band, formed in 1996 in Jacksonville, Florida. With two gold-albums Cold has sold over 1.2 million records in the US alone. On November 17, 2006, Ward announced on MySpace that, after a period of uncertainty since that February, the group had decided to disband. In...
, Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
). He also briefly managed the band AM Radio in 2002 and 2003.
In early 2004 he made a surprise appearance onstage with ex-Weezer bassist Matt Sharp at his California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs...
show to play two old Weezer favorites ("Say It Ain't So" and "Undone"), a rare Weezer demo that they worked on together ("Mrs. Young"), and a new song they wrote together, "Time Song." Also, Sharp announced that they might work on a collaborative record together. But later that year, Sharp announced on his website that although they had come up with "15 or 16 new song ideas, some good, some not so good" for their new album, their "special brand of dysfunctionality" may keep them from finishing the project.
Cuomo is a big fan of soccer. He can be seen playing in the "Photograph" video, and even planned his band's 2002 "World Cup Tour" around World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
games. In 2006 he wrote a song titled "My Day Is Coming" in tribute to the U.S. men's soccer team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
, and followed it up for 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
by writing "Represent", which he considers to be an "unofficial" anthem for the U.S. team. The latter song was released as a Weezer single on June 11, the day before Team USA's World Cup opener against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
In March 2008, Cuomo started a video series on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
called "Let's Write a Sawng." Cuomo wrote a song in collaboration with YouTube users' suggestions. The end result was "Turning Up The Radio" which appeared on "Death To False Metal
Death to False Metal
Death to False Metal is the ninth studio album by alternative rock band Weezer, released on November 2, 2010 by Geffen. The album comprises several previously unreleased tracks from throughout Weezer's career, with vocalist and guitarist Rivers Cuomo stating "Together, [these songs] are the album...
". Additionally, Cuomo has had cameos
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in a number of music videos. These include Crystal Method's "Murder" and the video for The Warlocks'
The Warlocks
The Warlocks are an American rock band based out of Los Angeles. Their music has been defined as neo-psychedelia, but much of it spans multiple genres.-Music:...
"Cocaine Blues." Cuomo also makes a guest appearance on Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is a band from Orange County, California. The band, starting off more as an alternative metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time,...
's "Boardwalk", the first single on their latest album, Music for Cougars
Music for Cougars
Music for Cougars is Sugar Ray's sixth studio album. The album was not as successful commercially as previous Sugar Ray albums. It only reached #80 on the Billboard charts, with none of the album's three singles charting.-Track listing :...
. Cuomo featured on the song "Magic
Magic (B.o.B song)
"Magic" is the third single from B.o.B's debut studio album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray. The track features Weezer's lead singer, Rivers Cuomo, and was produced by Dr. Luke. In the UK the track made Radio 1's B-Playlist.-Reception:...
", on B.o.B
B.o.B
Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. , better known by his stage name B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. His debut single "Nothin' on You" reached number one in both...
's debut album B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray is the debut studio album of American rapper B.o.B, released April 27, 2010, on Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2010 and was handled by B.o.B, Crada, Dr...
which was released in April 2010. In a May interview with HitQuarters
HitQuarters
HitQuarters is an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It is noted for in-depth interviews with industry figures, with past subjects including Simon Cowell, Martin Kierszenbaum, Jason Flom, Diane Warren, Peter Edge, Ron Fair and RedOne, as well as its A&R...
, producer-songwriter Lucas Secon
Lucas Secon
Lucas Secon, also known by the stage name Lucas, is a world-renowned Danish-American Grammy , MTV Award and Emmy Award-nominated record producer, songwriter,Golden Poets Award winner, DJ, rapper, singer and artist/conceptualist. He lives in London, United Kingdom.Secon has contributed to seven...
confirmed that he had recently worked with Cuomo on both a Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki is an American electro house musician, record producer and the founder of Dim Mak Records.-Early life:...
single and "some Weezer stuff."
Cuomo is currently in the process of recording a Japanese album with Scott Murphy of Allister
Allister
Allister is an American pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The four-piece formed in 1996 and were one of the first bands to sign to Drive-Thru Records...
. He also collaborated with Japanese singer Hitomi
Hitomi
better known by her stagename , is a Japanese singer and songwriter. She began her career as model, and after meeting Tetsuya Komuro he began managing her career as a pop singer...
for her first indie album Spirit
Spirit (Hitomi album)
-Charts:Oricon Sales Chart...
, even making a duet with her. Cuomo is featured on the new Simple Plan song "Can't Keep My Hands Off You" and Miranda Cosgrove's song, "High Maintenance".
Personal life
On June 18, 2006, Cuomo married Kyoko Ito, whom he had known since March 1997. He proposed to her in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
shortly before Christmas of 2005. The wedding was held at a secluded beach on Paradise Cove in Malibu and was attended by over a hundred people, including six of the seven members who played in Weezer (Mikey Welsh
Mikey Welsh
Michael Edward "Mikey" Welsh was an American artist and musician, best known as the former bassist of Weezer. He played with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo during Cuomo's time in Boston during the hiatus in the band Homie...
being the only no show) as well as notables 3 (2011): Co-Wrote
Hitomi
better known by her stagename , is a Japanese singer and songwriter. She began her career as model, and after meeting Tetsuya Komuro he began managing her career as a pop singer...
- "Rollin' Wit Da Homies" from Spirit
Spirit (Hitomi album)
-Charts:Oricon Sales Chart...
(2011): vocals, Co-Wrote
Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki is an American electro house musician, record producer and the founder of Dim Mak Records.-Early life:...
- "Earthquakey People" (2011) : Vocals