Method Man and Redman Head Out on Tour, Plan New Album, Frolic in Field While Holding Hands and Smoking Blunts

By Nobodaddy on Oct 24 2008

"Alone." At this point, that's kinda the way we'd all like to picture mercurial Weezer frontman and patron saint of latter day, not-entirely-ironic mustache cultivation Rivers Cuomo, isn't it? I mean, seriously, if the guy was locked up in a tiny cell somewhere for the rest of his days, we first of all wouldn't have to hear any more songs about how cool it is to be uncoolly self-aware of how anti-cool it is to be uncoollishly cool-esque or whatever. And second, at least then he'd already be in jail, which would save the high courts of indie rock a lot of time and hassle in convicting him for attempting yet another assassination on his own legacy.

But alas, for the time being at least, Rivers Cuomo "alone" doesn't have anything to do with him being cast out of legitimate arts/entertainment society. Instead, it merely denotes another underwhelming release of slap-dash home recordings, pot brownie-fueled geek jams, and early demos of eventual Weezer "hits" that were, you know, later recorded more capably by the band itself. Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo, the second volume of Cuomo's money-mining journey within, is set for release November 25 via the good ol' Geffen label.

In case you forgot due to repeated listens of The Red Album (TMT Review) that pushed all other songs out of your brain, the first volume featured demo versions of hits like "Buddy Holly," a cover of Ice Cube's "The Bomb," and other understandably unreleased tracks, including several that were culled from the band's unreleased... ugh... space opera Songs From the Black Hole. What manner of forgotten corpses will be ruthlessly trod up from Cuomo's moneygreen ego pond by his latest round of self-aggrandizing canon fire? Well, unfortunately there's no further details as of yet. But if it's any consolation, you'll probably find out for yourself this Christmas when your Grandma plucks it off the Best Buy "new releases" rack... in all its slotMusic glory?

By Scott Lauer on Oct 24 2008

It seems that the Baltimore Scene (TMT Article) just grew a little quieter. The Charm City-based band Wzt Hearts (TMT Review) (pronounced “Wet”) will be calling it quits after a pretty solid four-year run. Member Jason Urick commented to Pitchfork:

We are now spread through three states, [and] the challenges of staying active while being physically displaced from one another eventually took [their] toll as we all have been involved with other aspects of our [lives] as well.

But fans of the noisy Hearts fret not! All four members of the band will be perusing other projects, so output from these dudes will continue. Starting with Jason Urick, he is just finishing up an album under hibernating moniker moonstealingproject (say that five times fast), as well as a 12-inch and a 7-inch with Half Japanese's Jason Willett using his own name. Jeff Donaldson will be working the boards for These Are Powers on their jaunt in Europe and will continue work on his 8-bit project NoTendo. Mike Haleta will be recording an album with Voltage Spooks and has been recording music with wife Dawn as backbreakerneckbrace. Shaun Flynn will continue to be a Baltimore figurehead playing in various Charm City groups. Finally, two former bandmates Jeff Donaldson and Mike Haleta will be playing a pair of dates at the Cake Shop in New York.

Jeff Donaldson and Mike Haleta tourdates:
11-28 New York, NY - Cake Shop
12-19 New York, NY - Cake Shop