Geek Rock abounds as Say It Ain’t Weezer joins Robot Pi in honor of Nerd Rage.
FRIDAY
SAY IT AIN’T WEEZER, an old-school Weezer tribute w/ Robot Pi and the Slaughter County Roller Vixens at 9:30 p.m., Dec. 5 at Winterland, 1220 Sylvan Way in Bremerton. 21+, $5 cover.
There are so many magnificent combinations at this show, it’s hard to know where to begin. Since it is, of course, the Weekend Wrock, we should probably start with the bands.
And first, a band that won’t even be there — Weezer.
In the early 90s, the so-called Kings of Geek Rock brought sweaters and spectacles back to rock and roll for the first time since Buddy Holly with their amalgamation of pop/punk party rock, love sick lyrics and an intriguingly intelligent frontman named Rivers.
The seminal Blue Album put the band on the map. But in the decade that followed the intelligence seemingly faded to cynicism, while the music declined into the abomination, as some fans termed it, all culminating with last year’s Red Album — an album which some Weezer heads won’t even touch with a stick and others hail as the best album since “Pinkerton.”
All I have to say is that the Hootenanny promo for the Red Album — when Weezer invited thousands of fans to bring their own instruments to create one enormous jam session on stage — was pretty damn cool.
But I digress.
For either type of Weezer fan, Say It Ain’t Weezer — a tribute band from Portland which last played Bremerton on Halloween with Kitsap’s own 90’s tribute I Pity the Foo — might just be your cup of tea. They bring an hour’s worth of old-school Weezer (including the “Pinkerton” album from front to back, they say) in addition to a giant light up “W,” their own version of Hootenanny and a frontman just as short, and nearly as nerdy looking, as Rivers.
And speaking of Geek Rock, Port Angeles band Robot Pi, a two-piece with keys and guitar who’ll open up the evening, seem to have the new generation of the genre locked down.
Fittingly, they and Say It Ain’t Weezer will be throwing down in honor of another champion of the genre, only on the flat track — the computer keyboard wielding, hard-drive cracking Slaughter County Roller Vixen they call Nerd Rage.
It’s her birthday that night as well as the after party for SCRV’s “Naughty or Nice” bout which kicks off around 5 p.m. at Skateland in Bremerton.
Visit slaughtercountyrollervixens.com for details to that end. And next weekend at Winterland, check out Operation Ivan, a Seattle-based tribute to Op Ivy.
Info: www.myspace.com/winterlandrocks, myspace.com/sayitaintweezer.
ALSO CHECK OUT: Another PDX band Rum Rebellion with Assassinators, Y.I.A and more starting at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Chuck, 333 Callow Ave. in Bremerton. All ages, $5.
