Brian Bell (musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brian Bell, (born December 9, 1968, in Kansas City, Kansas) is an official member of the band, Weezer, playing rhythm guitar. He has his own band, the Space Twins, as well as a new project called The Relationship.
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[edit] From Birth to Weezer
Bell took his first guitar lessons with the then guitarist Ben Bolt, another Knoxvillian. After high school Bell moved to Hollywood, California, and enrolled at G.I.T. In 1991 he became a founding member of Carnival Art, which released two official albums and an EP with Bell [1]. Bell then joined Weezer in 1993 during the official recording of The Blue Album, replacing Jason Cropper.
[edit] Music
Besides doing back-up vocals and rhythm guitar, Bell takes on many of the multi-instrumental duties during Weezer's live show. Whenever a song calls for the use of a keyboard or harmonica, Bell often plays it.
Although all songwriting credits on Weezer's 2005 album Make Believe are credited to Rivers Cuomo, Bell came up with the intro to "We Are All on Drugs"; and the duelling guitars that make up the solo of "This is Such a Pity." [2].
[edit] Various
- As of October 2006, it was reported that Bell is currently officially recording for a side project he is calling The Relationship. [3] The recording is taking place at his private home studio in the city of Los Angeles on an analog 8 track. Sean Lennon mentioned in a recent interview that he will appear with Bell on The Relationship's debut record [4]. Rivers Cuomo and Bell co-wrote a song together for the project titled "Hand to Hold," but Bell does not think it will be on their debut album [5]
- Besides The Relationship, Bell officially fronts his own band, Space Twins, who have had various incarnations since 1993. They have released three EPs and an LP, The End of Imagining, in 2003.
- In November 2006, Lyon introduced a limited edition guitar series called "the Brian Bell Limited Edition guitar package," each of which had been hand-signed by Bell, and were in the same "strat" body style that Brian prefers to play. [6]
- Weezer fans often note Bell's strong sense of fashion, dubbing it "sassy". Fans both lovingly call him the "Sass Master". During touring for The Blue Album, Bell tried a short-lived fashion experiment where he shaved off his eyebrows and removed his eyelashes. The results can be seen in Weezer's appearance on the former official MTV show, the Jon Stewart Show.
- Bell is a vegan,
- Bell and Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson, collaborated on a cover of the Velvet Underground song "Heroin", for the 2006 film Factory Girl.
- Bell has also expressed an interest in the works of William Shakespeare. During the band's downtime in 2003 and 2004, Bell and his girlfriend Eliza-Jane studied Shakespeare and poetry theory at collegiate level. They also appeared in a production of Twelfth Night, in which Bell wrote four songs, all using Shakespeare's words [7].
- Recently, Bell has appeared in one-off performances on guitar with other bands. Playing on March 17 2006 at The Troubador in L.A. with Weezer tour-mates Ringside, [8] and performing "Our Lips Are Sealed", with the original Go-Gos frontwoman, Jane Wiedlin, on June 1 2006 at the Viper Room.
- His father is a faculty member of the Geography Department at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee.
- His sister is the poster artist, Leia Bell.
[edit] Movie career
In 2007 Bell will make his on screen debut, playing Lou Reed in the Edie Sedgwick biopic, Factory Girl
[edit] Discography
- Weezer (Blue album) (1994)
- Pinkerton (1996)
- Weezer (Green album) (2001)
- Maladroit (2002)
- The Lion and the Witch (EP) (2002)
- Make Believe (2005)
- No Show (EP) (1994)
- Osaka Aquabus (EP) (1997)
- TV, Music, & Candy (EP) (1998)
- The End of Imagining (2003)
Carnival Art:
- Thrumdrone (LP) (1988)
- Welcome to Vas Llegas (LP) (1992)
- Blue Food and Black Sparks (EP) (1992)
[edit] External links
- Brian Bell at the Internet Movie Database
- The 2006 Brian Bell Fan Interview
- Space Twins web page
- MySpace page for "The Relationship"
| Weezer |
|---|
| Brian Bell – Rivers Cuomo – Scott Shriner – Patrick Wilson |
| Former members: Jason Cropper – Matt Sharp – Mikey Welsh |
| Discography |
| Albums: Weezer (The Blue Album) – Pinkerton – Weezer (The Green Album) – Maladroit – Make Believe |
| Extended plays and live albums: The Good Life – The Lion and the Witch – Winter Weezerland |
