I had a chance to check out the show at HOB with my friend Greg. Copeland warmed up, but they were a little too whiney for me. Matt Sharp and The Rentals sounded good, but the crowd was super small and some of the band members looked a bit bored (including bassist/vocalist Rachel Haden, who appeared to be searching for the nearest fire exit during the show).
Anyway, here's the Night&Day piece:
After stepping back, Rentals step forward
By Chris Nixon
For the Union-Tribune
September 20, 2007
After forging a name for himself as the bassist-songwriter in Weezer and the architect behind the retro-keyboard outfit The Rentals, Matt Sharp needed to step away from the bright lights and surreal life of a modern rock star.
So, he packed up and moved to the tiny town of Leipers Fork, Tenn., an hour southwest of Nashville.
“There was a feeling of wanting to be completely disconnected from the whole lifestyle that I had inherited,” Sharp said recently. “I wanted to disconnect from not just the music industry, but everything in general. It was time to rethink things and start over, not just with music, but with life. I wanted to get a better understanding of how to be a better person.”
So, Sharp retreated from Los Angeles to the rural South. He released a solo album of acoustic tunes. He held low-key concerts, using the Internet and postering to promote shows. Little did he know: Stepping away from the mainstream music business for five years would make this year's Rentals reunion that much sweeter.
DETAILS
The Rentals, with Copeland and Goldenboy
When: Tonight, 8 p.m.
Where: House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., downtown
Tickets: $22
Phone: (619) 299-BLUE
Online: HOB.com
Sharp first came to the spotlight through the indie rock-gone-pop quartet Weezer, co-writing the band's breakthrough “The Blue Album” along with popular singles like “Say It Ain't So” and “Undone (the Sweater Song).” Much like Kim Deal's success with The Breeders proved her worth to Frank Black and the Pixies, Sharp's achievements with The Rentals shed light on his major contributions to Weezer. While they are a fine rock 'n' roll band, Weezer has never been the same since Sharp's departure.
As mainstream music turned its eyes away from the metal-meets-punk of grunge, The Rentals' 1995 debut disc, “The Return of The Rentals,” marked an embracing of buzzing 1970s synthesizers and stripped-down pop sentiment. When Sharp started The Rentals with drummer Patrick Wilson (also of Weezer), Rod Cervera (guitar), Tom Grimley (keyboards), Cherielynn Westrich (vocals, moog), and sisters Petra and Rachel Haden (daughters of jazz bassist Charlie Haden and members of the indie rock group that dog), he had no idea the band would blow up like it did.
“When we recorded the first Rentals record, we didn't expect that there was going to be any audience at all,” recalled Sharp. “We didn't think it was even going to be released properly: maybe on some independent, maybe on some seven-inch singles. We didn't really have a big picture in mind for it.”
Fueled by the popularity of Weezer's “Blue Album,” Sharp and company found themselves riding a wave of attention.
“But by the time (the first Rentals record) was released, a lot of expectations were put on the album right away,” said Sharp. “The people who worked at the record company really thought it was going to be an instant success. The first Rentals album came out during the pinnacle of 'The Blue Album.' It came out just after 'Say It Ain't So' reached its peak and we'd already had multiple singles in Weezer. So, there were a lot of expectations for The Rentals.”
Along with a new lineup, Sharp is happy to have another crack at mainstream music.
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
