Biography All Music GuideWikipedia
All Music Guide:
Matt Sharp is probably best known as Weezer's original bass guitarist, but has also issued albums as part of another project, the Rentals. Born on September 20, 1969, in Arlington, VA, Sharp helped form Weezer along with members Rivers Cuomo (vocals/guitar), Jason Cropper (guitar), and Pat Wilson (drums) in Los Angeles in early 1992. By mixing modern-day pop-punk sounds (Nirvana, the Pixies) along with classic new wave (the Cars, Cheap Trick), Weezer immediately built a local following and secured a record-label deal with Geffen. Although Brian Bell replaced Cropper on the eve of the debut's recording (which was being produced by ex-Cars leader Ric Ocasek), Weezer's self-titled debut was issued according to plan in the spring of 1994. It took a few months to catch on, but by the fall of the same year (due to such popular videos/singles as "Undone (The Sweater Song)" and "Buddy Holly"), the album became a certified hit. When the album's supporting tour wrapped up a year later, Sharp decided to launch a side project during his downtime, whose music would focus on such early-'80s synth-based new wavers as Gary Numan. Recruiting Weezer drummer Pat Wilson, that dog. violinist Petra Haden, vocalist/keyboardist Cherielynn Westrich, and guitarist Rod Cervera (with Sharp handling bass, synth, and vocal duties), the group recorded ten Sharp originals in a mere three days. The end result was Return of the Rentals, issued during the fall of 1995.
The album was a surprise hit, as it spawned the quirky novelty hit, "Friends of P." While some wondered if Sharp would exit Weezer and focus entirely on his new group, the bassist did return to the Weezer fold shortly thereafter, as the quartet issued their sophomore effort, Pinkerton, in 1996. But due to the album's commercial underachievement, leader Cuomo put the band on hiatus while he plotted his next move. Tired of waiting, Sharp left Weezer in 1998, as he focused once more on the Rentals. With journeyman drummer Kevin March replacing Wilson, the Rentals returned in 1999 with their sophomore effort, Seven More Minutes, which saw the group curb most of the eccentricities of their debut album in favor of more varied styles. The album failed to match its predecessor's commercial success, which eventually led to their split, as well. In a strange twist of fate, Cuomo and Weezer returned from the dead just as Sharp was about to disappear into a self-imposed exile of his own. But by the summer of 2002, Sharp had completed work on a self-titled debut (a stark recording which consisted mostly of just guitar, voice, and a little organ), and was performing live once more on the west coast with former Cake guitarist Greg Brown. Around the same time, Sharp surprisingly slapped a lawsuit on Weezer, claiming that he helped co-write such songs as the aforementioned "Undone (The Sweater Song)," plus most of the tracks on Pinkerton, and assorted compositions that appeared as B-sides and motion picture soundtracks. In 2002, Sharp returned to music. He, Greg Brown, and Josh Hager secluded themselves in Leipers Fork, TN to make some music. Sharp's proper solo effort, Puckett's Versus the Country Boy is the culmination of those sessions. It was released on In Music We Trust in summer 2003. His self-titled full-length followed in May 2004.
Wikipedia:
Matthew Kelly Sharp (born September 22, 1969) 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. In addition, he has released one full length album and one EP as a solo artist.
During his time with Weezer he was known for his warm and fuzzy tone of his bass guitar and his falsetto background vocal abilities. During live performances he was the one that usually moved around on the stage the most, performing jumps, dances and slides. Sharp is left handed but plays bass right handed.
Biography [edit]
Early life [edit]
Matt Sharp was born in Bangkok, Thailand. He remained in Thailand for the first year of his life until his family moved to Arlington, Virginia. At the age of nine, he made his first musical purchase, which was a 45 single of the song "Le Freak" by Chic. When he was fourteen, he found himself being drawn to thrash bands such as Suicidal Tendencies and D.R.I. Becoming tired of the classic rock radio format in Arlington, Sharp moved to California at age sixteen, ending up in San Diego.
In 1989, Sharp found himself fronting a goth band called the Clique. This band lasted less than one year. About six months later, he befriended future Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson. They created the band, 60 Wrong Sausages, later acquiring future Weezer guitarist Jason Cropper to join the band. Wilson was also in a band with future Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo called Fuzz. In need of an 8-track player, Wilson convinced Cuomo to move into the same apartment that Wilson and Sharp were sharing. During this time, Sharp was also working as a telemarketer.
In the summer of 1991, Sharp moved north to Berkeley to pursue what Karl Koch called, "some sorta symphonic keyboard sequencing music." Other members of the band moved to separate apartments during this time. In January 1992, Sharp reconnected with his former bandmates; Cuomo, Wilson and Cropper, when Wilson showed him material from his and Cuomo's "50 song project." Sharp was pleased with the material and returned to Los Angeles to join the band, consisting of Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson and Jason Cropper, now under the name Weezer.
Weezer and The Rentals [edit]
Sharp was a founding member of Weezer, which was formed on Valentine's Day in 1992. After the success of Weezer's first album The Blue Album, he founded The Rentals in the spring of 1994, who released their debut Return of the Rentals the following year, which featured the radio hit "Friends of P" and "Please Let That Be You". He left Weezer in February 1998 two years after the release of the band's second album, Pinkerton.
The Rentals released their second album, Seven More Minutes, in 1999. Among the record's more notable contributors were Damon Albarn (of Blur), Donna Matthews (of Elastica), Miki Berenyi (of Lush), and Tim Wheeler (of Ash). Maya Rudolph (later of Saturday Night Live fame) was a member of the touring version of the band during this time. The track "My Head is in the Sun" was co-written with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. The album sold considerably less than Return of the Rentals, and the band eventually went on hiatus in 1999.
Solo records and legal battles [edit]
Sharp moved to the small town of Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, about an hour outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Matt began recording while living there. In an interview with MTV News Matt told the reporter he was trying to disconnect and cut all ties to the music world.
After a four year hiatus from the public eye, Sharp returned to the music scene with an EP entitled Puckett's Versus the Country Boy in late 2003. Puckett's and Country Boy were the 2 restaurants that Sharp ate at while living in Tennessee, and the name comes from having to choose one. Sharp also went on an acoustic tour in the fall of 2002, touring with former Cake guitarist Greg Brown.
Sharp filed a five-count federal lawsuit against Weezer on April 19, 2002. He alleged he was owed money for co-writing Weezer's first hit song, "Undone – The Sweater Song," and that he owned a 25% interest in the first nine tracks of Pinkerton (which had been credited solely to Rivers Cuomo). Sharp also claimed he had handled most of Weezer's business affairs during their early success, such as hiring accountants and attorneys, and also had helped the band land their record deal. According to the Weezer biography Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story by John D. Luerssen the lawsuit also stated that Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo was going to ask him to appear in the music video for the song "Island in the Sun." Finally, Sharp charged his former bandmates with breach of fiduciary duty, legal malpractice, dissolution of partnership, and declaratory relief. The lawsuit was later settled out of court. As a follow-up of sorts, when Sharp was asked about his future with Weezer, he brought up the fact that he hadn't heard any of their music since he left and that "if they (the albums) were bad, they'd probably be just as bad if I was there."
Reunion with Cuomo, re-formation of The Rentals [edit]
On February 12, 2004, Rivers Cuomo and Matt Sharp ended their public separation when they reunited onstage. Rivers sat in during a Sharp solo show at Cal State Fullerton. Sharp and Cuomo played four songs together: the Sharp/Cuomo collaborations "Mrs. Young" and "Time Song," and the Weezer tunes "Say It Ain't So" and "Undone". At the show, Sharp announced that he and Cuomo would be working on a collaborative record together. Yet later that year, he announced on his website that although they had come up with "15 or 16 new song ideas" for their new album, their "special brand of dysfunctionality" might keep them from finishing the project any time soon.
Sharp released a solo EP in 2003, a solo full-length in 2004 and continued to tour in 2004-2005 with the band Goldenboy.
In 2004, Sharp recorded synthesizer on So Jealous by Canadian indie pop band Tegan and Sara. Sharp continued to work with the band on their next album, The Con, later appearing at a Tegan and Sara concert in 2008 to play bass in a cover of Weezer's "Tired of Sex."
After a slow period in 2005, Sharp contemplated what to do next, considering either a new solo album or starting a new collaborative partnership (although he didn't state with whom). The possibility of him rejoining Weezer was also an option. Thus he decided to re-form The Rentals after a six year absence. Work has begun on a third LP and they released an EP entitled The Last Little Life EP on August 14, 2007. The lineup of the reformed band is different from the original, including original backup vocalist Rachel Haden on bass/vocals, Sara Radle on vocals/multiple instruments, Ben Pringle of Nerf Herder on synths, Lauren Chipman on viola/synth/vocals and Dan Joeright on drums. Sara Radle tells the story of when she first became aware of Matt Sharp's idea to reform The Rentals on her myspace profile in her blog. The Rentals toured in North America in the summers of 2006 and 2007; these tours were notable for featuring a version of "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams," a Weezer b-side that Haden sang lead on and Sharp played bass on, the latter still being in the band at that time.
After the release of "Songs About Time" in 2010, Matt and The Rentals went on hiatus.
In October 2010, Matt Sharp sold most of his equipment from his Weezer and The Rentals days on eBay.
His famously used Orange Matamp Lead 200 was purchased by Greg Veerman, Bass player of Canadian rock band San Sebastian.
In November 2010, Cuomo mentioned in an interview with Spin Magazine that "the idea came up" of having Sharp rejoin the band for their "Memories Tour," in which they play The Blue Album and Pinkerton. Cuomo stated "I think we left that idea behind pretty early on. I don't remember. I wasn't involved in the discussion so I don't know what the issues were." [1]
