Rivers Cuomo Digs Female Tribute Band, Sheezer

Usually when a group devotes itself to another band's catalogue, they're sentencing themselves to a life of state fairs and cougar bars. But most tribute bands don't have the hype-factor of Sheezer, an all-female Weezer tribute band based in Toronto.

With only one performance under their belt, Sheezer already has an intense Facebook following, healthy dose of blog buzz and at least one high-profile supporter: Rivers Cuomo himself.

"He twittered us before we ever played a show," Laura Barrett, bassist and lead singer of Sheezer, tells Spinner. "I feel like he must have a Google News alert on himself or something. Whatever the case, 200,000 people follow him so it was a big boost."

It also puts a lot of extra pressure on the band, which comprises Barrett (solo artist and member of the Hidden Cameras, Henri Faberge and the Adorables), Dana Snell (Gentleman Reg, the Bicycles), Robin Hatch (Sports: The Band), Magali Meagher (The Phonemes) and booking agent Alysha Haugen.

Barrett, for instance, had never even picked up a bass before becoming the bassist in Sheezer. "I've never practiced harder for any other band or project in my life," she admits. "I'm still building up calluses."

But looking for professionalism within Sheezer is a misguided endeavor. With only Weezer's first two albums (the self-titled "Blue Album" and 'Pinkerton') as their source material, naive over-exuberance is the perfect stance for them to take. On the other hand, it's difficult to appraise the sincerity of their intentions. Case in point: the band's original point of inspiration was its moniker.

"Last year on the way home from Pop Montreal, Dana and I were listening to a lot of Weezer and we started talking about forming a cover band," Barrett recounts. "Once Dana suggested the name Sheezer, we knew we needed to make it happen."

Their tongues may be in their cheeks, but Barrett insists Sheezer is not a parody band. Instead it's an opportunity to revel in nostalgia. Hence, the avoidance of Weezer's later albums.

"Everyone in the band loves those first two albums, but the output after that just didn't have the same... feeling. I'm not saying they're not good in their way, but those later albums just aren't the same for us. Sheezer is about us as much as it's about Weezer. It's an opportunity to turn up the amps and have fun, to play the kind of music we don't usually get to play."

And, of course, there's also a nod to the fans.

"We could turn this into a big merchandising opportunity, but really we just want people to come and enjoy the show," says Barrett. "That's what it's all about."