The Rentals
Encyclopedia
The Rentals are an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp
Matt Sharp
Matthew Kelly Sharp 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...

, best known as the former bass player for rock group Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...

. The band is best known for their mid-1990s hit single, "Friends of P.". The group has released two albums, Return of the Rentals and Seven More Minutes
Seven More Minutes
Seven More Minutes, the second album by The Rentals, was released on April 13, 1999 and features numerous guests such as: Petra Haden , Donna Matthews , Miki Berenyi , Tim Wheeler , Kevin March, and Damon Albarn .-Theme:A good amount of Seven More Minutes was written by Matt Sharp...

 on Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...

. The band quietly dissolved in 1999 following the world tour for their second album, but reformed in 2005 and has since then released several EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

.

Return Of The Rentals and Seven More Minutes

The group is known for their quirky Moog
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...

-driven melodies and a mix of male and female vocals. Their first single, "Friends of P" off of their debut album Return of the Rentals, was a modern rock radio hit, peaking at #7 on Billboards Modern Rock Chart and #92 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

. The accompanying music video was shot with antiquated equipment, on black and white film stock, for a total budget of less than $1,000. Upon its release, the video was added to MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

's playlist in early November 1995.

Early the next year, "Waiting" was released as the follow-up single, and it was also chosen to be featured on the soundtrack to the MTV Films
MTV Films
MTV Films is the motion picture production arm of cable channel MTV. Founded in 1996, it has produced films based on MTV programs such as Beavis and Butt-head Do America and Jackass: The Movie, as well as other adaptations and original projects. Its films are released by fellow Viacom division...

 comedy Joe's Apartment
Joe's Apartment
Joe's Apartment is a 1996 musical-serio-comedy film starring Jerry O'Connell and Megan Ward and the first film produced by MTV Films. It was based on a 1992 short film first made for MTV , but was also inspired by both the 1987 Japanese film Gokiburi-tachi No Tasogare and...

. The music video that had already been shot for "Waiting" was edited together with clips of footage from the movie, and this version made its debut on 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....

. Both versions of the music video were eventually released, and can be viewed on video websites like Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

.

Band members on Return Of The Rentals included Patrick Wilson
Patrick Wilson (musician)
Patrick "Pat" George Wilson is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band Weezer. He joined the band in 1992. In addition to his work in Weezer, he also fronts his own band, The Special Goodness....

 (also of Weezer) on drums, Rod Cervera (guitar), Tom Grimley (keyboards), Petra Haden
Petra Haden
Petra Haden is an American violinist and singer. She is or has been a member of several bands, including That Dog, Tito & Tarantula, and The Decemberists; has contributed to recordings by The Twilight Singers, Beck, Mike Watt, Luscious Jackson, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Queens of the Stone Age,...

 (violin, vocals), and Cherielynn Westrich (vocals, moog). Petra's triplet
Multiple birth
A multiple birth occurs when more than one fetus is carried to term in a single pregnancy. Different names for multiple births are used, depending on the number of offspring. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets...

 sister, Rachel Haden
Rachel Haden
Rachel Haden is the current bass guitarist for Todd Rundgren on his "Arena Rock" tour, and one of the triplet daughters of jazz bassist Charlie Haden....

, appears as an additional vocalist. After Sharp left Weezer, Wilson's studio replacement on the drums was Kevin March and Mike Fletcher was the band's most frequent touring drummer. Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...

, of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...

 fame, also handled keyboard and backing vocals for the group's first tours in support of its debut album. The group headlined its own club shows, and also hit larger venues, as the opening act for such well-established acts as Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...

, Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...

, Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...

, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...

.

Sharp reformed The Rentals in 1997 and 1998 to record their second album Seven More Minutes
Seven More Minutes
Seven More Minutes, the second album by The Rentals, was released on April 13, 1999 and features numerous guests such as: Petra Haden , Donna Matthews , Miki Berenyi , Tim Wheeler , Kevin March, and Damon Albarn .-Theme:A good amount of Seven More Minutes was written by Matt Sharp...

. He recruited Petra Haden to replace Cherielynn Westrich as the main female vocalist, and Jim Richards replaced Tom Grimley on Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...

; Kevin March
Kevin March
Kevin P. March is an American business executive, and currently Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice-President of technology manufacturing giant, Texas Instruments.-Education:...

 was again on drums and Rod Cervera on guitar. Maya Rudolph made a guest appearance on two songs. Members of Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...

, Ash
Ash (band)
Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...

, Elastica
Elastica
Elastica were an English alternative rock band that played punk rock-influenced music. They were best known for their 1995 album Elastica, which produced singles that charted in the US and the UK.-History:...

 and Lush
Lush (band)
Lush were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1998. They were one of the first bands to attract the "shoegazing" label...

 also made guest appearances. The album was released in April 1999. It was well received by fans and critics but The Rentals' record company, Reprise
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...

 and Maverick
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...

, didn't properly promote due to disagreements with Sharp on the mixing. Sharp formed a completely new lineup including former Elevator Drops guitarist Josh Hager (AKA Garvy J), replacing Rod Cervara, for a brief tour of Japan. The tour in Japan consisted of an acoustic set featuring no moogs or female harmonies and then an electric set. This tour resulted in the internet-only double live album Live in Japan.

Absence

Presumably influenced by his new friend Josh Hager, Matt retreated with Hager and former Cake
Cake (band)
Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi, the band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan voice, DiFiore's trumpet parts, and...

 guitarist Greg Brown, to Leipers Fork, Tennessee to record a solo album of acoustic material, much like the acoustic sets in The Rentals 1999 Japanese tour. These sessions resulted in an EP and an album, 2003 and 2004, respectively. Acoustic tours in between 2002-2005 also occurred, sometimes with Hager and Brown, sometimes with just Sharp, and sometimes with the band Goldenboy
Goldenboy
Goldenboy is an indie rock band from Diamond Bar, California that has collaborated with Weezer's former bassist, Matt Sharp. Their second album "Underneath the Radio" was released in October of 2006...

. These shows were characterized by an intimate environment, with Sharp often inviting the audience to sit in a round on stage with him for the duration of the concert.

Return

On October 24, 2005, the tenth anniversary of the band's first album's release, Matt Sharp announced he was bringing back The Rentals after a six year absence.

The band toured North America in the summer of 2006 with Ozma
Ozma (band)
Ozma is a rock band from Pasadena, California. The band's sound is a mix of new-wave–influenced power pop and Casiotone-driven melodies sustained by heavy guitar riffs. The complexity of Ozma's songs grew considerably during the band's initial nine-year history...

, with Matt Sharp wearing the trademark horn-rimmed glasses
Horn-rimmed glasses
Horn-rimmed glasses are a type of eyeglasses. Originally made out of either horn or tortoise shell, for most of their history they have actually been constructed out of thick plastics designed to imitate those materials...

 he wore during the band's initial run. Ryen Slegr of Ozma played guitar for both bands on the entire tour. The lineup included original backup vocalist Rachel Haden on vocals/bass, Sara Radle on vocals/multiple instruments, Ben Pringle (from Nerf Herder
Nerf Herder
Nerf Herder is a punk rock band from Santa Barbara formed in 1994 by Parry Gripp , Charlie Dennis and Steve Sherlock . They describe themselves as a "geek rock" band, and are known for simplistic modern punk-style songs with frequently humorous, juvenile and pop-culture-referencing lyrics...

) on synths/trombone, Lauren Chipman on viola/vocals and Dan Joeright on drums. The tour received rave reviews from fans and featured a performance of the Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...

 b-side "I Just Threw out the Love of My Dreams" reprised by Sharp and Haden.

On August 14, 2007 the group released their first new material in 8 years, a collection of home recordings called The Last Little Life EP
The Last Little Life EP
The Last Little Life EP is the first collection of new material from The Rentals in more than 8 years, released August 14, 2007. It is also the first release to feature the current line-up of the band since the 2006 reunion...

. The latter includes a reworked version of "Sweetness and Tenderness". The band also announced a headlining US summer 2007 tour to coincide with the release of the new EP. The band played at Spaceland
Spaceland
Spaceland was an alternative rock/indie rock nightclub in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, that existed between 1995 and 2011. The club was formerly a gay disco called Dreams...

 every Saturday in July before embarking on a nationwide tour in August. The bands Copeland
Copeland (band)
Copeland was an indie rock band, originally formed in 2001 by singer Aaron Marsh with his friend, bassist and backup singer James Likeness, in the city of Lakeland, Florida.-Inception:...

 and Goldenboy
Goldenboy
Goldenboy is an indie rock band from Diamond Bar, California that has collaborated with Weezer's former bassist, Matt Sharp. Their second album "Underneath the Radio" was released in October of 2006...

 were "special guests" for the tour.

In July 2008, The Rentals announced the departure of Sara Radle. She left the group to focus on her new band, Calamity Magnet. On September 27, 2008, The Rentals released a new song titled "Colorado" on the band's official Web site.

Songs About Time

On January 1, 2009, The Rentals announced their new yearlong multimedia project, Songs About Time
Songs About Time
Songs About Time is a multimedia project released by The Rentals throughout 2009. It consists of Songs About Time, three mini-albums released every three months; Films About Weeks, 52 black and white short films scored and arranged by The Rentals and released every Tuesday; and Photographs About...

, which consisted of:
  • Photographs About Days—365 photographs plus one roll of undeveloped film shot each day by Matt Sharp.
  • Films About Weeks—52 short films with music and scores exclusive to the films.
  • Songs About Time—three mini-albums to be released in April, July, and October as digital downloads. At the end of the year, the band will release a limited deluxe edition box set of the project, available both as compact discs and 180-gram vinyl records. Also, one of the 365 rolls of film will be added to the first 365 orders of the box set.


The Rentals' Songs About Time collective features former vixtrola artist Jamie Blake among Rentals’ alumni Lauren Chipman and Dan Joeright. On April 7, 2009, the first mini-album from Songs About Time was released, featuring Joey Santiago
Joey Santiago
Joey Santiago is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiago produced musical scores for film and television documentaries, and he formed The...

 of The Pixies as a guest performer. Although there have been no official announcements (such as with Sara Radle's departure), neither Rachel Haden nor Ben Pringle appear on the EP or the Films About Weeks so far.

The group's second EP in the Songs About Time series, entitled Time To Come Home, was released on July 7, 2009.

The group's third EP in the Songs About Time series, entitled The Future, was released on October 20, 2009.

Resilience

On April 12, 2011, The Rentals released an album entitled 'Resilience'. This was (as their official website states) originally recorded as part of the Songs About Time
Songs About Time
Songs About Time is a multimedia project released by The Rentals throughout 2009. It consists of Songs About Time, three mini-albums released every three months; Films About Weeks, 52 black and white short films scored and arranged by The Rentals and released every Tuesday; and Photographs About...

 project, as accompanying music to the 'Films About Weeks' videos.

The album was originally titled 'Tokyo Blues' but renamed to 'Resilience' as a commentary on the band's perception of the character and resilience of the Japanese people after the Japanese Tsunami/Earthquake disaster.

2011 live dates

The band are playing the 2011 Nano Mugen festival in Japan on both days and have assembled an incarnation of The Rentals which includes Songs About Time collaborator Jamie Blake, regular member Lauren Chipman and members of the bands Ash and We Are Scientists (according to a post on their Facebook page).

Discography

































Year Title Label
1995 Return of the Rentals Maverick/Reprise/Warner Bros.
1999 Seven More Minutes
Seven More Minutes
Seven More Minutes, the second album by The Rentals, was released on April 13, 1999 and features numerous guests such as: Petra Haden , Donna Matthews , Miki Berenyi , Tim Wheeler , Kevin March, and Damon Albarn .-Theme:A good amount of Seven More Minutes was written by Matt Sharp...

Maverick/Warner Bros.
2007 The Last Little Life EP
The Last Little Life EP
The Last Little Life EP is the first collection of new material from The Rentals in more than 8 years, released August 14, 2007. It is also the first release to feature the current line-up of the band since the 2006 reunion...

Boompa
2009 Songs About Time
Songs About Time
Songs About Time is a multimedia project released by The Rentals throughout 2009. It consists of Songs About Time, three mini-albums released every three months; Films About Weeks, 52 black and white short films scored and arranged by The Rentals and released every Tuesday; and Photographs About...

self-released
2011 Resilience Ernest Jenning Record Co.

Bootlegs

  • For The Ladies (Early Rentals Session)
  • Excellent Stocking Stuffer (demos and rough mixes)
  • Little Russel Street (Seven More Minutes rough mixes and demos)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK