https://rollingstone.com.br/musica/guitarrista-do-weezer-fala-a-rs-sobre-retorno-ao-brasil-influencia-da-bossa-nova-e-mais/

When Brian Bell Answer the video call, it’s almost 8 am in Los Angeles and the rain is falling heavily outside. On the other side of the screen, in São Paulo, the weather oscillates between cold and hot, a climate rollercoaster that we quickly attribute to climate change. It’s a casual start to a conversation that would reveal a lot about how the Weezerone of the most emblematic alternative rock bands of the 1990s, is preparing to return to Brazil after six years of absence.

The show takes place this Sunday, November 2nd, at Parque Ibirapuera, in São Paulo, as part of the ecosystem INDIGOcuratorial project by 30e which also brings together Block Party, Mogwai, Judeline and Otoboke Beaver. It will be the first time that the Weezer plays at a festival with more alternative proposals in the country, different from 2019, when, despite having played a solo show, they shared the stage with the Foo Fighters node Rock in Rioa festival with a context more focused on traditional rock.

This change of scenery seems intriguing Bell. He mentions that, during that last visit to Brazil, he tried to immerse himself in local music, looking for authentic Brazilian sounds, even native ones, in cafes and different places. To his surprise, what he listened to most was American alternative rock. “It’s the kind of sound I make, but I try to be a multicultural person, because I travel a lot and I have to listen to music from different places, especially when I’ve visited them,” the artist explained, before admitting, “I was looking for more of that. But I was probably in the wrong place.”

And it was from this curiosity that something unexpected was born: a bossa nova version of the band’s classic, “Island In The Sun“. Bell He says, with a mix of enthusiasm and self-awareness, that he created a complete arrangement, including the transcribed score — as “the music fits well with the proposal”. He imagines one day handing it over to Brazilian bossa nova musicians who can do things he couldn’t do himself. So for now, the version exists only in the imagination, we won’t see it live with the rest of the band any time soon.

The conversation about generations arises naturally. Bell observe something fascinating in recent shows: children aged 11 who know all the letters, accompanied by their parents. It’s music being passed down through generations. These children may have grown up listening to all these songs in the back seat of the car, as he himself did when he discovered the Beatlesyou Stones and Bob Dylan through the records his father had at home. Now the Weezer occupies this place: classic rock, however strange it may sound.

I comment that you noticed that you were getting older when the bands I used to see changed categories in the MTVfrom alternative to classic rock. He accepts that categories are ways of organizing things, of creating markets. And there’s no point in being bothered about being called classic or from the 1990s, especially when so much music from that decade remains relevant. He had heard the band’s first album The Breeders that very morning, and to him it sounded as current as anything contemporary.

When the conversation turns to the musical optimism that has always characterized Weezer, Bell offers a deeper perspective. Patrick Wilsonthe band’s drummer, once described the group as “refreshing” after the heavy and dark grunge era, and I ask if there is still room for this type of “optimism” in today’s world. Bell points out that yes, as long as it isn’t cheesy, but even in songs that sound happy, there is still a layer of sadness underneath, because part of the Weezer It’s about being “misfit”, “different”, geek, whatever, but it’s about those who don’t fit in. “All my favorite songs are slow and sad,” he says, quoting an excerpt from a song by the band.

To Bellthere is room for both optimism and gravity. It’s possible to convey positive messages, make people want to dance, and let the sun shine without sounding corny or superficial. The balance has always been there, between the lines.

About the documentary that is supposedly in production – including the participation of Keanu Reeves – Bell It’s honest: he hasn’t seen anything yet. A film crew followed the 2024 tour with Flaming Lips and Dinosaur Jrand this year in Coachellabut no one showed edited material. “I hope someone tells me!”, he jokes, without being able to confirm release dates or even whether the project will go ahead.

When asked which song he would like to hear the Brazilian public sing in São Paulo, Bell don’t hesitate too much. “Say It Ain’t So”of course – and the band will give every opportunity to make that happen.

The call ends with mutual thanks. Outside, the rain continues to fall in Los Angeles. Here, the weather remains unpredictable. But on Sunday, when the Weezer take the stage at Ibirapuera Park, none of that will matter. There will only be music, the same music that connects parents and children, that crosses oceans and generations, that transforms “weird people” into a community.

SERVICE

INDIGO presents: Weezer, Bloc Party, Mogwai, Judeline, Otoboke Beaver

When: Sunday, November 2, 2025, from 1 pm

Where: IBIRAPUERA PARK | Av. Pedro Álvares Cabral, s/n – Vila Mariana | 04094-050, São Paulo

Tickets online: here

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