What do these things have in common? They were all settings for Weezer videos in the mid-1990s.

This Saturday, August 13, several prominent local musicians will help you relive these memories as “In The Garage” and “Wee(d)zer” pay tribute to Weezer at Fitzie’s Irish Pub at 9 Main Street in Binghamton.

“So many memories,” says Bijoy Datta, one of the local artists who will be churning out Weezer tunes on Saturday. “There’s something really honest and really basic about Weezer. That’s the reason I – and so many people – connected to their music. It’s going to be an awesome time bringing that back for so many fans.”

Datta and his bandmates know a thing or two about helping the local music scene relive great memories. He, along with Kevin Kober, Mike Escott and Steve Askew drew hundreds of fans as “A Trillion Lives” in March for their Abalienation tribute show at Fitzie’s. Several members of Abalienation even showed up to say a few words and play songs with the band at that show.

Opening the show will be “In The Garage” featuring Datta on bass and vocals, Bob Aiken on guitar and vocals, Escott on guitar and Askew on drums. They’ll be playing Weezer’s full 1994 debut album, affectionately known by millions of fans as “The Blue Album”, while another group of locals will follow with a full set of Weezer’s 1996 album “Pinkerton”.

Pinkerton was initially considered a commercial and critical failure but, over the last 15 years, has become widely considered one of the best rock albums of the 1990s (by Rolling Stone, Spin and many other publications). Twin threats Louis and Andy Smith on drums and bass/vocals, along with Adam Southard on guitar/keyboard/vocals, Tom Doud on guitar and Aiken on guitar/vocals, round out Wee(d)zer.

“I hope we can deliver one of the members of Weezer at Saturday’s show like we did with Abalienation in March,” added Datta. “It’s probably a longshot but I did send Rivers Cuomo (Weezer’s frontman, guitarist and creative force) a couple of Twitter messages inviting him so you never know.”

The show will begin around 10 PM with “In The Garage” playing first followed by “Wee(d)zer”. Tickets will be available at the door for $5.

For more information or to view sneak previews of the bands, search “A Night Of Weezer” on Facebook or visit www.SwathMusic.wordpress.com.

Now Bijoy and Bob are teaming up with Steve and Mike as “In The Garage” for a one-night-only complete performance of Weezer’s Blue Album. Some fellow enthusiasts will be joining them as Wee(d)zer to play all of Pinkerton as well.

The show is Saturday, August 13, starting at 9 PM at Fitzie’s Irish Pub on Main Street in Binghamton.

There will probably be one more band but that isn’t finalized yet.

Here’s a sneak preview from last Sunday’s practice.

Featuring:

As Mike Dickinson…Kevin Kober (spent the last 15 years in: The Martians, The Skylarks, a Satellite Crash, All Immune, Swath, Dance-A-Tron);

As Mark Dickinson…Mike Escott (spent the last 15 years in: 607, Dance-A-Tron [and touring all over the country with national acts]);

As Big Jim…Bijoy Datta (spent the last 15 years in: …Stick…, a Satellite Crash, All Immune, Swath); and

As Louie Short (and Many Other Drummers That Followed)…Steve Askew (spent the last 10 years in: All Immune, Dance-A-Tron).

Swath has been on a hiatus for the last six months or so with Dan getting married and off on his honeymoon last fall and some other personal commitments taking up a lot of time for the rest of us.

We’re still planning to get things back together at some point to get practicing, play more shows and record more.

In the meantime, Kevin and I are playing in a one-show only band called “A Trillion Lives”, which is a tribute band to legendary Binghamton punks Abalienation. Kevin is emulating Mike Dickinson on vocals while Bijoy is doing his best to play a large white man for his bassist impression of Big Jim. Steve Askew and Mike Escott from Dance-A-Tron round out the lineup on drums and guitar, respectively.

They’ll be bringing the old school chaos and rock on Friday, March 25, at Fitzie’s Irish Pub in Binghamton. It will be an event not to be missed if you were at all in the Binghamton music scene from the late 1980s to around 2000. Mark Dickinson’s current band, The Others, will also be on the bill and rumor has it that other Abalienation members may just show up….

We are super-psyched to be opening for our old friends in Yolk, who most of us played with in various bands back in the day – from …Stick… to the Martians and others.

The show will take place out back at the Belmar with Dr. E.F. & the Rudimentary of Sound at 3 PM, Jimmyjohn McCabe going solo at 4 PM, Swath at 5 PM and Small Targets (from Philly) at 6 PM. Then come the big boys of Yolk, with original members all expected to be on stage.

More details are available at Yolk’s website.

Bands playing (not in this order):

- Man Without Plan

- Daffodil

- Narrator

- Goodnite Sunshine

- Swath

- Dance – A – Tron

- Nancy

- The Jigawatts

++ More To Be Anounced!

The show will be headlined by Kevin’s other band, Dance-A-Tron, which will be releasing its new CD (the first recording with new guitar player, Mike Escott) that night.

Two other Binghamton bands, Daffodil and the Jigawatts, will also be playing.

The festivities will begin at 10 with Daffodil and the Jigawatts playing first and second, followed by Swath and then Dance-A-Tron.

Hope to see everyone there!

The bill will feature:

Tombs (from Brooklyn; signed to Relapse Records)
Magrudergrind (from Washington, D.C.)
Swath (hey, that’s us)
Dance-A-Tron (hey, that’s Kevin’s other band)
Iwo Jima Medkit (from Ithaca)
Sonorous Gale (from Buffalo)
Acipencer
Hiroshima Vacation
The Motivators
Makeshift
(and more TBA)

More details to be posted as we get them….