Rooney - s/t

I came across Rooney while they were still small potatoes. They were playing a side-stage show before a Weezer concert. They didn't have an album out yet, but they had a four track promo that they were handing out. It was in the small crowd for Rooney's show that I met Scott Shriner (shorter than you'd think, but a nice dude) the bassist for Weezer.

Anyway, shortly after I saw Rooney live, a new version of their 4 track promo emerged, this time with the Geffen logo on it but the same recording of the same songs in the same order. It wasn't too much longer that this self-titled album emerged (on Geffen records). Not surprisingly, this album features the same 4 tracks from the promo. Even though I heard half this album a kazillion times before it came out, it's still a good album. I would eventually be handed a free backstage pass to a Rooney show (Hoodlum's really is the greatest record store ever. I love those guys). Rooney was rude to me while their opening act, Feeder (touring to support Comfort in Sound) was super nice. They invited me to play some pool and chew the fat. Nice guys.

So yeah, Rooney is a pretty good album with some nice vintage vibes. It features a lot of nice keyboard work, some big hooks, and apparently the power to make 18 year old girls lose their minds (maybe Rooney was rude to me because I was a dude who waltzed in talking about the music and they were more interested in the backstage betties. I guess I can't blame 'em).