| Tweaker | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States of America |
| Genres | Alternative rock, industrial rock, electronica, progressive rock |
| Years active | Late 1990s–present |
| Labels | Metropolis |
| Associated acts | Teargas & Plateglass, Marilyn Manson, Gnarls Barkley |
| Website | www.tweaker.net |
| Members | |
| Chris Vrenna Clint Walsh |
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Tweaker is an American alternative rock collaboration founded by Chris Vrenna in the late 1990s. Tweaker's musical style incorporates synthpop, progressive rock, modern jazz and electronica genres, and is characterized by a generally melancholy and sombre sound with distinctive artwork to match.
The album The Attraction to All Things Uncertain was Vrenna's "solo" debut and it was not until the follow-up album, 2 a.m. Wakeup Call, that Clint Walsh was announced as a permanent fixture to the band. While Vrenna and Walsh supply most instruments and electronics, many other famous musicians have lent their voices and talents to Tweaker, including Robert Smith, David Sylvian, Burton C. Bell, Will Oldham, Hamilton Leithauser, Buzz Osborne, Jonathan Bates and Johnny Marr.
The albums that have been released follow a central theme that was planned out and this was given to the collaborators. Both albums' cover art were paintings by Joe Sorren.
Tweaker wrote and performed the title theme to Doom 3, which was released via the band's website.
As Chris Vrenna and Clint Walsh, Tweaker did music for the animated television show Xiaolin Showdown.
While the Doom 3 theme was Progressive Rock-oriented (to the point of often being misattributed to Tool), most of Tweaker's music presents a unique combination of synthpop, shoegaze, modern jazz, and industrial.
It was rumored for a while that Tweaker would release a new album in 2008, although no new material surfaced, possibly due to Vrenna's duties towards Marilyn Manson, as he worked with Manson on his 2009 album The High End of Low.
In recent interviews, Chris Vrenna has not spoken of the status of Tweaker or whether he wishes to continue with the project, but the official Tweaker web site now says "Tweaker - returns 2011", suggesting that the band is about to be reactivated.
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In 2004, Tweaker opened for Skinny Puppy on select dates with a full live band, consisting of Chris Vrenna (drums, percussion and keyboard), Clint Walsh (guitar and keyboard), Paul Ill (bass guitar and keyboards) and Nick Young (vocals). They performed everything completely live (i.e., no pre-recorded tape), although they did have to alter some of their songs to fit the live format — the most extreme case being a completely revamped rock version of "Microsize Boy". The final performance on the tour was at QuakeCon 2005 in Dallas, TX.