Matt Sharp

In mid-1991, Sharp moved north to Berkeley, California, to pursue what the Weezer collaborator Karl Koch described as "some sorta symphonic keyboard sequencing music".[5] In January 1992, Wilson showed Sharp material he and Cuomo had been working on. Impressed, Sharp returned to Los Angeles to join the band.[6] Sharp became the group's bassist and de facto manager.[7]

Cuomo, Wilson, Sharp and Cropper formed Weezer on February 14, 1992. Their first show was on March 19, 1992, closing for Keanu Reeves' band Dogstar.[7] Cuomo gave Sharp one year to get the band a record deal before Cuomo accepted a scholarship at the University of California, Berkeley.[7] In November, Weezer recorded a demo, The Kitchen Tape, including a version of the future Weezer single "Say It Ain't So".[7] The demo was heard by Todd Sullivan, an A&R man at Geffen Records, who signed Weezer in June 1993.[7]

Weezer released their self-titled debut album in May 1994. It was certified platinum in January 1995.[8] In early 1994, Sharp founded the Rentals.[9] They released their debut album, Return of the Rentals, the following year, which featured the radio hit "Friends of P".[10] Weezer's second album, Pinkerton, was released in September 1996. With a darker, more abrasive sound, Pinkerton was a commercial and critical failure, but attained critical acclaim later.[11] Following the mixed response to Pinkerton, Weezer went on a five-year hiatus.[12]

In 1998, Sharp left Weezer due to differences with the band members.[13] In 2016, he said of his departure: "I don't really know how to speak on this because I don't know what should be kept private and what should be shared. I certainly have my view of it, as I'm sure everybody else has their sort of foggy things. When you have a group that doesn't communicate, you're going to have a whole lot of different stories."[14]

In 1999, the Rentals released their second album, Seven More Minutes. Among its contributors were Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), Donna Matthews (of Elastica), Miki Berenyi (of Lush), and Tim Wheeler (of Ash).[15] Maya Rudolph (later of Saturday Night Live) was a member of the touring band during this time. The track "My Head is in the Sun" was co-written with Cuomo.[16] The album sold considerably less than Return of the Rentals, and the Rentals went on hiatus in late 1999.[17]

Sharp moved to the town of Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, and began recording. In an interview with MTV News, Sharp said he was trying to cut ties to the music world.[18][19] Sharp went on an acoustic tour in 2002 with former Cake guitarist Greg Brown.[20] In 2003, after a four-year hiatus,[18] Sharp returned with an EP, Puckett's Versus the Country Boy.[21]

On April 19, 2002, Sharp filed a five-count federal lawsuit against Weezer.[22] He alleged he was owed royalties for co-writing Weezer's first hit, "Undone – The Sweater Song", and that he owned a 25% interest in the first nine tracks of Pinkerton, which had been credited solely to Cuomo. Sharp also claimed he had handled most of Weezer's business affairs during their early success, including the hiring of accountants and attorneys, as well as helping the band secure their record deal.[22][23] The lawsuit also stated that Cuomo was going to ask him to appear in the music video for their 2001 song "Island in the Sun".[23] Finally, Sharp charged his former bandmates with breach of fiduciary duty, legal malpractice, dissolution of partnership, and declaratory relief.[24] The lawsuit was settled out of court.[25]

In 2003, Sharp released a solo EP, followed by a self-titled solo album in 2004. He continued to tour in 2004–2005 with the band Goldenboy. On February 12, 2004, Cuomo sat in during a solo performance by Sharp at California State University, Fullerton. They played four songs together: the Sharp/Cuomo collaborations "Mrs. Young" and "Time Song", and the Weezer songs "Say It Ain't So" and "Undone".[27] Sharp announced at the show that he and Cuomo would be working on a record together.[28] Later in 2004, Sharp announced on his website that although he and Cuomo had come up with "15 or 16 new song ideas", their "special brand of dysfunctionality" might keep them from finishing the project.[29]

Sharp performing with the Rentals in 2007

Sharp performing in Bilbao with Berri Txarrak in 2019

In March 2004, Sharp recorded synthesizer on So Jealous by Canadian indie pop band Tegan and Sara.[29] After a slow period in 2005, Sharp contemplated what to do next, considering either a new solo album or starting a new collaborative partnership. The possibility of him rejoining Weezer was also an option;[30] although this did not happen, in a 2006 interview, Sharp credited these conversations with Cuomo as giving him the idea to return to writing pop music, which eventually led him to re-form the Rentals.[31] These ideas particularly strengthened after meeting Sara Radle.[32][33] In 2005, six years after 1999's Seven More Minutes, the Rentals re-formed; the new lineup included original backup vocalist Rachel Haden, Sara Radle, Ben Pringle of Nerf Herder, Lauren Chipman, and Dan Joeright. Sharp and the Rentals toured North America in the summers of 2006 and 2007.

The Rentals released The Last Little Life EP on August 14, 2007. Between Rentals tours, Sharp returned to work in early 2007 with Tegan and Sara on their next album, The Con, later appearing at their concerts in 2008 to play bass in a cover of Weezer's "Tired of Sex".[34]

After the three releases in the Songs About Time series in April, July, and October 2009, Sharp and the Rentals went on hiatus. In October 2010, Sharp sold most of his equipment from his Weezer and Rentals days on eBay. His Orange Matamp Lead 200 was purchased by Greg Veerman, bassist of Canadian rock band San Sebastian. In November 2010, Cuomo mentioned in an interview with Spin that "the idea came up" of having Sharp rejoin the band for their "Memories Tour", in which they play The Blue Album and Pinkerton. Cuomo said: "I think we left that idea behind pretty early on. I don't remember. I wasn't involved in the discussion so I don't know what the issues were."[35]

In 2011 Sharp provided guest vocals on the song "FAQ" by Berri Txarrak, a Basque band whose live album Zertarako Amestu (2007) had significant influence on Songs About Time. [36]

• 1994 – Weezer (The Blue Album)
• 1996 – Pinkerton

• 1995 – Return of the Rentals
• 1999 – Seven More Minutes
• 2007 – The Last Little Life EP
• 2009 – Songs About Time
• 2011 – Resilience: A Benefit Album for the Relief Effort in Japan
• 2014 – Lost in Alphaville
• 2020 – Q36

• 2003 – Puckett's Versus the Country Boy
• 2004 – Matt Sharp

• 1998 – "American Girls" from the Meet the Deedles Soundtrack

• 2004 – So Jealous
• 2007 – The Con

• 2011 – "FAQ"