The year was 1994, and I had gone to Columbus, Ohio to catch one of my alltime faves, The Smithereens. Unfortunately, the scheduled opening act, The Grays, were no longer on the tour as advertised. In their place, were two opening acts. So let me get this straight - now I have to sit through TWO opening acts instead of one good one that I wanted to see? YUCK!

But for my negative attitude, I was actually in for a treat. Up first, was Cindy Lee Berryhill and her Garage Orchestra. She rocked in a weird way, but nothing could have prepared me for what was up next. I, along with the 20 or so people in attendance, got to witness the world's greatest rawk band without a following, as Weezer took the stage.

The Weezer performance was one of the coolest, eardrum shattering performances I have ever seen, and it was several weeks prior to the release of their debut self-titled album, now known as "The Blue Album". Once I got a hold of that album, it was a whole DIFFERENT religious experience. And so began my passionate love affair with Weezer.

That's not to say that there haven't been bumps in the road on the story that is the big book of Weezer history. Hell, there have been a lot of 'em - bass player leaves the band, replacement bass player goes unexplainably AWOL, and the best part about it, is that it is all collected in this new book River's Edge - The Weezer Story.

The book is a thick release, and highly unofficial, yet packed chock full of info from good sources. The band toyed briefly with the idea of participating in the book, but ultimately declined. Interviews are sourced from a wide range of people that have been close to the band over the years, as well as former band members Matt Sharp, Jason Cropper, and Mikey Welsh. Add in various Weezer interviews taken from old press interviews done over the years, and you've got a book that truly tells the story from beginning, to present day Weezer happenings. It's a great companion to the officially released Weezer DVD, and probably will be the best thing we'll get until the day that the band puts out their own book. Even then, chances are, this book will be better than whatever they put out officially!

Everyone who has been a Weezer fan knows how much activity goes into each record, with songs constantly being recorded, only a handful of which will make it to record. Entire records being scrapped, due to unhappiness within the group. You are probably also aware of the perceived "quiet dictatorship" that frontman Rivers Cuomo has long held within the group. River's Edge gives you a deeper, fascinating look into the complicated workings of the Weezer machine.

River's Edge is a must have for Weezer fans, and much props need to be given to author John D. Luerssen for doing such an incredible job telling a difficult story. Luerssen does a great job of going through every nook and cranny in the Weezer timeline, and the result is a fascinating read for fans and non-fans of Weezer alike.