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Jason Cropper
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==Biography== ===Weezer=== Cropper was the original rhythm guitarist for Weezer, and as such was present at the band's first official band practice on February 14, 1992. He recorded on the band's first three official demo tapes prior to their signing to [[Geffen Records]]. During the recording of their debut album, ''[[The Blue Album (Weezer)|Weezer]]'' (aka ''The Blue Album'') in 1993, Cropper learned that Amy Wellner, his girlfriend in Los Angeles, was pregnant. The ramifications of this news started affecting Cropper's personality and disrupting the band's working environment. When Wellner showed up unannounced in New York with no place to stay, [[Rivers Cuomo]] considered it the final straw and informed Cropper that he had to leave the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phawker.com/2014/10/02/excerpt-the-complete-oral-history-of-weezer/|title=EXCERPT: The Complete Oral History of Weezer|last=Valania|first=Jonathan|date=2014-10-02|work=Magnet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701140036/http://www.phawker.com/2014/10/02/excerpt-the-complete-oral-history-of-weezer/|archive-date=2018-07-01|url-status=dead|access-date=2017-10-27}}</ref> Weezer collaborator Karl Koch said: "He wasn't handling it well ... he always said he was fine, and then 20 minutes later he'd be up on the roof of [[Electric Lady Studios|Electric Lady]] screaming or something."<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.phawker.com/2014/10/02/excerpt-the-complete-oral-history-of-weezer/|title=EXCERPT: The Complete Oral History of Weezer|last=Valania|first=Jonathan|date=2 October 2014|work=Magnet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701140036/http://www.phawker.com/2014/10/02/excerpt-the-complete-oral-history-of-weezer/|archive-date=1 July 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=22 May 2019}}</ref> According to Cropper, lead singer Rivers Cuomo told him he could not allow him to jeopardize the band's work and asked him to leave.<ref name=":0" /> He was replaced by guitarist [[Brian Bell]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/weezer-blue-album-25th-anniversary-877089/|title=The Strange Birth and Near Death of Weezer|last=Hiatt|first=Brian|date=2019-08-28|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-29}}</ref> In 2014, Cropper said Cuomo had made the right decision,<ref name=":0" /> later remarking that he felt "weird to be this generation's [[Syd Barrett]] or [[Pete Best]]. But it's pretty cool too."<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Parker |first=Lyndsey |date=2019-05-09 |title=Only in dreams: Meet the founding member who became the 'Pete Best' of Weezer |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/only-in-dreams-meet-the-founding-member-who-became-the-pete-best-of-weezer-164724591.html |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=[[Yahoo Music]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2019, he said he believed Cuomo fired him mainly because of his relationship with his girlfriend, who visited the band while they recorded in New York, defying Cuomo's "no-girlfriends-while-weβre-recording" rule.<ref name=":1" /> Bassist [[Matt Sharp]] said the decision was not triggered by a single event, but instead a series of "tiny infractions" that threatened the band's chemistry. Cuomo felt that if they were going to change the band, they had to do it before they released their first album and shot the album cover.<ref name=":1" /> Cropper received a credit on "[[My Name Is Jonas]]" for writing the intro.<ref name=":1" /> The song "Jamie", featured on the 1994 ''[[DGC Rarities, Vol. 1]]'' compilation, was recorded in 1993 and features Cropper on guitar and backing vocals. Prior to the expanded deluxe edition of ''The Blue Album'' in 2004, this was the only Weezer track released to feature Cropper on guitar and backing vocals. Despite being fired from the band, Cropper has remained friends with the other members of Weezer and attended Rivers Cuomo's wedding in 2006.<ref name=":2" /> ===Post-Weezer=== After Cropper left Weezer, he and his then wife, Amy Wellner Cropper, formed the band [[Chopper One (band)|Chopper One]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Ex-Weezer Guitarist Ready To Take Off With Chopper One|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/505705/ex-weezer-guitarist-ready-to-take-off-with-chopper-one/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114124549/http://www.mtv.com/news/505705/ex-weezer-guitarist-ready-to-take-off-with-chopper-one/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 14, 2014|website=mtv.com}}</ref> The pair (along with drummer Tyrone Rio) released the single "Free Lunch" in 1995, followed by the album ''[[Now Playing (Chopper One album)|Now Playing]]'' in 1997. In January 1994, their first child daughter Kiefer Rain Cropper, was born. Their son Jake Hudson Cropper, was born in 1999, and another daughter Devon Jade Cropper, was born in 2001. The couple divorced in 2004β2005. In 1996, Cropper played guitar on ''Uncle Bob'', an alt-rock album from [[22 Jacks]], which featured members of [[Wax (American band)|Wax]], [[The Ramones]], [[Adolescents (band)|Adolescents]] and [[Agent Orange (band)|Agent Orange]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/22_jacks/bio.jhtml | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060712030822/http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/22_jacks/bio.jhtml | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 12, 2006 | title = 22 Jacks : Biography | publisher =[[Country Music Television|CMT]] | access-date = 2007-10-10}}</ref> ===2000s=== After Chopper One ended, Cropper started the pop punk supergroup Fliptop self-releasing a 5-track EP.<ref name="Fliptop 5 track release">{{cite web|title=Fliptop 5 track release|url=http://www.dallanbaumgarten.com/discography/pages/Fliptop_Fliptop.html|access-date=December 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214190110/http://www.dallanbaumgarten.com/discography/pages/Fliptop_Fliptop.html|archive-date=December 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The band consisted of Cropper on vocals, guitars and piano, Dallan Baumgarten on guitars & vocals, [[Scott Shiflett]] on bass and [[Josh Freese]] on drums. The band played live shows around LA,<ref name="Fliptop Show Pictures">{{cite web|title=Fliptop Show Pictures|url=http://www.perrific.com/concerts/Fliptop/flip1.html|access-date=December 11, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215319/http://www.perrific.com/concerts/Fliptop/flip1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Fliptop Show Setlist">{{cite web|title=Fliptop Show Setlist|url=http://www.skaparade.com/sp/sp486.txt|publisher=Skaparade.com|access-date=December 11, 2013|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924102259/http://www.skaparade.com/sp/sp486.txt|url-status=dead}}</ref> and some local Warped Tour Shows. Cropper sang the [[theme song]] for the 2002β2003 American sitcom ''[[Andy Richter Controls the Universe]]'' and in early 2006 began showing signs of returning to the music business. In addition to posting songs on his MySpace page, he started recording and producing bands, including the Atlanta-based rock band Buffalo Alice, producing their second album ''Mitchell'' (2007) and credited for writing at least one song and playing guitar and singing on several songs. He continued to contribute to Buffalo Alice, co-writing and producing their third album ''Alexander Rosenhoff Testament: A Work Of Fiction'' (2008), and was listed for a time as bass player on the band's website.<!-- [http://www.buffalice.com Buffalo Alice official website] deadlink (Aug 2012)--> ===2010sβ2020s=== In 2018, Cropper performed with Cuomo at two separate shows in San Francisco, in their first collaboration since Cropper's departure from Weezer.<ref name=":2" /> In April 2020, Cropper appeared on Cuomo's "Island in the Zoom" shows. Also in April 2020, Cropper appeared on two episodes of the "We'z Talkin' Weez' 2 Thee" podcast; one playing and discussing new music and the other breaking down [[Weezer]]'s "[[Weezer (Blue Album)|The Blue Album]]" track by track. Throughout 2020, Cropper performed livestreams on [[Facebook]] called "The Golden Hour." In July 2020, Cropper released his solo debut single "Goodness Knows". In 2021, Weezer released their fifteenth album, ''[[Van Weezer]]'', and the vinyl edition included the bonus track "I've Thrown It All Away" which was a re-recorded version of a song the band had demoed when Cropper was still in the band. He also has a writing credit on the track.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/Thrown_It_All_Away | title=Thrown It All Away β Weezerpedia }}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=April 2023}}
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