The Special Goodness

While power pop stars Weezer did a whole lot of nothing from mid-1997 to mid-2000, drummer Patrick Wilson kept himself busy with his own project. Dubbed the Special Goodness, Wilson took the name from a mantra he coined while with Weezer, expressing the vibe he strove for while playing. Wilson, an emotive musician who had sung backup on a few Weezer tracks, headed into the studio to sing and play guitars, keys, and percussion on his introspective, power pop tunes. A deal with DGC (Geffen), Weezer's label, fell through, so Wilson began by releasing the self-titled record through Rock Records of Japan, where Weezer has a sizeable following. In the fall of 1999, the Buffalo native began performing with boyhood friend Pat Finn, Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh, roadie/contributor Karl Koch, and drummer Lee Loretta. The band did two modest U.S. tours and continued writing and playing in Portland, OR, Wilson's adopted homeland. Seattle's Vast Records agreed to release the album in the U.S.