The bands are filtering back now from all the Austin excitement of SXSW. Lucky for us! This weekend, Smoking Popes, who played a couple Austin shows, are back in Chi Town. They play Double Door at 8:00pm this Sunday 4/3, for a big CD release show. Tickets are just $15.00.
Check out their website HERE for videos, ticket info and some amazingly cool merch. Like many bands now, they're not only offering This is Only a Test as a download and CD, they've released it on sweet white or blue vinyl! Check it out. They're all autographed by the band and every purchase enters you in a contest for 5 rare Jay Ryan Metro posters and handwritten lyrics. Winners picked April 12th.
The Smoking Popes are an American rock group from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1991. They play punk-influenced pop music with crooning vocals. The core of the group is composed of brothers Matt Caterer , Josh Caterer and Eli Caterer.
The Arrivals open for them
The Arrivals made its full-length debut with Goodbye New World on the Windy City's Thick Records in 2000, emerging from the same Chicago punk scene that spawned Naked Raygun, Pegboy, Blue Meanies, and Alkaline Trio. Sounding an amalgam of their Midwestern predecessors, Issac Thomas (guitar, vocals) Dave Merriman (guitar), Dave Kaktis (bass), and Ronni Dicola (drums) got together in 1996 to self-produce their first EP, Songs From the Cabal Headquarters
Smoking Popes Celebrate This is Only a Test with Local Record Release Parties at Chicago’s Double Door April 3rd & Palatine’s Durty Nellie’s on April 8th |
“Ever wonder what a traditional saloon singer would sound like backed up by a punk band? The Smoking Popes take that concept one step further: They've created a unique kind of music that some listeners are describing as ‘hyperkinetic tear-jerkers’." Los Angeles Times Smoking Popes built a relationship with their legion of fans and fellow musicians by melding raw songs about bittersweet heartache with soaring melodies, power chords and punk spirit. Wielding such musical influence is remarkable, and their latest album This is Only a Test is perfect proof that their sparkling lyricism and ineffable charm is still intact. This is Only a Test is the Smoking Pope’s first ever concept album, exploring the life of a fictional high schooler. The album hits the street on March 15th, sparking a spring tour to celebrate, beginning at SXSW in Austin. Before they hit the road, the band will play live on WGN in their hometown of Chicago to launch the album’s release.Join the Smoking Popes in celebration at their local record release parties at the Double Door in Chicago on Sunday, April 3rd and in Palatine at Durty Nellie’s on Friday . This is Only a Test's songs explore themes of identity, musical aspirations, love and teen suicide." Singer/Guitarist Songwriter Josh Caterer explains, “When I first got the idea to write from a teenage perspective, the individual songs came really quickly. I wrote a song a day for five days. That’s half the album in less than a week. I never write that fast! Each song stands alone as a snapshot from this kid's life. The story doesn't unfold like a narrative. It's more like a collage." Recorded at Chicago’s Atlas Studios in 2010, the album was produced by Matt Allison (Alkaline Trio, Lawrence Arms, Less Than Jake). Some may assume that This is Only a Test is autobiographical but Caterer lays that notion to rest, saying, “The main character on this album is definitely a creation. He’s not me. Well…he’s similar to me, but he’s not limited by the realities of my own experience. I created a character that basically has the same view of the world that I had when I was in high school, but he’s his own person and he does some things that I never did.” Smoking Popes first burst onto the scene in 1991 and released several albums on various local labels. They signed to Capitol Records in 1995 and re-released Born to Quit¸ one of Smoking Popes landmark albums, to an even larger fan base gained by touring with bands like Jawbreaker and Jimmy Eat World. Praise from SPIN, Alternative Press, Rolling Stone and Billboard arrived with the re-release and later that year, “Need You Around” was also featured in the hit movie Clueless. Musical icon Morrissey raved: “Did you ever hear Born to Quit? It’s by the Smoking Popes. I thought that album was extraordinary, the most lovable thing I’d heard in years”. In 1997, the Smoking Popes released Destination Failure. The album challenged the idea of what a pop punk band could do, with lyrics that told tales of love and longing with heartbreaking details. To the shock of many, Smoking Popes decided to throw in the towel in 1998. In 2005, rumors started flying that the band would perform again. Their sold out reunion show at Chicago’s Metro on November 11th sparked a resurgence of Smoking Popes fans, leaving the crowd yearning for new material. The band was re-energized and reformed for good, releasing Stay Down in 2008 and in 2010, Its Been a Long Day, a compilation of songs released on rare vinyl singles. Smoking Popes Sunday, April 3rd Double Door 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60622 (773) 489-3160 8:00pm $15 |
