Smoking Popes "Egg Nog" 7" Capitol Records (US)

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Track Listing:

A1Pure Imagination2:40B1O Holy Night

The Smoking Popes are an from the northwest suburbs of , formed in 1991. They play punk-influenced pop music with vocals. The core of the group is composed of brothers (born 1968), (born 1972) and (born 1975).

History

Early History

The Caterer brothers were raised on rock 'n' roll and crooners like and . In 1980 Matt got a guitar, Josh a bass and Eli a drum set and they began to play together. Soon after, their eyes were opened to the world of the and . Other early musical influences included , , , , early , , , , , and many others.

In 1990, Matt, Josh, and Eli (then known as Speedstick) got a gig at a party and played approximately 10 original punk-style compositions based on their favorite bands. About this time, Matt switched to bass and Dave Martens joined as drummer. Josh became an fan and his style, accordingly, became more pop influenced. Speedstick recorded 11 songs in their first studio session, including "Brand New Hairstyle," which would become a staple of the Smoking Popes repertoire.

They changed the band's name, taking "Smoking" from Matt and Josh's penchant for excessive cigarette smoking, and "Popes" from the movie "" (or possibly from the -produced song, "The Pope Smokes Dope"). Martens, disenchanted with the band's musical direction, stopped attending band practice and the Caterers recruited of Article One to replace him.

In 1991, the band released five tracks recorded during their Speedstick days as the Inoculator EP, with local indie label Radius Records. With the proceeds and what other funding they could scratch together, the Smoking Popes bankrolled the recording of the Break Up EP in 1992. In February Eli Caterer joined as a second guitarist and in October "Break Up" was released. They played as often as possible in the Chicago area and ventured occasionally to small venues in Indiana.

In 1993 the band recorded their compositions on the 2 EP. They also recorded a split 7" single with . GLV vocalist guested on the Popes' track "Leather and Lace" and Josh guested on the GLV track "Goodtime Music."

The band got a break when icon of became a fan and used his connections to recruit of to record the Smoking Popes' first LP, .

That year also saw the release of one Popes track from the same sessions. "Let's Hear It for Love" appeared on the "It's a Punk Thing... You Wouldn't Understand" compilation on .

For the follow-up to Get Fired the band worked with producer , who also produced much of their early material. "Need you Around," which would later launch Smoking Popes to a huge audience via the soundtrack to the film , was recorded in December.

Signing with Capitol

In early 1994, the band opened for , who extended the invitation after hearing . In mid-1994 the Popes finished their new album, . After "Need You Around" took off on alternative radio, they opened for and gained the attention of record label scouts. They signed with , which re-released . In a promotional blitz, they toured America with the and .

In 1996 the Clueless soundtrack was released in Finland and "Need You Around" was dropped as a single to capitalize on their new found popularity there. It was promptly designated "Single of the Week" by the Neo Musical Express. They toured England and Scotland for a couple of weeks, then crossed back over the Pond to tour with .

Despite the touring, album sales didn't meet Capitol's expectations and it became clear that the band had to deliver a hit. Producer , who had added gloss to the sound of Green Day and , was brought in to do the same for Smoking Popes. In September they toured with label-mates and .

The start of 1997 brought dissatisfied label executives who insisted they didn't hear a single among the tracks Smoking Popes submitted for the new album. The band spent six days writing and demoing songs until Capitol was finally determined that new song "I Know You Love Me" had potential. However, the label fired the Popes' A&R representative and the new album was shelved.

After negotiations, was released in August. At this point Tom Counihan, a.k.a , joined the band as a touring guitarist. In October they began to tour with Morissey, who said of Destination Failure, "[it's] extraordinary, the most lovable thing I'd heard in years."

The band funded its own video for "I Know You Love Me," which was filmed as a single-shot, in a rehearsal space at Metro using the creative talents of members of .

In 1998 the band toured with and . Afterward, the band decided to record a covers album called , which would fulfill their contract with Capitol.

Breakup - forming Duvall

Around this time Josh became very involved in and wanted to devote his work to his faith. The label rejected the new album but released Smoking Popes from their contract. The band played several large shows before Josh quit, effectively breaking up the band.

In a later interview, Josh commented about this time "I became a Christian in May 1998 and I quit the Popes in January 1999. I tried to incorporate my faith into what we were doing in the Popes, but it just didn't seem like a good fit."

Josh's side project was formed in August 2001, including members of the Smoking Popes, who had disbanded in 1998. Founding members were , , and . The band released one full-length album, in 2003.

Reunion

In November 2005, the Smoking Popes reunited for a packed and much-anticipated show at the Chicago club with Rob Kellenberger of replacing on drums. The tickets sold out in a mere 36 minutes.

Due to Josh's conversion to Christianity and past stance on particular "non-christian" themes in a select few pre-1999 songs, many fans wondered what sort of setlist would be played at the Popes reunion show? In a Q and A on the bands website, Josh responded to such questions saying, "No. There are only a couple songs that we wouldn't consider playing, and those are songs we didn't used to play very often anyway, so no one will miss them. We've been practicing through most of the old Popes catalog, trying to pick the songs that are the strongest. And we don't yet know what the final song selection will be, but I don't think people will be disappointed. All the real favorites should be there." In that show — immortalized on a DVD called At Metro, bundled with a CD of the performance — Josh, Matt and Eli were happy and energized. Eli remarked that he hadn't had that much fun in seven years.

In March 2006, released an acoustic album with a cover of "Megan" featuring Josh Caterer on the second verse of the song.

They embarked on a U.S. tour in early 2006 with . During that time, the Popes acquired a new drummer, Ryan Chavez, who replaced Kellenburger, who was unable to commit to the new, full-time touring schedule. During this tour, Josh introduced and played several new songs, including "If You Don't Care" , "Stay Down" and "Welcome to Janesville", which he announced would be on the upcoming Smoking Popes album. The new album, the first original material since 1997's "", was originally scheduled for release in September 2007, but was delayed while the band decided on a label. On March 2, 2008, the title of the new album, Stay Down, was disclosed when the band played it in its entirety at Schuba's Tavern in Chicago. According to the group's MySpace page, the new album will be released on the independent label . The band continues to play shows all over the country.

In April 2008, the Smoking Popes announced that of would be playing drums for the band.

According to the Asian Man Records website, past issues of the Smoking Popes will be re-released in 2009. In the Fall, their first three 7" releases, Innoculator, BreakUp, and 2, will be reissued with additional material. Following in 2010 will be a reissue of "", remastered with new artwork, to be released on CD and Vinyl. The band are also at work on a new album, progress on which can be found on Josh's Twitter page. The album is finished, and due to be released next year.

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