Billy Corgan has always believed in the notion of "go big or go home." The Smashing Pumpkins founder and only current original member of the beloved '90s Chicago power rock group, has practically made the grandiose concept album his calling card.
And his latest mind-bender is no exception. Following in the footsteps of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, Corgan will be offering his band's latest, the cryptically titled 44-song opus Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, online for free beginning next month. Based on "The Fool's Journey," the metaphor for the journey of life in the Tarot card world, Corgan said the album "harkens back to the original psychedelic roots of the Smashing Pumpkins; atmospheric, melodic, heavy and pretty."
Still being recorded, the entire cycle is slated for completion in early 2010, to be followed by a world tour in the spring. Current plans call for the free songs to be released four at a time beginning around Halloween, with no requirements for fans to sign up for fan clubs or offer their e-mail addresses. While the songs will initially appear online, Corgan will also offer 11 limited-edition EPs that will represent the physical manifestation of the whole album.
Once the whole hot mess has unfolded, the Grand Pumpkin has also promised to compile it into a box set, which he said will be different from the limited-edition EPs. You can find out more at Corgan's official site. And if you like Corgan's take on spirituality but don't want all that silly music to get in the way, you can check out his new blog Everything From Here to There.
By Cara Alwill
Billy Corgan announced on the Smashing Pumpkins' official Web site yesterday that he has officially hired a new drummer, and today he reveals more news regarding the band's immediate future. It looks like Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro will be heading out on tour with the Pumpkins at the end of this month, along with Mark Weitz of '60s psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock. The dates are a part of Corgan's Sky Saxon tribute band, which he is calling the "Spirit in the Sky" tour.
In an official statement Corgan released on the band's site, he shares the details. "Some exciting news to add as well, as Dave Navarro and Mark Weitz have joined the tour. Dave sadly can't play San Diego with us, so hopefully we can find an Ace up our sleeve somewhere to fill in. It's gonna be crowded onstage, that's for sure with Mike and Kerry on drums, Mark on bass, Dave and I on guitar, and Mark #2 on keys. Whoa..." Corgan wrote.
Navarro began expressing his enthusiasm for the Pumpkins' song "Superchrist" via Twitter, tweeting that it is "awesome on so many levels." That message clearly stuck with Corgan, who has invited Navarro out on the road for a set of intimate club dates, taking place at the end of August in Southern California.
Could this meeting of two alt-rock icons usher in a full-on early '90s nostalgia trip? We'll have to wait and see. One thing is for sure: Corgan seems to have a lot of tricks up his sleeve. It will be interesting to see what's next for this musical three-ring circus — and whether or not those two famously cantankerous performers can actually share the same stage.
By Cara Alwill
After holding an open call to find a new drummer last March, Billy Corgan has announced that the Smashing Pumpkins have officially hired 19-year-old Portland, Oregon, native Mike Byrne to fill the position. Of note: Corgan originally formed the band in 1988, two years before Byrne was even born.
It seems like only yesterday when Corgan welcomed ex-drummer Jimmy Chamberlin back into the band, after banishing him from the group for three years due to his very public drug issues. The on-again, off-again relationship between the band mates and longtime friends showcased Corgan's notoriously difficult personality. After parting ways with original members James Iha and D'Arcy Wretzky, the Pumpkins have become little more than Corgan and a revolving door of replacements.
As for his take on Byrne, Corgan is excited. "Through the open audition process, I was astounded by how many great drummers there were that wanted the chance to try out for the Pumpkins. We counted over 1,000 submissions, and what made Mike stand out was he just seemed to have that X-factor that all the great drummers have, a stunning blend of power, speed, and grace. I'm excited to work with him moving forward — he truly deserves this opportunity. I believe in my heart he will push me to be a better musician," said Corgan on the Pumpkins' official Web site.
Byrne seems equally excited about the relationship. "I've always thought that Billy's interpretation of music was a real fresh one, and that because the band was so rooted in the idea of kind of being like a musical shape-shifter, I feel that honestly it would work just perfectly," said Byrne "We're starting from scratch and just working our influences up into something totally different."
Byrne will make his debut on the band's upcoming album and tour, which kicks off in September in Visalia, California.
No one can ever accuse Billy Corgan of not sharing. The Smashing Pumpkins leader (and only remaining original member) finally took to the pages of his band's official Web site last week to explain just what the hell is going on in Pumpkinland these days, what with the parting of the ways with original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the continuing despite being the only real Pumpkin left and the whole melting-down-on-stage thing.
His nearly 2,500-word rant offered some questions and raised a whole bunch more. Because we know you're busy, here are some highlights:
Current project: Working on a new Pumpkins album in sunny California with "some of my friends," focusing on five or six songs that he hopes to include in a "large multimedia project" he has in mind that may contain up to 44 songs. Read more...
Almost from the moment they burst out of the fertile early 1990s Chicago alt-rock scene, the whispers about the Smashing Pumpkins were that they were a one-man show. Despite guitarist James Iha's considerable chops and pop songwriting sensibility, bassist D'arcy Wretzky's charismatically stoic persona and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin's jazzy yet muscular touch, the Pumpkins were and always would be singer/songwriter Billy Corgan's baby.
Now, thanks to this weekend's unexplained ouster of Billy's longtime foil and last fellow original member, Chamberlin, Corgan is truly the Axl Rose of alternative rock. He's the Trent Reznor of overblown guitar bands. The ... oh, you get the point.
Fans had already been a bit iffy about Corgan reuniting the "band" three years ago when he announced that he and Chamberlin would be touring (and recording) under the venerable group's name. But with at least 50 percent of the original members on board, many seemed willing to overlook it.
(Take a look at how the Smashing Pumpkins have changed over the years.)
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Over the weekend at the Scream Awards in Los Angeles, MTV News caught up with the two remaining original members of the Smashing Pumpkins — frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin — to discuss a number of topics, including the band's upcoming 20th-anniversary tour and the Pumpkins' newfound freedom. They're no longer under contract with a record label, and they issued their latest single, "G.L.O.W.," last month as an independent release.
"For years, we always dealt with this idea that some guy in some office somewhere was going to make a decision we wouldn't have any control over, and now, that's not a problem anymore," Corgan said about being free from the shackles of the majors. "I never gave a sh--, but when they gave a sh--, it was a problem." Read more...
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has filed a lawsuit against an Illinois filmmaker he claims was hired to document the band's concerts and studio sessions, but delivered shoddy work.
According to NME.com, Corgan's suit claims Lester Cohn's work wasn't up to snuff, and that the filmmaker's holding the footage hostage until he's paid for his time.
Corgan's suit seeks more than $100,000 in damages. Cohn was hired from 2003 to 2005, to document the band's return, but Corgan insists the end result was "completely unsatisfactory and not completed in a professional, workmanlike manner in accordance with the standards of a music filmmaker."
