Corgan sits for fan interview via Twitter 8:52 pm // Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Posted by susan in billy corgan, interview, twitter.43 comments
@TwitterMusic interviews @Billy Corgan of the @SmashingPumpkin s. fb.me/YXvroVEA—
Smashing Pumpkins (@SmashingPumpkin) January 24, 2012
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan answered some fan questions today, fed to him by Twitter Inc.’s @TwitterMusic account. Corgan filled us in on what time in history he’d take a time machine ride to, and even suggested baby names for one fan.
As far as his band’s plans for 2012, Corgan didn’t reveal much, but regarding the upcoming album Oceania did say that “a release date is imminent,” and he doesn’t currently anticipate any tracklist changes. He also said he was “open to returning to South America” after the band’s successful 2010 tour there.
5:10 pm // Saturday, January 21, 2012
Posted by susan in tweets.3 comments
The 2012 reissue of @James_Iha's Let It Come Down has popped up for preorder on US Amazon: amzn.to/yyYfvA—
Hipsters United (@HipstersUnited) January 21, 2012
Fiorentino side project launches funding campaign 2:02 pm // Friday, January 20, 2012
Posted by susan in news, nicole fiorentino.9 comments
Nicole Fiorentino’s other band, The Cold and Lovely, has unveiled a kickstarter-esque campaign to raise money for the release of their new album. According to a press release on the band’s website, the now-trio (Fiorentino, Meghan Toohey, and new drummer Patty Schemel) have largely recorded the album, but need to raise money to put on the finishing touches and fund the release.
Incentives for pledging range from a digital album download ($10) to dinner with the band in LA ($1000) to a Nicole Fiorentino custom bass ($3600). Or for the risk-takers among us, $75 will get you a “Random Mystery Tote Bag.”
9:31 am // Friday, January 20, 2012
Posted by susan in tweets.6 comments
Sign up to be notified when Pisces Iscariot (2011 Remaster) [Deluxe Edition] is available amzn.to/zNbmsI—
Hipsters United (@HipstersUnited) January 20, 2012
isn't it, like, the *2012* remaster??—
Hipsters United (@HipstersUnited) January 20, 2012
Pumpkins’ new music strikes out again in Pazz & Jop critics poll 1:08 am // Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Posted by jjb in criticism, news, teargarden by kaleidyscope.11 comments
Neither of the two singles released by the Smashing Pumpkins in 2011 was mentioned by any of the 700 music critics casting ballots in the annual Village Voice Pazz & Jop singles poll.
In the accompanying albums poll, one Pazz & Jop voter allocated some points to November’s deluxe reissue of the 1993 album Siamese Dream, thereby preventing the Pumpkins from being entirely shut out of the poll for a fourth consecutive year.
“Lightning Strikes,” from the Pumpkins’ Teargarden by Kaleidyscope project, debuted March 17 on the website of Rolling Stone. Another Teargarden song, “Owata,” appeared May 3; the band later promoted the track with a short film and music video.
Wheelchair Sports Camp’s cover of the MC Meals on Wheels freestyle “My Vagina Ain’t Handicapped” is among the 2,225 singles receiving at least one mention in the poll.
12:12 am // Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Posted by susan in tweets.6 comments
Amazon.jp lists an "Untitled" James Iha album with March 14 release date amzn.to/xZGlIq—
Hipsters United (@HipstersUnited) January 18, 2012
10:42 pm // Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Posted by susan in postchildren.add a comment
Audio engineer Geoff Sanoff (who works primarily out of James Iha’s NYC studio, Stratosphere Sound) mixed some tracks for Iha’s upcoming solo album.
Early 2012 Pumpkins media roundup 5:10 pm // Monday, January 16, 2012
Posted by susan in books, god is everywhere from here to there, interview, resistance pro, rumor, studio, video.22 comments
We’ve entered a bit of a slow news period as the Smashing Pumpkins take some time off before kicking off what they’ve promised will be a busy 2012. This month bassist Nicole Fiorentino is working with her other band, The Cold and Lovely, while bandleader Billy Corgan works on his memoirs. (Guitarist Jeff Schroeder is presumably furiously trying to finish his dissertation.) I’d thought I’d try to compile some videos and articles you may have missed in the meantime.
This past Friday was the second event for Corgan’s nascent Resistance Pro wrestling company, during which Corgan crowned the company’s first heavyweight champion. Corgan did the media rounds yet again for the promotion, speaking mostly about wrestling and sports. The company has already scheduled its next event on February 17.
On the subject of Corgan’s spiritual memoir, tentatively entitled God is Everywhere From Here to There, we found out that Corgan hired the project research assistant he solicited for on Twitter back in the fall. Pumpkins fan and graduate student Lea Clyburn of Little Rock, Arkansas was hired for the gig, and spoke about her experience in an interview for University of Arkansas-Little Rock PR (Go Trojans!).
Ysanne Spevack, a string instrumentalist who contributed to a few Teargarden by Kaleidyscope songs and was a member of Corgan’s Spirits in the Sky, has been sending some hints to the Pumpkins fan community about her new kickstarter. She says that if she raises enough money for her own album, she’d like to record some songs for her friends.
Finally, Absolute Radio recently (I think?) posted this interview Corgan sat for back in November during the band’s tour of the UK (HT: @B_Wasteland). It appears to have been recorded between the band’s two Brixton shows on November 16 and 17. I particularly enjoyed this one. Though it doesn’t cover a ton of new ground, Corgan is in good spirits and also provides us with the proper pronunciation of “Oceania.”
The pace of news should hopefuly pick up soon; as we know from a post back in December on the website of Pumpkins’ drummer Mike Byrne’s other band, Bearcubbin’, the Smashing Pumpkins plan to reconvene in Lost Angeles sometime around the end of January. Oceania is still slated for a spring release; hopefully we’ll hear some news of that, and of the Pumpkins’ 2012 touring plans, in the next month or so.
10:51 pm // Thursday, January 12, 2012
Posted by susan in tweets.6 comments
Sneak peek of my story in tomorrow's RedEye on @RESISTANCE_Pro wrestling featuring @Billy Corgan and @MelanieCruise77. redeyechicago.com/sports/ct-red-…—
Scott Bolohan (@scottbolohan) January 13, 2012
10:03 pm // Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Posted by susan in tweets.6 comments
Which sad songs make @MikeByrneDrums happy? Find out courtesy
@FeelingGloomy bit.ly/x05b6Z—
Hipsters United (@HipstersUnited) January 12, 2012
9:12 pm // Friday, January 6, 2012
Posted by susan in tweets.12 comments
UPDATE (1/12): Corgan will also attend auditions for Resistance Pro tonight in Chicago.
Don't forget, BILLY CORGAN will be signing at the meet and greet after RISE next Friday – @RESISTANCE_Pro merch ONLY! Get yours NOW:-)—
RESISTANCE (@RESISTANCE_Pro) January 06, 2012
11:13 am // Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Posted by jjb in postchildren.29 comments
Billy Corgan says Smashing Pumpkins are “considering” around eight CDs’ worth of extra music for this year’s album reissues, including one with The Aeroplane Flies High and two with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
Plans for Corgan’s Chicagoland tea house brewing 11:22 pm // Sunday, January 1, 2012
Posted by susan in billy corgan, business, chicago, food, interview, news.19 comments
The tea house Billy Corgan alluded to in a mid-December tweet appears to be becoming a reality. In an interview with Eater Chicago, Corgan describes his intents for his latest business venture, stating that he is aiming for a retro 1930s French-Chinese vibe and hopes the tea house will become a hub for a diverse group of locals. Corgan reports being dissatisfied with the cultural offerings of his Highland Park ‘hood and hopes his shop will stand apart from the “cookie-cutter culture” of Starbucks. Corgan intends for the cafe to host events as well, saying, “It has a whimsical feel to it… it’ll feel like you’re stepping back in time in terms of space, but what we put into the space will change. My dream number is changing it 15 to 20 times a month where you’re inviting people to talk about film or have an open mic night.”
The tea house is to be located in the former US Post Office at 582 Roger Williams Avenue in Highland Park, an affluent Chicago suburb. The location is within Highland Park’s Ravinia neighborhood, perhaps best known for the Ravinia Festival, the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Sharon Mackin-Norberg and her husband Tobias, proprietors of the Ravinia Wine Shop across the street from the tea house, will manage the tea house’s day-to-day operations. Mackin-Norberg sat for an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, praising Corgan’s eye for restaurant design and taste in tea, while further touting the tea house as a hangout for young people who want exposure to culture. The Sun-Times also spoke with Nancy Rotering, the mayor of Highland Park, who said of Corgan: “He has some unique ideas to bring more of a fun, cultural vibe to Highland Park. It’s neat that he wants to bring his creativity and his energy to our community.”
According to Eater Chicago, Corgan projects an opening date of around March or April for the tea house, which does not yet have a name. The Sun-Times article further suggests Corgan may perform the first live show in the space.
Smashing Pumpkins stocking stuffer “Have Faithe, Be Merrie” 7:31 pm // Friday, December 23, 2011
Posted by Jill in audio.40 comments
In a sweet holiday email blast a few minutes ago, the Smashing Pumpkins sent out a special holiday track called “Have Faithe, Be Merrie,” featuring a solo Billy Corgan strumming an acoustic guitar. Download it here!
The mailer promises lots more in store in the upcoming year, calling out Oceania , the EMI Reissues, and more SPRC offers and exclusives. There’s even a cryptic mention of a “very special tour” coming up in 2012. Hmmm… we can’t wait to hear more!
Happy holidays, folks — and have a wonderful weekend!
Pumpkins featured in NYCTaper’s Top 25 Concert Moments of 2011 12:04 pm // Friday, December 23, 2011
Posted by Jill in audio.3 comments
New York City live music authority nyctaper.com published a live music round-up today, showcasing their 2011 favorites. The Smashing Pumpkins show at Terminal 5 in October made it on to the list alongside greats like Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and Guided by Voices and buzzy new bands like Destroyer, The Antlers, and The War on Drugs. Says the site about the show: “a powerfully delivered, rocking performance that rivaled this band at their stadium rock peak in the mid-90s.”
“Muzzle” is the featured track, “a highlight in a show that was filled with them.” Check out NYCTaper for the full post, and be sure to download the full mix if you’re interested in checking out some of the other acts included in the round-up!
11:13 am // Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Posted by jjb in tweets.3 comments
Corgan: "I think producing the equivalent of around 20 albums of music in 10 years is pretty good!" chicagoverseunited.com/2011/12/new-cv… @ChiVerseUniteD—
Hipsters United (@HipstersUnited) December 21, 2011
Corgan sifts through the ‘Mellon Collie’ and ‘Adore’ attics 10:57 pm // Monday, December 19, 2011
Posted by susan in adore, mellon collie, news, releases.12 comments
Since wrapping the Smashing Pumpkins’ European tour on December 10, Billy Corgan has been back in the United States and has apparently started working on sorting through material for the reissues of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and Adore.
To recap a bit about the status and schedule of the reissue project: The Pumpkins reissued their first two albums, Gish and Siamese Dream, on November 29, and are scheduled to release several more reissues in 2012. In an October interview with the Detroit News, Corgan stated that the reissue of b-sides album Pisces Iscariot was due out on Record Store Day 2012 – that is, April 21, 2012. In a tweet on December 1, Corgan appears to have reinforced the April release date and suggested that around the same time, the band would release, via the Smashing Pumpkins Record Club, all of their pre-Gish demos and many hours of early live shows and rehearsals. As far as the rest of 2012 goes, the Pumpkins’ August press release stated that reissues of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, The Aeroplane Flies High, and Adore were all scheduled for 2012, probably late in the year.
Corgan’s recent comments give the appearance that he is sorting through unreleased tracks from the Mellon Collie and Adore eras, including full length versions of the “Pastichio Medley” clips “Knuckles” and “Zoom,” an alternate version of “Pastichio Medley” itself, and this guy’s remix of “Ava Adore.”
Corgan told attendees of a fan meetup preceding the Pumpkins’ Boston show on October 21 that he is contractually obligated to reissue the band’s back catalog with EMI by the end of 2013.
10:56 pm // Monday, December 19, 2011
Posted by jjb in tweets.15 comments
new @vaterdrumsticks Artist Video: Mike Byrne – Smashing Pumpkins youtu.be/dVjnhUXAPZo vater.com—
Vater Percussion (@vaterdrumsticks) December 19, 2011
11:29 am // Saturday, December 17, 2011
Posted by jjb in tweets.7 comments
Watch the premiere of "Landslide (Rooftop Live)" video & read a special note from @GavinRossdale to all our fans here: budurl.com/hcq2—
BUSH (@bushofficial) December 15, 2011
11:58 pm // Friday, December 16, 2011
Posted by jjb in tweets.5 comments
Kill Hannah bassist recalls watching Billy Corgan write, record, throw more songs in the trash ca. 2003 twitter.com/#!/cclemons/st…—
Hipsters United (@HipstersUnited) December 17, 2011
UPDATE: Perhaps it was 2001.
