Potential physical releases from SPRC
On twitter, The Smashing Pumpkins’ digital manager, Rynda Laurel, shared an article that she is featured in from music:)ally about the Smashing Pumpkins Record Club (SPRC).
In the article, Rynda talks about an idea Billy Corgan has about some future physical releases from SPRC. The idea is that fans would be able to “pre-order” a potential physical release. If enough items are pre-ordered to make it worth the cost of manufacturing, then the fans would be billed and they would receive a digital download right away. Subsequently, they would receive the physical product.
Rynda also mentions a Smashing Pumpkins heart necklace that was on sale during the recent European leg of the Pumpkins’ tour. She calls the necklace “really cute,” but wants to ask the fans’ opinion before mass manufacturing them.
Flashback Friday: XYU
Billy Corgan was recently asked what his favorite song to record was, and his answer was XYU.
XYU has been performed live over 170 times from 1995 – 2000.
In 1998, when the Pumpkins opened for KISS, Billy added new lyrics and a number of teases.
In 2000, it was common for Billy to extend the song, add additional lyrics, and tell a story.
And with that we bring you this performance of XYU in Rio from 1996.
Glynis
A fan recently requested for “Glynis” (a song off of the No Alternative compilation) to be added to the Pisces Iscariot reissue, to which Billy replied “we are looking for the 24 track master…if we can find it, we’ll remix. orig mix is a bit strange, no??”
Below is the only known instance of Glynis ever being played live.
Smashing Pumpkins front man @Billy Corgan’s interview with @TwitterMusic
Today @Billy Corgan did a 13 Q&A with Twitter’s official music handle @TwitterMusic. Fans were asked to submit question by Monday night by tweeting their questions with tag #AskBilly.
Billy Corgan to be featured in Portuguese magazine Blitz
Billy will be feature in a Portuguese music magazine known as Blitz on January 23rd . The article is to cover the Smashing Pumpkins during the Siamese Dream era as well as the Pumpkins next album Oceania which is due out in Spring of this year.
If you happen to have access to this magazine, feel free to contact us and fill us in.
Billy Corgan “It came out of the carnivals and circus and I think that that’s the best way to understand it.”
Local Chicago news anchor Rafer Weigel sat down with Billy to talk about the wrestling promotion he created. Rafer also tries to impress the Resistance Pro judges. Besides calling Billy “former Smashing Pumpkin” you may find the segment to be very entertaining.
The Winner of the Draw for the Gish and Siamese Dream Reissues is Stephen from Ireland!
Photo by P.R. Brown
We received entries from all over the world, but the winner of the Gish & Siamese Dream reissues is Stephen from Ireland! We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for participating and for taking the time to submit great suggestions for future Smashing Pumpkins Photos & Songs of the Week.
In his entry, Stephen chose this black & white photograph of Billy Corgan by P.R. Brown as Photo of the Week. He then paired it to go with a song that Billy performed at a secret acoustic show during his solo tour in 2005. Here is “You Were Mine” performed at The Marquee in Sydney, Australia on July 28th, 2005. If you have never heard this song before, you might need a tissue!
Billy Corgan to do a Q&A on Twitter via @TwitterMusic #AskBilly
Billy Corgan will be doing a Question and Answer with Twitter Music on Tuesday around 11am PST. Fans who would like to ask Billy a question are asked to tweet their question and add hash tag: #AskBilly. They are currently accepting questions until Monday night so make sure to tweet your question soon!
Making Dreams Come True in Pumpkinland!
Meghan Toohey and Nicole Fiorentino of The Cold & Lovely
Lovers of the tune – listen up!
The very talented Nicole Fiorentino and Ysanne Spevack have recently launched pledge campaigns to help fund the release of their music albums. Not only is this an opportunity to support music, but also a chance to get many exclusive perks from the ladies who have immensely contributed to the Smashing Pumpkins these past few years.
The Cold & Lovely consisting of Meghan Toohey (The Weepies, Lenka, Schuyler Fisk) on vocals and guitar, Nicole Fiorentino (The Smashing Pumpkins, Veruca Salt) on bass and vocals, and Patty Schemel (Hole) on the drums are hoping to release 11 songs in the upcoming year. A minimum pledge of $10 will get you a digital download of the album and access to many exclusives from the band. Other packages include t-shirts, signed CDs & posters, Nicole’s SP bass picks, Patty’s signed drum sticks, a “thank you” in the CD liner notes, a private pizza party with the band, personal songwriting sessions and many more awesome treats for music lovers. Also, 10% of any money raised after the target is reached will go to the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls in Los Angeles. Check out their campaign on pledgemusic.com!
Ysanne Spevack aka I Love Strings
Ysanne Spevack’s strings appear on Smashing Pumpkins songs Widow Wake My Mind, Stitch in Time and Superchrist. She was also behind the beautiful string arrangements on the Spirits in the Sky tour in 2009. Thanks to over 100+ backers, her dream will come true when she gets to record one song from her solo album with a full string orchestra in Prague! However, her album is made of love songs and she would like to have the orchestra appear on every song (if possible)! So, if you would like to hear her album when it is released, be able to watch a live recording with the orchestra, a custom perfume from Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs, silk knickers with English prints, D’Addario strings, silver cherub jewellery, customized 50 Fishman AFX Reverb pedals or a personalized string arrangement – see Ysanne’s campaign on kickstarter.com!
Flashback Friday: Spirits in the Sky
Following the departure of Jimmy Chamberlin in March 2009, the Smashing Pumpkins were gearing up to start a new album but they first needed a new drummer. From a search on the Internet, Billy Corgan met teenage drummer Mike Byrne who would later on take over duties at drums.
In late June, friend of the band Sky Saxon passed away and Billy Corgan played with Mike Byrne and other friends of the Pumpkins (Kerry Brown, Kevin Dippold, Mark Tullin & Mark Weitz) at a tribute show in July under the name of Spirits in the Sky.
Two month later, Spirits in the Sky returned with a few new addition, including famed Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro along with Linda Strawberry and Ysanne Spevack. Together, they played 6 small shows in southern California, as well as a private show at Kerry Brown’s home.
Later, five of the songs originally played at Spirits in the Sky shows were released on the Smashing Pumpkins’ new album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. The songs are Astral Planes, Widow Wake My Mind, A Stitch in Time, Freak and The Fellowship.
The video below is the full Spirits in the Sky concert from August 27th, 2009. You can download the audio for the show here.
Here is a collection of 260 pictures from this era, along with links to other full concerts and Spirits in the Sky songs.
