“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.” -Morrissey
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The Smoking Popes are pleased to announce the re-issue of their landmark album Born To Quit on SideOneDummy Records October 23rd. The album was their first on a major label after they signed to Capitol Records, and it was a doozy, the first single ‘Need You Around” quickly went into heavy rotation on radio flagships like Chicago’s Q101 and KROQ in Los Angeles.
Praise from SPIN, Alternative Press, Rolling Stone and Billboard arrived and later that year the single was featured in the movie Clueless. The remastered album comes with a deluxe repackaging featuring new artwork, a memorabilia collage, new liner notes from Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio), Joe Shanahan (Chicago’s Metro) and comedian Kyle Kinane as well as a track-by-track analysis by Popes’ frontman Josh Caterer and two bonus tracks (Willie Nelson cover “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground” and the previously unreleased duet “Blanket In The Park”).
There will be limited edition red and blue vinyl in addition to a CD. Red vinyl will be for sale at www.SideOneDummy.com while blue vinyl will be available on tour.
To celebrate the release, the band will hit the road this fall and play Born To Quit in its entirety every night, followed by a set of other songs from the band’s catalog. Says Josh Caterer, "I'm excited about playing the album start-to-finish every night on tour. That's the way it's meant to be heard. These shows are gonna be a blast!"
BORN TO QUIT Tour 2012
OCTOBER
08 – St Louis, MO @ The Firebird
10 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
11 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
12 – Washington, DC @ Red Palace
13 – New York, NY @ Studio at Webster Hall
14 – Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar
15 – Boston, MA @ TT The Bear’s Place
16 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
17 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
18 – Toledo, OH @ Mickey Finn’s
19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Club Garibaldi’s
20 – Chicago, IL @ Double Door
NOVEMBER
04 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
05 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
07 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
08 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubdaour
09 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Sail Inn
12 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
13 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s Upstairs
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. Smoking Popes influenced the likes of Alkaline Trio, Dashboard Confessional and Motion City Soundtrack during a career marked with critical raves from their fellow musicians and the press. Los Angeles Times said it well, “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.’"
Smoking Popes, the heart of which is the three Caterer brothers – Matt, Eli, and Josh – first burst onto the scene in 1991 and released several albums on various independent labels. They signed to Capitol Records in 1995 and re-released their landmark album Born to Quit to an even larger fan base gained by touring with bands like Jawbreaker and Jimmy Eat World. In 1997, the Smoking Popes released Destination Failure, which many consider to be their defining masterpiece. This album challenged the idea of what a pop punk band could do, with songwriting that didn’t always adhere to verse-chorus-verse progression and lyrics that told tales of love and longing with heartbreaking details. To the shock of many, Smoking Popes decided to throw in the towel on December 19, 1998. In 2005, rumors started flying that the band would perform at the Flower 15 Festival. Their sold out reunion show at Chicago’s Metro that November sparked a resurgence of Smoking Popes fans, leaving the crowd yearning for new material. The show was released as a CD/DVD.
The band was re-energized and reformed for good, releasing Stay Down in 2008 and It’s Been a Long Day, a compilation of songs released on 7” came out on Asian Man Records in 2010. 2011 brought a great new album from the Popes, who’d recently acquired a great new drummer in Neil Hennessy, who is known for his work with Lawrence Arms. This is Only a Test was perfect proof that their sparkling lyricism and ineffable charm remains intact. This is Only a Test was the Smoking Popes’ first ever concept album, exploring the life of a fictional high-schooler.
In 2012, the Popes signed to LA’s SideOneDummy Records and immediately released the Complete Control Sessions, a live EP that included their cover of “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables on yellow and green vinyl while they were preparing the re-issue of Born To Quit.
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