The Smithereens
are a rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. [1] The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drums & percussion) . This lineup continued until 2006, when Mesaros left the band and Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion took over on bass guitar.
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THE SMITHEREENS TICKETS
EVENT | DATE | AVAILABILITY |
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The Smithereens Tickets 5/23 | May 23, 2024 Thu, 8:00 PM | | The Smithereens & Marshall Crenshaw Tickets 5/25 | May 25, 2024 Sat, 8:00 PM | | The Smithereens & Marshall Crenshaw Tickets 6/1 | Jun 01, 2024 Sat, 7:30 PM | | The Smithereens Tickets 11/22 | Nov 22, 2024 Fri, 7:30 PM | | The Smithereens Tickets 12/7 | Dec 07, 2024 Sat, 8:00 PM | |
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Career
Babjak, Diken, and Mesaros are all from
Carteret, New Jersey and graduated from
Carteret High School in 1975. In 1980, they joined together to form the band with DiNizio, who is from
Scotch Plains, New Jersey.
[2]
The Smithereens are known for writing and playing catchy 1960s-influenced
power pop. The group gained some publicity when a
single from its first
album, "Blood and Roses", was included on the
soundtrack for, and as the
theme song of the 1986
Albert Pyun movie,
Dangerously Close
, and the
video got some moderately heavy rotation on
MTV. The group spent some time in its initial semi-celebrity phase defending itself in
Rolling Stone
against thinly-veiled accusations of sounding too much like
The Byrds and
The Beatles, pointing out that its
Marshall Amplifier-heavy live sound was closer to
heavy metal than it was to The Beatles. The Smithereens have always worn their inspirations proudly, but the band also influenced other musicians, most notably
Kurt Cobain during the period he was writing
Nevermind
. Ironically, some feel the Smithereens (like many early 1990s bands) were hurt by the rise of
grunge music.
Along with a basic Eastern-coast roots-rock sound that owed much to the inspirations of DiNizio, including
Buddy Holly,
The Who,
The Clash,
Elvis Costello, and
Nick Lowe, the Smithereens deployed a uniquely retro obsession with
Mod, the late
British Invasion pop of
John's Children and
The Move, and other artifacts of fifties and sixties culture that lent its music substance. The title and lyrics of their song, "In a Lonely Place," appear to be based on the
1950 Humphrey Bogart film of the same name, including the lyrics, "I was born the day I met you, lived a while when you loved me, died a little when we broke apart." The title and artwork for the album
11
were a nod to the original 1960
Ocean's Eleven
film.
The Smithereens featured as the entertainment in the indoor beach party scene of the
Troma film
Class of Nuke 'Em High
, playing the song "Much Too Much".
The highest position a Smithereens album attained on the
Billboard
pop charts was in 1990, when
11
peaked at #41 on the strength of the single "A Girl Like You" (which hit #38). "A Girl Like You" was originally written to be the title track for the 1989
Cameron Crowe film
Say Anything...
. "Blood And Roses" is often credited as the bands most well known song to date.
The Smithereens have collaborated with numerous musicians, both in the studio (
Suzanne Vega and
Belinda Carlisle) and live (
Graham Parker and
The Kinks).
The name
Smithereens
comes from the famous
Yosemite Sam quote, "Varmint, I'm a-gonna blow you to smithereens!"
[3]
The group is still active and tours frequently. They appeared in front of a estimated 15,000 fans at an outside event in Rochester Minnesota on August 2, 2009. That set included all the classics along with some new songs. There also was a mixed tribute of The Who, and The Beatles music. Pat also alluded to writing some of The Smithereens songs years ago while in Rochester staying at The Kahler Hotel. He also thanked the fans for "supporting the band for over 30 years".
Their next studio album is expected to be released in fall 2009.
Members
- Pat DiNizio — Vocals, rhythm guitar
- Jim Babjak — Lead guitar, vocals
- Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion - Bass guitar, vocals
- Dennis Diken — Drums, percussion
Former members
- Mike Mesaros - Bass guitar, vocals
Discography
Studio albums
- Girls About Town
, 1980 (d-tone)
- Beauty and Sadness
, 1983 (Little Ricky Records/Capitol)
- Especially for You
, 1986 (Enigma/Capitol)
- Green Thoughts
, 1988 (Enigma/Capitol)
- 11
, 1989 (Enigma/Capitol)
- Blow Up
, 1991 (Capitol)
- A Date with the Smithereens
, 1994 (BMG/Excelsior)
- God Save the Smithereens
, 1999 (Velvel/Koch Entertainment)
- Christmas with The Smithereens
, 2007 (Koch) includes three original seasonal songs.
- Untitled Studio Album
, January 5, 2010.
Live albums
- Live
, 1987 (Restless)
- Instant Live: Music Midtown Festival Atlanta, GA 5/1/04
, 2005 (Instant Live Recordings)
- The Smithereens - Extended Versions
, 2006 (Sony BMG)
- Live At The Court: Greatest Hits and More
, 2008
Compilations
- Blown to Smithereens: Best of the Smithereens
, 1995 (Capitol Records)
- Attack of the Smithereens
, 1995 (Capitol Records)
- Best of the Smithereens
, 1998 (EMI)
- From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology
, 2004 (Capitol Records)
Soundtrack albums featuring The Smithereens
- Dangerously Close
, 1986 (Enigma)
- Burglar
, 1987 (MCA)
- I Was a Teenage Zombie
, 1987 (Capitol)
- Under the Boardwalk
, 1988 (Enigma)
- Encino Man
, 1992 (Hollywood)
- Timecop
, 1994 (RCA)
- Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
, 1997 (Hollywood)
- Boys Don't Cry
, 1999 (Koch)
- Burnzy's Last Call
, 1999 (Ripe & Ready/Cellsum Records)
Albums made completely of covers/Tribute albums
- Meet the Smithereens
, 2007 (Koch) (A tribute to The Beatles, covering the entire Meet The Beatles
album)
- B-Sides The Beatles
, 2008 (Koch) (covers of Beatles b-sides)
- The Smithereens Play Tommy
, 2009
Videography
- 10
, 1991
- The Smithereens: Live In Concert!
, 2009
Singles
Year
| Song
| Canada
| UK
| US Hot 100
| US Modern Rock
| US Mainstream Rock
| Album
|
1986
| "Blood and Roses"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 14
| Especially for You
|
"Behind the Wall of Sleep"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 23
|
1988
| "Only a Memory"
| -
| -
| 92
| -
| 1
| Green Thoughts
|
"House We Used to Live In"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 14
|
"Drown in My Own Tears"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 34
|
1989
| "A Girl Like You"
| 62
| -
| 38
| 3
| 2
| 11
|
1990
| "Blues Before and After"
| -
| -
| 94
| 18
| 7
|
"Yesterday Girl"
| 76
| -
| -
| 16
| 20
|
"Blue Period" (with Belinda Carlisle)
| -
| 99
| -
| -
| -
|
1991
| "Top of the Pops"
| 58
| -
| -
| 2
| 19
| Blow Up
|
"Tell Me When Did Things Go So Wrong"
| -
| -
| -
| 11
| 28
|
1992
| "Too Much Passion"
| 22
| -
| 37
| -
| -
|
1994
| "Miles from Nowhere"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 17
| A Date with the Smithereens
|
1998
| "Downbound Train"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen
|
References
- The Smithereens' All Music Guide Listing
- Not Fade Away: The Smithereens' Monument to Persistence
- http://www.sugarbuzzmagazine.com/bands/smithereens/smithereens.html