any "zwan" fans out here?

[derek]

ex-smashing pumpkin billy corgan's new band "zwan" just released the first video and single off their up-coming album set for release january 28th.

if you liked the pumpkins, you'll probably like his new band as well. so hop over to zwan.com and check 'em out!

www.zwan.com

[Jedi_Master_Guyute]

Derek- FYI, i'm going to steal that avator for my buddy icon.

I have been a fan of SP since 92-93. I saw Smashing Pumpkins three times during their span (97,99 and 00). I had tickets to the 2nd to last show in Chicago, but my friend sold them (LONG story). Also, the angel (holding the everlasting light) in the Machina book, yeah, i have that tattoed on my back. IF you want me to e-mail you the pic, lemme know.

As for Zwan, I was lucky enough to catch their 12/16/02 show at the Newport in Cols, OH and even though i have a few of their shows on disc, i was still blown away. You can tell that Billy and Jimmy are both having a blast and the sound is just awesome. What SP needed was that third guitar and it's finally here.

One song featured a violin and an instrument, that presumably was a keyboard, but it was set up so it wasn't quite a piano, nor an organ. Case in point: the show was awesome, the music is just phenomenal, it sounds nothing like pumpkins, but exactly what you'd expect from Billy. There was alot of jamming as well. Like one song, "Merry Star and the Sea" i believe, just jammed for like 10 min, i couldn't believe it man!!! Anyway, i can't wait to see what this band is capable of and where they go. I'm counting down the days till that CD is in my grubby little hands.

On a side note,i think it's funny how after MCIS, Pumpkins were ignored. "Adore" was a masterpiece that doesn't get the love it deserves and machina and machina II were just great records. Now that SP is done for and now Zwan is on the helm, the press is back to them. Go figure! Just my thoughts.

[derek]

i think it's funny how after MCIS, Pumpkins were ignored

i think the casual fans bolted when they went "softer". a lot of the casual fans were attracted to songs like "bullet" and "zero", and when they stoped rockin', it hurt sales, not to mention their record company abandoned them. but yea, their last three albums were awesome. it's a shame machina 2 wasn't officially released. hopefully one day it will be remastered and released.

i'm curious to see how the casual fan is going to accept the new band. corgan's voice is so unique that i'm thinking most people are going to have a hard time identifying it with the new band.

i think their new song, "honestly" picks up right where machina 1 left off, and i too can't wait to hear more of their new stuff. here's hoping they come back to texas for a few shows!

i saw the pumpkins twice in '96, once in '98 and once in '00. i had tickets to another show in '00, but didn't go because the stage lights were horrible. the band had strobes flashing behind them and spotlights shining out towards the audience that totally ruined the whole show. i could barley even see the band.

in '96 i was on the 11th row right in front of the stage. it was the best show i've ever seen. even better than springsteen, and that's saying a whole lot.

[EricRG]

gish is one of my all-time favorite albums. Siamese is great as well. Mellon Collie is OK, and I didn't care for the rest (except Pisces, which is also great).

I got to see SP 3 times as well...
1) Playing 2nd in a RHCP show that Pearl Jam opened at a hockey rink on gish tour at which they played for about an hour, played only 4 songs, and jammed the hell out of them (mostly Corgan going off with squalls of feedback).
2) In NYC with Swervedriver supporting (any fan of older SP should check them out) on the Siamese tour
3) At Lollapalooza where I was so sick I had to leave while they were playing. Big regret.

Anyways, I also am looking forward to new stuff from Corgan and hope it's good stuff.

[scruffziller]

I remember a kid had a Mission To Mars T-Shirt of them back in '93. Was that an album? And if so, how was it?

[Jedi_Master_Guyute]

Derek- Oops, i mean to say is that i saw them once in 00 on the S+P Tour. None of us could've seen them in 01', cause if memory serves, they were already split!!! Curse my typing!!!

I think Corgans voice is definately love or hate it. I think he has a really good voice for the music which he helps create. Like if you stuck his voice over a Radiohead or Phish album, it wouldn't fit. It fits just right for his forte. Yet, there are songs that his "Nasally bullet" (dubbe that in a review I did of machina) get to me. Like "Wound" for example, "You are a part of meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, eternal one" my lord, he voice just wails on it. I can't help but cringe just a bit. hehehehhe

I saw them 97 on the MCIS tour and that show just blew my mind. They opened with TAFH(Turns left, looks right) and it just rocked Cincy. They played mostly MCIS stuff that night, but it was still awesome.

99- They were testing out the new Machina stuff and granted, nobody knew it, i was still having a good time. That tour sold out very quickly (clubs) and Bogarts was a tough place to get into as it was. I nearly soiled myself when i heard "Soma" and "Geek USA" for the first time.

00- Best SP show i've been to, ever. Played alot of Machina, "Crush" off Gish (finally!) and the crown king, "Mayonaise" I still get shivers down my spine listening to that show and hearing that opening note on his guitar and the thunderous roar of the crowd. I also loved how they kinda redid songs like "Blank Page" and "1979" (Jimmy on guitar!) as well. All around great show. Also, being like 8 feet from the stage (pit) really didn't hurt.

Lastly, i have an autograph from Mr. Corgan as well. Here's the story: My brother called me up one day in late 2001 and told me. "hey, mike sup little bro?" "fine chris, how's chicago?" "Good good. Say, i met somebody today. Somebody you'd know..." and i'm just half and half listening to him, like "yeah, i meet people too chris, glad to hear you're out there making friends!" he laughs and reples, "no, somebody you'd love to meet" and i just stop. Now, we're from Chicago, Pumpkins are from Chicago, chris lives in chicago and I wanna say Billy, but i don't, cause i know it's who he met. So, i just start naming off musicians i love, "thom yorke?" "nope" "Adam Duritz?" "nope" "Dave matthews?" "nope" "Chris, did you meet Billy?" "Yup, i did!!" Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Here's how it went down:
Chris was up shopping at the virgin megastore in downtown Chicago....he was doing his thing and he noticed a very tall man wearing a black winterish hat and really didn't think nothing of it, until he saw a kid go up to him, get an autograph and run off. He looked closer and realized, yeah, that's Billy. Knowing i'm a huge SP fan, he realized that if he met him and didn't get an autograph for me, his number would be up, he goes to Mr. Corgan, introduces himself, says he's a fan (he kinda is, casual fan) and says that "My little brother is a huge fan of the Pumpkins. Has been for many years" and Billy smiles and says Thanks or whatever and chris asks him maybe if he can get an autograph for me. Zing!!! Billy loving his fans (the stories i've herad of this mans generosity are mind blowing) says yeah, sure, no problem, so chris busts out his wallet, looking for a card or something for him to sign. Billy's friend says to my brother, "Dude, is that one of those magic wallets?" Now, i dunno if anybody has seen these things, but they're nutty, they're like two boards and string and when you put something in one part of the wallet, if you move it properly, the location of the item changes to another part of the wallet. So, chris says "yeah, it is" and Billy asks for a demonstration and my brother does it for him and they all have a good chuckle. So, Billy signs the back of my brothers business card, Chris says pleasure to meet you, billy says the same, thanks him and that was that.

Wow, just wow. I had the card pinned to my wall underneath my "Tonight Tonight" poster in columbus for a while, but now since I Moved, it's packed neatly away in my room in Troy.

P.S.- i dunno about him finally getting a hot bass player dude!! Paz is a hottie, but Melissa. my lord in heaven. Dave Grohl is one lucky lucky man!!

[derek]

cool story. corgan probably has the best kind of fame. he's rich and somewhat famous to a certain group of people who know his music, but he's not so famous that he can't go out in public. if i had to choose, i'd take his kind of fame anyday over an elvis-type of celebrity status.

yea, about '00 vs. '01, i was trying to recall when it was i last saw them. my years may be off as well, but i saw them when they were on tour for MCIS, adore and machina.

i'm not up on the music scene. is grohl dating melissa or did she join the foo fighters?

[Jedi_Master_Guyute]

From what i last heard, Grohl is dating Melissa. I don't think she'll join Foo any time soon, granted, Pat left, but they already got a bassist. Plus, it's always bad news to put a g/f in the band. Just creates the tension!

[QLD]

I really liked MCIS, and Siamese Dream. I even have the one released in 2000. Though I didn't listen to it much. I will have to give Zwan a try.

[Exhaust Port]

I just watch the online video. I'm definately intrigued. I was a fan SP fan until Adore. I loved the first 2 albums but it was a slow decline for me after that.