Cover Story: Smoking Popes • For The Love of the Game

 

When Smoking Popes entered Solid Sound Studios in Hoffman Estates in 1994 to record the follow-up to their debut album Get Fired, there were no expectations. There was no pressure from the label to deliver a “hit record.” They just had a bunch of songs they wanted to record. So, they made a record they wanted to with one goal in mind: to have fun. They had no idea that the result would be their breakthrough album, Born to Quit.

Shortly after its release, they got a boost from another punk rock band on the rise: Green Day. After name-dropping Smoking Popes in interviews, the punk rock trio invited them to open their Chicago show at the Vic Theatre on the Dookie tour. Frontman Josh Caterer still credits Green Day for helping them get noticed.

“We were one of those bands Green Day was talking about, which is what brought attention to us. So, we really have to thank Green Day for getting the ball rolling and giving our career a boost at the time. They were a crucial part of that. Playing that show with them was awesome. I mean, they’re just a great live band. I remember them being wonderful, friendly guys. Just really nice and personable and approachable. I have nothing but love for Green Day.”

The shout-out from Green Day worked. Mainstream rock started taking notice of Smoking Popes. Soon, they began touring with Elastica, Tripping Daisy, and Goo Goo Dolls. Their song “Need You Around” became a hit on alternative stations like Chicago’s Q101 and LA’s KROQ. Magazines like Spin, Alternative Press, and NME began hyping up the band. The ongoing buzz helped them ink a deal with Capitol Records. This attracted more attention as their songs were featured on the Clueless, Angus, and Tommy Boy movie soundtracks. Caterer admits it was an exciting but challenging time for the band.

“I remember it feeling very strange. The fact that [Born to Quit] ended up being caught up in that ’90s alternative rock movement and everything that went along with it felt surreal. It’s hard to explain how it felt. It was like being on a different planet suddenly, being flown out to California to talk to record labels and being wined and dined. It felt like we were living in some sort of movie.”

This discomfort followed the band in the studio for their next album, 1997’s Destination Failure. The newfound attention added a lot of pressure on the band. Caterer didn’t find the recording process as carefree as it had been in the past.

“It was a pretty difficult experience. I don’t think we handled the pressure of it very well. I mean, I’m proud of that album, but it wasn’t as fun and carefree to make as it was on **Born to Quit. I have a very positive memory of making that record. There was a kind of purity to it. We were just making it for us because we loved it.”

The band struggled with living up to outside expectations while making the music they wanted. It became more difficult to do their own thing. “I think it was a collective feeling of cognitive dissonance about what was happening in our lives. We were struggling with an identity crisis as far as having been this very DIY punk band that always did things without regard to whatever was happening in the mainstream. We didn’t care about that.

“Suddenly, we find ourselves operating in a somewhat corporate environment and having a hard time finding ourselves in that situation and knowing who we are. I think a little bit of that struggle comes through on that album. There’s a different feeling on Destination Failure. Grasping with what it means to be a person and existential questions I wasn’t really touching on Born to Quit.”

Dissatisfied with the album, Capitol dropped Smoking Popes from the label later that year. The band broke up after fulfilling their contract with 1998’s **The Party’s Over. It is yet another promising band that met its fate at the hands of eager record labels, signing any alternative band in a quest to find the next big thing. So, the band was done. But their legacy kept growing. Bands like Alkaline Trio, Bayside, and Fall Out Boy cited them as influences. Even Morrissey sang their praises, something Caterer still can’t get over.

“I still can’t quite get my mind around that Morrissey thing (laughs). It’s like finding out Spider-Man is into your band (laughs). He’s not even real. I met him and was like, you’re not a real guy. You’re wearing a costume. It’s nice to be affirmed like that, to be part of this circle of life where you grow up listening to music, and your life is changed by it, and then have your music touch other people. It’s this ongoing succession of creative inspiration that’s being passed around. It’s cool to be a part of.”

Deciding the party wasn’t over just yet, the band reunited in 2005 and haven’t looked back since. Though Smoking Popes had hardships, Born to Quit remains a bright spot. Born to Quit is a fun record,” says Caterer. “It was a little more lighthearted. I was mostly listening to oldies and Frank Sinatra records, things like that, and trying to write versions of old Sinatra songs that sounded like punk songs. That was kind of the whole approach there and just having fun with it.”

Caterer got to relive that joy when he and the band took a page from Taylor Swift’s book and re-recorded the album last year at Bombsight Recording Studio in Bloomington, Illinois in front of a small audience of 60 fans. For Caterer, it was a magical night that allowed him to see the album’s impact on longtime fans. “It was an audience of people who obviously had some kind of a relationship with this album,” he recalls. “These were people who had been listening to these songs for a long time. This music meant something to them, and they brought a certain energy into the room. It was just a room full of people who all had this glowing smile on their faces the whole time.”

“It was amazing to know we made something that stuck with people, and they’re still listening to it all these years later. When you make an album, you don’t know if people are going to like it or if it’s going to have an impact on them. You try not to worry about that when you’re recording. You just focus on trying to create something that’s meaningful to you and not get preoccupied with how it’s going to be received. There is something amazing knowing it touched people’s hearts. It’s beautiful. I was really grateful to have had that experience. I would definitely do it again. We’re talking about doing it with other albums as well.”

Caterer hopes to recapture some of that magic on tour this spring when they perform **Born To Quit in full, along with songs from their upcoming album, **Lovely Stuff, out in April. Though it was made 30 years after their breakthrough record, the album’s spirit is the same. Similar to their early DIY days, they entered the studio with no expectations, no deadlines to live up, no pressure from outside voices. Instead, they wrote and recorded the album two songs at a time over two years.

“This one took a long time to make because we would take longer breaks between sessions. Considering that was our approach to recording, I think the final product is surprisingly cohesive,” says Caterer. “When I listen to all the songs together now, they feel like they’re meant to be together. Maybe that just says something about where we’re at as a band these days.”

They could work at their own pace until they were satisfied with the record. Maybe this is why the band sounds so revitalized, energetic, and upbeat on their eighth record. It doesn’t sound like you’re listening to a world-weary band that has been through the wringer. Instead, the band sounds even more lively and vibrant than they did 30 years ago.

“The energy between the band members was very positive,” says Caterer. “After all these years, our way of working together, developing arrangements, and coming up with different parts for a song has an ease to it. We’ve figured out how to work well together and encourage each other to be creative. I think our music has become more interesting to listen to over the years because we’re putting more nuances into the songs as far as instrumentation and the way we play. I’m excited about it. I’m proud of it.”

This positive energy is felt throughout the album, even down to its title, which is the polar opposite of their previous album, Into the Agony. Lovely Stuff references a club show performance in Northwich, where the crowd began chanting, “Lovely stuff! Lovely stuff!” It reminded Caterer that there are still a lot of lovely things left in a world that feels so ugly. Though he didn’t know it then, this was one of the driving themes behind the new album.

“It wasn’t necessarily a conscious choice, but it happened naturally because that’s how we feel about things, and that’s how I’m thinking about life now. As a songwriter, I’m trying to be aware of negative forces around us that seem to encourage us to feel outraged, frustrated, and defeated. You have to find within yourself this determination not to completely give in to the darkness of all that. Not to allow yourself to be consumed by negativity. Not to become hopeless.”

Easier said than done, but connecting with people, like his bandmates, helps Caterer combat those feelings. “It’s tricky, but it helps if we stick together. To me, the four of us making this album feels like our attempt to find some strength and comfort in our relationships with each other. Then as we present this work to the world, maybe the people that interact with this music and come to see us play can experience a sense of connectedness that can be helpful to all of us because we need it.”

He also finds that connection by performing on stage, which helps him stay in the present moment. “There’s something about performing live in front of people that makes it easier to [stay present]. I think that’s also true if you’re in the audience. There’s something about live music that connects you to the moment and makes you present in a shared experience with other people that I really love and think is important.”

This feeling of connecting with people at shows is captured on the new single “Golden Moment.” The opening line “Life can be beautiful/when you’re in love with life itself” was inspired by the people Caterer encountered at shows. People you’ll most likely never see again, yet someone you shared a special moment with.

“When I wrote the song, I was envisioning the interactions that happen at a concert and the fact that I am encountering people I may never see again,” says Caterer. “But that exchange of energy that takes place at a concert between the performer and the audience and everyone there together, we’re all sharing something. We’re all there for that specific time, all part of one organism that is plugged into the same energy source. It’s beautiful and transcendent. It’s a present moment we can all savor together. It’s also a temporary reprieve from worrying about the horror we’re finding out about on these little devices we carry.”

Tying into the album’s overarching theme of not losing hope in an ugly world is a cover of Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow.” This isn’t a surprise for longtime fans. The band has covered Garland on past albums. It wasn’t until recently that they began performing the iconic song to close out their shows. It created a beautiful moment for the band and gave them the confidence to record a studio version in a way that’s still Smoking Popes yet didn’t come off as embarrassing.

“We tried to do it in a way that felt like us but where we wouldn’t be embarrassing ourselves, especially for me. I just wanted to do a halfway decent job [singing] because the version of it everyone knows was sung by the greatest singer of all time. You can’t compete with Judy Garland’s voice. When she sang a song, it was hers forever. There’s something about the melody of the song that taps into something emotional for everyone. It’s a very powerful, almost perfectly written melody in and of itself. The older she got, the more emotional power her vocals had. There are versions of it when she’s in her forties where her voice starts to crack, and she’ll cry a little bit. There’s this gut-wrenching quality that’s incredible. I didn’t cry on my version of it; I just tried to channel Judy as much as I could.”

Caterer admits he’s kind of “obsessed” with the Hollywood icon. A big fan of old black-and-white movies, he considers Garland “the greatest entertainer we’ve seen” for her talent beyond acting. She was a fantastic singer and a great dancer. She knew how to make you cry and keep you laughing. But what resonates the most with Caterer is how she put her heart into everything she touched.

“When you compare her to other actresses of her day, there was a kind of earnestness and a vulnerability to her on-screen [performance] that seems timeless. Other actors behave in a way that seems specific to that time, like Cary Grant, who I think is wonderful, but nobody would act like that now. But Judy is doing something that is universal. She puts her heart and soul out there on display. Whenever I see her in a movie or hear her singing, it resonates on a deep level.”

Determined to stay positive in an ugly world, Caterer and the rest of the band are excited about the next chapter. A lot has changed since the release of their breakthrough album, but they’re in a good place now. They’re still doing what they love – making new music without the pressure and demand of A&R suits and record executives. Despite the numerous challenges they’ve faced – being dropped from Capitol, personal struggles, breaking up – they keep making music because they can’t imagine doing anything else.

“You [make music] because you have to. If I didn’t do it, I would be miserable. If that creative spark is in there, it’s got to come out. It’s got to express itself in whatever way works for you, whether you’re a painter, a filmmaker, a writer, a graphic artist, whatever your creative form is. I’ve gone through periods in my life when I stepped away from it and wasn’t touring or in bands. And I felt this itch that nothing else would scratch to the point where it drove me crazy. And I just had to start doing it again. I would be in trouble if I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Though Caterer has been reflecting on the past 30 years, he’s also looking forward and thinking about what lies ahead for the band. And though Smoking Popes have achieved a lot throughout their career, there’s still one thing Caterer wants to check off the list.

“It would be my dream to go on tour opening for Elvis Costello. When I was in my 20s, there was a year where the only thing I listened to in my car was a cassette of Elvis Costello and the Attractions album Trust. I just left the cassette in there, and it would get to the end, flip over, and play on the other side. I’ve never played with Elvis Costello. I’ve never met him. If I ever did, I would probably start crying (laughs).”

Even with all the peaks and valleys that come with being in a band, it’s an experience he doesn’t take for granted. Instead of being bitter about things that didn’t work out and the struggles he had to overcome, Caterer looks back on it to stay grounded and to remind him why he got into this business in the first place.

“To love the act of making music for its own sake. To be making that music with a band that all feel the same way about it. To always remember I’m not actually doing this to be successful, whatever that looks like. I’m not doing it to make a certain amount of money or sell a certain number of albums, or be on the Grammys or any of that. I’m doing this because I love it.

You have to try to remember these things because if you go through a period of success where you’re getting a lot of attention, you can get hooked on that feeling, and you can become convinced that that’s what it’s about. If that starts to go away, you can buy into the idea that you’re washed up. You’re done. We’ve been through a few of those eras where there was more momentum around the band than at other times. That comes and goes, but you’re not washed up until you’re dead. I have a certain creative voice that needs to be expressed. That’s why I’m here.”

Lovely Stuff arrives on April 4 via Anxious and Angry.

-Ashley Perez Hollingsworth

Tags: Ashley Perez Hollingsworth, Eli Caterer, featured, Josh Caterer, Matt Caterer, Mike Felumlee, Smoking Popes

Category: Cover Story, Featured