This Week in the Mercury

Pacing the Drama

Film

Pacing the Drama

The Rippling Effects of A Separation


A Different Drum

Music

A Different Drum

Neal Morgan Follows First Impulses



  |  

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Music It's True. The New Smashing Pumpkin is a Kid from Beaverton

Posted by Ezra Ace Caraeff on Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 7:52 AM

mike_byrne_skysaxon.jpg

It was gossip a few months ago when we blogged about it, but now it's official: Mike Byrne, the 19-year-old from Beaverton, is the new Smashing Pumpkins drummer. Is Portland music the new farm team for national acts? Will an 18-year-old from Troutdale be the new D'arcy? Will the band's announcement refer to Beaverton as Portland?

So many questions. Let's ask the Blinking With Fists of press releases:

BILLY CORGAN [why does he get ALL CAPS when no one else does?—Ed.] has announced that Mike Byrne has joined THE SMASHING PUMPKINS as their new drummer. The 19-year-old Portland, OR native will make his debut with the band on the Pumpkins’ next album—about which a major announcement is expected in September—and tour. “I’m super excited to be playing with the band,” says Byrne. “Dream come true, man.”

Byrne—who’s played in such indie Portland bands as Moses, Smell The Roses and the Mercury Tree—heard about the Pumpkins’ open call for a new drummer on the Internet this past April and submitted his materials. Byrne was immediately called to attend an audition in Los Angeles, where Corgan liked what he heard—a lot. “We didn’t actually play songs at the audition,” says Byrne. “We just kind of jammed for about 15 minutes and then talked about Fugazi for the other 15 or so minutes.”

19-year-old kids still listens to Fugazi? Wait, Billy Corgan has heard of Fugazi?

Byrne will join Billy at six solo Southern California small club dates August 26-31 with special guests Spirits in the Sky—the band Billy assembled to play at a tribute show in Los Angeles at the Echoplex in July for late Seeds frontman Sky Saxon. Spirits in the Sky includes Mark Tulin of The Electric Prunes and Kerry Brown of Catherine and the Ancient Chinese Secrets.

The most bizarre thing about all of this is that one of the "small club dates" includes a show at San Diego's Che Cafe, a long-running vegan co-op that I booked for years. The Che is impossibly small—and punk as fuck—so the idea that Corgan and a Sky Saxon tribute (named after a Norman Greenbaum song) will be standing on that tiny stage is making my head hurt.

End Hits: My dad was at the Saxon memorial and said Corgan's band was "cool." So there you go.

 

Comments (7) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
1
Poor kid
Posted by D on August 18, 2009 at 8:12 AM · Report
2
LOVE Fugazi, but then again, I'm 37, not 19.
Posted by Brian Libby on August 18, 2009 at 9:51 AM · Report
3
People who live in Beaverton are STUPID and COMMUNISTS and they HATE FUN and FREEDOM and and...

OH GOD WHY DID WE HAVE TO MOVE HERE? *stares out the window and silently curses the Wendy's and Big Lots across the street*
Posted by kiala on August 18, 2009 at 10:11 AM · Report
4
I like that they hired someone physically incapable of growing an ironic beard.
Posted by tomasyalba on August 18, 2009 at 10:25 AM · Report
5
Kiala, Yeah why did you HAVE to move there? And why can't you curse out loud?

Anyway, uh yeah, that's really really weird that they're playing at the Che.
Posted by ROM on August 18, 2009 at 12:03 PM · Report
6
Sure hope that kid remembers 'Gish' cause' Billy Corgan acts like he doesn't with the direction their that music went. The thought of a 19 year old listening to Fugazi I can handle but Billy Corgan? He should listen to more of it, like, a lot more of it. The kid could be a good influence since Billy only writes with his drummer.
Posted by LokNaar on August 18, 2009 at 1:20 PM · Report
7
He looks 14. No wonder Billy Corgan hired him.
Posted by Billy and Sam have much in common on August 18, 2009 at 6:46 PM · Report

Add a comment

Our Friends

Our Enemies

/images/adoftheweek.gif

ad of the day

The Handyman Pro - Your Honey-Do Specialist
Don’t let our name fool you. The Handyman Pro, LLC is a repair and remodel service provider with over 25-years experience. We cover all aspects of construction and repairs for residential and commercial clients.go


post an ad

All contents © Index Newspapers, LLC

115 SW Ash St. Suite 600
Portland, OR 97204

Contact Info | Privacy Policy | Production Guidelines | Terms of Use