Jimmy Chamberlin News (Weekly Round-Up)

As promised - here's some stuff > 

1.  Frank Catalano says that the shows him and Jimmy played in Chicago earlier this year have been filmed and not only that but him Jimmy are going back to the studio (doink) to record even more new music. 

2. As part of CIMMFEST - Jimmy will be appearing on a panel entitled "Live Streaming: From Consumption to Cache" on Saturday, May 3rd at 1:30 - 3:00PM (murica Time).  One presumes the panel itself will be live-streamed somewhere, though I can't see mention of it on the festival page.  Anyway,  this is in addition to Chamberlin's performance in his new band "Mary Shelly" and their scoring of the classic Battleship Potempkin.

3. In contrast Jimmy gives Tyson Meade's track Dusty Come Up for Air some old school bombast.  Chamberlin features on 3 of the forthcoming album's 10 tracks.

4. The day you have all been waiting for is here; Jimmy will be heading down to Vic's Drum Shop on the 23rd of April to celebrate REMO-DAY!

And lastly,   following the disappointment that the most recent Smashing Pumpkins' announcement wasn't the triumphant return of Jimmy to his throne  - in a series of rambling and vague posts, it has become apparent that Billy Corgan is using drum machines to write the parts for the next "Smashing Pumpkins" album.  Here's hoping this 'new' (re: old) approach to demoing yields more interesting results than those of Oceania- "Hey Mike, try and play like Jimmy might ok?"

Frank and Jim 'do some Jazz' (April 14)

Battleship Chamberlin...

Sorry for the headline and apologies that there's not been much happening here of late.  I'm afraid that ain't going to change any-time soon.   Anyway, to cut a long story shot - I might take the blog to a weekly round up kind of format rather than try and post stuff "as it happens", I just ain't really got the time to search for stuff on a regular basis anymore.

So I know in the last couple of weeks, Jimmy actually seems to have been doing some relatively cool stuff with drums again and we have 2 new albums to look forward to coming out later this year that feature his licks.

So that's where we are. 

And this is what Jimmy has lined up next;

On May 2nd, Scott Lucas will team up with drummer Jimmy Chamberlin (formerly of The Smashing Pumpkins) and bassist Matt Ulery under the band name Mary Shelley for a unique live performance during CIMM (Chicago International Music & Movies Fest). The trio will score Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 silent film masterpiece “Battleship Potemkin” at 1st Ward (2033 W. North Ave.). More information about CIMM here: http://cimmfest.org/cimmfest-2014-initial-line-up-announcement/. Lucas, a film buff who also writes about movies for Chicagoist (see his work here:  http://chicagoist.com/profile/Scott_lucas), jumped at the chance to combine two of his biggest passions.

http://www.alternativenation.net/?p=45106

This is rather intriguing.  Should be cool to hear.

Here's them playing at some charity do at the Metro last year

Anyway, that's all for now.

Catch you later.

Cheers.

Jimmy Chamberlin NEWS

Yes, it's true.

We actually have some actual news

1: Chamberlin will playing some more shows with Frank Catalano, in support of their forthcoming album

2: We asked Tyson Meade for an update on his album (feat Jimmy) and he delivered.  Intriguingly, the most recent* addition to Belly Corgan's persona non grata list, Bongo-Master and 'studiodog' Kerry Brown, is producing the record;

From the Kickstarter update: "The good news is that I go to LA next week to finish mixing the record with my pal Kerry Brown who just worked on the upcoming Afghan Whigs record.  The release date is April 22nd. Jimmy Chamberlain contributed three drum tracks to the record. To say that I got emotional when i heard the tracks he contributed is an understatement. They are GODLIKE! Hail all to Jimmy..."

*no official word that the current hiatus of the Smashing Pumpkins represents the addition to the list we're all hoping for.  But here we remain eternally optimistic that it's indicative that Corgan has finally come to his senses and fired Byrne.   

Jimmy Chamberlin Wraps Recording on New Album

The album Jimmy Chamberlin has been working on with Frank Catalano and Percy Jones is in the bag. Since announcing on Friday the 15th of November that he was "Up early this morning to set up drums for a recording session with Jimmy Chamberlin... [who is] tracking a new album" drum tech extraordinaire Vic Salazar has been keeping us updated with a couple of photos here and there.  Today he reports that the recording session has wrapped;  "It's all done. Time to mix!". 

For those of you scratching your heads regarding the kit Chamberlin has been snapped playing, no he hasn't re-signed with Yamaha - he's just playing the studio's kit.  Interestingly, to me at least, in none of the photos that I've seen posted has [standard] close-miking been evident.  I'll speculate a little here - but judging by the musicians, coupled with the ambient miking - I'm getting the distinct impression that this is going to be quite an improvisational jazz record...  Unless they've been rehearsing for months of course and lest we forget Life Begins Again took what 40 odd days to write and record, with only 10 days in the studio proper...

Anyway, I'll keep you posted as we learn more.

Hipsters United

They are the site the Smashing Pumpkins deserve, but not the one it needs right now.

A little over a year after Blamo closed it's doors, the ladies and gentlemen over at HU have called an end to its 5 year reign as the most rational, balanced and informative source of Smashing Pumpkins news, rumours, reviews and analysis out there.

It will be sorely missed.

I wish them all the best in whatever they do both in this world, and that other real one.

Cheers.

Jimmy Chamberlin Re-Joins Smashing Pumpkins

(Again, Again, Again)

Just got word that Jimmy Chamberlin has re-joined Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins.  Sources close to the band report that following a serendipitous invite to the true-fan only ‘Amazon Listening Party’ for the Smashing Pumpkin’s forthcoming album,  Oceania, Chamberlin was so awestruck by the quality of the recording that he reached out to former bandmaster Corgan and tabled a deal to re-join the outfit.   

Sources reveal that Chamberlin privately cited many reasons for his return to fold; “it’s been too long… it’s totally driven by a desire to not sound anything like ‘classic pumpkins’ and to explore totally new ground… It’s all about the cash… I just love wrestling and tea and so does Billy…my shaman told me to do it… Teargarden has been an unmitigated success so far – it's the best release method ever”.

However, the official announcement, announced over at Smashing Pumpkins.com states Chamberlin’s true motivation:

"I want Corgan’s dreams, his songs and his band back together..."   

"...I have waved any creative input and final say on everything, it will be, and rightly so, all Billy's. This is a make or break year for the band and only securing the best marketing deal will ensure the bands future, not the music.”

When asked by the "gatekeepers" of Smashing Pumpkins fandom, oddly comment disabled site Crestfallen.com, about the specific moment he realised he wished to reconcile his musical ideology with Billy’s own, Chamberlin explains;

“It was about 7 or 8 tracks into the new record. In each track I heard the drums doing things I have done in other songs or pretty much would do - given the chance.  I kept thinking, this in an odd bastardisation of my originality as an Artist and if Billy wanted to just get someone in to play like me, why not pick, say Matt Walker.  He actually did it OK”.  He continues “I figured that; if they’ve got a new guy in and he’s just going to approximate what I’d do, but so incredibly poorly I can’t really comprehend it, I should probably just do it myself”.  

Chamberlin continues, “I was quietly optimistic that Billy would move forward in new musical directions, as he always used to try and one of the reasons I used to love the band, but now my priorities have changed & it’s why I’m back in; I am all about living in the past now. I am the difference, I am the 97%.  I realised that touring on ‘Rat in a Cage’ into my 60’s, is my real dream future”, gushes Chamberlin.

Talking about the future, for the handful of you out there wondering about the prospects of drumming tyke Mike Bryne, unfortunately the one and only music pundit who was in the slightest bit bothered by his dismissal, didn't have much hope;

“Even if my life depended on it, and I had Bonham, Moon and Rich as my phone-a-friends, I couldn’t pick this guys style out of a line-up of 5 ‘mathrock’ drummers."

Bryne, tweeted his disappointment at his inevitable dismissal; “shit. I dun goofed #imitationnotnecessarilythesincerestformofflattery”. 

In other news...

Smashing Pumpkins to reissue and release new old stuff: Head to HU for the lowdown

SKYSAW - GREAT CIVILIZATIONS STREAMING

http://recordstoreday.com/CustomPage/1070

I love this:

http://soundcloud.com/skysawmusic/am-i-second/s-ScmpM

It is Official - Chamberlin Signs with DW

Jimmy Chamberlin would like to announce that he is now playing Drum Workshop!

"After 18 years at Yamaha I have decided to move on. I feel that DW is the company that can take me, and my evolution as an artist, to the next level. They are truly an amazing company that are at the forefront of innovation and are making huge leaps in the advancement of the instrument. I feel like I have found a home with like minded people who are just as obsessed with drums as I am! I wish everyone at Yamaha the best and thank all of you for 18 great years."

Skysaw Live... ?

"Skysaw (project of Mr. Jimmy Chamberlin of The Smashing Pumpkins) added March 28th!"

So right after Jimmy gets back from Japan, looks like we'll be seeing the live début of SKYSAW... Well, according to this (the only source I have seen) - It's not listed on the venue's site yet anyway...

Great Civilizations - Not listed on iTunes no more.

THIS - Great Civilizations has disappeared itself from iTunes a day after it is released.
Thanks to xforewarnedx and Jonk over at the mighty HU for the heads up.

It appears that it is still available over at AMAZON, for US customers only...

That is all.

The New THIS EP is Out

I gots to go to work. But you can get it on iTunez or Amazon (if in US) - no sign at Bandcamp!?- hope it's good...

Oh, if you want further info, don't bother with the website yet - i'm led to believe there was a last minute rethink on the design...

Shamonic Beats???

So, this geezer - 'Shaman Durek' tweeted something interesting the other day -

In studio recording vocals for Jimmy Chamberlin for new meditations.Get ready for something wild. Shabbat Shalom.... Live Love Relax

First I've heard of this and as I'm most 100% sure the THIS record is done, I don't know what this is exactly. It appears that Jimmy is one of this dude's clients... That's all I know.

I guess more music from Jimmy, whatever form it may take, can't be bad, can it...???

On the Brink of This...

A Look Inside: The Brink Studio

In the first in their series of "music geek pieces", Better Propaganda  brings us some shots of a studio called The Brink. The space is owned by Mike Reina.  Jimmy Chamberlin and Mike just finished recording the new THIS record there. Although, it appears to me that not all of the album was recorded there... Anyway, here's some words, from Mike and some piccys. Be sure to visit Better Propaganda for the full set of photos and texts....

Mike Reina: "Aside from the obligatory 4 tracking in high school and college, my recording experience was mostly limited to digital until my band got an MCI 1" 8 track. I hate to admit that a machine could have the power to change my life, but there is more than enough evidence in the racks to conclude that It did.

Since then, I have been assembling, disassembling and reassembling my studio with an obligation to keep all of this aging technology alive. There are plenty of people fighting that fight, but I feel an unnerving awareness that it will all slip away somehow, and that it's just a matter of time before it reaches relic status. As melodramatic as all of this sounds, I swear that I am not an analog snob!

I think digital platforms are great, but early on, I stumbled across the realization that the main benefit of tape wasn't it's great, vibrant sound. It was the edge of the canvas that it drew...the guardrail at the side of the highway. Limitation became my favorite influence on creativity. I began to see how limitation had guided my hand in all that I did leading up to this point in my life.

I graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Architectural Design and there, too, limitation was a driving force acting on my work. Recording with a tape machine felt like an extension of the creative process that had been slowly etching a path in my mind since school. In comparison, recording to Pro Tools felt like jumping off a cliff into a vast, blank sky. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face because the limitlessness was blinding.

I got along great with this old gear until one night, the tape wouldn't stop rolling...literally. If I was going to continue working with vintage equipment, I knew I would have to learn how to maintain it. To my own annoyance, I became rather obsessive about it.

The studio is centered around a 42 channel 1978 MCI JH-500 series console. I love this desk because it has Jensen input transformers for the microphones, output transformers, and a four band inductor based EQ section using switches instead of pots for frequency selection and boost/cut. I soldered everything in the studio directly to the back of the console. I record to an MCI JH-24 16 and 24 track depending on the song or project. I mix to an Ampex ATR-100 1/2" 2 track. My tube compressor/limiter collection includes a Gates SA-39B, Gates Sta Level, RCA 86A-1, Collins 26U-1, Collins 26W, (5) Federal AM-864/U, GE Unilevel, (2) Fairchild Model C. I built (2) 1176 clones, and adapted (2) Russian made tube EQs. I recapped and in many cases rebuilt all of the vintage gear in the studio."

Today

We learn that a certain record is being mastered ;)

Cure JM Win Pepsi Refresh Bid

Sorry for being a little late on this one, but I wasn't able to link this tweet;

Jimmy Chamberlin needs YOU: help him get funding to end Juvenile Myositis, a blood disease affecting his son. http://4wrd.it/JimmyChamberlin

from Yamaha Drums last night.  

Anyway, the good news it the charity, Cure JM Foundation, have won their bid for $250,000 from the Pepsi Refresh Project. So good work everybody who voted on behalf of the Chamberlin family and everyone else affected by the condition.

In case, you hadn't heard of this rare and debilitating auto-immune disease before, go to the Cure JM Website, take a look and perhaps show your support.

__________________________________________________________________

Update: 20:09

From Official Yamaha Drums Facebook;

"A sincere "THANK YOU" to the fantastic brotherhood of drummers and musicians for helping us fund JDM research! It is an honour to be part of such a strong community and I am touched to the bottom of my heart with the response that we received from all of you! God Bless all of you!!!!!!!! Jimmy Chamberlin"

GISH DAY !!!

Chamberlin's Gish Snare and a Smashing Pumpkins Gish Box-Set

Ahh, the good old free-floater. 

Turns out that the guy who picked up Chamberlin's Zeitgeist kit also got a hold of the [missing] part of Jimmy's Gish era kit at the same place...

According to Mekong56, the store, who contacted Jimmy, explained that the snare was used both to tour subsequent to the release of Gish and on the album itself.  Read the rest of this story over at the Pearl Drummers Forum.

In other news, good old, Billy Corgan, mentions in a new video interview that he is still working on releasing a Gish Box Set to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary (next year).  But there's only one thing stopping it now. The evil fat cats at EMI aren't letting him do it. So, he's asked for some help - go show you support for the project here. Seriously, please do. 

Musicians still need labels...

Just thought this was quite interesting; http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/investing_in_music.html

Linda Strawberry comments on Chamberlin's "departure" from Smashing Pumpkins

Earlier today, Linda Strawberry (famed Corgan hanger-on and 'artist') thought it wise to join in the contentious discussion, on The Smashing Pumpkins' Official Message Board, following the publication of the exposé, Billy requested, in this months' Rolling Stone.  She then saw fit to remove her comments...  

However, living in this day in age, nothing is deleted from the internet;

She first posted

... [Jimmy] battles alot of demons. It was hard to be away from his gorgeous wife and kids. The 'dream' of what its like to tour and do all of that is nothing like the reality... I also think the 'road' makes it near impossible for you if you are battling old demons - so its probably not the best place to spend your time if you wanna stay sober...

Followed shortly by,

...if you just profile [Jimmy] = here's a guy who lived on the very outer edge for years - raced fast cars - has died and come back to life - overdosed - done everything imaginable - um.. of course he has a destructive streak! everyone knows that. the stories about jimmy are legendary on par with any other rock legend. its amazing he is still alive!... It's the hardest thing to go from that to sober, stable, married father. Of course he's going to face some major ups and downs.

What exactly the purpose of these comments were, seems somewhat unclear... There seems to be a leaning towards suggesting that Jimmy had or was relapsing?

Fired or not from the Smashing Pumpkins, one can only surmise that Jimmy is glad to be away from the kind of people who speculate & insinuate things about his personal life, so freely and thoughtlessly, in the public arena.

(Update 19:17 - 07/03/10)
Stawberry is back on the Smashing Pumpkins message board, and states ;

I was in no way implying Jimmy had relapsed leading up to him departing SP. 

So there.

'Not From Here' - featuring, you guessed it, Jimmy Chamberlin

Anyone paying attention to JC's cohorts of the 'Jimmy Chamberlin Complex' will be please to learn that guitarist Gannin Arnold has, finally, released his debut album 'Not From Here'.

Jimmy features on the title track and one other - 'Get On With It' currently streaming over on Gannin's Myspace

Buy the album here if you want

For old times' sake, Jimmy Chamberlin Complex rocks Allan Holdsworth's Fred: