http://www.facebook.com/blamo.org/posts/10150191019267617
Could the original Pumpkins line-up ever reunite?
Corgan: ... Jimmy [Chamberlin] and I aren't enemies – he's just off doing what he wants to do, as he should. There's not super bad blood between me and Jimmy that we'd never get on stage again. But I cannot in any way, shape, or form ever envision standing on a stage, playing music again with James [Iha] and D'arcy [Wretzky].
"Trained as a jazz drummer, Chamberlin's style is integral to The Smashing Pumpkins. Propelling songs with intensity, quick snare rolls and flourishes. He is a master of unleashing dynamics with the lightest of touch. He has also been very active doing drum clinics, and playing with his own band - The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex.*i can't find an update on the site later than 2009 and the last tweet was sent May 2010 anyway.
Top 5 tracks:
1. Cherub Rock (The Smashing Pumpkins)
2. Geek USA (The Smashing Pumpkins)
3. Tales Of A Scorched Earth (The Smashing Pumpkins)
4. Tonight, Tonight (The Smashing Pumpkins)
5. Cranes Of Prey (The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex )
Corgan Tweets:Pre-order the début record from Jimmy Chamberlin, Mike Reina and Anthony Pirog (produced by Roy Thomas Baker) on MP3, CD and Vinyl - right here: http://store.dangerbirdrecords.com/products/great-civilizations
JC's new band Skysaw http://soundcloud.com/skysawmusic/sets/great-civilizations/s-ScmpM
"Major @smashingpumpkin announcement this coming Tuesday. Regards new and old SP music. Big changes…exciting news.”Grunge Report wishes "it was that Jimmy Chamberlin was re-joining the band". Don't think it's going to happen I'm afraid guys.
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| The one that got away... Chamberlin talks about shark fishing |
"I want to be 'Jimmy Chamberlin, the drummer, the musician who's done many things,'" the 46-year-old rocker tells SPIN.com, "not just 'that guy from the Smashing Pumpkins.'"
"After I left the Pumpkins, I went home and just sat around," Chamberlin explains. "I have a studio in my basement and I found myself writing all these songs, just taking advantage of the relaxed situation. I wrote about 30 songs in about 30 days."
His partnership with Reina was a total fluke: "I was talking to a friend, saying, 'I wish I could find somebody who looks like a cross between Chris Cornell and Jim Morrison, has a great voice, is independently wealthy, has their own studio, and doesn't do anything but make music.' [Laughs]. Then my friend says, 'I know [Reina]!'
The two started trading songs via email, and then Chamberlin invited Reina to Chicago, where the duo "rented a proper studio for a couple of days," says Chamberlin. "We went in and wrote a song specifically for the exercise of getting to know each other. It sounded great and from then we worked together."
The collaborative experience was refreshing for Chamberlin, who had taken a backseat to Billy Corgan in the Pumpkins. "I always wanted to be in this role, as a songwriter," he says. "In the Pumpkins it was always impossible because Corgan would wake up and write five songs. He was so prolific there wasn't a lot of room for anyone else."
With Great Civilizations Chamberlin is exploring a new, more experimental direction from his Pumpkins days, while still respecting the moody elements of his past. The LP is a collection of prog-leaning, psychedelic jams with flourishes of acoustic guitars, keyboards, piano, and more. Think a proggier, more expansive Sparklehorse. "It's symphonic at points and gets really dark, too," says Chamberlin. There's a full string section on "Am I Second," while songs like "Capsized Jackknife Crisis" and "Tightrope Situation," Chamberlin's personal favorite, recalls experimental bands Yes and King Crimson.
Outside of Skysaw -- originally called "This," a name that "wasn't resonating with me," says Chamberlin, "it's a prohibitive name to Google" -- the drummer is a "closet suburbanite," living outside Chicago where he spends a lot of time with his two children...
He's psyched, however, to return to music and move forward with Skysaw, and put his past with the Pumpkins behind him. "It's important for Billy [Corgan] to carry on as the Pumpkins -- that's a lot of his ownership and a big part of his personality," says Chamberlin, who explains that he and Corgan are friends "from a distance." "He's an extremely talented musician, fantastic songwriter, and a great guy at getting what he needs. But as time went on it became less and less about my journey and more about facilitating someone else's."
"I've learned that you can call it a band, but unless everyone is contributing it's not really," says Chamberlin. "It's pretending that it's a band. I wasn't interested in creating another experience like that. Skysaw is predicated on a three-way split."
He adds, "That situation [with the Pumpkins] placed constraints and a parameter on my career that wasn't always easy to deal with. That can stagnate your growth as a musician. Not anymore."
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."
Chad Szeliga of Breaking Benjamin will took a break from filming his DVD here at Drum Channel to join us on DC LIVE. Chad will met up with Terry Bozzio for a LIVE interview and jam session, and special guest Danny Seraphine and Jimmy Chamberlin jumped in on the conversation.
Lights, Camera: Jimmy Chamberlin and DW, killer combo. Great shoot yesterday with Smashing Pumpkins drummer, Chicago boy does good.Meanwhile, Heather Szeliga fiancée of Breaking Benjamin drummer Chad Szeliga tweets;
Just had dinner with Jimmy chamberlain and Danny Seraphine along with the DW crew . What a great night:
Elsewhere over at SKYSAW's Facebook, they posted a picture of the rehearsals before last Monday's show. Here, zoomed in, Jimmy is clearly playing a different DW kit to the one he played at the show. Actually, there's a bit of an amalgam of two different DW kits going on (including the one he used at the show) as far as I can see. I don't know much about DW myself, having played Yamaha exclusively for the past 15 years. So, if anyone has any details about which kit(s) he is using, please share in the comments.
On Monday night fans of acclaimed drummer Jimmy Chamberlin were in for a surprise. At SKYWAW's live début, Jimmy was playing a DW branded drum kit and not one of his usual unique Yamaha custom kits. Further, he had changed his set-up, which has been his standard for over 20 years. Some suspected that it was simply a hired kit, myself included, and there was nothing else to it than that. Following a volley of tweets, announcing he was going to announce something, Jimmy issued this statement, which confirmed what many fans had been thinking:"Friends and fans, some of you have noticed that I used a DW kit on Monday night. I would like to briefly explain why I have chosen to switch from Yamaha at this point in my career. On hearing the most recent Smashing Pumpkins track 'Lightning Strikes', I was struck by how closely the sound of the drums resembled my own; the snare sounded like my signature snare, there were two low toms panned left and right just like with my own set-up and even some of the fills themselves sounded like they were from my palette. It was sort of like I was playing, but only much... much better.
I have been really inspired by their drummer and had an epiphany of sorts; from now on I am going to strive to sound just like him! Hence, this change of my manufacturer to the one he uses. However, I am saddened to have to concede that as it sounds like he's now playing my old unique kit configuration even more creatively and with so much more facility than I could ever hope to achieve; I feel that, in this respect, I am left with but no choice other than to try something new. Else, I would simply end up being a pale imitation of someone imitating me. That is something JC can not resonate with.
I trust you understand"
They played the first 5 songs off the EP, plus 3 other tracks.This support slot alongside the aforementioned Constellations, for at least one of the dates, has as been confirmed by Steve Hall, of Steve Hall productions on facebook;
Jimmy was playing a silver DW kit with a 10/12/13 (rack) 16/18 (floor) tom setup (my best guess, anyway). No 14" left mounted tom. Could have been a rental. Also, holy shit does Anthony Pirog use a lot of pedal...
I talked to Jimmy really briefly afterward, gave him props and then asked about tour plans and the upcoming record release. He said they're touring with Minus the Bear this summer and the record will have the This songs remixed, plus others not on the This record.
Lastly 'theeagleishere' has posted a couple of snippets over on his YouTube;
Skysaw, featuring acclaimed drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, DC-based singer Mike Reina and guitarist Anthony Pirog, will release their debut album, Great Civilizations, on June 21, 2011 on Dangerbird Records.
As a special gesture to fans anticipating the release, the band will stream the full album, with one free download track, “No One Can Tell” exclusively on http://www.recordstoreday.com, one week prior to, and one week after Record Store Day 2011, which falls this year on Saturday, April 16th, and stands as a now-annual event in support of independent music retailers, worldwide. In addition, Skysaw will issue an exclusive 7” single package “No One Can Tell” b/w “Serrated.”
Also, expect the band to make its on stage debut at The Echo in Los Angeles on Monday, March 28th. Chamberlin, Reina and Pirog will be joined by touring members Paul Wood and Boris Skalsky of notable NYC indie rock group, Dead Heart Bloom for this show.
"The Track "No One Can Tell" appears on the upcoming Skysaw 7" featuring the songs "No One Can Tell" and "Serrated". Available on Record Store Day, April 16, 2011."They tagged it Chamberlain though... whups
"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...
Both [new] songs feature contributions from everyone in the band, the first time that's happened for me since 2003!
"PRANA": "Jimmy Chamberlin and Shaman Durek take you into the Amazon. Guided by your animal spirit and world-class, rhythmic drumming, you will experience a breathtaking adventure that will bring you into the underworld on a unique and mind opening journey."
"Jimmy Chamberlin and Shaman Durek collaborate to create a mesmerizing shamanistic experience."
"PINDA": "Jimmy Chamberlin and Shaman Durek invite you into the temple, connecting you to your ancestors and loved ones on the other side. Drums and bells take you on this journey of reunion.
Jimmy Chamberlin and Shaman Durek collaborate to help you connect with ancestors and loved ones. "
"...Durek was the one that took me aside and said, ‘Look, there’s nothing to be afraid of; only good will come out of this,’” says Chamberlin. Since then, Chamberlin feels he has more balance in his life."
