Stop, Look & Listen: God Save The Smithereens

by William Harris

When Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizio put out his debut solo album, Songs & Sounds, on Velvel Records back in 1997, in the process, he also managed to score a separate record deal for the Smithereens as well. It was perfect timing for the band; they were label-less, after having suffered through a brief one-album stint with RCA/BMG.

The only problem...? Velvel was promptly absorbed by KOCH Entertainment. Not  the disaster it might've been, as it turns out, but more than a little bit  disconcerting.

"It was confusing when we were in the studio," acknowledges bassist Mike  Mesaros, "because we didn't know what was going on. All that turmoil was happening while we were there, so it was a weird experience. With a week to go, as we were finishing overdubs and mixing, we weren't sure whether we were making a record that just we were going to have...meaning the five of us, including (producer Don) Fleming."

"The studio let us finish it," adds guitarist Jim Babjak, "even though the owner said, 'Well, I've seen this kind of thing happen before, and I never got paid.' And I said, don't worry, you'll get paid. And, eventually, he did!

"It was kinda scary," Babjak admits, "because we couldn't shop the album. Legally, they still owned it. But we figured that, after the smoke and mess cleared, we'd be able to do something with it. Because you've already spent...what, a hundred-thousand dollars? I mean, to go back and re-record it, where are ya gonna get the other hundred-thousand dollars from? Looking back on it, it's kinda funny...but whadda ya gonna do, y'know?"

In the end, the album, God Save The Smithereens, was released on Velvel Records through KOCH Records, part of the Koch Entertainment Group. "It just took some time," decides Mesaros. "I guess if it didn't happen, it would've been out sooner, but that's pretty much the only thing; it just delayed its release."

When it comes to their current home, Mesaros is more than ready to wax metaphorical. "The difference between where we are now and being on one of the, y'know, major majors is that you're more of a priority to the label. The label has more of an interest in the project succeeding commercially. The philosophy of major labels is kind of, like, blindfold yourself, pick up a handful of darts, throw them in the vicinity of the board, and one of 'em will stick...but the ones that don't stick, forget about 'em. But our label now's like a guy looking at the dartboard, holding one dart at a time, trying to throw a bullseye. You can speak to all the people personally. It's a smaller operation; there's no big bureaucracy."

Babjak vouches for Mesaros's take on the situation, more or less. "Yeah, they're really behind it. I'm glad we're on a label like Koch, as opposed to...what, BMG?" He laughs as he references their last major-label stint, albeit with limited humor. "I think what happened was that that was around the same time they signed Dave Matthews. Obviously, they were putting a lot of money into that...and ZZ Top, too. Well, that, combined with the A&R guy not really liking us."

Yeah, that's kind of a problem.

"Yeah, kind of! I remember he had a problem with the songs on (A Date With The Smithereens), and we were, like, hey, this is what we're doing! This is what we do now! And that's how this album is, too. This shows where we're at right now. But at the same time, I think the album's gonna please a lot of our older fans, too, because there's also stuff on there that, to me, sounds like us 15 years ago, which is kinda cool."

God Save The Smithereens was produced by Don Fleming, who made his power pop production statement for the ages with the Posies' Frosting On The Beater. "It was one of those matches that was really perfect," observes Mesaros, "especially between Don and I personally, because we had the same taste in '70's punk rock. Y'know, as far as that stuff being inspirational, and being one of the main reasons we wanted to play in a band: the Dictators and the Ramones...the Jam and the Stranglers."

"It was great working with Fleming," agrees Babjak, though adding that "it was a little harder, because we weren't used to it. But he's a great guy. I'd work with him again."

Fleming added a new element to the Smithereens' sound: something approaching sonic perfection. "Sonically," says Babjak, "I think it's our best record."

Mesaros goes into a bit more detail. "Without a doubt, this record, when you hear it, you'll notice that it's got a warmth to it...a tube-like glow to it, almost. I listen to the record, and it's that perfect fusion of warmth and edge. The real amazing thing to me is that everything seems to be so in front and in your face, but not at the expense of everything else. If you want to go for a hard, crunchy thing, then the vocal suffers. If you want the vocal to stand out...which is important in our case, since we're playing melodic pop music with a guy that actually sings...then the instruments have to be thrust more to a background role. In the case of this record, it seems that everything is up front all at once, and everything is working perfectly together without stepping on each others' toes. The rhythm section is really prominent on this record...but the guitars are, too! The cool little lead parts that Jimmy and Pat do are right up front, and then the vocal is also up front!”

Continuing, Mesaros observes that "that's the most difficult thing about making a record: to make a rock 'n' roll record that rocks, but still has a sense of prettiness and beauty and melody to it. I guess that's always been our philosophy of making records. This record is a high point for us. I like listening to this record just for the sheer sonic quality. The sound is just really good. It's ear-pleasing...and very, very eclectic, as far as styles of songs go."

Arguably, the best example of this eclecticism is the appearance of a trombone on "The Age Of Innocence."

"Yeah. You expect to hear a guitar solo, and then, all of a sudden, you get this trombone coming in!" laughs Babjak. "We were in a Kinks kind of mood that day. KOCH re-issued a bunch of Kinks CDs, they gave us all a set, and one of 'em was Muswell Hillbillies. We were listening to that, and we were, like, 'Yeah, there's a lot of horns on that! Sounds pretty cool!'"

"It's actually eclectic even aside from just what instrumentation is on it," notes Mesaros. "Like, for instance, the one you mentioned is a bluesy, almost a shuffle. You've got that, then there's 'Try,' which is the farthest toward jazz that we've ever gotten to. And then 'The Last Good Time,' which has more of a dissonant, metal quality; somewhat disturbing, but in a good way. And then you have straight ahead power pop, like 'She's Got A Way' and 'I Believe.' 'Gloomy Sunday' sounds like a lost track from 'The White Album.'"

The latter track, "Gloomy Sunday," is actually a Billie Holiday song. It's a bit of a rarity for the band; while covers have often popped up as B-sides to Smithereens' singles, it's decidedly irregular for one to make it onto an actual album. "That was Pat's thing," says Babjak.  "I have three Billie Holliday CDs, and that song's not on any of  'em, so I never even heard it.  So it's definitely a Smithereens' version. It’s very depressing, the song.  Mike's bass on it is pretty incredible.  The whole arrangement is pretty cool, and, obviously, Pat knows the song, because he had to figure out the chords and everything, but I never heard (the original).  Still, to this day, I haven't heard it."

"We went into this project with about 20 songs," explains Mesaros. "We did a little pre-production rehearsal with Don and kept running the songs down, and the final 13 were the ones that seemed to work best. But I think the reason 'Gloomy Sunday' is on the record is that it's just such a great vehicle for Pat's vocal. His vocal on that is gut-wrenching. That song struck something in him. It was in that perfect range for him, that certain part of his vocal range; as they say in baseball, it's in his sweet spot."

When speaking of DiNizio, it's hard not to wonder whether or not his solo project has had any effect on the band's evolution, particularly the jazzier tone of a few of the tracks. Mesaros is hesitant, but he admits, "Maybe a song like 'Try.' It was probably beneficial to help him get to a few other places in his songwriting without having in his mind that he was writing songs for the band. And some of that was retained in this album."

Babjak admitted that "I don't listen to jazz, but I sure as hell had fun playing it.  I thought I would have a lot of trouble on that song, 'Try.'  So when it was my time to put the guitar on, the guys all left for a drink, thinking they'd be gone for a couple of hours…and I ended up doing that particular song in one take.  So I run over to the bar, and I say, 'Hey, guys, I'm done!'  And they're like, 'WHAT?'  'Yeah, and it's great!'  And Don Fleming's back there, going, 'Yeah, man, listen to this!'

I think it's because it's fresh to me, that's why.  I'm not really a jazz person.  I know nothing about jazz guitar.  Not a thing.  I mean, I might have a Miles Davis CD or two, but it's not like I'd even be able to name a song.  Of course, I've heard jazz, and I've seen some combos or trios playing in bars.  I guess it's in the back of my mind somewhere, and I guess that's where I picked it up from.”

DiNizio certainly isn't the only Smithereen doing stuff on the side. Mesaros plays in a band called the Little Kings. "It's comprised of a couple of guys: Scott Kempner and Frank Fernaro, from the Del-Lords and the Dictators. Frank is now in Cracker, Scott's still with the Dictators. And the lead singer is Dion." (Yes, THAT Dion.) "We have a live thing that's coming out in Europe, actually...a show we recorded at the Mercury Lounge." (Fear not, there'll most likely be a link on the Smithereens' official site to help you obtain a copy.) Mesaros also casually mentions that "I just did a record with a friend of mine named Mike Mazzarella, who has a band called the Rooks. And I play with a band called Stick Figure, which is really a project of Jack McDowell, who's a baseball player, a pitcher for the Anaheim Angels; I've been doing that for a couple of years."

Babjak, of course, has turned up on pop compilations here and there with his side band, Buzzed Meg (which also features Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken on drums).  There are tentative plans to release a collection of new Buzzed Meg songs in the near future.

    With their respective side projects on hiatus for the time being, though, the Smithereens will be hitting the road and touring behind God Save The Smithereens…not, mind you, that they've ever stopped playing around and about.  "People don't realize that we're out every month somewhere," explains Babjak.  "It might in Iowa, but we're somewhere.  And, then, sometimes we do corporate parties or weird kind of shows.  We played for the US Tennis Open, the players, at a private party.  But, yeah, I'm looking forward to the tour," he says, though he adds, "Same old places, I guess."

Mesaros is decidedly more enthusiastic.  "We're always playing, but not really touring.  I'm looking forward to touring.  I like playing a lot of nights in a row, where you get really hot and things starting working by themselves.  You kinda just walk up there, feed off the energy in the room, and go along for the ride.  You don't really have to do much of anything except put yourself on automatic pilot.  That's when it's really fun.  When you're just playing a couple of times a month or once a week or flying here, there, doing one show, and then having time off…basically, the more I play, the better I play.  You're always getting back to the starting point at the next gig, as opposed to getting on a roll and keeping it going.

That's the great thing about being a touring band, being a road band.  These little things start to happen when you're on stage every night, and, then, before you know it, you've got these unique new endings for songs or whatever.  I'm looking forward to stuff like that developing.  Just playing new songs, that's what it's all about to me.  I'm not into being an oldies band or helping people re-live their college years in the '80's; that's nowhere to me.  That's admitting that your best days are behind you.

When you stop trying to get better and get to a new place, and you just rely on what you did in the past, that's a horribly lazy way to go through life.  I couldn't live with myself doing that.

Having new material and a new record:  that's the very lifeblood of the band."