“Ever wonder what a traditional saloon singer would sound like backed up by a punk band? The Smoking Popes take that concept one step further: They’ve created a unique kind of music that some listeners are describing as ‘hyperkinetic tear-jerkers’.” Los Angeles Times

Smoking Popes built a relationship with their legion fans and fellow musicians by melding raw songs about bittersweet heartache with soaring melodies, power chords and punk spirit. Wielding such musical influence is remarkable, and their latest album This is Only a Test is perfect proof that their sparkling lyricism and ineffable charm is still intact. This is Only a Test is the Smoking Pope’s first ever concept album, exploring the life of a fictional high schooler.

This is Only a Test’s songs explore doubts about college, musical aspirations, love and teen suicide. Singer/Guitarist Songwriter Josh Caterer explains, “When I first got the idea to write from a teenage perspective, the individual songs came really quickly. I wrote a song a day for five days. That’s half the album in less than a week. I never write that fast! The story doesn’t unfold like a narrative. It’s more like a collage. Each song is a snapshot from this kid’s life. The songs were written to stand alone.” Recorded at Chicago’s Atlas Sound in 2010, the album was produced by Mat Allison (Alkaline Trio, Lawrence Arms, The Menzingers).

Smoking Popes first burst onto the scene in 1991 and released several albums on various local labels. They signed to Capitol Records in 1995 and re-released Born to Quit¸ one of Smoking Popes landmark albums, to an even larger fan base gained by touring with bands like Jawbreaker and Jimmy Eat World. The first single, “Need You Around,” quickly went into heavy rotation on radio flagships like Chicago’s Q101 and Los Angeles’ KROQ. Praise from SPIN, Alternative Press, Rolling Stone and Billboard arrived with the re-release and later that year, “Need You Around” was also featured in the hit movie Clueless. Musical icon Morrissey raved: “Did you ever hear Born to Quit? It’s by the Smoking Popes. I thought that album was extraordinary, the most lovable thing I’d heard in years”.

In 1997, the Smoking Popes released Destination Failure, which many consider to be their defining masterpiece. This album challenged the idea of what a pop punk band could do, with songwriting that didn’t always adhere to verse-chorus-verse progression and lyrics that told tales of love and longing with heartbreaking details. Smoking Popes were one of the first artists to wrap love—both its fragile beginnings and devastating endings—in a comforting blanket of bouncy drumbeats and explosive guitar riffs.

To the shock of many, Smoking Popes decided to throw in the towel on December 19, 1998. In 2005, rumors started flying that the band would perform at the Flower 15 Festival. Their sold out reunion show at Chicago’s Metro on November 11^th sparked a resurgence of Smoking Popes fans, leaving the crowd yearning for new material. This highly anticipated performance was videotaped and recorded and will be released as a CD/DVD.  The band was re-energized and reformed for good, releasing Stay Down in 2008 and Its Been a Long Day, a compilation of songs released on 7” came out on Asian Man Records in 2010.

For more information about the Smoking Popes visit  www.smokingpopes.net ~ http://www.myspace.com/smokingpopes