Smithereens – 7th Level Music

Live: The Smithereens and Driver 8 – Pierre’s – Ft. Wayne, IN – June 18, 2022

Coming back after a cancelled show back in the spring, The Smithereens had an enthusiastic crowd to greet them in Fort Wayne on June 18, 2022.

Walking in with my daughter, my immediate reaction was, “That sounds like an R.E.M. cover.” Sure enough, the opening band was a local R.E.M. cover band called Driver 8 (named after the song from R.E.M.’s 1985 album Fables of the Reconstruction). I didn’t know who was going to open for The Smithereens, but a cover band wasn’t among my ideas. That being said, Driver 8 were solid. It was the singer’s first gig with the band, and he showed no signs of nerves and knew how to work a crowd. Hearing a live version of “Superman” was a treat, as I hadn’t heard that song in years.

Thanks to someone forgetting to put a microphone on the stand for lead singer Marshall Crenshaw, The Smithereens’ Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, and Severo Incarnacion started the show with a drum solo by Diken (who has always been one of the steadiest rock drummers of the last few decades) and a Link Wray cover while Crenshaw found a microphone backstage. The first Smithereens song they played was “Behind the Wall of Sleep,” and, despite Crenshaw forgetting some of the first verse lyrics, they were off to the races.

Jim Babjak still shreds, and it was great to hear them play a lot of tracks from the Especially for You album and to just watch them remind everyone how they’re still America’s Rock Band after forty years. They closed with a couple Beatles covers, delighting my daughter and everyone else.

They still cook, and they still have many, many hits that you love to hear.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: The Smithereens – 2011 (2011)

Saluting the past and embracing the current moment, The Smithereens‘ 2011 album, 2011, is a nod to their classic 11 album and was their first album of all-original material since 1999’s God Save the Smithereens. It was a fine return to form with catchy hooks, heartfelt lyrics, and ample shredding.

Take the opener, “Sorry,” for example. Jim Babjak‘s powerful guitars come at you right away and Pat Dinizio‘s strong vocals about being both sad and angry about a breakup show he’d lost none of his chops. “One Look at You” is the opposite in terms of lyrical content, as Dinizio tells the story of swooning after once glance at a lady, but keeps up the snappy beats by Dennis Diken and solid bass work by Severo Jornacion. “A World of Our Own” is the kind of song that The Smithereens do so well – toe-tapping beats, lyrics about love, Beach Boys-like harmonies, and chugging garage rock guitars.

“Don’t listen to the things they say, you just take my hand and we’ll just keep on running,” Dinizio tells his lover on the solid, strong “Keep on Running.” The whole band is firing on all cylinders here, working in great union with each other as Babjak’s guitar seems to melt and solidify from one note to the next in his solo. “Rings on Her Fingers” could’ve been a Beau Brummels song in a previous life.

“As Long As You Are Near Me” has what I’d consider a “classic” Babjack guitar solo – somewhat bluesy, somewhat gritty, and all shredding (and Jornacion’s walking bass line sounds like it’s easy to play but is deceptively tricky once you examine it). “Bring Back the One I Love” has Dinizio lamenting a lover who left him. Jornacion’s bass takes front stage on “Nobody Lives Forever,” giving the song a pulse you can’t ignore.

The haunting “Goodnight Goodbye” has great vocals from the whole band and this almost doom metal pace to it that I love. It’s a standout on the record. “All the Same” displays the band’s love of the Mersey Beat sound. “Viennese Hangover” belongs in a romantic comedy that takes place in Austria. Diken’s drums are in fifth gear on “Turn It Around,” and the added tambourine and jingle bells only increase the punch. The closer, “What Went Wrong,” sends us off on a fast note like a hot rod not bothering to slow down after it crosses the finish line in a street race.

2011 showed that The Smithereens still had plenty of fire in them, and it still sounds good eleven years later.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: The Smithereens – Meet the Smithereens (2007)

A Smithereens cover album of a classic Beatles album?! Yes, please!

It’s no secret that The Beatles are one of the biggest influences on The Smithereens (along with The Who, The Kinks, and many others from the UK), so hearing this American rock band have fun with these tracks is a delight from beginning to end.

They’re a little subdued on their version of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and it’s an effective in touch – pushing the love in the song more than the riffs. They push the riffs harder on “I Saw Her Standing There,” rocking it for all it’s worth. “This Boy” soothes things down a bit before the rocking, underappreciated Beatles’ classic “It Won’t Be Long” – a song they load with Jim Babjak‘s killer guitar riffs.

“All I’ve Got to Do” has a blues touch to it that’s perfectly suited to Pat Dinizio‘s voice. Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion‘s bass is all over “All My Loving.” They perfectly capture the 1960s garage rock sound on “Don’t Bother Me.”

“Little Child” flies right by you at fast beats laid down by Dennis Diken, and then “Till There Wsa You” comes in with almost a Tiki lounge comfort to it. They make playing “Beatles swing” sound easy on “Hold Me Tight.” They unleash “I Wanna Be Your Man” on you after you’re all cozy from the previous track, with Babjak taking on lead vocals and having a blast with it. The albums ends with a fade-out on “Not a Second Time,” leaving you with a smile and fond memories.

It’s a fun record, and one that led to other fun cover albums by then. You’ll dig it if you’re a fan of either band.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: The Smithereens – Live in Concert! Greatest Hits and More (2008)

Recorded over the course of four nights at The Court in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Live in Concert! Greatest Hits and More by The Smithereens was a great return to the band’s home state and a familiar venue to a raucous crowd.

The album captures the band’s raw, rock sound well. Consider yourself lucky if you got to see them live in their heyday. They were one of the best touring bands in the United States (and a new iteration of them still tours with Marshall Crenshaw on lead vocals, no less).

Opening track “Behind the Wall of Sleep” still punches hard, and “Drown in My Tears” somehow hits even harder. Jim Babjak and Pat Dinizio‘s guitars are a tremendous one-two punch throughout it (and the whole album, really). “Miles from Nowhere” builds like a strong, chugging engine in a hot rod warming up before a drag race down a long stretch of highway. Dennis Diken‘s drumming propels the track, and he sneaks some jazz swing into the mix.

“Room without a View” slows things down just enough for you to catch a breath, but not by much. “Only a Memory” keeps your toes tapping, and Severo Jornacion‘s bass work on it is a solid groove that keeps the band locked in tight. “House We Used to Live In” rocks as well as you remember. It’s always better live, and this captured version doesn’t disappoint. It drifts into a bit of psychedelic territory about halfway through the track (which is almost an eleven-minute version) and gives everyone ample opportunity to stretch their muscles and show off their chops (especially Diken).

The slow, lovely “Spellbound” is almost shocking after the previous track, but it soon wraps you in its warm blanket and has you swaying like a reed in the wind. The album contains two new (for the time) tracks, and the first is the haunting, strong “Since You Went Away” – a great example of Smithereens songs about lost love. “She’s Got a Way” is a great example of another type of Smitheerens song – power pop.

“Yesterday Girl” is another power pop gem, with Diken and Jornacion combining their rhythmic powers for all of your benefit. “Well Alright” is nearly a Dinizio solo effort with his acoustic guitar and strong vocals, until the drum fill kicks the song up a couple notches. The version of “Especially for You” on the album has a bit of a bluesy swagger to it that I like. “Any Other Way” is the second new track on the album, and it’s a hip tune about (you guessed it) Dinizio finding and losing love.

“Top of the Pops,” one of their biggest hits, sounds a little extra grungy here, which I don’t mind at all. Their cover of “Time and Time Again” is a blast and always a wonderful salute to one of their biggest influences – Paul McCartney. The album ends with three classics: “Blood and Roses” (with a downright furious solo from Babjak), an eight-minute version of “A Girl Like You,” and – a welcome addition and a salute to their old school fans – the theme to the Batman TV show from the 1960s (which was a staple of their early live sets).

It’s a fun album and a great reminder of why The Smithereens are one of the best American rock bands of their era (or any other, really).

Keep your mind open.

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Thank you, Pat DiNizio and Grant Hart.

I first heard the Smithereens on a local radio station in the mid-1980’s. I called the station to request the song on a later date and the DJ told me, “You have good taste, my friend.” The Smithereens were the first band that let me come backstage and meet them when Mandy and I saw them play at the University of Notre Dame. It was a great show that will forever remain in my memory. We became lifelong fans. I even proposed to Mandy at a Smithereens concert.

The death of Pat DiNizio, the Smithereens’ lead singer and songwriter, is a tough blow for Mandy and I. The Smithereens’ music has been a soundtrack to most of our life together. DiNizio was a talented songwriter who could write power pop and tender ballads like few others. He was also an accomplished guitarist and fellow lover of baseball and comic books, so that made him extra cool to me. He’ll be missed.

I also know I’m late to the party on this, but I wanted to pay tribute to the late Grant Hart, drummer of Husker Du, who died back in September of cancer. I was remiss to not write about his passing due to a lot of stuff that’s been going on here since then. Grant Hart and his bandmates were part of the soundtrack to my teenage years. Few bands could grab your attention like Husker Du, and Hart’s fierce drumming was almost holy to me. It also provided some of the best music for skateboarding I’d ever heard. He, too, will be missed.

I leave you with the first Smithereens song I ever heard. It’s a great example of DiNizio’s craftsmanship. It also rocks.

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