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Interview with Josh Caterer of the Smoking Popes
by John-Michael Bond on 2006-04-23 |
John: Hello Josh. Thank you for the interview.
Josh: It’s no problem. Thanks for being interested.
John: Why did you decide to reunite now?
Josh: As opposed to waiting an additional seven years? I finally felt like I was ready to come back. I just didn’t feel that way until the middle of 05. And doing a reunion wasn’t something we had talked about or even thought about. We didn’t think it would happen so we just sort of got on with our lives. But then last year I personally started to feel like I had come to a point in my faith and my relationship with Christ where I was mature enough to be able sing these songs again with out compromising my faith. I never felt that way before. When I left the band I was in a place where I needed to concentrate on my faith and the new direction God was taking me in, and I couldn’t follow that and stay in the band. But I’m confident in where I am spiritually and I feel like there might be some value in it other than just having fun.
John: Was there anything that happened with your relationship with Christ that made you feel comfortable to play these songs again? Feel free to elaborate as much as you like.
Josh: Well, I think when I first came to know Christ my understanding of the Christian life was very black and white. So there is this school of thought within Christianity that in order to be a good Christian you much separate yourself from the world in a pretty overtly simplistic way. No rock music, bad movies aren’t so good etc. and I was in that frame of mind at first. I had never gone to church growing up so it was such a major change in my world view that it seemed like a dramatic reaction was called for. And for me the Popes symbolized the worldliness that God had removed from my life. Even though the songs themselves aren’t objectionable, there is only one Popes song with an arguably bad word in it.
John: Star Struck One?
Josh: Yeah. And even outside of that there is arguably any border line offensive stuff. We’re a 98 percent family friendly band. But being in a rock band itself seemed inherently worldly, but as I grew in Christ I realized that you just can’t put things in those boxes. I developed a more textured understanding of how to live out your faith without living entirely in the bubble of your church life. That’s not to criticize being a worship leader or people who just hang out with other believers, because that can be great. But I don’t think that is necessary. You shouldn’t live in fear of the world corrupting you and hiding from it.
John: What is the status of Duvall right now?
Josh: We are taking a break. We’ll play again this summer. I want to do more Duvall songs.
John: Will you be reissuing any of the out of print records and will they have any extra song on them?
Josh: We will be reissuing the old albums. That was probably our first thought when we got back together for real beyond one show. We wanted to re-release the last two albums. But then we filmed the show at the Metro not knowing what we’d do with it. We thought we’d sell it on the road and it’d be for collectors etc. But then we started to talk to Victory and it seemed to kill two birds with one stone. You get something new for the fan’s and a kind of Greatest Hits album for the new fans but new versions of the songs so people get something new. We’ll be putting out the old albums though.
John: How did you end up with Victory? You are both kind of synonymous with Chicago so it’s interesting to see you together.
Josh: You’d have to ask our manager that. He put that together because he already had a relationship with Victory and they were talking and they found out we filmed the show and they said we want to put it out. So we said sure.
John: Are there plans for a new record?
Josh: Yes, we’re working on new songs. You’ll hear one tonight.
John: Man that is surreal.
Josh: Why?
John: Well the Popes for me have always been this band that I discovered after you have broken up and the albums and the Duvall albums helped me through a lot of really awful break up’s and spiritually difficult times with churches. It’s just nuts to even see you guys let alone hear new songs.
Josh: That’s a lot of the reaction we’ve been getting on this tour. Kids will come up to us and say “Hey I’ve been listening to you for five years and I never thought I’d get to see you live!” So there is a lot of smiling and gratitude.
John: It’s a bit like what happened with Weezer. When they disappeared for five years a lot of kids my age found those records when our older brothers and sisters went to collage and we fell in love with them. So a record like Pinkerton or Destination Failure has this second life to them in a generation of kids who fell in love with them later. You can see it in a lot of bands these days to like Bayside who are obviously influenced by your style of singing and song writing.
Josh: It’s the circle of life man.
John: Haha. Why was the covers record shelved?
Josh: We recorded it while we were still with Capital and we recorded it knowing they wouldn’t like the idea of an all covers record. But we were ready to get out of our contract. And turning in an albums worth of covers of old love songs did the trick. We recorded the demos and approached the recording like they weren’t demos because we knew Capital wouldn’t want to pay to produce them. We were planning on just shopping these demos around. So after Capital said thanks but no thanks we asked to be let out of our contract and they said sure and let us keep the masters. So as we were shopping the demos around I left the band and that kind of pulled the plug on everything.
John: Then Mike Felumlee (the Popes original drummer) released them on his label Double Zero. Why isn’t he taking part in the reunion shows?
Josh: Well he was in Duvall for the first year and then left because we weren’t having as much fun together as we thought we should be. The communication was getting a little tense, and didn’t want it to get worse. We just get along better when we’re not in a band together and he left Duvall on good terms. But when we did the Pope reunion we knew that was still going to apply and we talked about it and I told him we were thinking about doing it and we both agreed it wouldn’t work together. And he’s not doing Double Zero records anymore.
John: How did your wife respond when you told her you were going to do the Popes again?
Josh: She was hesitant to embrace it because of the traveling involved. We have two kids now and it’s important for me to be there. But she’s a very supportive woman.
John: Did the lists of artists who took part of in the tribute surprise you at all and have you heard it?
Josh: Yeah I heard it. It came out though during the time when I was being really selective about what I listened to so I didn’t know any of the bands really or take part in picking them. The one thing I heard about that really interested me was that Blake from Jawbreaker was supposed to be doing a version of You Spoke to Me on piano and I was really interested to hear that. But apparently he wasn’t satisfied with the version he recorded and didn’t submit it. I would really love to hear that someday. We toured with them right after Dear You came out and he was great.
John: How did you end up recording the guest vocals for Bayside's cover of Megan?
Josh: There management asked. I had heard them and liked them so I went done thinking I just record a back up and harmony stuff and they asked if I wanted to sing the second verse and I was like “sing lead?” And he said yes! So I mean I knew the song so I said ok where is the mic?
John: Did the speed the show at the Metro and your solo show sold out surprise you at all? Or what it just nice to still be wanted?
Josh: It was a really pleasant surprise. We were hoping people would still be interested in the band. And so far it seems like people are more interested now than when we were first together.
John: What made you bring in the element of crooning to your vocal style?
Well, if you listen to the early stuff I’m not crooning, I’m sort of yelling. Which isn’t conducive to an hour and a half show. So it was a process of figuring how to breathe. The vibrato started as a joke, and people started taking it seriously. When we were recording the original version of Lets Hear it for Love for Get Fired I was like “hey guys on the high note in the bridge I’m going to croon it. Kind of warble if you will.” And then when I finished the take it worked. And by the time we were recording Born to Quit it wasn’t a joke anymore. It was never a joke joke. Like I love Sinatra and Torme but I just feel weird doing it myself coming from a punk background. It wasn’t 1950 anymore and I was in a punk band. But once I got over that it worked.
John: So what is your favorite song to play live now?
Josh: That’s sort of changes. Right now it might be let’s Hear it for Love, which he didn’t play at the reunion show. We rehearsed it but it didn’t come out that great. But the drummer we’re playing with now asked to try it and he nailed it.
John: Isn’t Rob from Duvall not playing with you guys right now?
Josh: No, he wasn’t able to do this tour with us.
John: How do the Smoking Popes make the world a better place?
Josh: Do we?
John: You did for me.
Josh: Ok well… I’ll tell you the Smoking Popes make the world a better place by regularly stopping to pick up trash from the roadside while on tour. Thereby beautifying America and contributing to the greater good.
[ VIEW ALL INTERVIEWS ]
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