After a seven year hiatus, the Smoking Popes have at last resurfaced. The band initially reunited near the end of 2005 for a one-off show as part of the Chicago music festival, Flower15, put on by Flower Booking to raise money for local charities. Miss the concert? For fans overcome with frustration at not being able to get to Chicago, or who couldn't secure a ticket to the show, the nice folks at Victory Records have documented the night on the CD/DVD At Metro to appease the pain somewhat .    [ read more ]

CD $14.23

To call Smoking Popes merely pop-punk would be a grotesque disservice -- they've been excelling at it for years. The problem is the image such a description (or genre name) conjures: a mediocre group who plays a fifth as well as the bands who founded punk in the '70s, with lyrics that are dim-witted, simplistic, dull, or immature, and tunes that are stiff, forced, and/or plain. We hold these truths to be self-evident, especially since Descendents re-formed to disrobe all the new, shabby pretende   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

Recorded and submitted to Capitol Records in 1998, this finale from the Smoking Popes wasn't released until 2003 on Double Zero Records. At the time of its recording, the band was in disarray, primarily due to frontman Josh Caterer's exhaustion and newfound Christian devotion. Looking for a way out of their Capitol contract, they offered this collection of ten cover tunes. Their plan worked, as Capitol promptly rejected the album and allowed them to pack their bags. So the big question is    [ read more ]

CD $10.43