Pressed on green vinyl limited to 300 copies.
Formed in 1991, Smoking Popes are one of the most influential bands in the punk scene, gaining
the praise of band’s like Alkaline Trio and Green Day, while giving younger bands a touchstone for
melodic punk. Since reforming in 2005 after a seven-year hiatus, they remain one of the most
vibrant live bands around. Metromix described their energy best, saying, “…the Popes’
guitars-to-11, speedball of a set felt like it was single-handedly saving all that is good and true in
rock ‘n’ roll. By the time the band finished with a sardonic celebration of life in a punk band, I was
ready to go home and trade in my old DJ gear for a Gibson SG.”
The release offers two brand new songs “Let’s Call It Love” and “Hey Renée,” new takes on two Smoking
Popes classics “Writing A Letter” and “Grab Your Heart and Run” and a show-stopping cover of
“I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables. “We started covering ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ right after
Susan Boyle did her version of it. We were inspired by her story, so we did it as a kind of homage to
Susan. Our version starts out nice and mellow, but then the band kicks in and it becomes a
Popes-style epic rocker.” Explained singer/songwriter/guitarist Josh Caterer.
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