To celebrate the Smashing Pumpkins' first Japanese shows in 12 years, Yamaha has brought each member's custom guitar designs to life, offering unique twists on the firm’s best-known instruments.

Among the crop there are two Pacifica models, a Custom BB bass guitar, and, for Kiki Wong, a pretty extravagant Revstar. The quartet of instruments reflects their unique personalities.

“Yamaha Guitars have been proudly working closely with The Smashing Pumpkins for over a decade,” the gear brand explains. “The Rock legends’ announcement that they would be performing in Japan for the first time in twelve years was the perfect opportunity to collaborate once again, this time on unique custom instruments for this special tour.

“Out of the Yamaha Guitar Development Custom Shop in Calabasas, Los Angeles, Yamaha’s Lead Electric Guitar Builder, Rafael Barajas, turned each band member’s concept into reality.”

As such, Yamaha says the PACP12M was the natural starting point for Billy Corgan to base his design, offering an alder body and maple neck/fingerboard tonewood combination.

Its custom sparkling purple finish takes it a little away from his existing Reverend High Tide Blue signature guitar, but tonally, the inclusion of his signature Railhammer Z-One pickups, which are bestowed with a chrome finish and a design that pays tribute to the classic Pumpkins EP The Aeroplane Flies High, gives it some familiarity. Amusingly, Corgan once revealed that the pickups were dressed that way without his permission.

James Iha's Pacifica looks far sleeker, with a black finish and matching pickguard. The PAC611H model provided the template because he prefers hardtail bridges. It also features Anderson Guitarworks high-output humbuckers.

“The body has been repainted in a black finish mixed with iridescent sparkle to reflect stage lights, and the back of the neck has been sprayed with a satin finish for smooth playability up and down the neck,” Yamaha details.

Kiki Wong, who beat 10,000 applicants to the Pumpkins gig, is plenty familiar with Revstars. In fact, she got the new RSP20 Pro Series model just a few months ago, so it's no surprise that she gravitated towards that exact model for this build.

It's hard to look past its extravagant leopard print colorway, but beyond it, there are Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz humbuckers to bring it in line with her other go-to instruments.

Last but not least, Jack Bate's bass is adorned in a crisp white finish and a Rising Sun, as a nod to Japan's flag.

The instruments, which were exclusively played across the band’s recent Japan dates, are now on display in the Yamaha Music Ginza Store in Chūō, Japan. They'll be on display throughout October.

In related news, Kiki Wong has explained how joining the alt-rock giants has made her a better player, while Corgan has detailed the one technique Wong has that's far beyond his skill level.

“We were the first band of our generation that started to grow up,” Billy Corgan says, reflecting on the making of the Smashing Pumpkins’ 1995 grand opus, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

“The band was coming off a golden moment, which was the grunge explosion. But all movements start to run out of gas, and then the gatekeepers come in and start trying to say what it really means – when they had nothing to do with authoring it.

“In our case, we made the move to grow up before anybody else, and then we were sort of singled out for criticism as far as other people were concerned, either because A) the party needed to continue, or B) growing up was some sort of sellout or something.”

Indeed, the previous two years were a heady time for the Pumpkins. Their 1993 album, Siamese Dream, contained a steady stream of radio and MTV smash hits that drove sales past the four million mark.

The band – which in addition to Corgan, Iha and Chamberlin also included original bassist D’arcy Wretzky – spent much of that year and the next on a relentless touring cycle (they headlined 1994’s Lollapalooza festival), and by the time live commitments wound down, Corgan, championed by some as one of the era’s most creative and vital music makers while lambasted by others as nothing more than headline-seeking megalomaniac, found himself at a personal and creative crossroad.

He decided to go big, and that meant wielding his newfound commercial clout as a form of political capital. The new record would be a double CD, and the material would spread the waters of what was considered “alternative rock” by embracing progressive rock, art rock, orchestral pop, folk and heavy metal.

In place of Butch Vig, who had produced Siamese Dream and the band’s debut, Gish, Corgan enlisted Flood (U2, Nine Inch Nails, PJ Harvey) and engineer Alan Moulder (the Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine) as co-producers.

Over an eight-month period – “It was essentially four months of preparation and four months of recording, sort of,” Corgan remembers – the band cut upwards of 57 songs, 28 of which ultimately made the final double album that clocked in at just over two hours.

As lavish and ambitious albums go, Mellon Collie ranks alongside the Beatles’ White Album, Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk as career-defining masterworks.

Meticulously conceived and rich in every detail, its day-and-night theme contains moments that veer from almost unspeakable beauty (Cupid de Locke, Stumbleine) to ghastly horror (Tales of a Scorched Earth, X.Y.U.), with Corgan channeling a torrent of emotions. One minute he’s frozen in a kind of childlike awe; the next, he’s luxuriating in blissed-out romanticism.

Songs that reveal stark introspection give way to truly frightening sections of raw, unhinged anger in which Corgan – yes, he’s raging in a cage – gnashes his teeth and froths at the mouth. It swoons and spirals, exalts and destroys.

Released in October 1995, the album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 (it’s the band’s only record to reach the top spot), and thanks to yet another succession of hits (Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1979, Zero, Tonight, Tonight and Thirty-Three) it stayed on the charts for well over a year. All told, the album sold a staggering 10 million copies, earning diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

While the reviews were generally favorable (most critics hailed the record as a work of art), a few journalists took issue with the album’s length – the word “indulgent” was frequently tossed around.

For Rolling Stone critic Jim DeRogatis, Corgan’s lyrics were a particular sticking point. In his three-star review (which Corgan remembers as two-and-a-half stars), he wrote that the songwriter was "wallowing in his own misery and grousing about everyone and everything not meeting his expectations.”

“But he wasn’t wrong. I'm still there,” Corgan says, before adding, “Jim had a particular bone to pick with me that was personal, and that went on for years. We eventually made our peace, so I laugh at it now, but he was using that as a way to basically kneecap the band before it got out of the gates.

“I’ll say this, though: If the record was indulgent and wallowing in a particular form of misery, well, so were a lot of other people because that’s why the record resonated.

“This is where critics oftentimes mistake things that hit the zeitgeist,” he continues. “If an actor plays a serial killer, no-one really believes the actor's the serial killer. But when rock stars play misanthropes, the critics can help but believe the rock star is the misanthrope.

“Capturing the zeitgeist of a time requires some sublimation of one’s personality. Mellon Collie is not my personality. It’s close to my personality, but it’s not my personality.”

He pauses. “Machina/The Machines of God [2000] is probably much closer to who I am as a real person than Mellon Collie ever was.”

The Beatles disagreed with him, but George Martin famously said that he thought the White Album would’ve been stronger as a single record. Hindsight being 20/20, is there anything about Mellon Collie that you would change today, if given the opportunity?

“I think the only sort of inner regret I have is that it's probably a touch too long. If I had it to do over again, it probably would've been a slightly better record if it was 24 songs instead of 28.”

At the time you were starting to make it, was everybody on board with it being a double album?

“Oh yeah. I’d fought all the political battles internally in the year before that. During the height of Lollapalooza, when we were touring as the headliner and the band was getting really big, I announced on MTV that our next record was going to be a double, and the record label went into a panic.

“They told me I was insane – things like ‘career suicide’ and all that stuff was thrown around. It was seen as a sign of my growing hubris. ‘He’s gone mad’ and that sort of thing. I kept saying it was like our version of The Wall or the White Album, but I never took the time to count how many songs were actually on those records. If I’d done that, you could argue it would be a really strong record if you took the best 18 songs off of Mellon Collie. I mean, that’s a very, very strong record.

“It ended up being about filling those two CDs. So yes, I’d won the battle, and yes, we were going to make a double album. We had a producer who was willing to take the journey into the murky depths of whatever this was going to be.

“Oh, but there was something else I don't think I've ever really spoken about: There was also a sense of ‘Wait… If they’re going to do a double album, they’re going to be off the road for a very long time.’ So there was that pressure – you’re giving up a lot of money by going off-cycle this long, so the record had better be fucking good.”

It’s been reported that when Flood came into the picture, he wanted to change the way the band worked. He wanted you to jam more and record that way, which resulted in a lot of basic tracks.

“His main thrust was, ‘I want to record the band I hear on stage.’ He said he was shocked by the difference between the band he heard on Siamese Dream and the band he saw on stage. It became a process of like, ‘OK, how do we do that?’ The jamming and live take approach actually wasn’t dissimilar from Siamese Dream in that we would record live and then I would erase everything and re-record everything.

“Flood’s idea, however, was that he wanted Jimmy’s drum takes to be representative of the band at full throttle, not go in there and play so as Jimmy gets a good drum take and then we’ll put music on it. No, Jimmy needs to be playing like he does in a concert, which meant the band needed to animate and push Jimmy to the edge of his capability. And then you erase the tracks and then you put music on the top of that.”

How do you actually do that in a recording setting? Because you’re actually not live in concert. You don't have people screaming, and you don’t have that kind of excitement. The band is in a room by themselves. It’s kind of a sterile environment.

“Great question. First of all, we brought in a full P.A. so we would play at full volume. Imagine we’re in a room where it’s easily over 110 decibels. The old Pumpkinland, which is what we called it, had brick walls, a concrete floor with industrial carpeting and a high wood ceiling.

“So now we’ve turned everything up – I’ve got two Marshall half-slant cabinets at full power. James has two at full, and D’arcy’s got two full SVT bass rigs. We have a full P.A., including Jimmy’s drum monitors and our wedges. We’re playing at full concert volume.”

Logic would dictate that yes, that would certainly change the way you played and recorded. It sounds like an overwhelming experience.

“Well, it’s a lot different from putting your amps in a room, wearing headphones and playing along to Jimmy to get the most pristine drum tracks. When you hear, for example, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, that’s the live take of Jimmy playing to the band at full volume. That kind of energy and ambiance could only have been created that way.”

As you mentioned, the band had now become huge, and with that success came a relentless touring schedule. By the time you got in the studio, did that kind of energy and exhilaration give way to burnout?

“I don’t think so. I also think it had a lot to do with the way we recorded. On any given day, we would come in at, say, 11, and we would practice for at least an hour. Whether we were working on an arrangement or a new song, we would practice as we would as if no-one was in the building. Then, if we had something we felt was worth recording, we would go ahead and endeavor to record that, however many takes that might require.

“There would probably be a lunch break, and then we’d go into recording mode. Now, the band’s responsibilities were about one-10th as vast once we were in recording mode as they were when we were tracking. So although they might be in the building, once practice was over, it was mostly me working with Flood on a guitar sound, a guitar part or an arrangement or whatever. I was full-time, and the band were kind of part-time.”

Because you were shouldering so many of the responsibilities, did you ever feel as though you were stretching yourself a little too thin? Did you ever feel as though you were losing your focus?

“Let me answer it this way: first of all, we pushed the record back, which alarmed the record company because they had hard release dates that were involving typical record company stuff.

“It was going to be their big record of the year, so they were really counting on it coming out. It reached a point where there was a hard, fixed date, like, ‘You will turn in this record whether it's done or not. Here’s your hard date out.’”

No pressure, right?

“There’s the pressure of that, sure. By the way, there was a ton of stuff that was unfinished when that verdict came down. Now, we were running two rooms at CRC Recorders, which is now defunct. Alan Moulder was working in one room with other bandmates, and I was working in the main room with Flood and flitting back and forth between the two rooms, depending on what work was going on.

“I remember walking in when James had been working on the guitar parts of Thru the Eyes of Ruby. I might’ve been in a bad mood, but I just didn’t like what was happening. I let Flood know that we were at a stalemate on the song, and he looked at his watch and said, ‘You’ve got four hours to figure it out, because otherwise we’re going to have to kick the song off the record.’ In the next four hours, no joke, I think I put 46 guitar parts on the song, totally on the fly.”

It’s been written that you recorded 70 guitar parts on the song.

“Who knows? There was a lot of layering, so maybe that pads the number of parts. My point is, not only did I have to make up the parts that I didn't have, but I had to record them over a seven-minute song.

“At the end of the four hours, I had to present it all to the producer and have him go, ‘OK, good. Let’s move on.’ That’s the atmosphere this was recorded in, which was like, ‘Go now. No time. Yes or no?’ It’s also worth pointing out that we worked 86 days in a row to finish the record.”

That might cause some burnout.

“Yeah.”

The song 1979 is regarded as a classic. Is it true, however, that Flood initially wanted to drop it from the record?

“No, that’s not true. What happened was, it was tabbed early on as a potential single, which threw a shadow over the song, like, ‘It better be great.’ Well, every time the band tried to do it, it sounded like really bad B-level Rolling Stones. We would go out and play it, and I’d look around like, ‘This just sucks.’ Jimmy would say, ‘OK, what do you want me to play?’ Everybody was convinced that was the beat.

“We had this whiteboard Flood had made – you know, drums, bass, guitars, vocals. He looked at the board, and 1979 had nothing checked off. Then he looked at his schedule, and we were literally two days from the end, and we had to fly to L.A. for mixing.

“He said, ‘OK, tomorrow is the day. If we don’t finish this song, it’s off the record.’ It was the right decision, but I was thinking, ‘How can I drag it out even further?’ I guess I would've made the case that we could have worked on it in L.A. while the mixing was going on.”

So what did you do to save the song and make it more than just B-level Rolling Stones?

“Well, a few things happened. I went home that night knowing I reached this kind of crossroad, and I needed to make up my mind on something. That’s when I reframed the song in my mind and I recorded an acoustic demo. I changed something about the arrangement with the vocal, but I don't remember exactly what it was. I basically finished the song. It was done and it sounded great.

“The next morning, I played Flood that version of the song, which I think we recorded – it was just acoustic and vocal. Flood said, ‘OK, great. Now what are we going to do?’ We all agreed the demo had something, so Flood said, ‘Why don’t we just redo the demo?’

“We had the Alesis drum machine. I recreated the exact beat with the exact same sound, including the click. If you wanted the click in, you’d press some button and it would go on top of the beat. That’s what gave it this kind of drive. We tried it without the click, but it didn’t sound the same.

“OK, we made up our minds – we’re using the drum machine. We had the drum machine, and let’s call it a sketch of me playing the song. Now what the fuck were we going to do? We’d cast our lot into this particular ocean. The next thing was, ‘What's Jimmy going to do?’ I said, ‘Well, what if he came in playing on the chorus?’

“Flood was great at setting up drums really fast, so he threw up a kit and had Jimmy play along to the song, and I would just kind of go, ‘Jump in here and play.’ And then, ‘OK, stop.’ We got the arrangement to where it was like it could work, but when Jimmy would try to track it, he would invariably drift. This was pre-Pro Tools, basically.

“I had Jimmy play for two minutes, and I’d listen to where his beat swung intuitively with the drum machine beat. I took those two bars, dropped it into an Alesis sampler, fucked up the sound, then flew it back in.”

The phrase “chasing the demo” comes to mind.

“Well, the strength of the song is in its simplicity, but the mode we were in was simplicity was the last thing on our mind. What’s funny about it is, it’s become a very influential song. It was recently used by Jessie Reyez in an interpolation, which is a great version. I think it was so modern in its approach, but we weren’t trying to be modern. We were just trying to find a version that sounded good to us. We ended up just letting it be what it was instead of trying to make it something that it wasn’t.”

Fuck You (an Ode to No One) is one of the most bruising songs you ever recorded. Is it true you played the solo till your fingers bled?

“I don’t know if that’s true. I remember we had a B room, this very small production room. I had my cabinet in this really, really small room – it was about the size of a closet. Even when I would sit and play in the control room, the sound from the cabinet was so loud because it was right there.

“Somehow I got the idea that not only did I want to play the solo in front of the cabinet to get the right kind of feedback and resonant things looping through the guitar, but at the end of the solo, I wanted to throw the guitar at the amp to make some sort of statement.”

As one does.

“I would throw the guitar at the cabinet, which would knock it completely out of tune. Then I would go back and listen to the take and think, ‘Oh, that sucks. Do it again.’ I’d tune the guitar, go back in and blast it out.

“I have this memory of killing myself, blasting my head off, and then throwing the guitar at the amp over and over to get the perfect kind of cataclysmic ending. Whether or not my fingers bled, I don't remember.”

• Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is out now via Virgin.
• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

The Smashing Pumpkins appeared on the December 11 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! to perform a five-song mini set. The semi-reunited band played three tracks from their new album, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun—"Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)," "Knights of Malta" and "Solara"—as well as the classic Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness cuts "Zero" and "Bullet With Butterfly Wings."

As previously reported, Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun was produced by Rick Rubin and is the first Pumpkins album is almost 20 years to feature founding members Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlain. Longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder is also a part of the reunited lineup.

You can check out “Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)” above and “Knights of Malta” below.

Smashing Pumpkins have shared a new song, “Knights of Malta,” from their upcoming album, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1/ LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. You can listen to the track above.

As previously reported, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. is Smashing Pumpkins’ first in 18 years to feature Billy Corgan alongside original members James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin. Also part of the lineup is longtime Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder.

The album was recorded at Shangri La Studios in Malibu with producer Rick Rubin. The effort boasts eight new tracks, including “Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)” and “Solara,” the latter of which the Pumpkins have been playing on their recent reunion tour, also titled Shiny and Oh So Bright.

The band also recently announced a string of 30th anniversary live shows that will kick off November 28 in Madison, Wisconsin. Tickets for the shows are available at SmashingPumpkins.com. You can check out the full itinerary below.

Smashing Pumpkins 2018 Tour Dates

November 28, 2018 - Madison, WI - The Sylvee – SOLD OUT

November 30, 2018 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom - SOLD OUT

December 01, 2018 - St. Louis, MO - Stifel Theatre

December 02, 2018 - Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater

December 04, 2018 - San Antonio, TX - Sunken Garden Theater

December 06, 2018 - Tucson, AZ - The Rialto Theatre – SOLD OUT

December 07, 2018 - Phoenix, AZ - Mesa Amphitheatre

December 8, 2018 – Los Angeles, CA – KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas

Smashing Pumpkins have released the official video for “Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts).” You can watch the haunted house-themed clip, which features a cameo from Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath, above.

As previously reported Smashing Pumpkins have officially announced a new album, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun, due out November 18. The record is the band's first in 18 years to feature Billy Corgan alongside original members James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin. Also part of the lineup is longtime Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder.

Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun was recorded at Shangri La Studios in Malibu with producer Rick Rubin. The effort boasts eight new tracks, including “Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)” and “Solara,” the latter of which the Pumpkins have been playing on their recent reunion tour, also titled Shiny and Oh So Bright.

Smashing Pumpkins have debuted a new song, “Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts).” The track is slated to appear on their upcoming album, which sees Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan rejoined by original guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The effort was produced by Rick Rubin.

The song was premiered on Lauren Laverne’s BBC radio show. It can be heard here, at roughly the 1:52:40 mark.

“Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)” is the second track to be unveiled from the reunited Smashing Pumpkins lineup; “Solara” was released earlier this year, and the band has been playing that song on their current Shiny and Oh So Bright tour.

Smashing Pumpkins also posted a teaser of “Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)” on their official Twitter page.

The Smashing Pumpkins seem to have made good on their promise to cover Led Zeppelin's "Stariway to Heaven" during their Shiny and Oh So Bright reunion tour. You can watch the band's cover of the classic rock staple—which took place at their tour opener at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona—above.

A few weeks back, Guitar World sat down with the Smashing Pumpkins' trifecta of guitarists—Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jeff Schroeder—for an interview that landed the group on the cover of our August 2018 issue. During the interview, Corgan was asked about a rehearsal setlist he had tweeted a few weeks before, which featured, among other eyebrow-raising covers, Led Zeppelin's "Stariway to Heaven."

"That set list is still pretty accurate," he said. "We’ll probably do the new single, 'Solara.' A few things might change. The Joy Division song ["Love Will Tear Us Apart"] is out, and so is [the Depeche Mode song] 'Never Let Me Down.' But we’re definitely doing the Zeppelin song."

When asked why, of all Led Zeppelin songs, he wanted the band to play "Stairway to Heaven," Corgan cryptically replied "Oh, you’d have to get into the inner-Pumpkins psychology on that one."

You can read our full interview with Corgan, Iha and Schroeder right here.

It’s a mid-spring morning, and Billy Corgan is feeling blissed out. Just yesterday, the reformed, nearly all-original Smashing Pumpkins hosted their first rehearsal for their hotly anticipated “Shiny and Oh So Bright” summer reunion tour, and in the chief Pumpkin’s assessment, things went…well, smashingly. “We fell right back into the groove,” he marvels. “It was a little surprising to me, because you never know what to expect. And it was rewarding, too. You realize that all that work meant something. We worked very hard in our time, and it shows. We play really well together, and more important, the relationships are intact. I couldn’t ask for more than that.”

Co-founding guitarist James Iha, who has returned to active duty in the band for the first time since 2000, echoes Corgan’s sentiments, albeit in a characteristically droll way. “It wasn’t a disaster,” he chuckles sheepishly. Quickly, he adds, “Not that I expected it to be—I didn’t. Actually, what was interesting was how easy things felt. It was a little like muscle memory—you kind of play parts without even realizing it. You know, they’re great tunes. A lot of them are classics. It was cool to get back in and play them again.”

For Corgan, the idea of putting the alt-rock titans back together goes back to 2005, when, following the breakup of his post-Pumpkins band Zwan, he took out full-page ads in Chicago newspapers and made his case: “I have made plans to renew and revive the Smashing Pumpkins,” he wrote. “I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams.” It didn’t exactly pan out as he’d hoped, as only longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlin signed on—and then he left and returned again. Over the years, several other members came and went, although Corgan did find a trusty collaborator and axe cohort in Jeff Schroeder, who has been a constant in the group since 2007. In the back of his mind, however, there always seemed to be unfinished business with Iha, whom he hadn’t spoken with in years.

As it turned out, Iha felt the same way. Since leaving the Pumpkins, he’d kept busy with various projects (producing, a solo album, film scores), and he’d found a second home as a semi-regular member of A Perfect Circle. But one day in 2015 he decided to call Corgan to see if they could hash things out over dinner and make sense of their past. “We hadn’t talked in so long, so it was nice to just finally do it,” Iha says. “It wasn’t about me playing in the band again or anything like that. It was just to catch up, you know? To see how we were. How we were together.”

With a fair amount of fence mending behind them, the two old colleagues did wind up playing together again. Iha turned up on stage at several Pumpkins shows in 2016, and rumors began to circulate that a full-on reunion of the “classic Nineties” lineup was in the cards. Corgan and Iha were game, as was Chamberlin. The only problem was founding bassist D’arcy Wretzky. Her split from the band in 1999 was an acrimonious one, and in the ensuing years her relationship with Corgan remained icy. The two seemed to call something of a truce last year, but then in typical Pumpkins form, varying stories about what happened next emerged. Wretzy claimed in the press that, after exchanging texts with Corgan about a possible reunion, an offer was made to her and then rescinded. Corgan went on record disputing that account.

“I was pretty public about wanting her to be involved,” he stresses. “I think it would been the best for everybody, including her, but it just didn’t work out.” The topic of Wretzky is clearly one he doesn’t wish to belabor, and after a long sigh he concludes, “I’m not in any hurry to throw any more gasoline on the fire. It is what it is. She’s done, and that’s that.” Iha stayed out of the back-and-forth between Corgan and Wretzky, but he offers the view that “Billy tried his best. In the big picture, I think everybody is at different points in their lives, and whoever can work it out and get it together with the band can do it. It’s just one of those things.”

The 2018 lineup of the Smashing Pumpkins now includes bassist Jack Bates, the son of Joy Division and New Order’s bass player Peter Hook, and the band’s formidable guitar roar has been expanded to a triple-axe attack: Schroeder is still part of the gang, and he couldn’t be happier about playing with Iha. “The whole thing is rather funny to me,” he says. “People seem to think that James and I should be enemies—you know, like, ‘He’s taking your job.’ But we’re totally cool, and there’s been no weirdness at all. In the short time that we’ve been together, it’s been extremely pleasant. And musically, it sounds great—we’re not fighting for space or anything like that. This is going to be amazing.”

Earlier this year, the three guitarists and Chamberlin convened with producer Rick Rubin, with whom Corgan had worked on his acoustic-based solo effort, Ogilala, to record a number of fresh tracks that will be released as two EPs, one issued before the tour and the other upon its conclusion. At the time of our interview, the only song that was made available for preview was “Solara,” and it serves as a bracing, four-minute refresher course on everything that was good and righteous about the Siamese Dream/Mellon Collie-era Pumpkins. Brimming with roiling guitars, rat-in-ac-age-like vocals and extravagant drumming, it also offers firm proof that there’s plenty of gas left in the tank for this lineup to run on…should they choose to.

Obviously, a reunion tour is a big financial incentive for everybody, but beyond that, what were the other motivations to get back together?

BILLY CORGAN: Quite honestly, it was all rooted in the personal relationships, and whether or not there was enough strength to withstand everything else that comes with trying to do something like this. It’s more of a personal thing. I really wanted us to kind of heal the rift, and I think we have. Music seems to be the balm for that.

JAMES IHA: As one of the original members, it’s a deep bond to grow up with this band and play these songs and everything that goes along with it. You’re a family. You’re traveling together, playing and living together all the time. It’s like college and family and work all rolled up into one. And like college, it’s also a big learning experience.

JEFF SCHROEDER: I’m really excited to be a part of this and to see how far it’s come. I’ve been in the band for 12 years now, but I gotta tell you, when we were in the studio in Malibu, and I’m in the room with Billy, Jimmy and James, and I look through the glass and there’s Rick Rubin standing there, I had a little bit of a “Whoa, how did I get here?” moment. It was pretty interesting, to say the least.

I have to ask, Jeff, were you ever concerned for a brief moment that the return of James might endanger your position in the band?

SCHROEDER: No, not at all. Billy was extremely transparent about things from the beginning, and he always said I would be part of it. There was never a time in which I wasn’t. I knew that the whole time.

CORGAN: Look, Jeff has put 12 years into the band, and that’s a very serious commitment. He’s dedicated his life to the band, and I feel he’s earned this. Not only is he a great musician, but he’s also very responsible for a lot that goes on behind the scenes. I really didn’t see any way this could work without him.

IHA: Jeff’s a nice guy, and he’s a great musician. I don’t have any kind of drama with him at all. After practice, I was like, “Do you want to play that, or do you want me to play that? I don’t really care which of us plays what.” It’s very ego-less between us. He’s a nice guy.

Even so, Billy, what were your thoughts about putting James and Jeff together? Did you wonder whether it was a little like putting your current wife in a room with your former wife?

CORGAN: Honestly, I didn’t spend a lot of time on that kind of thing. Jeff is such a quality person, so I didn’t have those kinds of concerns. That he and James would get along seemed pretty self-evident to me.

It’s a funny thing, though: People have these ideas about the band, that it was always these four people, but that wasn’t always the case. By the mid Nineties, Jimmy was out of the band, and the Frogs [Dennis and Jimmy Flemion] were in. We’ve had a lot of people come and go. The band has taken on various guises. Outside of a brief kind of reunion of the four of us in 1999, which lasted for all of four months, it hasn’t been that intact for a very long time. So since 1996 it’s been people coming and going. And I’ve had to accept that as our story, even though I would have liked the fairy-tale version where it was just the four of us, like a U2 or something.

Walk me through the process of how you went into the studio to make new music with Rick Rubin.

CORGAN: I had a couple of ideas that I sort of set aside, just in case the band ever got back into the studio. Before I reunited with James, I don’t want to say I’d given up on the band, but I pretty much set it aside as a done thing in my mind. I just didn’t want to shoulder the burden on my own anymore. I was very focused on what I was doing on the acoustic side, and there were other things, too: I had a new baby, and life was kind of moving in a different direction. So I set those songs aside, like, “OK, if we ever get back together, this is a good place to start.”

Once we did, we went to Village Recorder for three weeks and did demos. I think we did about 16 songs in the three weeks, and then I played Rick Rubin what I thought were the best eight. I thought he’d pick just one to do as a single, which was kind of the plan—“Let’s put out a single to launch the tour.” But he wanted to do all of them, so the whole thing grew from there, and now it’s going to be two EPs. It was quite surprising.

IHA: It was good. Rick is, obviously, a great producer, but he’s also a great guy and has a vision. He knows what he likes, knows what he doesn’t like. He’s always helpful, motivational. As far as the band working together, it was easy. The songs were good, and I think I was able to try a lot of different things.

How did you go about the actual tracking? There’s always been so much guitar orchestration on Pumpkins songs.

CORGAN: We went back to work [the way] we’d always done things: We would sort of track together and then figure out who should do what. There’s a lot of guitar work, so you really have to map it out. You kind of set the thing in its particular direction and make sure everybody is on the same page about where it’s going.

Once you’re past the tracking stage, then it’s down to, “OK, everybody has a chance to contribute.” That’s where things get to a deeper level, fleshing out ideas and trying things. You kind of open the floor up for discussion. Now, the thing is, you don’t want to change the direction of the track and throw out a bunch of work you’ve already done—that’s something we learned over time. You have to be very efficient about how you approach all the guitar work.

SCHROEDER: It was really about coming up with ideas and seeing what’s best for the song. Everybody would take home basics and figure out what was needed. I never had a problem coming up with ideas. It was just “typical Pumpkins.” The only real problem was knowing when to stop. Sometimes we get a little overdub crazy.

You didn’t work with a designated bassist in the studio, though.

SCHROEDER: No, we didn’t. It varied song by song. When we’re doing basics, it might mean Billy on piano, I’m playing bass and James is playing guitar. Or Billy played bass. Whatever worked with the drum tracks.

“Solara” sounds like great, classic Smashing Pumpkins. When you recorded, did you give any thought about maintaining the band’s signature sound?

CORGAN: I didn’t pay much mind to evolving the group’s sound. My focus was on making good music, and if it turned out sounding that way, that’s fine. Funnily enough, by not putting any pressure on it sounding a certain way, it seemed to connect back to the earlier work organically, without any sort of conscious effort on our part.

IHA: I don’t think we talked about it that much. We weren’t like, “We’ve got to be playing this classic sound. Does this riff sound like something from a classic Pumpkins record?” If you do that, you’re never going to come up with anything. It’s just too hard to do it like that.

Billy, you mentioned “opening up the floor for discussion.” In the past, you wielded a bit more of an iron hand in the studio.

CORGAN: I do feel as if I’ve learned how to listen and to be more open. This isn’t an excuse, but in the past I was under a lot of pressure, both from labels and the situations we found ourselves in as a group. Now I have the luxury in that I want everybody to walk out of the studio feeling pleased about what we’ve put together. Everybody had their opportunity to say what they want to say, and I feel really good about that.

You’ve only had one rehearsal so far, but what kind of discussions did you have about moving from two to three guitarists?

CORGAN: We actually sat down and said, “OK, how is this gonna work?” I think the best approach is to figure out how to voice guitar parts so that they’re similar to the records, rather than doing an impressionistic version of the records with two guitars.

SCHROEDER: On this tour, we want to sound more like the records than ever before. It’s going to be a different type of show than anything we’ve ever done, and from a musical point of view, we’re not going to do deconstructed versions of the songs. Having three guitars obviously helps in being able to deal with all the overdubs and what not.

CORGAN: In some cases, I might be able to play a little less, but there are times when it doesn’t sound right if I’m not playing. I’m kind of pressed into duty sometimes when I’d rather not be. Yesterday we played “Rhinoceros,” and I had to play the lead break. I haven’t played that song in maybe 10 years, and I haven’t played rock in a while. My soloing is pretty rusty. This morning I thought, “Maybe I should just have Jeff play the lead… .”

IHA: It’s still a rock band. It’s just one more guitar. [laughs]

Have you figured out which guitars you’re going to use? In the past, Billy, you would play a Strat, and James, you played a Les Paul. How does that change with three guitars?

CORGAN: It’s a song-by-song issue. We did an old song yesterday, and I used my Reverend guitar, which has a little bit of a humbucker sound, and James was playing a Les Paul. But it didn’t sound right to me because the sound of that song is very much the Strat with the Les Paul rhythm. I told my guy, “You gotta dig out one of those Strats.”

IHA: I think I’ll stick to the Les Pauls. For the most part, with the Pumpkins, and even in A Perfect Circle, I just have to play a Les Paul. They just have that heaviness I like.

SCHROEDER: I’ve been thinking about my amps a lot. I found an amp by a maker here in Chicago named Brian Carstens; he’s the repair guy at Chicago Music Exchange. He has this model called the Warm Machine, and it’s a 50-watt Sixties-type of amp. It’s very clear, with lots of sustain and energy. I used it for the recordings, and it sat on top of the other guitars really well.

James, you brought up A Perfect Circle. What’s your status with that band? Are you on an extended hiatus?
IHA: Yeah. Those guys are great. They’re nice guys and great to play with. Obviously, I can’t play with them right now, but I hope in the future I can. They have to tour and promote their record.

Billy, a while back you tweeted a set list for the tour. All the hits were there, but you also listed some covers: Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and Depeche’s Mode’s “Never Let Me Down.” Are those covers still planned?

CORGAN: That set list is still pretty accurate. We’ll probably do the new single, “Solara.” A few things might change. The Joy Division song is out, and so is “Never Let Me Down.” But we’re definitely doing the Zeppelin song.

Of all the Zeppelin songs to cover, what made you go with “Stairway”?

CORGAN: Oh, you’d have to get into the inner-Pumpkins psychology on that one.

Well, that’s why we’re talking. Fill me in.

CORGAN: Nah. I don’t talk about that stuff anymore. I’ve grown crusty in my old age. [laughs]

With three guitars, what are the chances of you doing some Skynyrd?

CORGAN: I would love to. I mean, that’s the epitome of the three-guitar band, right?

IHA: It’s possible. Never say never. [laughs]

SCHROEDER: Or maybe we could do some Molly Hatchet or .38 Special.

CORGAN: I think .38 Special is in the three-guitar family free. They’re sort of the stepsons to Skynyrd, no?

IHA: “Hold on Loosely,” “Caught Up in You”—I have those on playlists. You don’t really hear bands do that kind of thing today. You have this rock band playing a pop song, but then the guy starts playing this incredibly melodic lead that goes on and on. That stuff was great.

Unlike a lot of bands that do reunion tours, you guys have recorded new music. Is this the sign of an ongoing alliance?

IHA: Well, I try not to think too far ahead. But yeah, I think with the tour, it was important to do new music and make it feel like we’re a living, breathing entity. I’m trying not to get too far ahead of myself. Like people say in sports, “One game at a time.”

SCHROEDER: We’ve been pleasantly surprised that the recording process went so well. It was quite apparent that there was a lot of energy, and it was very natural and unforced. Under the right circumstances, we could make a lot of new music together.

CORGAN: I would hope things can continue, but I’ve learned not to let my mouth write the future.

Last week, The Smashing Pumpkins premiered "Solara," the first song that original members Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin have recorded together in 18 years. Monday night, the band stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform the new single. You can watch their performance above.

In a web exclusive, the band also performed "Zero," a single from the band's 1995 album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. You can check out that performance below.

The reunited group's Shiny and Oh So Bright reunion tour—which begins next month—will take the group across the United States and Canada from mid-July through early September, and will exclusively feature material from the band's first five albums.

Notably, the tour will not feature original bassist D'arcy Wretzky, with whom the band feuded in the press in the days leading up to the tour's announcement. The band claimed that Wretzky turned down an invitation to join the tour, an invitation Wretzky claimed was never extended. In any case though, the original members will be joined by longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder, and sport a three-guitar lineup.

“This show and staging will be unlike any we've ever done, and will feature a set unlike any we've ever played," Corgan said of the tour in a press release. "For if this is a chance at a new beginning, we plan on ushering it in with a real bang.”

You can check out the full itinerary, and a teaser for the tour, below. Be sure to look out for more coverage of Smashing Pumpkins' reunion from GW in the future......

For tickets and more info, head on over to smashingpumpkins.com.

Smashing Pumpkins: Shiny and Oh So Bright 2018 Tour

• 07-12 Glendale, AZ - Gila River Arena
• 07-14 Oklahoma City, OK - Chesapeake Energy Arena
• 07-16 Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
• 07-17 Houston, TX - Toyota Center
• 07-18 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
• 07-20 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
• 07-21 Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
• 07-22 Atlanta, GA - Infinite Energy Arena
• 07-24 Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
• 07-25 Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
• 07-27 Baltimore, MD - Royal Farms Arena
• 07-28 Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
• 07-29 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
• 07-31 Boston, MA - TD Garden
• 08-01 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
• 08-04 Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
• 08-05 Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
• 08-07 Montreal, Quebec - Centre Bell
• 08-08 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
• 08-11 Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center
• 08-13 Chicago, IL - United Center
• 08-16 Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
• 08-17 Indianapolis, IN - Bankers Life Fieldhouse
• 08-19 St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
• 08-20 Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Center
• 08-21 Sioux Falls, SD - Denny Sanford Premier Center
• 08-24 Seattle, WA - KeyArena
• 08-25 Portland, OR - Moda Center
• 08-27 Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
• 08-28 Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
• 08-30 Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
• 09-01 San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
• 09-02 Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
• 09-04 Salt Lake City, UT - Vivint Smart Home Arena
• 09-05 Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
• 09-07 Boise, ID - Ford Idaho Center

A Perfect Circle have released the unsettling music video for their new single, "The Contrarian." You can check it out above.

The video is a compilation of modified 2D footage from the Steven Sebring hologram film that appeared in the deluxe box set edition of the band's new album, Eat the Elephant, as a companion piece to the album.

The band also added a number of new dates to their already-announced fall American tour. You can check out the group's full itinerary below.

“When APC will reconvene is never exactly defined,” guitarist Billy Howerdel told Guitar World in a May 2018 interview about the group's erratic schedule. “That frustrating, for sure, but maybe that contributes a little bit to the magic that can happen when we do get together—that feeling of not being predictable, not punching a clock. There’s an artistic value to it. But I’d still prefer to tour, make a record, take a little break, then tour and make another record.”

For more on A Perfect Circle, stop by aperfectcircle.com.

A Perfect Circle 2018 Tour Dates:
06/12 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo Manchester
06/13 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
06/14 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
06/17 – Berlin, DE @ Zitadelle
06/20 – Zurich, CH @ Halle 622
06/23 – Esch-Sur-Aizette, LU @ Rockhal
06/24 – Dessel, BE @ Graspop
06/26 – Paris, FR @ Olympia
06/28 – Madrid, ES @ Download Festival Madrid
06/29 – Barcelona, ES @ Be Prog! My Friend Festival
07/01 – Verona, IT @ Rock The Castle
10/20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center
10/22 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
10/24 – Austin, TX @ Austin 360 Amphitheatre
10/26 – New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Music + Arts Experience
10/29 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
10/30 – Orlando, FL @ CFE Arena
11/01 – Charlotte, NC @ Bojangles Coliseum
11/02 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
11/03 – Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
11/06 – New York, NY @ The Theater at Madison Square Garden
11/07 – Baltimore, MD @ UMBC Events Center
11/09 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
11/11 – Minneapolis, MN @ Armory
11/13 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ U.S. Cellular Center
11/14 – Park City, KS @ Hartman Arena
11/17 – Anaheim, CA @ The Theatre at Honda Center
11/18 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
11/20 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
12/02 – Glasgow, UK @ Scotland Glasgow Academy
12/03 – Manchester, UK @ Victoria Warehouse
12/05 – London, UK @ Wembley Arena Pavilion
12/07 – Antwerp, BE @ Lotto Arena
12/13 – Hamburg, DE @ Sporthalle Hamburg
12/15 – Krakow, PL @ Tauron Arena Krakow
12/16 – Vienna, AT @ Wiener Stadhalle
12/18 – Milan, IT @ Mediolanum Forum
12/19 – Rome, IT @ Palalottomatica

A month ahead of their Shiny and Oh So Bright reunion tour, Smashing Pumpkins have premiered a new song, "Solara." The track is the first song original members Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin have recorded together in 18 years. You can check it out above.

The Shiny and Oh So Bright tour will take the group across the United States—with stops in Montreal and Toronto—from mid-July through early September, and will exclusively feature material from the band's first five albums.

Notably, the tour will not feature original bassist D'arcy Wretzky, with whom the band feuded in the press in the days leading up to the tour's announcement. The band claimed that Wretzky turned down an invitation to join the tour, an invitation Wretzky claimed was never extended. In any case though, the original members will be joined by longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder, and sport a three-guitar lineup.

“This show and staging will be unlike any we've ever done, and will feature a set unlike any we've ever played," Corgan said of the tour in a press release. "For if this is a chance at a new beginning, we plan on ushering it in with a real bang.”

You can check out the full itinerary, and a teaser for the tour, below. Be sure to look out for more coverage of Smashing Pumpkins' reunion from GW in the future......

For tickets and more info, head on over to smashingpumpkins.com.

Smashing Pumpkins: Shiny and Oh So Bright 2018 Tour

• 07-12 Glendale, AZ - Gila River Arena
• 07-14 Oklahoma City, OK - Chesapeake Energy Arena
• 07-16 Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
• 07-17 Houston, TX - Toyota Center
• 07-18 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
• 07-20 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
• 07-21 Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
• 07-22 Atlanta, GA - Infinite Energy Arena
• 07-24 Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
• 07-25 Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
• 07-27 Baltimore, MD - Royal Farms Arena
• 07-28 Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
• 07-29 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
• 07-31 Boston, MA - TD Garden
• 08-01 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
• 08-04 Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
• 08-05 Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
• 08-07 Montreal, Quebec - Centre Bell
• 08-08 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
• 08-11 Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center
• 08-13 Chicago, IL - United Center
• 08-16 Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
• 08-17 Indianapolis, IN - Bankers Life Fieldhouse
• 08-19 St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
• 08-20 Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Center
• 08-21 Sioux Falls, SD - Denny Sanford Premier Center
• 08-24 Seattle, WA - KeyArena
• 08-25 Portland, OR - Moda Center
• 08-27 Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
• 08-28 Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
• 08-30 Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
• 09-01 San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
• 09-02 Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
• 09-04 Salt Lake City, UT - Vivint Smart Home Arena
• 09-05 Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
• 09-07 Boise, ID - Ford Idaho Center

Smashing Pumpkins have announced a reunion tour. The North American trek—dubbed the Shiny and Oh So Bright tour—will be the first in 18 years to feature original members Jimmy Chamberlin on drums and James Iha on guitar.

The massive arena tour will take the group across the United States—with stops in Montreal and Toronto—from mid-July through early September, and will exclusively feature material from the band's first five albums.

“Some 30 years ago, as The Smashing Pumpkins, James Iha and I began a musical journey in the cramped rear bedroom of my father's house," Corgan said in a press release. "And so it's magic to me that we're able to coalesce once more around the incredible Jimmy Chamberlin, to celebrate those songs we've made together."

Notably, the tour will not feature original bassist D'arcy Wretzky, with whom the band has been feuding in the press in the days leading up to the tour's announcement. The band claims that Wretzky turned down an invitation to join the tour, an invitation Wretzky claims was never extended. In any case though, the original members will be joined by longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder, and sport a three-guitar lineup, according to the press release. The band's bassist for the tour has not yet been announced.

“This show and staging will be unlike any we've ever done, and will feature a set unlike any we've ever played," Corgan added. "For if this is a chance at a new beginning, we plan on ushering it in with a real bang.”

Tickets for the tour will go on sale to the general public next Friday, February 23, through the band's website.

You can check out the full itinerary, and a teaser for the tour, below.

Smashing Pumpkins: Shiny and Oh So Bright 2018 Tour

• 07-12 Glendale, AZ - Gila River Arena
• 07-14 Oklahoma City, OK - Chesapeake Energy Arena
• 07-16 Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
• 07-17 Houston, TX - Toyota Center
• 07-18 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
• 07-20 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
• 07-21 Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
• 07-22 Atlanta, GA - Infinite Energy Arena
• 07-24 Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
• 07-25 Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
• 07-27 Baltimore, MD - Royal Farms Arena
• 07-28 Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
• 07-29 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
• 07-31 Boston, MA - TD Garden
• 08-01 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
• 08-04 Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
• 08-05 Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
• 08-07 Montreal, Quebec - Centre Bell
• 08-08 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
• 08-11 Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center
• 08-13 Chicago, IL - United Center
• 08-16 Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
• 08-17 Indianapolis, IN - Bankers Life Fieldhouse
• 08-19 St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
• 08-20 Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Center
• 08-21 Sioux Falls, SD - Denny Sanford Premier Center
• 08-24 Seattle, WA - KeyArena
• 08-25 Portland, OR - Moda Center
• 08-27 Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
• 08-28 Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
• 08-30 Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
• 09-01 San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
• 09-02 Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
• 09-04 Salt Lake City, UT - Vivint Smart Home Arena
• 09-05 Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
• 09-07 Boise, ID - Ford Idaho Center

After previewing it with two singles—"The Doomed" in October and "Disillusioned" in January—A Perfect Circle have finally announced the details of Eat the Elephant, their first new album in 14 years.

With the album's announcement also came the release of its third single, "TalkTalk." You can watch the video for the track below.

“Although I’m extremely excited to finally be completing this album after a 14-year hiatus,” Keenan said in a statement, “I’m actually more excited that its intentional release date is serving a greater purpose. The 20th of April is Carina Round’s birthday. She is a dear friend who is extremely difficult to shop for. Pressure off."

"Of course," he continued, "I must also note that the potheads are gonna be thrilled that this album comes out on 4-20. May it serve as a glorious soundtrack to accompany all of the giggling and vexing sounds of nibbling and snacking. Fingers crossed, Cheech & Chong will be proud.”

You can preorder Eat the Elephant—which will arrive, as Keenan said, on April 20—here.

For more on A Perfect Circle, stop by the band's website.

Eat the Elephant Track Listing:

• 01. Eat The Elephant
• 02. Disillusioned
• 03. The Contrarian
• 04. The Doomed
• 05. So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish
• 06. TalkTalk
• 07. By And Down The River
• 08. Delicious
• 09. DLB
• 10. Hourglass
• 11. Feathers
• 12. Get The Lead Out

A Perfect Circle—the group consisting of Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, Billy Howerdel, Matt McJunkins, Jeff Friedl, and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha—have premiered a new song, "Disillusioned."

"Disillusioned" is the follow-up to "The Doomed," which—along with the announcement of an as-yet untitled new album (the band's first in 14 years) for release in 2018—came out in October.

You can hear "Disillusioned" above.

For more on A Perfect Circle, stop by aperfectcircle.com.

A Perfect Circle—the group consisting of Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, Billy Howerdel, Matt McJunkins, Jeff Friedl, and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha—have returned with “The Doomed,” their first new song in four years.

A new album from the band—their first in 14 years—will arrive next year, according to a press release.

"14 years have passed since we released eMOTIVe,” Keenan said in the press release. “A new release is long overdue. In light of this current difficult and polarized social, spiritual and political climate, we artist types need to open our big mouths and share the light a little louder.”

You can listen to "The Doomed" below.

For more on A Perfect Circle, stop by aperfectcircle.com.

James Iha, the longtime guitarist for the Smashing Pumpkins and a one-time member of A Perfect Circle, has officially announced a late summer release date for his new solo album, Look to the Sky.

"I wanted this record to be more eclectic and reflect all of my tastes which is why it took so long," said Iha. "It was important to me for the record to be multi-dimensional and complex. Being a part of the Smashing Pumpkins, and working with so many other bands and artists since my last album [1998's solo debut Let It Come Down] gave me a fresh perspective on what music could be."

You can listen to "To Who Knows Where" off Look to the Sky at this location.