Much as Billy Corgan has made a sport of testing Smashing Pumpkins fans’ limits this past year, last night’s benefit for one-time Smashing Pumpkins Fan Club chief Laura Ann Marusa is a reminder that he really does appreciate those that appreciate him. Of course Laura isn’t just your average Pumpkin lover; in addition to making delicious artisanal jams, Masura is a musician in her own right, a Chicago scene drummer and founding member of the bands Evil Beaver, the Prescriptions and Motorhome. A ghastly motorcycle accident shattered her leg, and her health care doesn’t cover much of the fallout. True to his beneficial mode of 2009, Billy anchored last night’s benefit show at the Echoplex, creating the band Backwards Clock Society for the event, featuring Mark Tulin of the Electric Prunes on bass along with longtime Pumpkin associate Kerry Brown, ex-Catherine drummer and ex-Mr. D’arcy Wretzky (who has recently been found, btw).
The band played an eight-song set (including covers of Jefferson Airplane, 13th Floor Elevators, Albert Hammond, and the Beatles) at the tail end of a stacked bill that featured the Happy Stars (Brian Young from Fountains Of Wayne), the Pulsars, Tim Rutili (Red Red Meat, Califone), Pity Party and Light FM (whose Josiah Mazzaschi, a friend and former bandmate of Laura’s in Motorhome) organized the event.
Next up for Billy: returning to Kerry Brown’s home studio (where Zeitgeist was set to tape) to work on the Pumpkins’ 8th LP, the 44-song concept album Teargarden By Kalidyscope. This one will be for the kids. Or at least, the timekeeping will be by one. Check the photos by Andrew Youssef, and here’s the Backwards Clock Society setlist:
01 “Tom Tom”
02 “Levitation” (13 Floor Elevators)
03 “Make It Happen”
04 When The Cock Crows”
05 “Plastic Fantastic Lover” (Jefferson Airplane)
06 “Into The Light”
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07 “It Never Rains In Southern California” (Albert Hammond)
08 “Little Girl” (The Beatles)
You can donate to Laura’s healing fund at Laura Ann’s Jams.
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It’s comical that Stereogum would purport to recap The Year in Corgan 2009. The editorial position on this must be that if one never reports that an entire tour (during August, six dates, with Dave Navarro in his band, debuting nine songs that will appear on Teargarden by Kaleidyscope) is going to happen, one fails to cover said tour when it does happen, and one apparently has made a permanent decision to never acknowledge that the tour took place, one yet remains perfectly positioned to write a piece explaining what the artist in question has been doing for the last 12 months.
Wow “Tom Tom” is great!
THEY DID NOT AMPUTATE HER FOOT, YOU BUTCHERS!
Geez. You really need to read what you wrote and check your facts. No amputation. “An” not “A”. There is no “E” at the end of “Floor”. There are a lot of qualified folks looking for jobs so you should get your crap together before they take yours.