By Han Sang-hee
Staff reporter
American alternative rock group The Smashing Pumpkins is returning to Korea for the first time in 10 years.
When the group's front man Billy Corgan came to Korea back in 2000, the 43-year-old said that he was a fool not to have visited Korea in the past. That performance was the first and last one he gave here after he announced the band's break up.
Ten years have passed, and Korean rock fans will finally get another chance to enjoy the music of the famous band.
The group has been through a facelift over the years and the local audience will get to watch the new team comprised of Corgan, guitarist Jeff Schroder, bassist Nicole Fiorentino and drummer Mike Byrne this coming August.
In tune with the recent implosion in the music industry and his intentions of direct communication with fans, Corgan decided to try something completely new and innovative: posting songs one by one as soon as they were completed on the band's website (www.smashingpumpkins.com), all free for fans. The approach is part of the 44-track epic ``Teargarden by Kaleidyscope,'' which will eventually be released in 11 four-song albums.
Four songs ― ``Astral Planes,'' ``A Stitch in Time,'' ``Widow Wake My Mind'' and ``A Song for a Son'' have been available to fans and were recently released on the first album titled ``Teargarden by Kaleidyscope Vol.1: Songs for a Sailor'' in May this year.
The fifth song, ``Freak,'' which will also be the first song of the second album ``Teargarden by Kaleidyscope Vol.2: The Solstice Bare'' is now available.
Formed in Chicago in 1988, The Smashing Pumpkins originally consisted of Corgan, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, guitarist James Iha and bass guitarists D'arcy Wretzky and Melissa Auf der Maur.
Along with Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the band made a name for their guitar heavy sounds with a mix of gothic rock, heavy metal and later on, electronica. With Corgan as the primary songwriter, the band broke into the musical mainstream with their second album ``Siamese Dream'' in 1993, which carried 28 tracks, and instantly became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the 1990s.
In 2000, however, the band went through rough times with internal fighting, drug use and poor album sales, leading to a split.
Despite the break-up, Corgan continued to write songs and finally decided to reform the group with a new album ``Zeitgeist'' in 2007. The band is currently on tour and will perform in Korea after playing at the rock event Summer Sonic Festival in Japan.
The Smashing Pumpkins will perform at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium Aug. 14. Tickets for the concert cost from 88,000 won to 99,000 won. For more information, visit www.ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-1555.