SYSTEM OF A DOWN Drummer Auditions For SMASHING PUMPKINS

The web site of the SMASHING PUMPKINS, who recently parted ways with longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, has been updated with the following message:

"In total, 12 drummers were auditioned [in Los Angeles] on Tuesday. An additional tryout could potentially be held in May due to such overwhelming response to the audition process.

"Overall, the drumming auditions were considered a very positive experience. The talent in all the drummers that tried out was incredible. Some of the candidates include John Dolmayan of SYSTEM OF A DOWN [see photo below] and Frank Lenz, a past bandmate of guitarist Jeff Schroeder from THE LASSIE FOUNDATION."

Former SMASHING PUMPKINS drummer Jimmy Chamberlin recently posted a statement on his personal blog about his exit from the band, which was announced last month on the official PUMPKINS web site. Chamberlin called his departure "a positive move forward," adding, "I can no longer commit all of my energy into something that I don't fully possess. I won't pretend I'm into something I'm not. I won't do it to myself, you the fan, or my former partner. I can't just 'cash the check,' so to speak. Music is my life. It is sacred. It deserves the highest commitment at every level, and the PUMPKINS are certainly no different."

Chamberlin also wrote that there was "no drama" or "bad blood," adding that he will continue playing music with his own group, the JIMMY CHAMBERLIN COMPLEX.

Chamberlin joined the group in Chicago in 1988 and has played on every PUMPKINS album with the exception of 1998's "Adore". He was the only original member invited back into the group when frontman Billy Corgan reactivated it in 2007 after a six-year hiatus.

Corgan will continue to write and record under the SMASHING PUMPKINS name and plans to head into the studio this spring.

Corgan told the Chicago Tribune last year that the PUMPKINS would not release any more standard albums following the disappointing response to the group's 2007 comeback CD, "Zeitgeist". But Corgan added that more PUMPKINS music would continue to be released in some fashion.

The singer and guitarist also revealed plans to scale down the PUMPKINS' touring plans, following several shows last fall in which Corgan and audience members were hostile to each other over the lack of well-known material in the set.

Corgan recently wrote a letter to Congress in support of the proposed merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, although he did not mention in his letter that Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff manages the PUMPKINS.

Photo credit: Kateri Forbes (courtesy of SmashingPumpkins.com)

(Thanks: Eric S. Harding)