In a music world where legions of classic bands are milking their old hits for all the extra attention they can find, the Smithereens are a step apart. Sure, they play the fan favorites from their 1980s albums — “Drown in My Own Tears,” “Behind the Wall of Sleep” — but they also aren’t afraid to take other paths. Fans saw that with their albums paying tribute to “Meet the Beatles” and the Who’s “Tommy.” And now, the band shows it again with their first album of original material in 12 years.
“It’s something we never didn’t want to do,” said drummer Dennis Diken of “2011,” which was released in April. “We are very happy with the way it turned out and very excited about what we’ve heard from fans and the public in general.”
| Onstage |
| The Smithereens |
| When: 7 p.m. Saturday |
| Where: State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church |
| Info: $20; 703-237-0300; thestatetheatre.com, missiontix.com |
Don Dixon, who produced the Smithereens’ 1986 breakout debut, “Especially For You,” produced the 13-track album. Perhaps following in the path of some of their idols, including the Beatles, lead singer/guitarist Pat DiNizio, guitarist Jim Babjak, bassist Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion, and Diken kept the album raw, free of extensive pre-production.
On this tour, the group will tour with a keyboard player, something they’ve had on their collective to-do lists for a number of years. The extra instrumentation will be put to good use as the band winds its way through its catalog, including the newest editions.
Looking back, Diken said such shows bring to mind the surprises the Smithereens have found in the band’s 25-year journey.
“There are so many times when a fan will say, ‘I wish you guys would play this tune,’ ” Diken said. “That harkens back to another interesting point, [which is that] you never know what will register.”
Diken mentions the title track of “Especially for You,” which the band and its teams were confident would be a hit single. Although the song was well-received, other tracks took the starring role.
And what of this latest album? Any favorites for radio?
“We really threw caution to the wind in the past and maybe fell into the trap of tailoring certain songs to be ‘radio friendly,’ ” he said. “On this occasion, we said ‘Radio is a different animal. Let’s put our best foot forward and go from there.’ That is what we did on our first couple albums.”
The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
