The Smokes unite for 'Reunion Show' part two at Colonial

When four of the five members of The Holy Smokes graduated from Princeton in 2003, they never dreamed they'd be back by popular demand. Yet, after the amazing success of a supposedly final "reunion show" at Quad in January, The Smokes have begun to set up more shows on the Street, the first of which will be this Saturday, April 10 at Colonial.

"Our fan turnout was remarkable, and we had a great time. We couldn't say no to more offers," guitarist Rob Morris '03 said of the show at Quad.

The band was formed in 2000 by Morris, vocalist/guitarist Brian Perez-Daple '03, bassist Caleb Bonilla '03 and drummer Justin Garretson '03. Vocalist/keyboardist Brad Flora '04 was later added to the lineup. While all are gifted musicians ("We got tired of being known as "that band with the amazing guitar player," Flora said), The Smokes have never really taken themselves too seriously. They are, after all, a cover band.

"I don't think most eating clubs lend themselves to anything too serious. The music scene is hardly comparable to the smaller urban clubs [of New York or Philadelphia]," Morris said. "So, from that standpoint, I don't think people really expect us to be taken super seriously."

The Smokes are arguably most well known for their cover of the theme from Disney's "Ducktales."

The Smokes's decision to primarily perform other artists' songs was an economical one. Both Morris and Flora cite the difficulties of playing original music on the Street.

"With the possible exception of Terrace, most eating clubs are not a great environment for upcoming original bands," Morris said. "The clubs want to fill up on Thursday and Saturday, and having a 40-minute act playing songs no one knows is probably not going to cut it. Even if you sound really good, people will probably leave."

At any given Holy Smokes show, the audience can expect to hear 30 to 40 of their favorite rock songs by Green Day, Weezer, Sublime, SR-71, Bon Jovi and Lynyrd Skynyrd, just to name a few. With sets that are two to three hours long, the group focuses on, as Morris said, "bands that really hit our age group during junior high and early high school."

It is ultimately this advanced understanding of the Princeton music scene that has played the largest role in the band's localized success.

Morris said, "At any venue, there are dozens of factors to be considered. Who is my audience? How long is the set? Are there competing venues nearby? Is the audience fluid — that is, do they hop from one venue to the next or will you see more or less the same faces the entire night? Most bands at Princeton fail to ask these sorts of questions, and, as a result, they don't really grasp the intricacies of the eating club scene. Either that, or, knowing the scene, they still have no interest in remolding their approach."

While the Street may be conducive to cover bands, the real world does not take to them so kindly. The Smokes, who recently made the decision to continue performing together outside of Princeton, have taken steps to address this issue. Until now, the only original song in The Holy Smokes repertoire was Flora's uber-catchy and tongue-in-cheek "Let's Get Married." This, however, is about to change.

"We are in the process of integrating a few new original songs into the set. We have the luxury of a large, devoted fan base, and they are interested in what we'll deliver," Morris said. Fans should look for these new songs shortly on The Holy Smokes' s website, www.thesmokes.net.

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Currently, the band's members are scattered across the East Coast: Morris is teaching guitar and currently pursuing a career in neuroimaging; Perez-Daple is studying law at the University of Chicago; Garretson is working on a Masters in engineering at MIT; Bonilla is working for the FAA in Atlantic City; and Flora is here in Princeton finishing up his thesis for the English department.

Morris said, "Now that we don't have papers, JPs and theses, we have a lot more time to spend on music. We are also getting ready to book shows in Philadelphia and Boston."

Still, the band knows the star treatment they enjoy at Princeton will not come as easily once they branch out to other venues. For their show in January, the officers of Quad paid for the members' plane fares.

"Princeton is an amazing place to play music, and it's nice that we can afford to keep doing it," Morris said slyly. "In the future, we'll try not to promote a 'last show ever' unless it truly is the last show ever. But, no promises."