Smashing Pumpkins Make Open Call For New Guitarist

The Smashing Pumpkins will have a new guitarist with them on the road this year, and with any luck, it just might be you. The Billy Corgan-led group took to social media today (Dec. 5) to encourage hopefuls to submit “a resume and related materials” to Red Light Management for the slot formerly occupied by Jeff Schroeder, who exited in October after a 16-year tenure.

“The application process is open to anyone who might be interested,” the Pumpkins wrote. The new guitarist will augment the core trio of Corgan, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the latter two of which have been members on and off since 1988.

In an interesting twist, Chamberlin himself was replaced in 2009 by Mike Byrne, a drummer Corgan chose from open auditions. He returned to the Pumpkins in 2015.

Whomever wins the guitarist gig, they’ll at least have a little time to get acclimated. The Pumpkins don’t return to the road until their June 7 European tour opener in Birmingham, England, which will be followed by North American support dates on Green Day’s Saviors tour, which kicks off July 29 in Washington, D.C.

The group’s most recent album, Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts, was released in three installments across 2022-3.