The Smashing Pumpkins say they received 10,000 applications for open guitarist position

17 January, 2024

Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins have received more than 10,000 applications after advertising a new guitarist position in the band.

Earlier this month the group launched a search for an additional guitarist, and anyone interested was encouraged to apply.

The position came up after longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder announced that he’d decided to leave the band last October.

The alternative rock band revealed in a social media post today (January 17) that “the band has received over 10,000 submissions for the position of an additional guitarist”.

It continued: “Currently, there are 8 people working full-time to review each and every one.”

In a statement announcing his departure from The Smashing Pumpkins, Schroeder wrote: “It’s easy to say now that when I joined The Smashing Pumpkins in 2007 I had no idea what I was getting into. The opportunity seemed to have come out of nowhere. I was at UCLA working on my doctorate in comparative literature when a close friend messaged me and said The Smashing Pumpkins were looking for a guitar player.”

“Being a huge fan of the band, the audition was something I threw myself into,” he continued.

Schroeder sad that it was “one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life” but that he’d “decided to leave the band to make some space to explore a slightly different path”.

The guitarist joined The Smashing Pumpkins in 2007, touring the album ‘Zeitgeist’, in place of band co-founder James Iha. When Iha rejoined in 2018, Schroeder stayed on.

He went on to record six albums with the group, including their recent the three-part rock opera ‘ATUM‘. NME described the project as “an ambitious body of work” with “plenty on here to please any diehard Pumpkins fan”.

The Smashing Pumpkins will be heading to the UK and Europe with Weezer for a joint summer tour this year (you can purchase tickets here). They will also be supporting Green Day on the US leg of their 2024 US stadium tour. Tickets are available are here.

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