Pitchfork

Honestly, (cough cough) did you think we'd let a week go by without mentioning Billy Corgan's awesome new power-rock superband Zwan? For a while, we were a little worried; not much was going on with the guys, and we nearly had to run a piece about Corgan having difficulty setting up his TiVo to record this week's edition of the local Chicago public access hit Assyrians Around the World. Fortunately, new Zwan info has fallen into our laps just in time.

At least 90,000 people remembered that guitars used to be a key component of rock music, as Mary, Star of the Sea "shifted" that many "units" last week, debuting at #3 on Billboard's Hot 200 chart-- right behind the Dixie Chicks and Norah Jones, yet ahead of Avril Lavigne and Jennifer Lopez. 1994 it ain't. And while we're talking Billboard, Zwan's first single, "Honestly" is hanging in very nicely at #8 on the Modern Rock Tracks-- right behind Chevelle and Seether, yet ahead of Taproot and The All-American Rejects. So at least he's in good company there.

With mainstream momentum like this, you can be sure Corgan and his Zwan cohorts-- Slint and Tortoise member David Pajo, ex-Chavez guitarist Matt Sweeney, Paz Lenchantin of A Perfect Circle, and Corgan's smashing former and again current drummer Jimmy Chamberlin-- are eager to hit the road and bask in the glory of all these crazy, adoring, maniacal, weird fans. The tour kicked off on Sunday night in Gay Paris. Herewith, the remaining tourdates (though that April Fool's Day listing seems a little fishy):

02-12 London, England - Shepherd's Bush Empire
02-17 Hamburg, Germany - Docks
02-18 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
02-20 Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
02-23 Madrid, Spain - Riviera
03-20 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
03-21 Milwaukee, WI - Rave
03-22 St. Louis, MO - Pageant
03-24 Cleveland, OH - Agora
03-25 Toronto, ONT - Kool Haus
03-27 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
03-28 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
03-29 Baltimore, MD - Towson State University
03-31 Normal, IL - Illinois State University
04-01 city/venue TBA
04-02 Evanston, IL - Northwestern University
04-04 Buffalo, NY - University of Buffalo
04-05 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
04-07 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
04-08 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live

In other Zwan album news, Corgan recently addressed fan complaints about the "sound" of the album in an open letter at the band's website: "[T]here seems to be confusion about whether or not there is a problem, which is understandable in the warm 'digital' age. So from my mouth to your ear, here's the deal: We set out to make the loudest fucking rock and roll album that was humanly possible. No detail was too small, and by that I mean that everything, and I mean everything on the album is distorted by yours truly-- so if our album is blowing up your speakers or making your dog cry, I can't say I'm sorry, but I do apologize for any worries this may have caused. Mary Star of the Sea uses everything but the kitchen sink in the analog or digital domain to push the sound of Zwan past the blur into something that feels fresh and exciting, and most importantly, LOUD at any volume." He's right about that: We played the record at barely audible levels in the Pitchfork offices this morning and it was too fucking loud.