Ahead of the first stop on their Texas tour, Josh Caterer and his ‘Smoking Popes’ bandmates made a detour at Texas Public Radio. He recorded a session for TPR Music’s ‘Live From the Freight Elevator.’ Our tiny desk-inspired music series pays homage to late night elevator acapella sessions from TPR’s marketing team.
Caterer’s only request was for our team to acquire a “decent guitar” as his acoustic wasn’t on the January tour with him. There were some ups and downs when we recorded the session. It seemed no one had read the office email that said to avoid the freight elevator for the day. The freight was popular until we placed the key in it that made it stop. As a result, we lost Caterer for a few minutes when he was called up accidentally with guitar in hand. I secretly hoped he ended up on the news floor, strumming absently to a confused reporter.
Caterer laughed it off and then covered ‘Madison’ in one take. The acoustic cover filled the elevator and hallway where we all stood in collective silence. It was probably the coolest moment for me at TPR to date. Watching Caterer strum the borrowed Eastman and crooning lyrics I’d previously screamed too loudly in my car was kind of unbelievable — and left us all feeling like we’d witnessed something pretty dang special.
The Smoking Popes song ‘Madison’ was released last year. As the name suggests, the song is about a girl. In an interesting twist, the song is also a nod to the city of Madison, Wisconsin — where Caterer’s wife went to college. When they were first dating, Caterer would drive from Illinois to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to spend time with her.
When asked about the Texas part of the new year tour, Caterer said the Smoking Popes are excited to return to the state after five years. “We’ve really missed it. The audiences down here are always amazing and this tour has been no exception! We’ll definitely be back after the new album comes out in the fall.”
Fans of the band can expect a brand new Smoking Popes album to fall in love with this fall. Be sure to follow the band here. Special thanks to TPR business members and friends, Spacetone Music, for the borrowed guitar. Be sure to check out the Spacetone Music catalog for new, used & vintage guitars, amps, pedals & more.
This edition of Live From the Freight Elevator was shot and edited by Jacob Glombowski with sound production from Alfie De la Garza.
Live From the Freight Elevator is a production of Texas Public Radio.
