Smithereens: Jim Babjak on life without Pat DiNizio and the future of the band

Chris Jordan | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Pat DiNizio Way Smithereens attend dedication of Pat DiNizio Way in Scotch Plains on April 17.

The music will live on.

Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken and Mike Mesaros will continue to perform as the Smithereens with different lead singers for future shows. There will be not be a single permanent replacement for Pat DiNizio, who passed away on Dec. 12 at the age of 62.

Babjak, Diken and Mesaros will perform with vocalist Marshall Crenshaw, Friday, June 1, at Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair.

“People ask who’s going to replace Pat, you can’t replace Pat,” Babjak said. “Hiring a Pat sound-alike would be considered a replacement, and this is not about replacing Pat. Pat had his own thing and it should remain that way.”

The thought of no longer playing did cross Babjak’s mind.

“The music definitely has to live on,” Babjak said. “Everyday I wake up, it’s a gift. I thought about hanging it up but I need to play. This is the longest period in 38 years I haven’t picked up a guitar, so I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’ve been through a lot of life changes with Betty (Babjak, Jim’s wife) passing and Pat passing — life goes on,” Babjak said.

Betty Babjak, Jim’s wife of 32 years, passed away in 2016 of pancreatic cancer.

More: The Smithereens love story of Jim and Betty Babjak

“A lot of our fans overwhelmingly want us to continue, and it’s not like we’re replacing Pat, we’re just moving on and keeping the music alive — because it’s our legacy, also,” Babjak said.

The Smithereens performed in the “Time and Time Again: A Celebration of the Life of Pat DiNizio,” Jan. 13 at the Count Basie Center in Red Bank. Stevie Van Zandt, Richard Barone, Robin Wilson, Dave Davies, Lenny Kaye, Tony Shanahan, Crenshaw and more sang the classic Smithereens songs with the band at the Basie. The future structure of the band, which will include Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion, will be much like the Basie show.

More: Pat DiNizio, voice of the Smithereens, has died

“There’s a lot of singers — Ted Leo, Marshall (Crenshaw) and Robin Wilson (of Gin Blossoms fame) and some others who all have their own careers, so we’ll try to fit in dates according to everybody’s schedule,” Babjak said. “It should make things interesting because they’ll have different takes on the songs. It’s going to be fun for me as well.”

The band structure going forward for the Smithereens will be different, but not entirely unprecedented. Santana has featured multiple lead singers, as well as Van Halen and Stone Temple Pilots. The singers, who will not perform their own material, will have their own preferences for what Smithereens songs get on the setlist, said Babjak.

“We’ll also be doing some different songs, songs we’ve never played live before,” Babjak said. “Marshall has suggested a song and we said that’s cool. We’ll work that one up.”

More: Smithereens legacy: Pat DiNizio Way dedicated in Scotch Plains VIDEO

The band has played two post-DiNizio concerts with Wilson on Long Island and just outside of Chicago. The Crenshaw show will be their first announced show in Jersey since the DiNizio tribute.

Babjak, Diken and Mesaros of Carteret met DiNizio of Scotch Plains in 1980 after the singer placed an ad in the Aquarian music weekly. After the band honed its skills at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, Kenny’s Castaways in New York City and other clubs in the area, they broke through with “Blood and Roses” in 1986.

The band’s hits include “Top of the Pops,” “Drown in My Own Tears,” “Only a Memory,” “A Girl Like You” and more.

Babjak and Diken will be at Vintage Vinyl in Fords on Friday, May 25, to say hello and sign copes of a new Smithereens CD called “Covers” featuring, appropriately enough, covers of songs the band, with DiNizio, recorded over the years. It’s everything from “Yer Blues” by the Beatles to “Up in Heaven” by the Clash.

“It was a lot of fun,” Babjak said. “Whenever we had extra time in the studio we’d knock off covers for fun.”

“I remember Mike (Mesaros) suggested ‘Rosie Won’t You Please Come Home’ by the Kinks and I said I didn’t really know that, so we jotted down the lyrics and it took about five minutes to figure out and we did it. Some of these things are pretty funny.”

Babjak, the writer of “White Castle Blues,” noted that there’s a White Castle not that far on down Route 1 from Vintage Vinyl.

“If somebody can bring over some sliders that would be cool,” Babjak said. “It’s going to be around dinner time.”

Chris Jordan: cjordan@app.com. Twitter: @chrisfhjordan

The Smithereens

With: Marshall Crenshaw on vocals

When: 8 p.m. Friday, June 1

Where: Outpost in the Burbs in the First Congregational Church, 40 South Fullerton Ave, Montclair

Tickets: $40

Info: www.outpostintheburbs.org

also

CD signing for 'Covers'

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 25

Where: Vintage Vinyl, 51 Lafayette Ave., Fords

Info: vvinyl.com