Smoking Popes' take on punk-pop is centered around lead singer Josh Caterer, whose obsessions with big-band records and black-and-white movies on the American Movie Classics channel have led him to develop a vocal style unique in punk -- the Popes sound like a familiar loud guitar band fronted by a lounge singer, mixing uptempo rock with laid-back vocals and lyrics with an old-time romantic feel. The rest of the band, formed in the Chicago area around 1991, consists of Josh's brothers Matt and Eli on bass and guitar, respectively, and drummer Mike Felumlee.
