JIM BABJAK

The Smithereens guitarist talks “A Girl Like You,” New Jersey lore, touring with Tom Petty and his guitar tone's impact on Nirvana

-  Joe Bosso

IT'S ONLY TAKEN 45 years for the Smithereens to have hit the big time. Yes, they've bagged gold records and have toured the world, but recently they've hit what is surely the pinnacle of success with the propagation of Smithereens tribute bands. There's Broken Pieces, Blood & Roses and Dead Äire, among others, and if the trend continues, guitarist Jim Babjak just might get in on the act. “I was joking to my manager, 'These tribute bands are probably making more money than me,'” he says. “Maybe I should form a Smithereens tribute group and be in it.”

He might have a hard time with that, as the actual Smithereens' touring dance card has been full as of late. That the band is performing at all is something of a miracle, as many assumed that the untimely passing of lead singer and songwriter Pat DiNizio in 2017 spelled the end of the beloved New Jersey-based pop rockers. “You get knocked down, but you've got to find ways to keep going,” says Babjak, who a year earlier suffered the loss of his wife to pancreatic cancer. “Before she died, she said to me, 'You've got to live your best life.' That struck a chord with me. The fact is, people still want to hear these songs, and I want to play them because I put my heart and soul into them.”

Babjak and drummer Dennis Diken, who formed the band with DiNizio in 1980, are usually joined on tour by co-founder and bassist Mike Mesaros, but occasionally the bass slot is occupied by onetime member Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion or longtime Joe Jackson bassist Graham Maby. Their frontman position is also a fluid situation. For the past few years, it's alternated between Marshall Crenshaw and Gin Blossoms singer Robin Wilson, but recently John Cowsill (best known for his work as singer and drummer with the pre-Partridge Family band the Cowsills) has assumed the post.