The Smithereens

From the ’80s onward, The Smithereens brought classic power pop into alt-rock, often bulking it up with a heavy guitar attack. Singer/guitarist Pat DiNizio, guitarist Jim Babjak, bassist Mike Mesaros, and drummer Dennis Diken started the band in Carteret, NJ, in 1980. They released their debut EP that year and became a mainstay of the NYC scene before long. Their first full-length release, 1986’s Especially for You, brought them a pair of hooky-but-brooding hits, “Behind the Wall of Sleep” and “Blood and Roses,” which became ’80s college-rock classics. With DiNizio’s distinctive baritone and often melancholy tunes, The Smithereens kept perfecting their craft, hitting a commercial peak in 1989 with the Top 40 hit “A Girl Like You.” In later years of recording and touring, they held firm regardless of changing trends. DiNizio died in 2017 at 62; his bandmates honored his spirit by continuing to tour with various guest vocalists, including Marshall Crenshaw and Gin Blossoms singer Robin Wilson.