ZWAN was formed in 2001 by Billy Corgan (vocals/guitar), Matt Sweeney (guitar), David Pajo (guitar/bass), and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums). Paz Lenchantin (bass) was added to the line-up in April 2002.
Billy Corgan founded his previous band, The Smashing Pumpkins, in his hometown of Chicago in 1988. The band featured Corgan on guitar, James Iha on guitar, D'Arcy Wretzsky on bass, and Jimmy Chamberlin on drums. The Pumpkins had their greatest commercial success in the mid nineties with the multi-platinum double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Following the release of MACHINA/ the machines of God in 2000, the band began a final tour, playing their last show in Chicago in December 2000. Since the Pumpkins' split, Corgan has collaborated with the group New Order, lending vocals to a song ("Turn My Way") and joining them on tour. The Pumpkins also released a greatest hits cd and video collection in 2001.
Matt Sweeney led the New Jersey punk group Skunk during the end of the eighties into the early nineties. In the nineties, he formed Chavez with Clay Tarver, Scott Masciarelli, and James Lo. His other music credits include Cat Power, Guided By Voices and Bonny Prince Billy.
David Pajo, originally from Kentucky, is formerly of the group Slint. In the decade following Slint's breakup, he toured with Stereolab, Royal Trux, King Kong, Palace, and Will Oldham, expanding his musical reach by playing bass as well as guitar, piano, congas, and drums. Pajo joined the Chicago outfit Tortoise in 1996. He is currently a member of the band Papa M (previously known as Aerial M) and continues to work with them while in Zwan.
Jimmy Chamberlin, also a founding member of the Smashing Pumpkins, is a native of Joliet, Illinois. Originally trained as a jazz drummer, the Pumpkins was the first rock band he joined, and he stayed with them for the better part of thirteen years (excluding a brief period in the late nineties). Following the band's breakup, he collaborated on the album The Last Hard Men with Skid Row's Sebastian Bach, The Breeders' Kelley Deal, and Jimmy Flemion of The Frogs.
Paz Lenchantin, best known as the beautiful bassist in A Perfect Circle, joined Zwan in April 2002. You can learn more about Paz here: SimplyPaz
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