The Figurados

By Margaret Moser

Holy Smoke is right! Where did these guys come from? Rising like phoenixes from Midwest bands you never heard of in Iowa, then going their own ways and reconvening here auspiciously years later, Timothy Abbott and Gregg Kirk have sheaves of songs between them. There's a touch of psych in "Blueberry Eyes," indie rock glory on "Wiggy," a hint of Soundgarden on "I Wash It Down," and whiffs of Timbuk 3 and the Gourds throughout. Kirk's Midas touch as a producer is golden on every track, clean and subtle when it needs to be on the wistful "Died Tonight" and applied as tough acoustic hide on the wicked "Way Around Me." With its cigar-smoke vocals and elastic melodies that pop into place, Divine Spirits gambles with a mixed-bag album blessed with bone dice of the right stuff.

- Austin Chronicle

BY Roger Farnsworth

The band 25 Smokin' Figurados returned to Austin Thursday night to release their new CD, "Divine Spirits, Holy Smoke" in style at the Ruta Maya night club. Over the course of the evening they welcomed party-goers to a pre-launch fete at the Habana House shop in the rear of the eclectic club, exchanged pleasantries with a sizable crowd of happy fans, and threw cigars from the stage as they belted out some old-fashioned rock for the appreciative crowd.

The pre-launch party was low-key but well-attended; Jennifer Vanderslice, the PR rep for the band, was handing out cigars from the event sponsors Reyes Family Cigars and Vegas de Santiago, and Habana House shop hostess Erica was graciously welcoming customers and offering significant discounts on the sponsors' cigars. Band members Timothy Abbott and Gregg Kirk were there for conversation and photo opportunities and the atmosphere was comfortable and relaxed as people mingled and smoked their cigars. Habana House is tucked into the back corner of Ruta Maya, a locally famous coffee house/roastery and live music venue. The cigar shop features a large walk-in humidor, comfortable seating, a very polite staff and a wide selection of accessories.

Conversation continued and more cigars were distributed and smoked as the two opening bands, Message From Space and Worse Than Hippies, played their sets. Both bands were a lot of fun to watch and provided a nice prelude to the coming show. The cigar store closed at 10 and unfortunately smoking is not allowed in the club, but a large number of folks congregated at the comfortable table seating along both outside walls to enjoy cigars and freshly roasted coffee. As the band set up, family members sold t-shirts and CDs at a table in the rear of the club.

The band hit the stage and lit into a set that instantly energized the fans. After thanking everyone for helping to launch their new CD, Tim, sounding a lot like Fred Schneider for this cut, lit into a fiery version of "Way Around Me." The crowd was on its feet as the band ripped their way through this and a few more enjoyable songs. In an emotional moment, Tim dedicated the song "Jimmy Died Yesterday" to Zappa drummer, local favorite and friend Jimmy Carl Black who recently passed away. The band got tighter and more comfortable as they went on, and by the time they got to the funky and lighthearted "Wiggy" they were clearly having a blast. The tight bass riffs of Johnny Big and the solid guitar work offered up by Brian Anderton really stitched the set together. Another crowd favorite, "Tourmaline," turned out to be a very enjoyable song about the allure of absinthe.

The band played a solid set, to the delight of the gathered fans. And after the lights came up and the band had torn down, Gregg and Tim wandered through the club shaking hands and visiting with the folks who stayed to the end of the thoroughly enjoyable evening. Down-to-earth and very talented, 25 Smokin' Figurados should be on the playlist of any serious cigarophile. - Cigar Weekly

BY Hux

Hard rock meets well... harder rock. With a smattering of other sounds, the CD is power packed with punchy guitar - illuminating sounds from the dark rock, Beckish sounding "Jimmy Died Yesterday" to the truly hard hitting "I Wash It Down" it's a CD with a collection that seems disjointed, but works. From rock to heavier rock to light gospel to new wave it's got a little bit of something if you wanna listen. - Austin Daze

A CIGAR-LOVING BAND ON THE RUN

The music of 25 Smokin' Figurados, which has just released its debut album Divine Spirits, Holy Smoke, has been described as soaking in "mid-western angst, urban depravity, and Texas heat," and should be played at high volumes and savored "like a fine figurado," according the to band's founders -- preferably with a glass of absinthe or choice Belgian beer, they add.

With influences ranging from The Clash and Deep Purple to Warren Zevon, the five-member band is the culmination of the efforts of cigar-smoking musician partners Timothy Abbott and Gregg Kirk, who "struggled through a purgatory of nameless Iowa cover bands" before heading their separate ways -- Abbott for Austin, Kirk for the East Coast. After playing in a number of "defunct, but vital" bands during the 1990s, the prolific songwriting veterans reconvened, founded 25 Smokin' Figurados, and are now doing what they like most -- creating original music free from the limiting confines of one singular style.

Divine Spirits, Holy Smoke features a range of musical styles, combining powerful, guitar-driven rock that manages to sound both alternative and classic at the same time, according to the duo -- music with attitude. Despite the seemingly disjointed styles, local critics dig the music.

And, as the band's name implies, these guys are really into fine cigars (there's 25 cigars in a typical box, and figurados are an "unusual" shape, much like the band's eclectic musical style). It was Kirk who turned Abbott onto the passion; while all five members of the band smoke cigars, these two seem to out-collect and outsmoke the others by far.

Fittingly, the band's album release celebration in November was sponsored by Reyes Family Cigars and Vegas de Santiago. After the performance closed, everyone headed over to Habana House Cigars to celebrate and smoke up a storm. - SMOKE MAGAZINE

TEXAS TOP 10 MUSIC PICKS OF 2008
December 30, 2008
BY MARGARET MOSER

1) Dan Dyer (Fat Caddy)
2) Alejandro Escovedo, Real Animal (Back Porch/Manhattan/EMI)
3) Ariel Abshire, Exclamation Love (Darla)
4) Grupo Fantasma, Sonidos Gold (Aire Sol)
5) Eve & the Exiles, Blow Your Mind (Serpent)
6) 3 Balls of Fire, Jet Set Guitars (Deep Eddy)
7) James McMurtry, Just Us Kids (Lightning Rod)
8) 25 Smokin' Figurados, Divine Spirits, Holy Smoke
9) Southpaw Jones, Cruelty (Freshly Picked Music)
10) Vallejo, Thicker Than Water (VMG/Quandra) - Austin Chronicle