Timothy Abbott and Gregg Kirk are both singer/songwriters who formed the rock alternative/classic rock band, “25 Smokin’ Figurados.” Besides the obvious reference to cigars in their name, these guys do in fact love to smoke premium cigars. And I do mean premium. Some of their favorites include: Montecristo #2, Bolívar Belicosos Finos, and San Cristóbal and Trinidad torpedos.

Album Art: “Divine Spirits, Holy Smoke”

In the next several months they will be having launch parties for the debut of their new CD, "Divine Spirits, Holy Smoke," which will be held in Austin, Texas, S. Norwalk and New York City.

I recently partnered with Tim and Gregg to run a “CD and Cigars Contest,” which will be explained on the Stogie Fresh 5 cigarcast. I also asked Gregg to do an interview for our Stogie Fresh readers and he graciously accepted. So, here it is…

DOC: Dude, how in the heck did you come up with the name 25 Smokin’ Figurados?!

GREGG: Well, Tim (the other lead singer and songwriter) and I have always liked smoking cigars and when it came to naming the band, we wanted that to come across. As you know, a figurado is a type of cigar and they come in boxes of 25. Skadoosh. Out came our name.

DOC: Your music has been labeled "classic rock" and "alternative." Whatever it is, I like it. How long you been playin' and who were your biggest influences?

PHOTO: Singer/Songwriter Gregg Kirk

GREGG: You've just pointed out a weird thing about the band. We sound like classic rock at times but also sound alternative at others. It's like being new and old-fashioned at the same time. It shouldn't work, but somehow it does.

Our influences are all over the map and I think that shows in the songs we write. We made a conscious decision to write whatever song came to us without filtering things out because of style. In a normal band situation, you're confined to the one style the band is playing, and Tim and I decided not to have any rules. I tend to like heavier stuff like Soundgarden and Queens of the Stone Age… I grew up on Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, and Tim likes the more rootsy and classic rock type stuff like Warren Zevon but he's also into the Clash. But our influences go well beyond that. I think when it comes down to it we've been influenced by every song we've ever heard.

DOC: What is it that makes you and Tim [Abbott] click?

GREGG: Being about 1,800 miles apart helps! Tim lives in Austin and I live in Connecticut about an hour north of Manhattan. We get together every few months to write songs so when we do, it's all business. We're also not around each other to drive each other crazy.

We've been playing together in bands and songwriting for more than 20 years. I met him when I was 16 in a band in Iowa and after both of us moved on (he went to Austin, TX and I moved to Philadelphia), we kept in touch and continued to collaborate. We've been doing the Figurados thing for about five years now.

Because of the distance thing, we've actually got two versions of the live band… an Austin version and an East Coast version. Things never get boring this way.

And technology has played a huge role in recording. We've got 8 musicians playing on the CD who never met each other and in some cases, drum parts that were recorded outside my home studio were emailed to me. This kind of thing wasn't possible 15 years ago.

PHOTO: Gregg Kirk and Timothy Abbott

DOC: This may not mean much to anyone but me, but I notice that you put the words to your songs on your website. Not everyone does this. Why do you do it?

GREGG: Back in the day, I used to like buying vinyl and having that experience of putting the disc on the turntable and sitting down with the album sleeve, reading the lyrics and checking out the artwork while the music blasted. When everything went to CDs, a lot of my friends complained that the experience was lost because of the smaller format. Now with the web, you can actually have a much better and more interactive experience with the music. That's what we were going for. The idea is to have someone come to the site, play the songs, check out the lyrics and watch images of the band rotate on the page.

DOC: Your bio on your website says that your “Favorite Figurados” are the Montecristo #2, Bolivar pyramids, and Trinidad torpedos. I note an Island South of Miami theme. Why no Dominicans, Nicaraguans or Hondurans in your list?

GREGG: I don't HATE cigars outside of Cuba, but you can't beat Cubans for consistency. For years, I actually ignored Cubans because they were hard to come by, but my brother who was working in Canada, told me about how intense Cuban tobacco was. I thought he was full of crap until I brought a few Cuban Bolivar torps back from Jamaica one year. The nicotine intensity was overwhelming… not like anything I'd ever experienced with Dominican cigars. I've been hooked ever since. I've tasted some non-Cuban cigars that are comparable but I'm partial to Cuban tobacco these days.

DOC: You also made the statement: “There's nothing better than 3 or four glasses of La Bleue absinthe (no sugar) and a Monte #2. NOTHING!” Well, the Doc loves to pair cigars and libations, but ABSINTHE? What is it about this libation that makes it a great match with a cigar?

GREGG: There's something about the absinthe/Cuban cigar combination that's undeniable. Just one glass of absinthe and a small-sized cigar like a Trinidad fundadore makes you feel fantastic. A few years ago at a party a friend of mine who doesn't smoke or even drink that much asked me about it. I fixed him a glass of absinthe and gave him a Cuban, and about halfway through it he looked over at me and said, "Why do I feel so good?!" I don't know what it is, but it's two tastes that taste great together. But it has to be good absinthe (La Bleu, Pernod, Amer, etc.) and a real Cuban cigar to get the effect.

DOC: What is your favorite time for a cigar? Before, during, or after a performance?

GREGG: What kind of performance are you talking about? Oh, MUSIC! I like to stay pretty bolted down for gigs so I usually partake after a show. Plus, I sing and smoke's not too great on the vocal cords.

DOC: So you’ve cut a CD… NOW WHAT?

GREGG: World domination. What else?

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Email: figurados@gmail.com

Website: http://www.25smokinfigurados.com

MYSpace: http://www.myspace.com/25smokinfigurados