Smashing Pumpkins reportedly hire teen drummer

Billy Corgan has reportedly tapped 19-year-old drummer Mike Byrne as the replacement for Jimmy Chamberlin in The Smashing Pumpkins.

Byrne, drummer for Oregon-based band Moses, Smell the Roses apparently landed the gig after working for a week with Corgan last month, and blogged on his MySpace page that he was "off for another couple of weeks at pumpkin camp."

Corgan finds "drummer of the future"

Additionally, Billy Corgan blogged last Friday that he has found the band's "drummer of the future," explaining that he's eyeing October as the month to release.

"I've worked with him so far for one week, and all indications are really good that he's the man for the job," Corgan wrote of the unnamed drummer. "Going to work with him some more before it becomes official. Whoever takes the job has quite big shoes to fill, no doubt about it."

Pumpkins' publicist confirms Byrne

MusicRadar reached Mitch Schneider, publicist for The Smashing Pumpkins, who confirmed that Corgan was in the studio working with Byrne on demos.

Responding to Schneider's statement, Corgan said, "I think he's an incredibly gifted drummer, and so far things are going really well."

If Byrne ultimately makes the cut, he would be the youngest member of the reconstituted Smashing Pumpkins. Founder Billy Corgan is 42, while new new guitarist Heff Schroeder is 35 and new bassist Ginger Pooley is 29.

Interested in checking out Byrne's chops? Here he is winning the Beaverton, Oregon Guitar Center Drum Off in 2008.