Singer/songwriter Jody William Smith appreciates life up close. "I hope to reveal the beauty in individual lives by reflecting experiences common to all of us." To accomplish this, he invites us to the fictional burg of Smithtowne, population: one [+]Singer/songwriter Jody William Smith appreciates life up close. "I hope to reveal the beauty in individual lives by reflecting experiences common to all of us." To accomplish this, he invites us to the fictional burg of Smithtowne, population: one troubadour and his immediate audience. It's a metaphor for the idealized Amercian community, but with an underlying thread of irony. "I think of it as part Mayberry, part Greenwich Village," he jokes. His fans think of it as purposeful music that goes deeper than the mainstream.
Travel, Smith's first full-length release, was recorded in 2004 by veteran producer Michael Vail Blum, whose resume includes work with Madonna, Roger Daltrey and many other major label acts. Smith's vocal, guitar and keyboard chops on Travel are augmented with performances from several Los Angeles musicians, but Blum's uncluttered production keeps the songs front and center. Says the artist: "Lyrics and melodies tell stories. Stories need room to breathe."
Selections from Travel have been played on various acoustic-friendly radio stations across the country, and Smith has been invited to perform in several songwriter showcases, including ones at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in New York, the Sisters Folk Festival in Oregon, and the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.
Writing for Sing Out! magazine, radio personality and music journalist Angela Page declared the songs on Travel "engaging and unforgettable," and in 2005 "Just Plain Jane" won an Honor Award in the Great American Song Contest.
Smith seems right at home in this brave new music industry: "What I love about the independent music scene is that it exists on the level of families, friends and neighborhoods. It connects to people where they actually live." Come down to Smithtowne, and you'll see what he means.
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