 Photo by Kalee Smyth
A veteran of the ’90s Chicago & Seattle punk scenes, Charlie Smyth’s sound has evolved over time, meandering like a tattered feather on the Southern breeze and settling somewhere beneath the ever-widening shadow of modern Americana. Grand, loose and vibrant, the Nashville-based troubadour’s new solo debut, The Way I Feel, is dusted with strings, mariachi horns and wistful blankets of steel guitar, its loose-lugnut drums propelling the whole beautiful jalopy of a record forward as if the wheels could come off at any minute. The record is a breathtaking statement of creative purpose, imbuing its too-often safe and by-the-numbers genre with an undeniable sense of musical adventure. Ahead of the album's release on July 13th, Smyth answered his Essential 8 and spoke about his musical mentor Doug Ward, Randy Newman, MSG, and more.
Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? Doug Ward from the Chicago-based punk outfit I.D. Under dragged me to get my first guitar and amp. I had picked up a couple of chords (maybe three) from a roommate of mine. I was hanging out at Doug’s loft in Wicker Park and people were just drinking and making a racket on instruments that were laying around. I played two chords back and forth a bit and Doug said “I didn’t know you could play guitar!” The next day he insisted on driving me out to his hometown suburb to the shop where he bought his gear. I bought a brand new white Squire Strat and a Crate amp. To his chagrin I put the sticker that came inside G’nR’s Appetite for Destruction on it (it was 1987). Then I had him teach me the chords to “Everything’s Exploding!” by The Flaming Lips. That got me rolling. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? I was living in Berlin in 2004 and ended up at Nikki Sudden’s apartment for Christmas dinner (cheese fondue). We were doing the “pass the guitar around after a few drinks” thing and Nikki was enthusiastic about a couple of the songs I wrote. One of them was “Country Girl”, which at the time I was playing rather soft and slow. When I finished playing it he said “Stay bruised, Charlie.” I thought that was very sweet advice from one musician to another. I later learned he had a song by the same title.
What are your “must have” albums for the road?
Slayer’s South of Heaven, George Jones’ Greatest Hits, and Dylan’s Tempest. What’s your dream venue and why? Madison Square Garden because Billy Joel likes it so much. Who would you love to collaborate with? Harry Connick Jr Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended? My first concert was Motley Crue’s ‘Shout at the Devil’ tour, 1984. Favorite thing to do on a day off? Lay about and read. Have you met any of your heroes? If so, how did it go? I was living in Chicago in a loft with a couple of the guys from Wilco (2002). Randy Newman was a label-mate of theirs (Nonesuch) so they had passes to one of his shows and were kind enough to invite me. They went backstage after the show and I tagged along. Somehow it ended up being just me and Randy sitting alone and chatting for quite a while. Not alone like, in a corner, alone like everybody else just left the room. It was odd, even more odd in retrospect. Anyway, we just kept telling little stories back and forth and he kept telling me to help myself to more of the cheese plate. Eventually somebody poked their head through the door and said it was time to go. He was a very pleasant conversationalist and I hope we get to talk again someday. It’s funny, but I hadn’t heard of him before that night and he only became a “hero” to me after the fact. I also had a great talk with Martin Rev at a party at Sylvia Reed’s place in New York, but that’s another story. Website/Facebook
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