Al Smith has made his mark in the music world by supporting other artists’ vision, providing drums and keyboards for artists like Hiss Golden Messenger, Madeline Hawthorne and Tom Hamilton. On the first recording under his own direction, an acoustic instrumental EP with his collaborators Phil Cook and Justin Mazer, he’s putting himself first — sort of.
“I’m in more a composer role,” says Smith, originally from outside of Lancaster, Pa., and recently relocated to northern California, after stops in Philadelphia and North Carolina. He played all of the instruments himself to demo the four atmospheric and mood-setting pieces, then had his cohorts do most of the work on the final versions. Noting he doesn’t play acoustic guitar very well, he was more interested in coming up with material for Mazer and Cook to bring to life.
He says he was spurred on by JP Biondo of Cabinet, who sent him a video of himself playing a song Smith had written, which became “Goodbye Blue Monday” on the EP. “It was just him on his back porch, strumming on his acoustic guitar, playing my one song. And I liked that. It was kind of like the spark that simmered in the back of my mind for a year or two. When I was writing the music (for the EP), I was like, let’s go in that direction.”
Smith toured with Cook in Hiss Golden Messenger. The multi-instrumentalist known for his own group Megafaun has played with Blind Boys of Alabama, Mountain Goats and Bon Iver, whose leader Justin Vernon said: “No one has taught me more about music in my life than him.”
“He’s a master,” Smith says. “He lived really close to me when I lived in North Carolina. He’s kind of like a local legend down there. From the first couple times we jammed together, he just had that sound that soulful, deep, kind of musical thing. We’re just kind of hearing things in the same way. So I was instantly like my original project, he has to be a crucial part of it. Like all that slide guitar and JJ Cale kind of like wah pedal with the distortion and stuff and harmonica and piano. And he’s just like a super easygoing, hilarious guy that is so talented and such a sweet person.”
Mazer, from Northeastern Pennsylvania, was enlisted to add his guitar mastery. Smith and Mazer were members of Hamilton’s American Babies and both have played in Grahame Lesh’s bands. Smith’s piano teacher, Erik Deutsch, a former member of Leftover Salmon, a part of the relaunched Black Crowes and whose credits include Charlie Hunter, Norah Jones and Shooter Jennings, contributes to a track as well.
Smith, who frequently performs in California with longtime associates as well his new roommate, will play three shows close to home soon: Turkey Hill Brewing in Bloomsburg, Pa., on Nov. 29, The Bog in Scranton on Dec. 17 and Dock Street Brewing in Philadelphia on Dec. 21. At the Turkey Hill show, he plans to be joined by Andrew Altman, the bassist formerly of Railroad Earth, and drummer Eric Santana. Mazer will play the December shows.
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