‘Skeletons’, the new offering from Melbourne’s Damon Smith is mostly a piano centric, New Orleans style blues/jazz record not without the usual hallmarks of this genre – but also liberally flambéed with tonnes of top-quality MSG (Movers, Shakers and Groovers). The album, will be out on June 17, through The Night Sky Is A Jewellery Store Records.
Horns twist around the whisky marinated vocals, while the upright bass, drums and piano lock in tight with just enough room to sound sporadic and groovy, and allow moments of country and even soul to sashay right in. This record compliments Smith’s last, piano-less album Golden Dappled Thoughts, Momentarily but stylistically speaking, is the antithesis of that 2020 release.
Drawing inspiration from the wry lyricism heard from Aldous Harding and Bill Callahan, the inimitable groove of Dr John, the sincerity of Nina Simone and the musical splendour of bands like Wilco, Smith creates intriguing tiny worlds within these new songs. The predominant theme running through the album is of self-worth and the part we play in our personal relationships with not only people – but also our pets, strangers and even the odd inanimate object.
Smith’s performances on this record are punctuated with expert musicianship and his razor sharp wit, creating a hugely dynamic sonic presence. His virtuosic piano style and ‘whiskey as’ voice is complemented by guest performances from the likes of Wilbur Wilde, Barney McAll, the horns from Melbourne’s Sugarfoot Ramblers, Nashville session musician Ross Sermons, local legends David Cosma, Ben Wicks, Ben Franz, Adrian Whyte, Sabrina McKenzie, Richard Giles and Harry O’Mara, with the bulk of the rhythm section performed by Smiths’ touring band members Adam Coad and Trent McKenzie.
Skeletons will be released on Friday June 17 and available on Bandcamp and all other major digital platforms. The album launch will be on Wednesday June 29 at Melbourne’s Jazz Lab – with a Covid safe buffet of super special guests. Enthusiastic invitations to drag your own skeletons out of your closets and join the throng are warmly extended!
Skeletons
- A Feeling To Fly On
- You Know What I Mean?
- Wrapped Up & Obsolete
- Mighty Are The Falling
- Midlife Clarity Blues
- You’ve Got To Move On (Skeletons)
- All I Ever wanted
- Here We Go Again
- You Led Me To a Goldmine
- Midlife Crisis Blues
- Here It Is Again
Release Date / Label
June 17. The Night Sky Is A Jewellery Store
Available formats
Digital, CD
Album pre-order link
https://damonsmith.bandcamp.com/
Online links
https://www.facebook.com/damonsmithmelb
ournemusician
http://damonmarcsmith.com/
https://damonsmith.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/damonmarc/
Download & Stream Links
Skeletons Stream
Skeletons WAV DL
Skeletons MP3 DL
Damon Smith Press Kit
For further information, or interview requests, please contact
Annie @ Annie Johnsson Publicity annie@ajpublicity.com 0403 831 809
MORE ABOUT DAMON SMITH
You know those people that do lots of different things, all exceedingly (and, tbh, a little bit annoyingly) well? Well – Damon Smith is one of those. A multiple award winning singer-songwriter, stage performer, music producer, writer, instrumentalist, filmmaker and performer who is originally from Perth, but is now Melbourne based. Luckily – he’s a lovely person, with no diva about him, and his work in the realm of Mental illness awareness is highly commendable.
As a musician and singer, Smith’s performances are punctuated with expert musicianship and a razor sharp wit, giving him a dynamic stage presence. His virtuosic piano style, original songs and ‘whiskey as’ voice serve stylistically, as a nod and a wink to the likes of Dr John, Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, Hank Williams and Harry Connick Jnr.
He has written and published numerous songs, composed music for ballet (yes, ballet!), written story-based, music cabaret shows, children’s music and has released several original albums that embrace a wide range of genres such as Blues, AltCountry, World Music, Folk, Rock & Roll and even comedy. Smith has amassed an extensive performance history, playing at countless theatres, pubs, clubs and festivals across Australia and internationally.
Damon’s music has been featured on television, theatre stages and in films and he has been featured on radio, in podcasts and on live TV – the most recent being ABC Breakfast News, ABC Classic, Triple R, PBS, RTR FM and Joy 94.9 to name but a few. He has written content and been featured in Cinema Australia, Film Ink Magazine, and in 2021 was part of ABC TV’s successful program Re-Frame. In October 2022, his film Mental As Everything will feature on SBS TV.
As a filmmaker in COVID-ravaged 2021, Damon debuted his film, Mental As Everything, after being selected for screening at Cinema Nova as part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, with MAE being awarded finalist status. The film has since been selected (and nominated for best Doco) for numerous film festivals around the world, winning awards in the ‘Chicago Filmness Festival’ and the ‘This Is My Brave Festival’. Smith has written, and performs in, three of his own hugely contrasting stage shows, all of which earned 4 and a half and 5-star reviews from a number of media outlets. There is a fourth stage show (about trains!?) premiering later this year.
In the live theatre show, Mental As Everything, Smith, alongside collaborator, Adam Coad, delivered a funny, raw and thought-provoking show exploring the multifaceted nature of mental illness through hilarious songs and onstage buffoonery. Smith shared his experience of living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and bipolar in a show that explored the highs and lows of living with a mental illness.
Smith is also co-writer/performer/producer, for Sun Rising – The Songs That Made Memphis, a highly acclaimed stage show about the music of Sun Records which received a video endorsement from the son of Sam Phillips (Sun Records founder) He also created and continues to perform in the ambitious one man show, CRAZY ARMS – A Few Centuries of Piano Tinkering, a preposterous musical adventure that spans the origins of the piano from its birth in 1709 through to the 20th century.
Later in 2022, Smith will debut a new show called Train Trax which follows a chronological timeline featuring great music, poems and good humour, that create a mesmerising journey through music and songs inspired by that most noble mode of transport – the steam train. Damon also produces and films the popular YouTube video performance series, The Night Sky Is A Jewellery Store Window and has made over 50 videos (and counting) that feature local and international singer-songwriters including Liz Stringer, Ruby Boots, James Kenyon, Davey Lane, Ben Mastwyk and more. This project has helped to jumpstart careers and has been an excellent content provider for festival and grant applications.
“Damon Smith is an undiscovered gem! – rightchordmusic.co.uk
“Multi-instrumentalist Damon Smiths skill on the piano was almost outshone by the quirky but entertaining comedic interludes that peppered this performance”. – ArtsHub.
“Damon is a better than competent producer & accomplished multi-instrumentalist. His track record of successful touring productions, is impressive and well documented” – Wilbur Wilde