Alli's Articles
INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS, CULTURE PIECES, MUSICAL RAMBLINGS.
Sam Smith is strumming his bass as he adjusts his phone’s camera. He’s laughing and apologizing, cracking jokes about how he’s never used Zoom on anything but his laptop before. He’s in his Bed-Stuy apartment and I’m in New Paltz, but the distance between us and choppiness of the video call didn’t matter to me. After I saw his band Art Thief at Snug’s that past weekend, I knew I had to speak to the mastermind of the madness no matter what it took. Unlike his celebrity name-twin, Smith isn’t one to sing slow-paced pop ballads. Instead, his style of music blends the funk-tinged soulful sounds of acts like Hiatus Kaiyote and Melt, hints of psychedelica and jam-band sentiments with clever and creative songwriting. Art Thief’s newest project, “Tough Crowd,” debuted in March 2021. Its catchy hooks, ambitious synth breakdowns, jutting basslines and, at times, silly subject matter (see “Weed is Tight”) made it an instant standout from the other types of music that has found itself on the beloved dive bar’s stage prior. Smith’s experiences as a musician go back further than the beginnings of Art Thief — he’s been creating tiny raps and songs ever since he was a child and learned how to play bass at 13. Even though he has been performing for over 19 years, he has been a full-time musician for around eight. “I don't know if I've ever started thinking of it as a career, rather than just something I love to do,” he said. “I've always kind of thought of myself more as an enthused hobbyist than professional musician, just because it's more fun to think of it that way.” Attending SUNY New Paltz in the early 2010s allowed Smith to cross paths with guitarist Andrew Jordan, with whom he started Cheap Date — the beginning blueprint of what will later be called Art Thief. Originally just a cover band, the band played shows at Snug’s, as well as other past local spots, switching performers around until they hit a steady lineup. Cheap Date eventually progressed into Tyrannosaurus Sex, but collided with a North Jersey artist under the same name. “A consistent problem with cool band names is usually somebody else already beat you to it,” he reflects. They eventually found a home for the project under its current title — inspired by a family member of keyboardist Bryan Ponton who supposedly stole a painting years ago. After seeing that it was available, the band finally made its transition from cover-oriented to a full-fledged creative outlet. All of Art Thief's streamable recorded music was done in Smith’s bedroom. When he sits down and begins the recording process, he tries to think about Nirvana. “I just really love them,” he says. “I love Kurt Cobain's writing sense and his idea of energy, like for him, things had to be kind of raw.” He also draws inspiration from 70s bassist Jaco Pastorius, whose style of music is somewhat opposite — trying to make things perfect and spending years on demos. “They both share a similar thing where the song matters first and then fitting in everything else comes second. That is supposed to serve the song, and you're supposed to walk away with it being stuck in your head. Those are the things that are on the forefront of my mind when I try to record something: Is it raw but intentional? Will it hopefully get stuck in somebody's head? Was it the best tape you could get? If you can get it better, you should try and do it again.” Smith being a frontman as well as a bassist changes the structure of Art Thief songs, building them up from a bassline and shaping all other sounds around it. Backing guitar riffs and soothing key breaks curve in all of the right places around the deep, driving power of the instrument. Listening to Art Thief’s music will scratch something deeply buried in your brain, and this is most likely one of the reasons why. Throughout “Tough Crowd,” despite the upbeat, funky and jovial spirit that flies through the instrumentals, there remains a sense of loneliness and isolation in the lyrics. On some tracks, such as the aptly-named “Quarantine,” the source of those feelings are clear — the pandemic. The 13th track “Stuck In Space” was also one I assumed was COVID-related, but Smith actually wrote the lyrics years ago while on a tour from hell. “I was with an artist that I really didn't want to be on tour with. I was like ‘I can't wait to get home.’ You can’t just go home; you’re stuck in another country dealing with this. It was a great experience that seemed really cool on paper, but I hated it. The pandemic gave me the time and mental freedom I needed to reflect on that and put it on paper and then be like, ‘okay, I'm gonna sing it into the microphone.’” Ever since the release of the album, Art Thief, as a unit, has been blazing through stages across the United States. With Jordan, Ponton, drummer Graham Dolby, saxophonist Steve Frieder and singer AM Berretta all accompanying Smith onstage during live performances, a fresh energy is brought to already lively tracks. Berretta’s powerful stage presence and vocals breathes a new passion into the songs, commands the audience to pay attention and proves that the entire band just wants to have fun with it. They also tend to throw in a couple of fun covers; a favorite of mine is their vibrant spin on Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer,” taking the opposite route of Trent Reznor’s near-whispering, mysterious tone and transforming it into a high-powered sing-along, thanks to Berretta’s beautifully-delivered and held high notes. Whether you catch them live or sit down and listen to their work, Art Thief will entrance and fascinate you and keep you humming along all day to that do-do-do-do-do-do bassline in “Catch and Release.” To put things simply, you’ll have plain ol’ fun; after all, that is their mission. Art Thief will play in NYC come December, but Smith hints at a possible New Paltz return in early 2023. Until then, enjoy the smooth sounds of “Tough Crowd” on your favorite streaming service — sitting back and letting the soundscapes of these talented musicians crash over you like awesome waves.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |