My musical influences and inspiration are, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Patti Smith, David Gray, Mike Scott,
Hank Williams, Neil Young, Tom Petty, and Van Morrison . Other influences include Charlie Chaplin, Vincent VanGogh, Lao Tzu, Ralph Waldo, poets Billy Collins, Sylvia Plath, Lewis Carroll, Blake, Poe and on and on .
Sounds Like
Pam Lillig of Bug Music once called me a cross between Mike Scott of the Waterboys and Steve Earle, And I'll just take her word for it . After all who am I to disagree .
History is what it is, and this is mine . I started playing in Bands as a teenager in Seattle in the late seventies . My first band "The Girls" was a mix of Northwest garage band and New York punk . The Girls lasted for about three years, we had a lot of fans and saw many changes in the way Seattle bars and clubs responded to original cutting edge music . Befor
then Seattle was all cover bands doing Zeplin, BTO, and Foghat .
The next band I was in was "The Lonesome City Kings" the kings were a little more polished and a lot more serious then "The Girls" the Kings broke up after a few years and I headed for L.A.
In L.A. I worked with producer / engeieer Ed thacker, Ed has worked with everyone, including Tom Petty, Lucindia Williams, Cindi Lauper, Marianne Faithful and many more .
MCA gave us money to record but nothing ever came of it . After a few years of watching the music industry throw money at every trendy goofball that came along I headed for Austin, which is where I am to this day .
Austin lives up to it's good reputation, this city takes care of it's artists . Joe Ely took me under his wing and produced all of my first recordings in Texas, I've written songs with Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and I've had a song writer / artist deal with Warner/Chappell publishing . I've written in the song mines of Nashville, and wrote songs with the late great Doc Pomus .
These days I mostly play solo voice and guitar, around Austin, I have a CD in the works and I hope to support it heavily by touring and through my space .
I'm always looking for gigs in and around Austin, if you know of any please contact me through myspace .
Thank you for supporting independent music . Peace and Grace .
Rick Smith
Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments, love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. O no, it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come, Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom: If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
I think I never said 'hello' properly. So I want to do it now.
Hey Rick, I enjoyed the music. I especially liked the title "I've Been Cheated." Sounds great. Glad to be in touch with you and the Seattle Syndrome...and it is a syndrome! OX, Penta
Wow, so I can't believe we have known each other since we were in Elementary School in good old Seattle, Washington. Glad to hear from you again. If you head back up there let me know, although this weather in California is a lot warmer. :) Take care!
Sounded great at Opal Divine's last night! It was fun hanging out afterwards as well - your realism leaves a smile dangling from my serious landscape : )
