ROGER LEN SMITH
Electric & Acoustic Band, Trio, Duo, Solo
RLS - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Harmonica, Keyboards, Coffee
Drums - Jimmy Spencer, Victor Bisetti, Dick Ross, Mike Pearl (Maui), Pete Atkins (Maui)
Bass - Jack Funn, Jay Ewell
& Special Guests all the time at the same time
2007
NEW DARK AGES
Singer-songwriter, guitar-slinger and multi-instrumentalist, Roger Len Smith combines jam-band fury and exploration with intricate and often humorous lyrics and story-telling against a diverse, driving, melody-infused and intriguing roots-rock backdrop. NEW DARK AGES @ CDBaby
2005
A BETTER PLACE
Energetic modern roots-rock ala Wilco or Petty with top-notch lyrics on top of melodic groove numbers, driving rock and alt-country barnburners, hard folk ballads and all-out rockers. A BETTER PLACE @ CDBaby
2001
MY BEST FRIEND
Catchy, melodic, lyrically-intriguing and chop-heavy rock songs about the thrills and ills of love with twists of funk, folk, alt-country, alt-power pop and more. MY BEST FRIEND @ CDBaby
1997
SHRUBBERS -
NATIONAL BOULEVARD
CD REVIEWS
“NEW DARK AGES is Smith’s best yet. Smith’s ability to balance humor and angst, cogent analysis and populist slogans, gravity and fun has only sharpened over the years, and his melodies grow more engaging with every disc. These times may be New Dark Ages, but Smith’s talent finds light in the darkness." HIGH BIAS
"It's no surprise Smith is making waves with his fourth album. NEW DARK AGES delves headlong into the political and philosophical issues of the day without sounding heavy-handed." SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT
“Crafty, knowing lyrics and sturdy tunes. A cross between Dylan, Petty and Zevon.” MUSIC CONNECTION
"An articulate wordsmith with a knack for alluring melodies." RELIX MAGAZINE
"An artist of great talent, definite crossover appeal, MY BEST FRIEND is a gem." NEW MUSIC WEEKLY
Roger Len Smith Live on "Good Day Austin" Fox-7 on 11/11/09
Roger Len Smith & Flounders Without Eyes
perform Bio Willie Diesel (Leave Willie Alone)
at Old Settlers Music Festival April 20, 2007
Roger Len Smith & Flounders Without Eyes
perform You Don't Get It
at Old Settlers Music Festival 2007
Raj playing with Flounders backing up Zee & Leeann
perform Musical Capitol of the World
at Jerry Fest, August, 2008
Influences
Beatles, Dylan, Marley, Hendrix, The Who, The Dead, Pink Floyd, The Clash, Clapton, Stones, Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel, U2, Talking Heads, Neil Young, John Fogerty, Springsteen, Steve Earle, Warren Zevon, Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, John Prine, Little Feat, Sinatra, Bill Graham, Bob Geldof, George Harrison, Cat Stevens, Bono, Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Hunter S., Monty Python, David Gray, Mozart, Art Bell, Maui, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Miles Davis, the Rocky Mountains, clean air, good beer.
Sounds Like
Grateful Zeppelin, Dylan, Petty, Wilco, Wallflowers, Warren Zevon, Fastball and much more.
Roger Len Smith mixes all kinds of musical spices into his songs and his fifth CD is set to debut summer, 2009, featuring Peter Rowan, Kim Deschamps and many other fine musicians. Smith released his fourth album, NEW DARK AGES, on 4/20/07 and appeared at the 20th annual Old Settlers Music Festival that day in Driftwood, Texas, performing with his friends Flounders Without Eyes for a set on the main stage, following the insanely good Sam Bush.
After 15 years in Santa Barbara and LA, playing music, working for an amazing actor, John Amos, writing for magazines and growing tomatoes, RLS picked up and headed to Austin, truly the live music capitol of the world with endless venues and fantastic musicians to boot, not to mention the food. Food.
Reared in Cincinnati, Raj fondly recalls going to a 1975 World Series game between the Reds and Red Sox. Heading west only made sense, what with the snow and all. Raj settled in Santa Barbara, played in The Acoustic Chameleons, which sometimes went electric and Twelve Stories, jamming and hamming it up with Jim Mason, Smitty, Tina Sicre, Mike Pearl, Strange Brew, Tao Jonz, Spencer the Gardener, The Gathering and many more.
In those halycon days in SB, 12 Stories opened for Toad, Dish, and then there was that chili cook-off in Pahrump, Nevada, the Chameleons did. In early 90s LA, Raj re-joined longtime Cincy railroad buddy Phil Cody to record and tour as Phil's bassist/road manager. Raj also played bass, sang and wrote songs with the prodigious Shawn Amos in his band Uncle Tom for three years, while simultaneously playing bass for photo legend Mark Seliger and his band, Rusty Truck, as well as Angela McCluskey & Danny Keough's Water Bunnies (featuring the big drums of Chad Smith), Christian Lane, subbing for Al Wolovitch in Five Easy Pieces, working with The Adobe and other various jams, bands and bandhams, or jamhams and handbands, jamhambands or just jambands...nice not being in 6 bands at once.
Two of Raj and Shawn Amos' songs appear on CD "Now You're The Enemy" on Raj's MY BEST FRIEND and "Right On Time" on Shawn's IN BETWEEN and Raj and Phil Cody collaborated on "Some Things 'R Better Left Unsaid" from Raj's first album, NATIONAL BOULEVARD, released in 1997. MY BEST FRIEND came along in July, 2001 and A BETTER PLACE hit the streets on 11/11/2005.
Raj has toured the U.S. and Europe with his and other groups, opening for many great acts. The RLS band has opened for Little Feat, Todd Rundgren & The New Cars, Barenaked Ladies, John Hammond, Carla Olsen, The Ocean Blue, Arthur Brown, Patrice Pike and many others. In Phil's band, Raj toured with Warren Zevon, The Violent Femmes, Linda Perry, Pete Droge, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Low & Sweet Orchestra and also opened for Tracy Chapman, Steve Earle, Dave Alvin, Bob Geldof, Francis Dunnery, among others.
Raj has also worked with many fine artists like Rami Jaffee, Jordan Zevon, Flounders Without Eyes, The Adobe, Five Easy Pieces, Patti Spadaro, Andy If, Pippi Bernstein, Mark Lane, Garrison Starr, Janet Robin, Malford Milligan, & BOTS. In 2006, Raj joined Dave Cowan's college band, The Safarians, for reunion shows in Ohio.
Since the late 80s, Raj has been very active with benefit concerts for a variety of important causes--Amnesty Int'l, Coalition Against Aparthied, Rainforest Action Network, Special Olympics, Oxford Welfare Agency and in 2005, Raj and Jon Ramsey organized a Tsunami relief benefit in downtown Austin.
Raj's 2007 release, NEW DARK AGES, features truly fantastic performances from Austin and California musicians Jennifer Stills, Warren Hood, Mike Morgan, Dick Ross, Bryan Head, Chelle Murrey, Steve McCormick, Phil Cody, Smitty, Sam Hendricks, Jay Ewell, Pat Manske, Eric Heywood & more.
Congratulations to ROGER LEN SMITH on the release of his new CD "CLEAR BLUE SKIES" .. produced and recorded in Austin, TX.
"What impresses me about Roger Len Smith is his dedication to his storytelling craft, to his family and to his extended family of fine musicians, all of whom appear on this recording. As an honest..., hardworking artist who takes his upbeat music not only to the back roads honkytonks and lakeside cafés of Texas but also fearlessly to off-shore markets, "Clear Blue Skies" will serve him well. The title track and his guitar-grooving "In The Middle Of Something" are my favorites." Kim Deschamps, Producer
Thanks for the amazing CD Release party Friday the 13th at The Amsterdam!! We had such a great time~ The fans were awesome and lovin every song! Thanks again and see you soon:)
Hey Raj, Just needed a little pick me up today, So... went to your page to listen to your great new songs :) Loved them!! Glad you have them posted. Have a wonderful day!! Denzell
Roger, Thank you for adding me to your list of friends. I really appreciate it. My current project is a novel with CD soundtrack due to be out this fall. Wishing you continued success and a wonderful musical weekend.
we are on our way back to TX after a GREAT West Coast run that wraps up on Sat May 2nd at the Scoot Inn in East Austin w/ our good friends the Mother Truckers...c'mon down!
We are back from tour and playing Saturday night at the Continental Club with our good friends the Mother Truckers-we hit at 10PM! hope u can amke it down- Shurman
Raj, any chance the new CD will be ready to buy around Thanksgiving? I know we would love to bring it on the cruise with us to Cabo. But if not, the others will take the journey with us. Continued success and all the best.
Hey Raj, It's been awhile!! I hope all is well with you and the family. The baby is so big and beautiful. James and I were in NY for awhile. I came back to Tx. (San Antonio) He's still there. But we did have your CD's with us :) Take Care my friend. Denzell
Hello, it's me, Ruby Jane.To those who don't know me, I am a 14 year old fiddler, songwriter. I have some songs posted that are fresh out of the studio. Let me know if you like the new songs..be one of the first to hear, even before they are released!Thanks! new videos too! Ruby Jane
My self-produced upcoming 7-song EP, "B Sides from B Street" is set to hit shelves June 30th. Come take a listen to a handful of the tracks and see what you think! Influences span the likes of: John Prine, Chris Smither, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Jackie Greene, Josh Ritter, Wilco, Redbird, and other singer/songwriters keeping the craft alive.
I'm booking shows throughout California right now if any other musicians are looking to cobill.
Hey Raj, Just wanted to say hello. I hope all is well. James and i are still in NY. We are going back to Texas for a short visit, then will be up here for the rest of the year. Hope the baby is doing great!! Take Care my friend. Denzell
we are gonna get the hippie riviera tribe out to the pier this saturday nite and see if we can levitate that place with the RLS Band.................Lookin forward to a great time rawkin the dock......
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