Chris Smith and these talented Trappers and Indians gathered to play on Ten Cent American Novels:
Stowe Barber - sticks and buffalo hide Joel Baroody - wind Lindsay Beyer - horse hair, medium tree, and the frowner's chant David Chenu - wind, hammer and bell, and vibrations Amanda Colgate - el lobo chant Leila Evans - hammer and bell Justin Faircloth - 88 ebony & ivory hammers Chris Garges - thunder sticks, hide, and hammered metal Elana James - horse hair and small tree Flavio Mangione - horse hair and big tree Beau Sample - horse hair and big tree Shu-Yi Scott - horse hair and medium tree David Sleigh - fashioned steel, hide, small trees, and the butcher's chant Chad Starnes (well, he didn't play anything, but he's always trying to get in the liner notes...here you go, Chad) Will Timmons - wind
Influences
blood and thunder
Sounds Like
NO DEPRESSION Magazine says, "...a sound that reflects the work of artists such as Tom Waits, Elliott Smith, and Nick Drake."
THE NEW ALBUM, Ten Cent American Novels, AVAILABLE NOW!
"...a fascinating, cinematic musical exercise..." - No Depression, Jan-Feb 2008 "...ingenious in its delivery and substance..." - The State "...it's no stretch calling it marvelous..." - Creative Loafing "4 STARS" - Charlotte Observer among "The year's [2007] top list for long-play listening" - The State "...Novels is yet another heartbreaking work of staggering genius, equal parts sweeping documentary and smart, cinematic songscape..." - Free Times
Also Available, Dead Letters
Chris Smith (a.k.a. Sunshone Still) has a sound that reflects the work of artists such as Tom Waits, Elliott Smith, and Nick Drake. Dead Letters is his impressive debut, which he wrote, recorded and produced over the last three years; it's a musical landscape painted in the hushed tones of twilight. Acoustic guitars lead the way, occasionally joined by the lonesome and cutting sound of a harmonica or any number of acoustic instruments lazily meandering through the songs. The sparse instrumentation and subdued production emphasize Smith's plaintive baritone and the small-town pictures he paints. The summer-camp recollection 'Fireflies' is a midtempo highlight, while the heartrending 'Smoke Rings' is a picture of post-relationship depression.
- No Depression, March/April 2006 Issue, Greg Yost
Sunshone Still* is the musical nom de plume for Chris Smith, a Nashville native now living in Columbia, SC. Since the 2005 debut release of Dead Letters, Chris was featured on the NPR program, All Songs Considered: Open Mic, placed songs on the 2006 PBS series, Roadtrip Nation, appeared on the compilation disc, The United State of Americana, Vol 3. Local and regional critics and their readers listed Dead Letters among the top '05 albums [e.g., Best CD by a Local Artist - Free Times ‘05 Best of Columbia poll]. He was featured in a ‘06 Free Times cover story about 'five buzz-worthy Columbia bands' and considered one of ‘three to watch’ by The State.
Now, Sunshone Still returns with an ambitious 17-track concept album titled Ten Cent American Novels on Potato Eater Records. Inspired by Hampton Sides’ non-fiction book, Blood and Thunder, this historical character study centers around Manifest Destiny and the complex life of Kit Carson: his beautiful Arapaho Indian wife, his heroic trapping and scouting days, his brave military service, and his ruthless part in rounding up the Navajo Indians for the fatal Long Walk. Written in the form of a novel (complete with prologue, chapters, and epilogue), the big ideas are expressed with big, eclectic musical ideas and arrangements – horns, strings, bells, organ and more. Contrastingly, the story’s denouement is expressed in a quiet, sunset-on-the-open-range style – acoustic guitar leading the way.
*And I was green, greener than the hill
Where flowers grew and the sun shone still
Now Im darker than the deepest sea
Just hand me down, give me a place to be
-from Nick Drakes "Place to Be"
Hey Sunshone Still, I just got an okay from the slightly deranged manager of The Cranes Are Flying (wait … that’s me :-) to pass on this free download of the title track from the upcoming Banging My Head EP. I hope you enjoy it … any feedback is welcome. Best of luck with your own music, and thanks for the friendship. I really enjoyed the songs you've got up ... great calm voice with catchy rhythms. - Trevor
“The elastic pulse of new single “Banging My Head” is exceptional” The State newspaper, 6/19/09, “Pick of the Week”
I trust you will not regret attending our Rock and Roll show at Five Points Pub Nov 22nd at 10 pm with Hoots and Hellmouth. We guarantee you will enjoy yourself! Good times my friend, good times.
Hello, there. We'd like to invite you to a special 2 night event at 5 Points Pub on July 11 and 12. It'll be Josh Roberts and the Hinges, Scott Baston and the News Architects, and Woodwork Roadshow both nights. One night tickets are $10, shows start at 9, but if you buy a ticket for both nights for $15 you get a free booze and food party at 8 each night. Good deal, eh? We're excited and we hope to see you there.
