March 15, 2010
Kevin A. Smith
Finding time to compose the score for Cornerboys, an 11-minute film journey through a dark fairy tale written by Jamieson Ridenhour and illustrated by artist Ali LaRock, all while writing and recording The Seven’s newest album, CRUX. This musician, songwriter, composer, engineer, producer and sole member of the band The Seven, Kevin A. Smith is a man of many musical talents.
Whether he’s fronting a live set of The Seven’s music with local musicians at various festivals, running Six+1 Studios, in Florence, South Carolina, USA, teaching or scoring film, Kevin exemplifies the word musician. I had the extreme pleasure of talking to Kevin A. Smith again about his “lasting love affair with playing music,” and his appreciation of classic automobiles.
What are your top five picks of classic muscle cars?
Kevin A. Smith: An odd question, but this one is easy – the first three would be the 1969 Chevelle SS, 1971 Nova, and 1971 Camaro. All three of these provided me transportation during my adolescence. A big part of those intense highschool years. And, I always wanted to be behind the wheel of a 1969 Dodge Charger. To climb through the window of the “General Lee” and burn down some back country dirt roads. But, my number one favorite will always be the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am 6.6 liter. The sound that car made on the Smokey and the Bandit movies helped define my boyhood.
Remembering back to your first time in front of a live audience, what comes to mind?
Kevin A. Smith: Ninth grade talent show… My first band Crucible was rockin’ through a not too bad rendition of Quiet Riot’s “Metal Health.” I remember looking out off the stage and seeing my friends on the front row. Then the time came for my big “guitar solo” (which in fact was just 11 notes connecting the chorus to the second verse) and I froze. My hands wouldn’t move and the other guitarist, Keith, looked over scornfully… awkward.
What has been your biggest triumph as an artist? Greatest challenge?
Kevin A. Smith: My biggest triumph would be my lasting love affair with playing music. Now, I know that sounds like a no-brainer, but I am struck by the amount of people I know who have put it aside. Life gets exponentially more complicated as the years pass, and some people don’t feel like they are getting a return on their investment, musically speaking, so they distance themselves from it. I feel so blessed to still have such an intense fascination with those 12 notes and will continue to explore them ’til I draw that last breath. The greatest challenge for any artist is to find inspiration, be able to turn that inspiration into art, but more than anything for me it is remembering WHY it is that I do what I do.
If the whole world were listening, what would you play? And why?
Kevin A. Smith: Bach’s cello prelude BWV 1007. Why? Because it’s concise. It screams and it whispers. It has something to say but no words. It’s got everything that I love about music in it, everything I love about Bach in it, and all with just one note at a time.
As your music as evolved, what do you think has been the most significant change and do you consider it a positive or a negative?
Kevin A. Smith: Two distinct phases come to mind; First, when I began learning music theory I found that it initially robbed me of my creativity. I was so busy worrying about what notes were the “right” notes and was always trying to overthink. I had stopped playing from my heart and was now playing from my mind. It was a very negative and frustrating time… I wanted to go back to blissful ignorance! But, eventually this knowledge just became another tool and when kept in check it now serves to give me greater freedom when creating. The other phase would be that moment when I finally quit trying to impress people. I think all artists in every medium struggle with this. The need to be appreciated is a strong one with creatives, but when I finally realized that ultimately my music is an act of worship and that it really wasn’t about me AT ALL it was as if things went from black and white to technicolor.
What is your favorite song to perform live? Why?
Kevin A. Smith: My favorite live tune would have to be “Redemption.” Such a great groove with lots of room to stretch out and a big ending… A total blast!
What do you value most in life?
Kevin A. Smith: The BIG question… I sat and pondered this a minute and wondered how not to sound pretentious when answering this, but then I gave up that fight. What, I most value in life is HOPE. I realize that it may sound cliche’ but it really sums things up for me. I had some internal struggles in ’09 during which I was confronted with the question: where does my hope come from? There are many things that try to rob you of hope, both in the outside world and inside your head, and as I struggled to hold on to it I realized just how valuable it is.
The Seven’s new album Crux, is out. I can imagine many reasons to call it Crux, but why did you?
Kevin A. Smith: Crux is the Latin word for cross. There are many connotations to this word and ALL of them just seem to apply to where I am in life right now. My life is defined by a cross, my world is at a pivotal point, I am trying to get down to the vitals. Hopefully the music on the CD reflects all of these things.
Could you describe the album in your words, what are listeners going to hear?
Kevin A. Smith: I remember talking to you about it a few years ago when much of it was still in my head. I was aiming high, shooting for a big cinematic audio event. Well, I think I acheived just that. I gave an advance copy to a friend of mine who was going to write an atricle for the newspaper who asked me the same question. I told her “just listen.” She called back an hour later and said that as she drove away she put the CD in and began to listen, and that 5 or so songs into it she realized that she was so caught up in the music that she had just been driving. She ended up on the other side of town from where she had meant to go and told me that the music had just sort of carried her along. At that moment I thought to myself – mission accomplished.
If you could, is there a band or artist that you could recommend (Who they may not know about, but you think they should.) to our readers?
Kevin A. Smith: I wish more people were hip to Charlie Hunter. This cat plays custom made instruments that are bass/guitar hybrids, and while this may seem like a novelty act, the reality is that he is pure musical genius. Equal parts soul, heart, and fire. Technically astounding but I just LOVE his music. It always ties my head in knots… sweet, warm, pretzel knots.
I would like to thank The Seven and Kevin Smith for his participation in this interview.
~Denise Smith (interview 2010.03.15)
homepage
anusaya.com
Buy the album: Crux (digital)
Buy the album: Crux (CD)
