Chris Smither Interview

Chris Smither Interview

With a Stunning New Album and an Ever-Optimistic Attitude, Chris Smither Defines His Own Success
By Lee Zimmerman
 
Chris Smither is the epitome of the traditional Folkie. With a career that spans well over 50 years and some 27 studio, concert, and compilation albums, he takes an unvarnished approach to his songwriting, reflecting on life’s triumphs and turbulence in equal measure, courtesy of his gruff vocals, Blues-infused arrangements, and foot-stomping rhythms. His latest effort, All About the Bones, is an austere effort that deals with mortality, fatalism, vulnerability, all in equal measure. Some might perceive it as a decidedly dark set of songs, but so too, it holds true to a template that’s served Smither well over the entire course of his career.
 
‘It's not all that different from the others’ Smithers suggested during a recent conversation with The Alternate Root. ‘Sonically, it has sort of a darker tone, but lyrically, it's not that different from the others. I had a hard time. The impetus to do the record was simply that I wanted to do at least one more record, and I was really having a lot of trouble getting started with the writing. I didn't have any trouble coming up with musical ideas, but the lyrical ideas were sort of escaping me. I couldn't really get a handle on anything. Usually, I just say, oh, yeah, here we are again. As soon as I get started, I just kinda get something started. And then I’m okay. Fortunately, I was hanging out with David Goodrich the producer. And he knows how to how to manipulate me’.
 
Fortunately, the manipulation paid off.
 
‘He knows me musically better than almost anyone’. Smither continued. ‘He lives down in Texas. I live in Massachusetts, but he sort of got me kickstarted. He came up and then when he went back home, we kept doing these zoom meetings over a couple of months. That’s what got  it rolling. Once I get started, it all seems to come in a flood. And I think I probably wrote all eight of those songs within about two months. I mean, that happens fairly often. Once they start coming, they come really, really quickly. And since they all come at about the same time, it's not surprising that that there's a certain mood that permeates them all because I'm in that state of mind’.
 
Whatever the reason, the album maintains a certain aura and ambiance throughout. ‘I would like to be able to claim credit for that’ Smither surmised. ‘I'm happy to.  I love the idea that it's coherent. We were well into production, and that’s when we got the realization that it had this particular sound to it which probably shaped it, and made it more defined’.
 
As he nears the age of 80 later this year, Smither says he can’t help but wonder where he goes from here. Indeed, when the subject comes up, there’s a certain fatalism that inevitably intrudes in on the conversation.
 
‘This was a conscious decision on my part’ Smithers insists. ‘I'm not done. I'm just not done yet. People started asking me that same question — ‘Is this your final album?’ — when I finished the last one, which was at least five years ago  I think. I said at the time, ‘No, I think I got one more, at least one more.’ But then time kept dragging on. And then of course, we had COVID, although, to be honest, I thought, ‘Well, everything’s closed down so this is perfect. I'll be able to write some songs.’  But with all that time, I got nothing done. Still, it stuck with me, the whole idea that I was gonna do another one. And I'm really glad I did, because it's very liberating. One of the things that kept me going was that even though it's difficult, even if it's hard, once I get it done, it's gonna make me really happy. There's a carrot hanging out there, ya know?’.
 
Happily, that carrot proves to be an ideal incentive, as Smither himself readily admits.
 
‘I haven't quit’ he maintains. ‘So, when people say, ‘Well, you’ve got to do another one, I don’t answer either way. I just say ‘Well, we'll see.’ I'm not one of these writers that just cranks out songs. There are writers who write 100 songs, and they keep ten. I refuse to just crank out songs. I have nothing against people who do; that’s just one way of working. That’s the way Dylan works. I mean, Dylan's got hundreds of songs that will probably never see the light of day. Me, I get obsessed by a song. If I sit there, and I don't think it’s gonna work, and think to myself, ‘This isn't going to make it on a record,’ I just keep working on it until it was to the point where I think it could be on a record.  I won't give up on it until it's right. I sometimes abandon lyrical ideas, but I never abandon musical ideas’.
 
Asked if he maintains a bucket list of sorts, Smither demure. ‘I've thought about that, and there really isn’t’ he replies. ‘I don't have any sort of achievement goals.  Although there are some people that I'd love to meet and play with. Mark Knopfler is one. I just love his work. I love his guitar work. I love the way he thinks about songs. But if I never get to meet him, it's not gonna feel like I failed at some mission in life either. So, to answer your question, yeah, that there aren't really any big things left. I still enjoy performing. I love to get in front of people and do it. And a very large part of the reason that I keep writing the songs and making the records is so that I can perform them, so that I'll have something new, and that will put new life into the performances, because that's what I really like to do. My wife kept asking me at one point if I ever wanted to retire, as if she's trying to anticipate whether I’m ready to put an end to the whole thing. Finally, she said, ‘You know, I think you should just keep doing this as long as you can’’.
 
Still, While Smither admits that touring can be a grind, he’s not ready to abandon it any time soon. ‘I used to enjoy all the aspects of touring’ he concedes. ‘I liked the performances. I just liked the whole trip itself. But now it's just harder for me, and I get tired more easily. But having said that, you know, I’m at the point now where I can afford to be more comfortable when it comes to travel. I can afford a nicer hotel’.
 
At the same time, Smither had had the opportunity to share stages and contribute songs to any number f notable artists, people like Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Diana Krall, and Dr. John, among the more notable individuals.
 
‘It’s been a very affirming experience to get to work with them, or have them do my songs’ Smither reflects. ‘Take Bonnie for instance, Bonnie and I have been friends since before either one of us made a record. We've known each other for a long, long time. With people like Dr. John and Emmylou Harris and people that I've worked with and I've known, it's just very affirming, especially to be with somebody who does the same sort of things that you do and then realize that you're on that level. These are wonderful people, and they like what I do. And I like what they do. And it just it makes you feel like it's all worthwhile. It's all worthwhile because I'm not struggling here. This is where I belong. And like I say, it's a very affirming experience. When I was a kid, I felt I was gonna be a Rock and Roll star. I thought I was gonna be really big, but I have never had a big hit. I’m basically what they call a catalog artist. I don't have these songs that sell millions of records, and then stop. It’s just that most of the songs, especially the ones that other people cover, just keep on going. They keep going and keep people keep playing them. And the money trickles in. It’s not like a flood, but it just keeps coming. So, I'm very comfortable. I've got something that, in the end, is a lot more solid. I think that if you had given me the choice years ago, I would have shortchanged myself, because I would have picked the wrong path. I mean, I'm glad I'm where I am now, because I'm just I'm really happy’.
 
 
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