{"id":35392,"date":"2024-04-08T17:44:56","date_gmt":"2024-04-08T22:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/?p=35392"},"modified":"2024-04-08T17:44:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T22:44:56","slug":"atl-americana-artist-parker-smith-bgs-glide-americana-uk-new-single-air-stream-out-today-reflects-smiths-storytelling-motif-and-poco-like-lily-tropical-rhythm-pedal-steel-exude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/atl-americana-artist-parker-smith-bgs-glide-americana-uk-new-single-air-stream-out-today-reflects-smiths-storytelling-motif-and-poco-like-lily-tropical-rhythm-pedal-steel-exude\/","title":{"rendered":"ATL Americana artist Parker Smith (BGS, Glide, Americana UK) &#8211; new single &#8220;Air Stream&#8221; (out today) reflects Smith\u2019s storytelling motif and Poco-like lily, tropical rhythm &#038; pedal steel exude a comfy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- VideographyWP Plugin Message: Automatic video embedding prevented by plugin options. --><br \/>\n<iframe width=\"640\" height=\"360\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bitchute.com\/embed\/Xxk25SjYUsaw\/\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Parker Smith &#8211; &#8220;Air Stream&#8221; out now &#8211; Short Street LP out June 7<\/p>\n<p>Atlanta singer\/songwriter and guitarist Parker Smith\u2019s new album opens with \u201cAir Stream,\u201d referencing the iconic mobile home. The Bluegrass Situation writes that it&#8217;s &#8220;music we\u2019re very excited to bring to your speakers and earphones&#8230; so much to enjoy,&#8221; and Roadie Music writes that Smith is &#8220;a great artist and composer&#8230; &#8216;Air Stream&#8217; is simply infectious and engaging&#8230; you&#8217;ll certainly love it too.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Air Stream&#8221; reflects Smith\u2019s storytelling motif and Poco-like lilt. On it, he recounts a camping trip where the chilly temperatures forced his family to the warmth of the titular vehicle. The song takes a longer, more universal lens to that situation as he sings, \u201cThe smile on each other\u2019s face \/ When they hold a warm embrace \/ At the end of a long day \/ Dog at their feet.\u201d The tropical rhythm and pedal steel exude a comfy homespun texture that you can visualize as Smith emotes his words with the casual cadence of John Prine, letting them float through the laconic vibe.<\/p>\n<p>His breezy third studio album Short Street (out June 7) was made with sensitivity, humor and an innate knack for creating art from life. Its easy-flowing melodies and lilting pedal steel infuse some rural Americana without going full-on country. Smith\u2019s sweet, zephyr-like sound and welcoming everyman vocals continue from the album\u2019s opening lightly strummed guitars, through its eight brisk, yet never blustery, tunes.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s the best friend everybody wants, telling stories with the cozy confidentiality of someone you love spending time with\u2014hanging out with a few bottles of wine while hearing their generally optimistic opinions on growing up, chasing true love, absorbing the death of a dog, and even praising terrific mothers-in-law. We all need a Parker Smith in our lives.<\/p>\n<p>Initially meant as an acoustic venture named after his tune \u201cFriend Ships,\u201d the collection gradually took a different vibe. As it progressed, Smith re-worked his vocals and shifted towards the more Atlanta-centric title, Short Street. This album, including the title track, references neighborhoods in his city. His previous two releases, Garden Hills and Underground, are also named after Atlanta areas.<\/p>\n<p>The heartland rock \u201cMothers\u201d turns every outdated mother-in-law joke and stereotype on its head. This tribute to Smith\u2019s mother-in-law is also an accolade to other moms who are frequently criticized by songwriters. \u201cShe might not be my mother \/ But she\u2019s a mother to me,\u201d he sings before complimenting his wife with the sentimental, \u201cYou\u2019ve got your mother\u2019s eyes and that\u2019s alright with me.\u201d It should be a perennial Mother\u2019s Day favorite with its buoyant folk-rock vibe and Tom Petty-esque down-to-Earth relatability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeeing my wife become a mother this year has given me greater insight into the connection between a mother and their child,\u201d says Smith. \u201cIt&#8217;s crazy man. I have a six-month-old now. Breastfeeding and providing for her, it&#8217;s just a totally different type of bond between my wife and our baby. We\u2019ve been together for eight years, and now we get to grow into this together. It&#8217;s nice to see this new side of her, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The gorgeous ballad \u201cAnna Lee\u201d is a filigree of acoustic and electric guitar, groovy keys and Smith\u2019s familial vocal delivery. This love song to his wife describes the difficulties and triumphs of working through life\u2019s twists with a partner you\u2019re in sync with. \u201cThis journey is my own, but I don\u2019t have to walk alone \/ We can walk it side by side \/ It\u2019s on your shoulders I\u2019ll get by,\u201d he sings with a solemn yet knowing half-smile, implying ultimately everything will work out. The dreamy, loungy electric guitar solo dancing among the simplified drums and super-chill organ is a particular treat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s about being married and going through your own shit,\u201d says Smith. \u201cWe all have our own journeys and difficulties. We need to be able to lean on each other in tough times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWaves\u201d embraces the glorious triumph of being able to let go of material things. It has a Don Henley\u2019s \u201cBoys of Summer\u201d vibe. Its gentle verses, bombastic choruses and a series of transcendent, jangly guitar solos help us embrace ego death and take stock of what\u2019s important.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI lost my wedding ring in the ocean during a bachelor party in Mexico,\u201d says Smith. \u201cA few months later, my wife lost her wedding ring in the ocean. Both rings were family heirlooms, belonging to each of Smith\u2019s parents. We took it as a sign that we weren&#8217;t meant to have those. Material things come and go, but you want to hold onto what\u2019s really important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOscar\u201d is a sweet, laid-back, loping offering as Smith looks back on losing his beloved, longtime dog companion. Its lyrics could easily be applied universally to anyone you\u2019ve lost. It\u2019s a song about giving thanks to those who\u2019ve made an impact on your life and are no longer with us.<\/p>\n<p>The title track \u201cShort Street\u201d reflects on the annual Chomp and Stomp festival in Atlanta\u2019s famous Cabbagetown neighborhood\u2014equal parts chili cook-off, beer bash and Bluegrass fest. It\u2019s a zydeco-adjacent honky-tonk party song about good times with good people. It\u2019s a love letter to his hometown, while recognizing that it isn\u2019t perfect. \u201cFriend Ships\u201d is a song that reminisces about his hooligan friends growing up (shoplifting, drugs in a mailbox, all night drives to meet a girl), and how he turned out alright through all the mayhem.<\/p>\n<p>Album closer \u201cSurround Sound\u201d is an intimate, acoustic ode to taking time to appreciate the world around you. His relaxed vocals and songwriting pedigree land in the realm of Paul Simon and Mark Knopfler, epitomizing Smith\u2019s ability to capture small moments that can be extrapolated to larger ones. He takes the ordinary (listening to the school bus, the garbage truck, the train tracks, the children laugh), and makes it extraordinary, like a subdued whisper of wisdom.<\/p>\n<p>Smith first picked up a guitar at age twelve after experiencing an Allman Brothers Band show at Atlanta\u2019s Fox Theatre, but didn\u2019t get serious about practicing until 15. Smith then took music business courses and Bruce Hornsby\u2019s songwriting program at the University of Miami, followed by moving to Austin and attaining a Masters of Education degree, before returning to Atlanta to start a music school.<\/p>\n<p>Smith is a Renaissance man of sorts. Not only is he an acclaimed singer\/songwriter and guitarist, but a successful entrepreneur as well. He started Guitar Shed in 2015 with four pupils. It has grown into a major business boasting 30 instructors and over 400 students learning a variety of instruments, not just guitar. He claims to be a \u201cbad employee\u201d but an entrepreneur at heart and loves that his job has never felt like work.<\/p>\n<p>That gracious, affable sentiment translates to his songwriting and the dedicated supporting musicians he surrounds himself with. Most, like mixer\/producer\/drummer Colin Agnew, keyboardist Christopher Case, bassist Trygve Myers (who\u2019s work on \u201cMothers\u201d and \u201cOscar\u201d is exceptional), and especially pedal steel\/six-string wizard John Kingsley whose presence helps set the deliberate mood, contributed to Smith\u2019s earlier work.<\/p>\n<p>Smith\u2019s debut, Garden Hills, was followed by Underground in 2021. That year also saw a cover of the Grateful Dead\u2019s \u201cBird Song,\u201d (recorded for a Dead tribute project), then 2023\u2019s Live Bandwith, Vol. 1, a concert recording with his group affectionately, and humorously, called The Bandwith (note the intentional lack of a second \u201cd\u201d in the spelling).<\/p>\n<p>Short Street is his most illuminating, engaging and personal statement yet. The sinuous melodies and instrumentation coalesce around his deep, affecting vocals and insightfully personal lyrics. His wry humor mingles with profound honesty as he crafts narratives of the world around him. It\u2019s an album of poignant yet cheerfully light songs that shimmer with the touch of a craftsman; one creating a treatise on traversing the victories and challenges that come with living a full life.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013<\/p>\n<p>Track List<br \/>\n01 Air Stream<br \/>\n02 Mothers<br \/>\n03 Anna Lee<br \/>\n04 Waves<br \/>\n05 Oscar<br \/>\n06 Short Street<br \/>\n07 Friend Ships<br \/>\n08 Surround Sound<\/p>\n<p>Album Credits<\/p>\n<p>Tracks 1-7<br \/>\nParker Smith &#8211; Guitars, Vocals<br \/>\nTrygve Myers &#8211; Bass<br \/>\nChristopher Case &#8211; Keyboards<br \/>\nJohn Kingsley &#8211; Pedal Steel, Lap Steel, Fiddle, Slide Guitar<br \/>\nColin Agnew &#8211; Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals<\/p>\n<p>Track 8<br \/>\nParker Smith &#8211; Guitar, Vocals<br \/>\nCasey Harper &#8211; Background Vocals<br \/>\nMichael Feinberg &#8211; Upright Bass<br \/>\nProducer &#038; mixing &#8211; Colin Agnew<br \/>\nMastering &#8211; Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service<\/p>\n<p>________________________________<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Parker Smith &#8211; &#8220;Air Stream&#8221; out now &#8211; Short Street LP out June 7 Atlanta singer\/songwriter and guitarist Parker Smith\u2019s new album opens with \u201cAir Stream,\u201d referencing the iconic mobile home. The Bluegrass Situation writes that it&#8217;s &#8220;music we\u2019re very excited to bring to your speakers and earphones&#8230; so much to enjoy,&#8221; and Roadie Music [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-35392","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-video","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-radio-guests","8":"post_format-post-format-video"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35392"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35394,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35392\/revisions\/35394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjagradio.com\/themic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}