"CW SMITH is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter from Des Moines. His original songs explore universal themes like love and family, faith and doubt, work and play, coffee and road construction. And they hearken back to the great rock, pop, blues and folk music of the 20th century."
- from his ReverbNation page
"Original acoustic and electric rock; Classic 20th century rock. CW sings, composes, and plays over a dozen different instruments...
"CW Smith started entertaining early, singing popular songs of the 60s and early 70s for family members at age 3. He formed his first "band" with cousin Leanne at age 7, wrote his first song at 10, performed with the Indianola High School swing choir at 11, had singing and non-singing roles with the Des Moines Metro Opera at 12 and 13, formed his first "real band" at 17, and started producing solo and band recordings at 18.
"CW took piano and trombone lessons at age 9, but grew impatient with them. He taught himself guitar at age 15, bass guitar at 19, and drums at 21.
"CW has played with several Des Moines and surrounding area bands over the years, including Sound System, the audubon society, Velvet Picasso, Village Idiots, Indigo Dream, One Eye Closed, Mystic East, Amethyst, The Stains, The Word Green, Smith & Straughn, The Grape Ape Trust, dUUdes, and TMI."
- from
his Facebook page
"From the time I could walk, say the folks closest to me, I’ve been singing. I’d entertain the family at picnics from the age of three. My cousin Leanne and I formed our first “band” -- The Flowerbuds --- when I was seven. I wrote my first song when I was ten, performed with the Indianola High School swing choir when I was eleven, and had choral and non-singing roles with the Des Moines Metro Opera when I was twelve and thirteen.
My first formal music lessons were on piano and trombone when I was 10 years old, but I never really stuck with either of them: I never had the lung power for trombone or the patience for piano. I taught myself guitar when I was 15, bass when I was 18, and drums when I was 19. During my time working at Trifecta Studio, I learned mandolin and harmonica, and got much better at the drums. I’ve since taken up baritone guitar, upright bass, ukuleles (soprano, tenor and baritone), banjo, bajo sexto and sitar. Piano still spooks me for some reason, though.
"I joke that I have a musical attention deficit, and just can’t manage to stick with one instrument. But it was actually a valuable skill in the studio: if a client needed a particular instrument on a recording, it was just about as easy for me to learn a part as to go through my list of instrumentalists’ phone numbers. Usually in the time it took just to get a response on the phone, I could learn a part and we could finish the recording. In my current recordings and with my current bands, I bounce back and forth between guitar, bass, mandolin and drums to fill whatever void we hear in the arrangement...
My solo recording career began with the breakup of Sound System in 1989, and continues to this day. I’m working and playing now with a band (The Grape Ape Trust) and three duet projects (TMI, The Word Green and Smith & Straughn) and feeling more motivated now than ever before to get my my music recorded and performed out in front of an audience.
- from
his home page
"To say that CW Smith is an interesting dude would be an understatement...
"His basement is divided into two parts, One half is a display of guitars, keyboards, and other stringed instruments. In the back sits a complete trap set and a few hand drums. Macintosh computer screens adorn his counter space which he uses to record and mix his music. Nearby is a custom patch bay that he uses to track and layer his songs. He has instruments from every faction of music including a sitar, numerous electric guitars, two baritone guitars, a stand-up bass, a couple of keyboards, the aforementioned drum set and a trumpet. Being in his basement is a lot like being in a music store. He says that when he records an new album, he tries to implement as many instruments into the mix as possible and most of them he plays himself...
"CW Smith grew up in Pleasantville, Iowa and has lived in Norwalk, Harford and Des Moines. He graduated high school in Indianola and then attended Iowa State University for a year in 1987. He enjoyed his short tenure in Ames, but while he maintains that Iowa State is a great school, he also maintains that he was not a great student. At the time CW was studying Computer Science, which isn't exactly what an engineering school like Iowa State is known for. After studying for a year, he moved back to Indianola to attend Simpson College. There he he changed his majors to Music and Communication.
"In 1992 he was offered a co-ownership position at Trifecta Studios just north of Easton Boulevard in Des Moines. CW seized this opportunity, and with his business partner, Steve Hudspeth, they operated a full function studio for ten years.
"In 2002 the studio closed it's doors, and it's actually where CW acquired much of the equipment and a good amount of the musical instruments that he keeps in his basement today. He keeps busy by playing solo gigs in and around the city. He says that he tries to keep it down to just a few gigs a month, but sometimes the opportunities exceed that. You can find him at various coffee shops in the city or at the occasional neighborhood bar, or at the place where he attends worship, the First Unitarian Church...
"When asked about his influences, Smith offers a wide variety, all of which find their way into his musical vein. There's Big Star, David Bowie, Tom Petty and even Television and Crowded House. But he admits that most of his influence comes from The Beatles, whom obviously, CW pays a strong homage to...
"Whether CW Smith is playing an acoustic solo show or if he is removing a virus from a laptop computer in his shop, one thing is certain: He approaches each task he does with genuine love. When you meet CW, you instantly realize what a great and friendly guy he is. He conducts himself in a manner that defies ego but he operates with a high sense of integrity.
"Extremely proud of the life he has created for himself and his family, he makes no excuses for who he is. Whether he is in his shop or making music, he leaves no stone unturned in regards to detail and the values in which he lives his life. CW Smith is a rare bird and an incredible asset to the Des Moines community."
- from
"Getting to Know: C.W. Smith" on
the Bigfoot Diaries website
Lineup:
CW Smith - rhythm guitars, bass guitar, drums, vocals
Stevan Robinson - slide guitar
Rob Straughn - co-writer
Home page:
http://www.cwsmith.fm
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/cwsmithsongs/
BandCamp:
https://cwsmith.bandcamp.com/
To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode52/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2052_.mp3
Labels: 2010s, 2016, acoustic, acoustic rock, CW Smith, Des Moines, Des Moines area, Ep 052, Halloween,Halloween 2017, Halloween music, Night after Night (song), rock music, Stevan Robinson
