(Photo Credit: Camélia Hairane)
Three musicians.
:)
Three musicians who are lifelong professionals. If you add up the years they have been playing music, you have over a century.
You have heard their music and probably seen them play in one form or another; their names have made it around the world many times. However, each moment becomes unique when these three musicians perform in front of us. The songs may have been performed before, but each time they are played live, they bring the present tense to the surface. As an audience, we are there and part of the experience.
The Smile is the evolution of three musicians.
:)
Because of COVID, 2022 felt like a music renaissance. Starting in January, some of the best albums I have heard in a very long time were released. That was followed by tours where musicians showed audiences they were ready to be on stage again. At The Anthem in Washington, D.C., I saw three musicians who have allowed their passion to consume them over the course of their lives. Music is their language, their religion, and the blood that feeds the cells of their souls. It is what they do, and they do it well. During lockdown, they formed a new band, The Smile, and 2022 saw them release their first album and go on tour.
(Photo Credit: Camélia Hairane)
From the moment they walked up onto the stage, they were focused but natural. Nothing was forced. Professionalism emanated from their notes, rhythms, and words. They immediately set the mood with the first song, “The Same,” which blew my mind. I could not believe what they were accomplishing live. I have heard the song and watched live versions on YouTube, but seeing it . . . well, I’m speechless. Then, “Thin Line.” In my notes, it was only the first song I wrote, “TOM SKINNER!!! WOW!!!” Yet, isn’t that why we all went to see them? We knew going in that they are professional, intelligent, and talented. We know they love creating challenging movements just to see what they can do. So, what made seeing this configuration at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., different?
(Photo Credit: Camélia Hairane)
The Smile offers the opportunity for three musicians to showcase the possibilities of what can happen when they can just do and just be. If you pay attention, you know the catalog of work that Jonny Greenwood has produced. He is a prodigy, and we are lucky to experience his greatness in our lifetime. Watch him on guitar in “The Opposites” and throughout the show; it is another level of talent. But Thom Yorke is right there. His name pops up for projects that he’s headed. Still, he has lesser-known collaborations with names like MF DOOM, Flying Lotus (who shares a birthdate with him), UNKLE, PJ Harvey, and Modeselektor. In D.C., watching him on the bass and on the piano is why I go to see live music. And Tom Skinner may not be as known, but he has worked with many talented musicians throughout his life and produced a lot of his own music. Hearing him is one thing, but watching him as he plays. His work on the drums, unbelievable. I wrote “DAMN!!!” by his name three times, but I could have written it more.
(Photo Credit: Camélia Hairane)
Yet, this is information you can find online.
No, what makes a band like The Smile and a show like the one at The Anthem in D.C. is the ease at which these musicians play. After years of music, they can just play. Covid clearly left them with a hunger to play music live again, and the love of their craft came through. Seeing it live, right in front of me, is a feeling I embrace.
:)
If you are still with me, I will say it, Radiohead. There it is, but this show, it wasn’t. I am leaving this until the end because I do not believe there needs to be a comparison. Yes, we know that Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are part of that great band, and I know that as musicians, they make music that is their brand. The Smile may exist because of the years of Radiohead, but the members are creating new music in a new moment. Thom York even said, “Here’s a new song because that’s what you do as a new band.” Jazz musicians like Tom Skinner are used to different conglomerations of members, but so are Yorke and Greenwood. They will ride this configuration as long as they like, and hopefully, you can choose to accept and enjoy what they produce. I know that I do, and I am grateful to have been at one of their shows.
:)
Final Thought:
On the 18th and 19th, The Smile was in Brooklyn. Guess what, so was LCD Soundsystem. Brooklyn, have you recovered yet?
Final Thought #2:
This show was so good that I stopped taking notes to enjoy the music. Well, not entirely. TOM SKINNER’s name is written throughout.
(Photo Credit: Camélia Hairane)
(Photo Credit: Camélia Hairane)
(Photo Credit: Camélia Hairane)
The Smile 11/23/22 The Anthem Washington D.C.