Saint John musician Geoff Smith shares the first single off his upcoming album, Songs From The Broadview Wind Tunnel.
Matt Carter
The first thing I do when checking out a new release from Saint John is go straight to the credits and see who played what on which tracks. That city has such a solid core of generous, versatile musicians able to switch genres and instruments on the fly, it’s always exciting to see who contributed what to any new recording. I always imagine these sessions to be something out of a movie with all these storied musicians huddled around a mixing board talking tone and what gear best fits which tracks. I doubt that’s how any album actually comes together these days, but as someone who seems to resonate with much of that city’s sonic output, it’s a nice picture to have in my mind. What do we have if we don’t have dreams, right?
I remember talking to Geoff Smith about his upcoming Tooth & the Fang album late last summer after a show at the Tipsy Muse in Fredericton. In passing, he mentioned who was playing on it and I remember getting giddy as he mentioned names like Jason Ogden, Chris Braydon, Pierre Cormier and Adam Keirstead to name a few. The ubiquity of these players and their willingness to support each other on projects that run the gamut of genres from punk to country speaks volumes about that city’s scene and the obvious desire so many of its musicians have in seeing it continue to grow and evolve in new ways. There’s a magic in Saint John that doesn’t exist elsewhere.
Geoff Smith is definitely part of that lineage. Though young in comparison – Smith has only been active on the city scene for about a decade as far as my ears know – he and his Little You, Little Me bandmates have taken up the torch, regularly lending their talents to other projects by other artists. Maybe that’s just an unwritten rule of the city’s scene. If you want to play, you have to give back. That makes perfect sense to me.
In April, Smith will be releasing his second full-length album as Tooth & The Fang, an ambitious 14 track album penned completely by Smith with a few writing and arranging collaborations for good measure (we are talking Saint John here, don’t forget).
As a leadup to the release of Songs From The Broadview Wind Tunnel, Smith has shared the album’s first single, Broken Plate, a poetic ode to a failing relationship and at least one broken heart. With his vocals firmly placed upfront in the mix, Smith’s proven ability as an engaging storyteller is unavoidable and the honesty in this song is palpable. Paired with the song’s down tempo mix of folk and classic rock balladeering, reinforced by twangy guitar leads that effectively enhance Smith’s melancolic delivery, Broke Plate is a great teaser for what’s to come.
Songs From The Broadview Wind Tunnel arrives April 17, 2020.
Upcoming Performances:
February 1 | Fredericton, NB (Shivering Songs) | The Capital
February 14 | Saint John, NB | Callies
February 16 | Sackville, NB | Thunder & Lightning
