April Smith and the Great Picture Show

Quotes:
“Judging from some tracks on her new album ‘Songs for a Sinking Ship,’ Brooklyn singer/songwriter April Smith is quite the burlesque bad girl. Verbally smacking down the competition for her man’s affections (‘Dixie Boy’) and confessing to sins apparently too atrocious to mention (‘Terrible Things’), Smith takes a ride into the annals of vintage Mason-Dixon pop, packing a sound full of sassy hooks and
swinging rhythms.” - Paste

“April Smith was born to be an entertainer… She radiates sunny energy and stage-ready sauciness…. ‘Colors’ is the buoy that fl oats to the top of the record… at least as much a ballad of heartfelt yearning as it is a stomp-and-swagger jam.” - NPR Song of the Day

“An intriguingly skewed lyrical sensibility… the relentless clap-along boogie of the album’s standout track, ‘Colors.’” - Entertainment Weekly Music Mix

“It’s possible you haven’t heard much about April Smith but all that is about to change. This Brooklyn singer-songwriter combines country and swing, making crackling songs that wink and smile and sway. She’s got a rich, plummy voice, and she lays it on thick over a taut guitar strum, making for music as long on charm as it is on melody.” - RollingStone.com

“she’s too good…. She’s one of those people that seems so timeless. To be honest, I just heard the music, and had to have her.” - Jay Sweet, Newport Folk Festival producer, on NPR’s “All Songs Considered”

“We’re digging April Smith–a sassy Brooklyn singer who turns to old-time sounds (swing, ragtime, country) with natural style. She is professional without being too slick, like a star from another recording era.” -Time Out NY

“They were incredible. Fun, catchy, lively and loud…. The modern and quirky lyrics paired with nostalgic, old-fashioned melodies make for a musical genre rarely heard these days. ‘Songs for a Sinking Ship’ could also be called ‘Songs You Want to Sing Along With,’ or, ‘Songs You Want To Dance To,’ or even, ‘Songs That Can Bridge the Generational Music Gap.’ I can’t wait to see this group live again and I’m curious to see what they do next.” -AccessHollywood.com

“Smith’s rag-doll appearance makes her larger-than-life vocals all the more stunning. Rock melodies combined with imaginative, Tom Waits-esque narratives resulted in a captivating first act.” -Magnet - Various

With her varied, genre-leaping song structures, Smith falls somewhere in the cross-section between Duffy, Tom Waits, Amanda Palmer and the Andrew Sisters. She flirts and manipulates jazz, rock and '50s pop to create a nostalgic but undeniably contemporary mash.

Smith and her band's entertaining theatrical sass and stage class stage a smoky, sexy cabaret show for the ear. Her jazzy vocals swoop up and down with such grace and emotion that it entices bystanders to pull up a chair and stay for a spell. One minute, the seductress will melt hearts with her gorgeous, unguarded ballads, but the next minute she will threaten to eat her victims in large consuming bites to a rollicking tune. And with a rocking kazoo interspersed in some lively musical numbers, it's guaranteed to be a good time. - The Deli Magazine

“If anything, an April Smith performance - backed by The Great Picture Show - can always be detailed as fun but, in
truth, fun doesn’t really do her, or the rest of the band, justice. Blessed with a voice comprising both immeasurable
strength and grace - coupled with songs laden with bold, exuberant lyrics - Smith transforms the rawness of a live show
into something far greater. The Brooklyn-based songstress, influenced by such varied artists as The Beatles and Gene Pitney,
possesses a burgeoning career in music and with talent like this she’s bound for glory."
- Joel Crane, NME, Q, Mojo

“Here is April Smith. You see this beautiful, smart little woman with a big guitar and a bigger heart just flat out going
for it and you hear, gloriously, that what she goes for; she gets. Gets it all done right. Go hear her and then pass it on.”
- John David Souther

“Between her Jeff Buckley-like vocal leaps to her quietest moments, this record is
bubbling with ideas and well executed melodic strength.”
-Pulse Weekly

"I personally think she's going to own [Asbury Park] someday." - Righteous Babe recording artist Hamell on Trial

"She's the classic musical triple threat: singer, songwriter and performer." - Matt Mrowicki - Chorus and Verse

“Take the songwriting strength of Tonya Donnelly (Belly), add the vocal sweetness
of Nina Persson (The Cardigans). That's April Smith.“
- Jared Migden, Music Director, WRSU (Rutgers University)

“ [April is] a meaningful songwriter with a serious set of pipes.”
- Bob Makin - Courier News

“She just has an amazing, intense voice.”
- Jeff Raspe, Music Director, 90.5 the Night (Brookdale College)

“A voice that made it seem like you lived a lifetime within the 4 and-a-half minute song she just finished.“
- Gary Wien, award-winning journalist and publisher of Upstage Magazine

"April Smith's performances continue to receive rave reviews from Borders' customers and staff. If she could clone herself and play in all of my stores all of the time the world would be a brighter place."
- Karen Landers, Borders District Marketing Manager, Central and Southern New Jersey
- Industry Quotes

"It's the kind of tune you'd hear on an episode of Grey's Anatomy or in the next iPod commercial.

It's sweet (which we love), quirky (which we love) and hooky (which we love)."
- Perez Hilton

"It's possible you haven't heard much about April Smith but all that is about to change. This Brooklyn singer-songwriter combines country and swing, making crackling songs that wink and smile and sway. She's got a rich, plummy voice, and she lays it on thick over a taut guitar strum, making for music as long on charm as it is on melody."

- RollingStone.com

"This Brooklyn musician turns out sultry updates ragtime and swing, pouring her rich voice over tight guitar strumming." - RollingStone.com

"Brooklyn's April Smith, who was allotted the thankless 11:15 a.m. slot, played the kind of ragtime songs Fiona Apple might have written if she were alive in the 1930s." - RollingStone.com

"Despite the steady raindrops, Smith's juke-joint cabaret remains almost universally sunny. The singer, who looks something like a collectible doll with her lacy skirt, shoulder-length brown hair and porcelain complexion, belts out tunes both acidic ('Drop Dead Gorgeous') and swooning."

- Chicago Tribune

"Boasting all the carnival quirk and old-timey sarsaparilla of any act we know, suffice it to say that April Smith is a jazzy songbird invoking the best of bygone eras. When trails of smoke filled jewel-box rooms and the red velvet flowed like wine. That happened, right? Miss Smith takes us where it's safe and smells of old woolen cloth and prohibition."

- RCRD LBL

"As soon as she hit the bluesy chorus of 'Drop Dead Gorgeous,' there was no hiding from her contagious melodies and honey-dusted vocals. The name of the song could just as well have described her bewitching voice..."

- VenusZine.com