LISTENER

By David Denison

There are a lot of touring bands that might be jealous to hear that Dan Smith, under the musical alias of “Listener,” tours with a washing machine, a rarely seen amenity in the lives of musicians. Yet ol’ Danny isn’t washing his clothes with it. He’s beating the crap out of it with a sledgehammer on stage. Needless to say, the spoken-word jams that Dan refers to as “Talk Music” are different than any other in his genre. One would assume that between Bradley Hathaway and mewithoutYou there would be little room left for creative expansion in the Christian spoken-word music scene. Yet what sets Listener apart is that he doesn’t simply record music, he records life.

“You have never lived because you have never died,” Listener boldly claims with the first track of his latest release, Wooden Heart. Such bluntness comes as no surprise to the fans that have supported Listener since the project’s inception 8 years ago. Their 2008 release, Return to Struggleville, is a passionate telling of the lives of people from different walks of life, addressing problems such as unemployment and alcoholism- “He’s been out of work for months, but still dresses for the office and kisses his wife goodbye, and heads for his park bench.” Listener doesn’t simply spout off cheesy love stories set to generic melodies. His faith is clear in his lyrics, yet Listener won’t be making his way onto mainstream Christian radio anytime soon- he’s too honest.

Listener’s grassroots style of travel is nothing short of communal. With a few companions and an RV, Dan introduced his music to the world through house shows with potlucks, rather than simply playing clubs and bars. He followed up later with 2 European tours and a run in Japan as well. Now a fan favorite at Cornerstone, his music is spreading more rapidly than ever, and for good reason.

Wooden Heart has an instrumentation that sets it well above previous Listener releases. The songs are well constructed. Even the emotional Return to Struggleville fell a little bit short in the area of musical composition, seeming at times to simply be poetry with background music. But that shortcoming is nowhere to be found on the new record. Listener instrumentalist Chris Nelson’s orchestrations of horns, guitars, and drums (heck, even a banjo) are brilliant musical arrangements, even aside from the vocals. To top it off, Smith blows us away with his best lyrics yet, presented with more stylistic diversity than he has ever demonstrated.

Dan Smith provides for his listeners not only entertainment, but inspiration. The love he has for the people represented in his songs is evident, and the more one listens to his music, the more that that love seeps in through the ears and trickles down to the heart. The closing lyrics of Wooden Heart are a pristine reflection both of Listener’s message, and his bright future: “There is something coming, and everything matters, so guard your heart, and watch the wind.” - HM

The package the new Listener Project album was bound with twine and wrapped in what seemed to the same type of brown paper grocery store bags are made from. Being the impatient bloke that I am, I didn’t bother to untie the knot; instead I broke the twine and tore the paper off to find a white box. Printed on this box was the figure of a man. He was dressed in a suit and throwing what seemed to be knives into the air. Befuddled, I opened the box. Inside, I found a long steak knife, a floppy disc, a CD, a DVD, a small, black address book, substitute cassette tape, scotch tape, a certificate of achievement (addressed to me), a pencil, and a letter thanking me for accepting the “free deluxe office set.” Needless to say, I was a bit bewildered. However, after examining all the items and carefully reading the cover letter that came with the box set, I came to the conclusion that Return to Struggleville is an album chronicling the life of a traveling knife salesman (as the image on the box benevolently suggests). “Let’s hope the album is as interesting as the press kit,” I thought.

I was first exposed to Listener Project when they were known as solely “The Listener.” Now with a revamped name and project (no pun intended), Listener Project reinstate themselves with Return to Struggleville.

Much like their previous effort Whispermoon, Return to Struggleville is strongly influenced by the spoken word stylings of bands such as mewithoutYou. However, on their newest release, Listener Project perfect their musings with additional conversational elements; the opening track “Death by Shotgun” captures the ethos of their Arkansas southern home. Indeed, it’s the type of song you’d expect to find being sung if you stumbled upon a man sitting on the front porch of his home deep in the southern bayou. “Ozark Empire, or a Snake Oil Salesman Comes to Your Town” is a hip-hop leaning, minimalist track focused around a raw beat and handclaps. “What Would You Do if I'm Not What I'm Supposed to Be, Because I'm Not” incorporates stirring percussion in their rendition of Joe Cocker’s “With a little Help from My Friends,” while “Officer You Have the Wrong Man, I Am Not that Man,” contains sequins of knives rubbing together. Although some elements may be more simplistic and subtle than others, these details jazz up the arrangements and continue to bolster the band’s slight edge of originality.

Although half of the album tends to fall in the more upbeat spectrum, the other half (as tacky as it sounds) is a heartfelt decent into the heart of lead vocalist Dan Smith. Employing palliative acoustic guitar over talk-style vocals, Smith’s musings show an almost desperate honesty (“It's Time for Drastic Measures, They're Not Taking You Seriously,” “The Music That Angels Do”). These songs could have been cheesy, but fortunately Listener Project don't cross the fine line of the overtly clichéd. However, some songs fall short of the band’s potential, such as “My Five Year Plan” and I Have Nothing but Attention When I Scream,” which are both characterless and passable.

Listening to Listener Project isn’t like listening to regular music; the band is no stranger to this either - their tagline on myspace reads "introducing talk music is hard work." Fortunately, the band has originality on its side. Although at times I feel like I’m listening to mewithoutYou, the band still retains an unparalleled earnest; listening to Return to Stuggleville is truly an experience. At times I feel myself swaying to the groove and at other times swooning to the rhythm of the guitar. If there is one thing that is promising about this band, it is their ability to transfer true emotion through the listener’s headphones and straight to the heart, a characteristic that is teetering on the edge of extinction in today’s scene. If anything, however, the steak knife turned out to be a darn good letter opener. - www.absolutepunk.com

Listener Project mixes the larynx-shredding fervor of a doomsday prophet with the bang and clatter of garage rock. The press kit for the trio's new concept album, Return to Struggleville, showed up in a box with graffiti-stencil artwork of a used-knife salesman on his knees with one of his samples lodged in his gut (occupational hazard).

Inside the box, we found a copy of Struggleville and a DVD documentary of a recent tour, plus a delightful assortment of thrift-store office supplies, a certificate of achievement in "Excellence & Success", and a letter containing this choice line: "Listen Project would like to work with your company and we offer this Deluxe Office Gift Set to you free of charge." Thanks guys! (Hope you don't mind if we hawk the Smith Corona printer ribbon on eBay.) - Paste Magazine (March 2008)

In the middle of a dimly-lit coffee shop, surrounded by a semicircle of sofas and chairs filled with eager young faces, stands a full-bearded white man in a plain black T-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops.

Moments later, backed by the mesmerizing glow of infomercials playing on a projector, the flip-flops are discarded, a trash bag full of leaves is emptied onto the stage he occupies, and the lights go out. Flipping on a lamp attached to the microphone stand, the man’s face is lit and a night of candid conversation, storytelling, and rap begins.

Yes, rap. The man is Listener, an emcee from the groups Deepspace5 and Labklik, and he’s on tour to share a night of community, food, and hip-hop in living rooms and coffee shops across America.

For anyone familiar with this prolific artist and his crew, none of the above should come as a surprise. Listener is known for his charismatic, attention-grabbing delivery and poetic, often-humorous, and never-wasted lyrics. Always looking to be original and different in his artistry, his writing often defies the traditional patterns and rules of rap, embracing originality over familiarity.

His newest independently released record, Ozark Empire, blends the consistently fresh beats of EQ (DJ Equipt) with Listener’s ever-engaging raps in the form of a story about a traveling salesman. To promote this concept album, Listener has masterminded the Tour of Homes, a chance for him to perform in homes and small venues across the nation with the intent of breaking down stereotypes and images in hip-hop culture. On Monday, Oct. 24, he made his Seattle stop at the Q Café.

Almost a landmark on the local music scene, this was probably the first hip-hop potluck in Seattle’s history. Although everyone was encouraged to bring food for the potluck and money for donations to Listener’s tour, the event was free. The Q Café ended up being the perfect location for such an inviting community event. Connected to Quest church and offering a warm, cozy coffee shop and stage for performance, the Q Café is a unique, non-profit venue that embraces "cafe, community, and culture." Located at 3223 15th Ave. W. in Interbay, the café offers weekly open mic nights and coffee and other drinks for you to get your fix.

In the weeks leading up to the event, I had emailed Listener in hopes that he would approve of photography and a few questions before the show. Cementing his image of openness and honesty, he kindly agreed to give a portion of his time during the potluck dinner before the show started. So on Monday night, I walked into the café armed with macaroni and potato salads and some questions to ask him. The potluck itself was adequate. Not many people had brought food, but there was enough to go around. Although the meal was about to begin, Listener took time to sit down and share a bit of his life with me.

Listener’s real name is Daniel Reuben Smith. He lives in Siloam Springs, Ark., with his wife Kristen, and tours and records full time as a solo artist and as part of Deepspace5. He has been rapping since the age of 12 and recording from the age of 14.

When asked how he came up with "Listener," he explained that it basically just started as a name, the way almost all rappers "adorn" themselves. He was originally "Chunksta Da Listena" in his early days of gangsta rap (a stage in which he jokingly embraced the style to comedic effect).

"For a while I was ‘The Listener’" he said, before dropping the definite article and sticking with ‘Listener.’ When it comes to listening, it involves "...listening to God, listening to others...listening to silence..." and deciphering what that means to him personally.

Being an underground hip-hop artist is not always a stable career; Listener originally had a backup plan.

"I went to school for broadcasting and graphic design," he explained. Listener attended college and even has a degree in the area, but he made it clear that after some experience in the field, news media wasn’t where he wanted to be. He still enjoys using his skills these days putting together video projects and even doing the web design for his and Deepspace5’s Web sites.

For Listener, working with Deepspace5 in comparison to solo work is "...completely different...than on my own... I love writing in groups and playing off other people. It’s not all on my shoulders to write a complete album." Listener confirmed that a bit of healthy competition from his crew helps keep him on his toes and "in a friendly way try to do better."

Formerly in Labklik with Illtripp, he now focuses on his solo work. Listener stated they probably wouldn’t continue Labklik but may re-release some of their albums or a "best of" collection. For now, he will focus on creating solo material.

Before "Ozark Empire," he released his first solo effort, "Whispermoon."

"You grow with each album," he said. "Whispermoon was not as cohesive." For "Ozark Empire" he worked to create a cohesive story that was stylistically non-traditional. "I wanted to change up every song," he explained about the constantly-changing song structure of the new album. "...It’s all on purpose."

Through it all, Listener knows that the Almighty has been guiding his career.

"I would like to think God is in what I do." Anything but arrogant, he knows he’s just a human. "I make mistakes everyday and sin... I hope God’s in favor of what I’m doing." Finishing up the interview, he offered information about his upcoming project (a Christmas album produced by Dust of Mars Ill) and answers my own "fanatic" questions.

The show started with Listener standing onstage with his pile of leaves and microphone, telling a joke and dropping verses from Deepspace5’s first record and his own "Whispermoon" to draw in the crowd. His tongue firmly planted in his cheek with each anecdote offered, he spoke a little about who he is for the uninitiated and offered himself up to the crowd for interrogation. Not getting any takers for questions and looking a little disappointed with the response, he let the audience know: "This is the way it’s gonna be all night." He quickly got into his set starting with the title track from "Ozark Empire."

Listener has an intensity on the microphone that is amazing to observe. Enthusiastic and erratic with his hand and facial gestures as though every line dropped were from a salesman to a potential buyer, he kept the audience riveted.

His music was not without humor; several of the tracks he performed from "Ozark Empire" had lines that kept the laughs flowing. As he blazed through, he performed almost all the songs from his album and made sure to ask in between: "You have any questions?" With the occasional question indeed arising, the audience learned a little about the music and the man behind it as the night went on. The infomercials flashing on the screen behind him, which at first were novel, did begin to get distracting, but his demanding presence managed to keep our focus.

He went out with a bang and slightly darker note as he finished his set with "Officer You Have The Wrong Man. I Am Not That Man," a fictitious story about the salesman in question on the album getting involved in a domestic dispute and being stabbed by one of the knives he sells. Not without hope, Listener’s lyrics in the song put some off but really spoke to me personally. Although attended by only a handful of people, the show went off without a hitch. Here’s to hoping more artists pick up the trend Listener has started and embrace community in artistry. - The Falcon

I STAND ON THE TRAIN PLATFORM JUST WAITING FOR MY TRAIN TOWARD TOKYO TO EMERGE THROUGH THE TUNNEL, BUT MY TRAIN WAS LATE THAT NIGHT. WHEN THE TRAIN FINALLY CAME SCREECHING TO A STOP BENEATH MY FEET, I GRIPPED MY BACKPACK AS I STEP ONTO THE CROWED TRAIN AND A RUSH OF HUMIDITY HITS MY FACE. A SLUR OF VOICES IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE ECHO OFF THE TRAIN’S WHITE WALLS, AS MY HEADPHONES CONVEY AN ELECTED OFFICIAL BEAT CONSISTING OF A SPED UP SAMPLE AND THE THUMPING OF THE BASS. A FAMILIAR VOICE COMES OVER THE SAMPLE AND WITH POETIC GENIUS PAINTS A HEARTFELT PICTURE. THE TRAIN SPEEDS BY IN A MODERN MARVEL OF TECHNOLOGY AND JAPANESE FUNCTIONALITY. FUNNY, THAT I'M TRAVELING THIS TOO CROWDED TRAIN TO LISTEN TO THE EMCEE NAMED THE LISTENER DROP VAGABOND DOCTRINE ABOUT A TRAIN SONG, AND TO INTERVIEW HIM AFTER HIS SET. LISTENER IS THE RAPPER FROM THE SUPER CREWS DEEPSPACE5 AND LABKLIK, AND HAILS FROM NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND HAD GROWN UP IN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI. LISTENER HAS COMPLETED AROUND 12 ALBUMS, INCLUDING SOLO, DEEPSPACE5, AND LABKLIK RECORDINGS, CURRENTLY SIGNED TO MUSH THE RECORD LABEL THAT RELEASED HIS SOLO ALBUM ENTITLED WHISPERMOON.

THE TRAIN COMES TO A STOP AND THE DOOR SLIDES OPEN AT ITABASHI, A DESOLATE TRAIN STATION IN THE MIDDLE OF TOKYO. I RUMMAGED THROUGH MY BAG, SEARCHING FOR DIRECTIONS TO THE SHOW LISTENER WAS HAVING. CLUTCHING THE CRUMPLED PAPER OF DIRECTIONS IN MY OWN POOR PENMANSHIP, I FOLLOWED THEM TO A SMALL BUILDING. WHEN I GOT TO THE DOOR AND GLANCED IN UNSURELY, A FRIENDLY LISTENER MOTIONS ME TO COME IN AND I HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE THAT HE WAS SITTING AT. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS OF INTRODUCTIONS, I WAS MOTIONED TO FOLLOW THE FLOW OF PEOPLE DOWN TO A SMALL STAGE WHICH WOULD SOON COME ALIVE WITH LISTENERS ENERGETIC SET. AFTER THE SHOW, LISTENER AND I MADE OUR WAY BACK UPSTAIRS AND TOOK A SEAT AT A SMALL TABLE, AND THUS THE QUESTIONINGS BEGAN:



HOW DID YOU END UP AT MUSH?



I FINISHED WHISPERMOON IN MARCH OF 2003, AND STARTED SHOPPING AROUND THE FINISHED PRODUCT TO LABELS HERE AND THERE. SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE ROAD FULL TIME I REALLY NEED A LABEL TO HANDLE ALL THE "PUTTING OUT" OF MY PRODUCT WHILE I HANDLE THE LIVE ASPECT. MUSH AND A FEW OTHER LABELS WERE INTERESTED, BUT MUSH HAD THE BEST OFFER AND TRACK RECORD, SO I WENT WITH THEM. BASICALLY I HAD AN ALBUM TO PUT OUT AND MUSH LIKED IT AND WE DECIDED TO PUT IT OUT.



WHAT INSPIRED TRAIN SONG?



A POEM I HEARD AT A POETRY READING IN DECATUR GEORGIA. THAT STEMMED INTO MY DEALINGS WITH VARIOUS HOMELESS PEOPLE ALL THROUGHOUT THE US. I PLAY IN DOWNTOWN AREAS AND CLUB AREAS ALL OVER THE PLACE AND BASICALLY PARK MY CAR IN THEIR HOUSE AND WE ALWAYS HAVE TALKS ABOUT WATCHING MY CAR. I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THE HONESTY AND TRAGEDY THAT SURROUNDS THEM, AND HOW GOD SPEAKS TO PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT WAYS IF WE'LL LISTEN.



WHEN THE SONG WAS COMPLETED DID YOU FEEL THAT IT WOULD BECOME SUCH A HIT?



I LIKE ALL MY SONGS, BUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS. I REALLY LIKED THIS SONG, BUT I'VE LIKE MOST OF MY SONGS, SO I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW. I'VE ONLY WRITTEN A FEW STORY RAPS IN MY CAREER, AND PEOPLE SEEM TO LIKE THEM, I'M GOING TO WRITE MORE.



HOW DID YOU GET INTO GRAPHIC DESIGN?



IN COLLEGE I GOT INTO COMPUTER-AIDED GRAPHIC DESIGN. I THINK I'VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN ART AND BEING AN ARTIST, WHETHER IT WAS PAINTING OR DRAWING OR WRITING PROSE, POETRY OR WHATEVER, I'VE ALWAYS DIPPED INTO A CREATIVE SIDE OF ME TO FIND CALM AND ESCAPE FROM STRESS AND TROUBLES IN LIFE. I ESPECIALLY LIKE TEXT LAYOUT AND FONT DESIGN. I ALSO DO WEBSITE DESIGN; RECENTLY I'VE GOTTEN A BUG TO WELD. I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT REQUIRES A GOOD BIT OF EQUIPMENT AND EXPENSE, BUT I THINK I’D LIKE TO DO METAL DESIGN AND SCULPTURE, MOSTLY FUNCTIONAL PIECES THOUGH, NOT NECESSARILY ABSTRACT OR STUDIO PIECES.



HOW DID ALL THE ARTISTS FROM DEEP SPACE 5 GET TOGETHER?



MANCHILD FROM MARS ILL (BEFORE THERE WAS MARS ILL) GOT US ALL TOGETHER. JUST MCS AND PRODUCERS WITH LIKE FAITH AND GOALS, AND WE MADE SOME MUSIC. THIS WAS LIKE 96-97 WHEN THE LABKLIK WAS STILL DOING 1-2 ALBUMS A YEAR, AND THE PRIDE WAS STILL TOGETHER AND SEV WAS COMING OUT ON THE SCENE. WE MADE AN EP IN ORLANDO FLORIDA AT A HOTEL AT THIS RAP CONVENTION, AND THE REST IS HISTORY. WE DID AN ALBUM FOR UPROK, AND ADDED MORE MEMBERS AND WE'RE STILL GOING. EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN TOURS AND SOLO STUFF AND WHAT NOT, BUT HOPEFULLY SOON A LABEL WILL BE INTERESTED IN PUTTING OUT ANOTHER FULL LENGTH. IT TAKES SO MUCH TO GET US ALL TOGETHER TO RECORD, IT’S QUITE AN UNDERTAKING, BUT THE RAPS THAT COME OUT OF THOSE MEETINGS ARE REALLY PIECES THAT I QUITE LIKE.



WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT MUSICALLY?



BEING ABLE TO MAKE A SOLO RECORD AND TOUR ON IT, I HOPE THERE ARE MANY MORE, IT'S ALMOST A PARENT TYPE OF THING TO MAKE SOMETHING AND SEE IT GROW AND GO OUT INTO THE WORLD. SOME PEOPLE PICK ON IT, BUT I PICK IT BACK UP AND KEEP TOURING AND PUSHING, AND ONE DAY IT WILL GROW UP TO BE A CLASSIC.



WHAT SONG DO YOU FEEL IS YOUR FAVORITE ON THE WHISPERMOON ALBUM?



"YOU WILL BE MY MUSIC" IS PROBABLY THAT, MAYBE "TRAIN SONG", OR “WAYS OF THE WIND”.



WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO DO A SOLO ALBUM?



TOURING MOSTLY, I HAVE BEEN FULL TIME AS A RAPPER FOR OVER 2 YEARS NOW AND I NEEDED LIVE MATERIAL TO DO AND SELL AND A REASON TO BE OUT ON THE ROAD, AND IT'S HARD TO BE FULL TIME IN A GROUP UNLESS EVERYONE IS FULL TIME AND REALLY GOING FOR IT. SO, THE SOLO STUFF IS WHAT I'M ON THE ROAD FOR DOING THE MILES AND PAYING THE DUES.



WHAT WOULD THE ULTIMATE REWARD FOR YOU BE?



TO BE ABLE TO BE USED BY GOD WITH WHAT I DO, WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE IN PEOPLES LIVES, OR ON A GRANDER SCALE. ALSO TO BE ABLE TO BE ARTISTICALLY VIABLE AND TRUE TO HOW I WANT TO MAKE MUSIC, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A LIVING, SUPPORT MY FAMILY, AND FEEL LIKE I'VE GIVEN SOMETHING TO THE COMMUNITY, WHATEVER ARTISTIC COMMUNITY I REACH IN TO. RAP CAN BE SORT OF LIMITING AND NOT CROSS OVER INTO TOO MANY PLACES, PEOPLE PIGEONHOLE RAPPERS AS MINDLESS THUGS, BUT THERE ARE SOME THINKERS AND ARTISTS OUT THERE MAKING A STAB AT IT ALL.



WHO DO YOU FEEL IS YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCE AND WHY?



IT’S NOT EVER ONE PERSON OR GROUP MUSICALLY. FOR ME IT'S A WHOLE MOVEMENT OF ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS. I AM REALLY MOTIVATED AND INFLUENCED BY ARTISTS WHO ARE ALMOST ANARCHISTS. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BUCKING THE SYSTEM AND DOING THE ART THAT THEY FEEL FROM INSIDE AND CREATING BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL INSPIRING PIECES OF MUSIC AND ART. THAT’S WHAT INFLUENCES ME.



I GLANCED AT MY WATCH AND REALIZED I SHOULD HAVE LEFT A WHILE AGO, FOR I NEEDED TO CATCH THE LAST TRAIN HOME. THE TRAINS IN JAPAN STOP AT MIDNIGHT AND I HAD AN HOUR AND A HALF OF A TRAIN RIDE BACK TO MY HOUSE IN YOKOSUKA. I THANKED LISTENER AND SAID MY GOODBYES AND GOODNIGHTS AS I RUSH ONTO THE STREET AND MAKE MY WAY TO THE TRAIN STATION. HEARING THE TRAIN APPROACH I RAN ONTO THE PLATFORM. AS THE DOOR SWISH CLOSED BEHIND ME, I SIGHED A SIGH OF RELIEF AND SETTLED DOWN IN AN EMPTY PLASTIC SEAT FOR THE TRAIN RIDE HOME. THE TRAIN SUDDENLY STOPS AND EVERYONE WHO IS LEFT IS USHERED OFF THE TRAIN AND I WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WAS THE LAST STATION THE TRAIN WOULD STOP FOR THE NIGHT. SO THERE I WAS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF TOKYO UNTIL THE TRAINS OPEN AGAIN AT 5 O’CLOCK. SO I WALK AROUND ENDLESSLY WITHOUT DESTINATION, MUMBLING AND SINGING DOCTRINE COMMONLY HEARD OF VAGABONDS UNTIL THE MORNING AWAKENS THE TRAIN STATION. - Aphire

Listener: the Anti-Springsteen
By Jason Andreasen

In the '70s and '80s, Bruce Springsteen captivated a nation with Americana anthems of hopeful desires, hot rods, girls and freedom. His words spoke to millions longing for something bigger than themselves while his Telecaster rang in the hearts of those yearning for the promise they felt rock and roll once held.

Listener is not Bruce Springsteen. In fact, Listener is the antithesis of The Boss. His words do not carry the promise of a better day on open stretches of asphalt. The notes that underlie his stories of the depressed, lost and ignored do not coalesce into anthemic offerings but instead are often disjointed and jarring. These songs are about a different American experience. These are mirror reflections, not of us at our best or as we'd like to be, but us as we are: flawed, insecure.

Listener (aka Dan Smith) speaks his words, sometimes yelling them - and intentionally not singing them - so to make sure that the music sharing the air (created by guitarist/drummer Chris Nelson) does not drown them and that they are not lost on their way to their audience.

It is Listener's unorthodox delivery that lends a touch of irony to his Wednesday, Aug. 19 performance at Chelsea's Café where he will be featured following the standard mid-week Chelsea's experience. For months now, Wednesday nights at the beloved local venue have been reserved for singer/songwriters performing in an open-mic format, yet, Listener offers no "singing" at all.

Listener's roots were in performing what he now likens to indie-hip-hop. Today, his work does not bear much resemblance to his beginnings. In fact, rather than succumb to the claustrophobia that such classification engenders, Smith coined his own genre which allows him the freedom to create without boundaries. He calls it "Talk Music."

"I did a lot of hip hop tours and I always put 'Hip-Hop Show' on the flyer and I noticed the kind of people that would come to the show versus just house shows with a random mix of folks from all different backgrounds and tastes," explained Smith who over seven years of touring has played house shows across the U.S. and Europe.

"I like playing for people instead of just a bisection of a genre group," Smith said. "So I started thinking 'What can I call this?' And 'Talk Music' came out of that."

It is Smith's hope that putting such a title on the music will allow people to experience the work with an open mind and give themselves a chance to connect with it.

There is plenty to connect with on Listener's last release, 2007's Return to Struggleville. The album tells the story of a traveling knife salesman dealing with suicidal thoughts, inadequacy, conforming to being a productive member of society and a number of other universal themes presented in the story of one man.

The work on Struggleville speaks to many of the stresses and emotional hardships that are grappled with on a daily basis by so many. It is not an uplifting album by any stretch, yet there is a sense of comfort achieved for the listener - a comfort that can only come from realizing you aren't the only one to have dealt with such demons.

"There are some things that are personal. But it's more [about] friends going for the money and selling things and ending up empty handed. It's a concept album for sure," said Smith.

The poetry of Smith's words carry a vivid imagery to them. His lyrical barrage paints a picture so eloquently laid out that you find yourself face-to-face with the salesman as he reveals his shortcomings ("What Would You Do If I'm Not What I'm Supposed to Be, Because I'm Not") and later finds you standing over the knife salesman in his kitchen while he bleeds from a stab wound left by his wife in "Officer You Have the Wrong Man, I am Not That Man."

Yet, while Smith's poetry is intense enough to make for a memorable evening at Chelsea's, the music is no afterthought. Sharing the stage with Smith's words will be Nelson's work on guitar and an instrument that most won't expect to see.

"We have a couple of songs that have washing machine in it [and] one song in particular where its the main instrument. We use it as a percussion instrument and we go through a few of them. Chris hits it with an axe handle," Smith explained. "Older Maytags, Whirlpools work best."

"It's sort of hard to ignore a guy yelling and another guy beating on a washing machine. Usually we get a pretty good connection with the audience."

It is hard to ignore the work of Listener. This experimental offering could very easily be seen more as performance art than simply calling it "music." However, calling it "Talk Music" does the trick just fine for Smith.

Now, Listener just needs you to listen; and with no cover charged at the door, the duo's August 19 performance at Chelsea's is a great opportunity for you to do just that.

To find out more about Listener, visit ListenerProject.com.

Originally Published: Issue 812 - August 18, 2009 - LSU Reveille