Smile Smile

As boy-girl groups go, Smile Smile's a keeper. While that's a play on the lyrics to "Sad Song," a single from the Dallas duo's self-titled CD, it's also the truth.

But you already know that if you're a fan of KDGE-FM's The Adventure Club, on which Smile Smile has received an enthusiastic reception from host Josh Venable and his listeners.

Oh, you're not cool enough for The Adventure Club? That's fine, but chances are you'll still like the lovelorn pop songs of Ryan Hamilton and Jencey Hirunrusme, who insist on staying coy about the nature of their relationship. All they'll say is that they "love each other," but listening to Smile Smile, one suspects they've had their share of disagreements. They don't sing together – they sing at each other, working out relationship problems in their lyrics.

Smile Smile is one of 88 bands playing this weekend's Wall of Sound Festival. We thought it'd be fun to have Hamilton answer questions as Hirunrusme and vice versa, for our own twisted version of The Newlywed Game.

Hunter Hauk

JENCEY writing as RYAN

Q: If I were a solo artist, most of my songs would be about ...

A: Girls. I think I might have been an extremely reclusive, yet insightful woman in another lifetime. Perhaps Emily Dickinson.

Q: The singer/songwriter I'm most likely to stalk is ...

A: Hands down, Bob Dylan. ... Not only do I love his music, but his words also inspire me. I think I could open a Bob Dylan museum.

Q: What gets my creative juices flowing?

A: Being alone with my guitar in a quiet house.

Q: My most annoying habit is ...

A: I'm always right and other people get tired of being wrong all the time. I can't help it that I know everything and it annoys people.

Q: The song they play at my funeral will be ...

A: "Free Bird." Enough said.

Q: If I were forced to rename our band, it would be called ...

A: Sweetstick.

RYAN writing as JENCEY

Q: If I were a solo artist, most of my songs would be about ...

A: Flowers, sunshine and dancing.

Q: The singer/songwriter I'm most likely to stalk is ...

A: Terra Naomi, because I have a bumper sticker on my car that says: "I'm stalking Terra Naomi."

Q: What gets my creative juices flowing?

A: Wine, not in a drunkard way, but in a sophisticated senator's wife kind of way.

Q: My most annoying habit is ...

A: It's a tie between biting my nails and ordering people around.

Q: The song they play at my funeral will be ...

A: "No Room to Bleed" by Ben Lee.

Q: If I were forced to rename our band, it would be called ...

A: The Flowery Powery Sunshiney Happy People Girl Band. - QUICK, a product of The Dallas Morning News

Smile Smile's sad sad guy/gal duets about failure, break-ups and betrayal are like a journal detailing a quarter-life crisis, but the pretty pretty multilayered harmonies and piano are the antidepressants that keep you from crying about it. The first three song titles--"Waving the White Flag," "Now It's Over" and "Sad Song"--let you know exactly what you're in for, but the music is soothing enough to keep you from slitting your wrists. Track three more than lives up to its title musically with singer Ryan Hamilton emoting like Chris Martin reaching for high notes and Bono growling for low notes. The mimicry would be nauseating...if he wasn't so good at making it his own. Hamilton and Jencey (whose last name isn't provided in album notes or on the band's Web site) take turns singing on "Stranger Across the Street," with both lusting after some stranger in the only song that's at all upbeat. The album closes with "25 Years," a reflection on his young life that leaves Hamilton second-guessing his choices after a quarter-century that has "come and gone like the wind."

Lines like that well-worn simile are annoying; would it have been that hard to think of something besides "wind" that suggests impermanence? And the drum loops could have been programmed in five minutes by a 10-year-old; the fact that every song sticks with the same beat throughout the disc sounds lazy. But these nitpicks aren't enough to damper the Dallas duo's dynamics on vocals and instruments. Overall, the debut is certainly nothing to frown frown about. - Dallas Observer

smile smile

Here's another band that will be playing this weekend's Wall of Sound Festival in Fort Worth (along with Okkervil River, Midlake, Starlight Mints, Low, Dave Bazan, What Made Milwaukee Famous, SOUND team, Octopus Project, The Black Angels...you get the point. The lineup is ridiculous):

So I found another Dallas band I like. And not just because keyboardist/vocalist Jencey is hot. Smile Smile makes lovelorn, pretty, and at times impossibly sweet boy-girl pop songs. Vocalist Ryan Hamilton's voice reminds me of two of my favorite male vocalists, Cass McCombs and Chad VanGaalen, in that it's capable of conveying sadness and hope at the same time (particularly on "Taking its Toll").

While "Sad Song" is a perfect choice for a single, with its soothing piano melody and broken-hearted lyrics, I have a feeling it only hints at what this band is capable of. "Taking Its Toll" is a brand new song that's not on the EP (I think).
- Chris

Sometimes too much is way too much
By JONANNA WIDNER
Article Published Oct 19, 2006

In the month or so since I've been in Dallas, I've heard repeated reports on how dysfunctional the music scene is here. How everyone's mean, and there's infighting and backstabbing and cynicism. How bands claw at each other with the spastic, fang-bared verve of a bunch of male baboons. Could be--I haven't been around long enough to gather the appropriate evidence, though I've heard a primate-like grunt here and there in the shadows.

But, knowing that, at least anecdotally, such musical karma chaos is the norm, I can't help but wonder how Smile Smile--aka Ryan Hamilton and Jencey Hirunrusme--gets away with being so sincere, so sweet, in the midst of all the bloodlust.

The duo's CD release show at the Cavern was suitable for a rainy Saturday night, low-key but tight with a low hum of energy, sultry and harmony-drenched. Smile Smile is the type of band you need to experience live to appreciate. The new disc, Blue Roses, is solid enough, a sort of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah/Mazzy Star hybrid of sing-along folk, buzzy country-leaning tunes and uptempo/downtempo swings, with brilliantly unconventional songwriting and smart harmonies anchoring the whole deal.

But live, Smile Smile, with its introspective and moody songs, borders on cheese; the tension is created when you stand there wondering if they are going to cross over into the horrible netherworld of too much sincerity. With Hirunrusme holding down the synth and Fender Rhodes, co-vocalizing with Hamilton as he mans the acoustic guitar and occasional harmonica, they never quite do, and the delicate balance they strike is a joy. Ethereal yet grounded, minimalist yet full, smart but not smarmy, Smile Smile is a hidden, comforting, melancholy secret. - Dallas Observer

Thursday, February 2, 2006

When you combine the resources of Spune Productions and KDGE-FM's The Adventure Club, you get a boost for Dallas' indie rock scene.
Spune president Lance Yocom has enlisted Adventure Club host Josh Venable to pick three local bands each month to share a bill at the Cavern. Last month's inaugural showcase packed the venue's downstairs room, which bodes well for this Saturday's show featuring Cordelane, the Hourly Radio and Smile Smile.


We asked Josh Venable to talk about the bands he's showcasing Saturday. Here's what he said:

SMILE SMILE (smilesmile music.com): "One of the biggest local success stories recently on The Adventure Club. From the first time I played them, people were going nuts wanting to see this boy-girl duo. More gorgeous slow pop." - QUICK, a product of The Dallas Morning News

The results are in for round one of Zig-Zag Live Contest and the Dallas duo Smile Smile have taken home the prize. Their catchy folk songs from their self-released debut has won them a prize package valued at over $14,000 that includes prominent exposure on www.cmj.com. - CMJ.com

Sept. 15, 2006

They're young, super-nice, totally unpretentious and in love (or are they?). Jencey Hirunrusme and Ryan Hamilton of Smile Smile are attached at the hip and create the kind of moving music that could only be made by soul mates.


The stripped-down nuances of Jencey's keyboard and Ryan's guitar, combined with their soulful harmonizing, are so in sync and near-perfect that it's hard to believe they've only been playing together about a year.

The native Texans (he's from Fort Worth, she's from Plano) have drastically different interests and personal styles – but when they come together, it's like it was ... meant to be.

"We actually both hate each others' clothes," says Jencey. "But then when we come out it's like we totally match!"

But aside from their talents, the duo is just like the rest of us. They were in band (or show choir in Ryan's case), wear jeans as often as possible, act silly and give each other a hard time, and love to shop at Target.

Use Link for Full Story
http://www.quickdfw.com/poplife/stories/DN-fallstyle--smilesmile_15ick.ART.State.Edition1.3e9303e.html - QUICK, a product of The Dallas Morning News

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 --
By Cindy Chaffin

Local favorites Smile Smile have lots of good stuff happnin' in the coming days and weeks.

"Forged in a plot to introduce new music to the Dallas scene, Smile Smile fuses melodic keys with powerful guitar overlaying a battle of female/male vocals and strong drum beats. Smile Smile strives to keep their music simple yet driving, wanting to bend the familiar."

After they perform their show this Friday, May 26th in Denton, the band will take off for LaLaLand to shoot a video for their splendid tune, "Sad Song."

The band has also recently written lots of new songs, and just finished recording a rough demo. Once they return from Los Angeles, they'll finish recording new material for the upcoming album, due out the end of this year.

Check them out live this Friday, May 26th at Hailey's in Denton with Calhoun, Super Love Attack and Prayer for Animals. - TexasGigs.com

This week our pick takes us down to the Lone Star State for a video from the Dallas duo Smile Smile. The imagery is pretty simple, splicing together some live video footage with some home movies shot from a mountain-bound road trip. The whole thing was given the old-timey treatment a la iMovie, but with the melancholy twang of "Icy And Cold," it fits perfectly. The male/female vocals of Ryan Hamilyton and Jencey Hirunrusme are stunning, so get ready to shed a tear and watch the video below. The Music Nation online video competition is in its semi-finals, so get your vote on! - The Tripwire

A few months ago I was chatting with a friend from my old stomping grounds in Dallas, TX. We were discussing new music we were both excited about, during which the duo Smile Smile was brought to my attention. She was kind enough to send me a copy of their folky debut LP, Blue Roses. After giving the disc a few listens, they have proved that the curse of Dallas still holds true, as the best music from North Texas never escapes to the rest of the country. With only a handful of exceptions, bands just get stuck in the vacuum of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I can only hope that Smile Smile ends up as one of the lucky ones to break out of the Lone Star State.

The duo is comprised of Ryan Hamilton (vocals & guitar) and Jencey Hirunrusme (vocals & piano). With such paired down instrumentation, the emphasis is placed on strong melodies rather than lush arrangements. Besides the occasional bit of percussion, there isn't much more than the beauty of their vocal harmonies accompanied by guitars and piano. They do kick off Blue Roses with the one "plugged-in" track, "Anymore." This catchy pop track tosses in an upbeat drum beat and a bouncing bass line to compliment the normal Smile Smile piano + guitar formula found elsewhere on the album.

The sunny pop quickly fades away, leading us to the cloudy "Your Life." The harmonies between Hamilton and Hirunrusme are stunning, sounding as if Ryan Adams and Hope Sandoval decided to hop into the studio after getting their hearts broken. Another highlight is "Taking Its Toll," which actually reminded me of the some of the duets between Glen Hansard (The Frames) and Marketa Irglova during the film Once. There intimate songwriting and performance styles almost make it seem like you're in their living room, listening as they are working through their songs for the first time. It makes for a very personal listening experience, showing the strength in the musicianship and songwriting of this duo.

Although this might not be an album you'll want to throw on your iPod for a summertime roadtrip, Smile Smile's Blue Roses works perfectly during a bit of a rainstorm while hiding from the weather on your sofa. Hamilton and Hirunrusme's words and music sometimes feel like you've discovered a stranger's personal journal. It is simple, honest and mighty good. - The Tripwire