Craig Smith and Dave Copenhaver: The Parasite

The Parasite is a spoken word and sound project by Craig Smith and Dave Copenhaver. The Parasite was composed by Smith and Copenhaver in 2011 and released on vinyl and CD in June, 2011 by Lunacy Records (www.lunacyrecords.com).

The project is a dynamic soundscape of bass, keyboards, and spoken word. Its dynamic ranges from the subdued and contemplative space of tracks such as "The Announcement of Exchange" to the driving, blues-rich force of "Phoenix of Hosts." All lyrics have been adapted from an original text of philosophy authored by Michel Serres and translated by Lawrence Scher.

Smith's vocals are a versatile combination of Jim Morrison's 1968 Copenhagen performances, the live tirades of the Jesus Lizard's David Yow, and the academic lecture complex of Slavoj Zizek, Bruno Latour, and Charles Ray. Craig Smith is a multimedia artist whose lectures, performances, and exhibitions have been featured internationally at festivals, museums, galleries, and universities, He is based at the University of Florida where he is an Associate Professor in the School of Art and Art History.

Dave Copenhaver is Director of Productions at Lunacy Records and performs bass, guitar and sound production on the recording. Copenhaver is the recipient of a 2009 Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and has been featured on recordings with artists ranging from the recently deceased Pinetop Perkins, Philip ‘Yogie’ Bread, and Oklahoma’s own Wanda Jackson.

The Parasite premiered live at the 2011 OKMozart Festival in Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower Arts Center. The live performance includes both Smith and Copenhaver playing live and accompanied by computer programming a series of video montages projected over the performers and audience.