The Gene Smith Band
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014
Music
Press
Gene Smith is a prolific songwriter who has been building his original song catalog for forty years. He writes universal, down-to-earth material centered around real life experiences from serious to amusing and everything in between. He has performed as a front man for many groups including Boris Garcia, Psych-A-Billy, Sunhill Down, The Turnips and Buddha’s Kitchen. Each group has brought a different interpretation to his music.
In 2013, Gene approached bassist Chris Henderson for collaboration. The two, who go by the name "The Gene Smith Band," would revisit Gene's vast catalog and perform the songs as Gene originally envisioned. Whether you are a fan from the past or a new fan just getting to know Gene's music, the single "Plastic Covers" off of 'Live at Puck' is a great way to to get acquainted with his music and The Gene Smith Band.
"Plastic Covers" opens up with a spoken statement "Here's a song that means nothing at all" followed by a sparse arrangement of clean acoustic chords strummed throughout on the quarter with splashes of impressive mandolin riffs. As the song moves forward, the arrangement builds very nicely with electric guitar, bass, drums and percussion. The result is a really good groove with all the instruments falling into place. The band has great articulation, sway and flow. There's a nice jam section half-way through that makes the entire experience feel live.
The recording features Gene Smith, vocals and acoustic guitar and Chris Henderson on fretless bass along with Dan Messa, Drums; Dave Brown, lead guitar; Bud Burroughs on mandolin and Dexter Myers, percussion. Vocally, Gene's singing matches his material. His voice has a down-to-earth and laisezz-faire quality that digs in when the meaning calls for it. The lyrics, which are quite poetic, talk about a distaste for materialism. "I see you in you livin' in your limousine. No room for people in your government. You'd never admit your just an animal like me."
"Plastic Covers" is a song that will resonate with many listeners as it speaks to issues we can all relate to in this day and age. The Gene Smith Band delivers with meaningful lyrics, the ability to jam, interesting instrumentation, engaging arrangements and the ability to put it all together in a way that is fun to listen to. For more information, please visit their website. - Indie Spoonful
June 21, 2017
"The songs are 100% original, the instrumentation is superlative, and this band delivers a gem of a performance. It is unfortunate that in this era, the most talented and cerebral bands are not always found in the arenas. Indeed, the music we heard last night - in this most intimate of venues - deserves the widest audience possible."
John Clark,
City Island Music - City Island Music
One of the top 5 stage performances I've ever seen, up there with the Tokyo String Quartet in their heyday, and that Led Zeppelin reunion in '85. How they did it, after camping in a field for an entire week prior, is amazing, but The Gene Smith Band did it. See these guys as soon as you can.
George Rawlings
August 22, 2017 - George Rawlings - Facebook
George's review was correct. The set that The Gene Smith Band played this year at Philadelphia Folk Festival was also one of the best live performances I've ever seen. It made my smile and laugh. It made me cry. It made me humble. It made me proud to be a part of this community.
August 22, 2017
Luke Cleary - Luke Cleary - Ambler Music
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Gene Smith has been writing songs for forty years; real songs about real life, some serious, some more whimsical. He has performed many of them with groups as varied as Boris Garcia, Psych-A-Billy, Sunhill Down, The Turnips, and Buddha’s Kitchen. All of these unique bands imparted their own flavor to the performances.
In 2013, Gene approached bassist Chris Henderson and asked if he would be interested in joining him on a project that would reimagine and come up with new arrangements of this vast catalog, performing them the way he envisioned the songs in his head when he wrote them.
Thus the journey that is “The Gene Smith Band” began. With contributions from a rotating cast of some of the Philadelphia Area’s best instrumentalists who join them for shows, The Gene Smith Band is realizing Gene’s vision of presenting these songs as they were originally conceived.
Band Members
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