American musician
Not to be confused with American singer-songwriter, musician and poet
Stephan Smith .
Musical artist
Steven R. Smith is an
American musician , instrument-builder, and
printmaker often associated with the
Jewelled Antler collective. Born in
Fullerton, California and based in
San Francisco and, more recently,
Los Angeles , he has been musically active since the mid-1990s. His main instrument is
guitar , both acoustic and electric, although other instruments, including the
hurdy-gurdy ,
bouzouki , fretted
spike fiddles , and assorted ethnic instruments, have been incorporated into his work.
[1]
Smith’s music tends to range from dense, orchestrated pieces to sparse solo excursions on electric guitar and is improvised as often as composed. His music has drawn elements from
psychedelic rock , traditional folk music, soundtracks,
free jazz , and modern composers, and tends to be contemplative and somewhat mournful. Some of his records feature elaborate packaging,
woodcut and
linocut prints, and handmade
chapbooks . Throughout his career Smith has recorded for a number of independent labels such as Important Records, Soft Abuse,
Catsup Plate , Root Strata, Immune Recordings, Last Visible Dog, Jewelled Antler,
Darla Records , and
Emperor Jones .
In addition to his ongoing solo work, Smith has been a member of the instrumental psych-rock group Mirza; the improvisational group Thuja;
Hala Strana , a project which focuses on the traditional music of Eastern Europe; and most recently Ulaan Passerine, Ulaan Markhor, and Ulaan Khol. Smith occasionally appeared live with Mirza and Thuja, but he remains an elusive solo performer.
[2]
Discography
[3]
steven r. smith
log the man dead – CS (autopia, 1995)
gehenna belvedere – LP (autopia, 1996)
autumn is the end – CD (darla, 1998)
from ashes come – CD (3 acre floor, 1999)
slate branches – CD (3 acre floor, 2000), LP (little brother records, 2000)
death of last year's man e.p. – 7” (autopia, 2000), CDep (emperor jones, 2001)
tableland – CD (emperor jones, 2001)
lineaments – CD (emperor jones, 2002)
kohl – CDr (jewelled antler, 2002), LP (emperor jones, 2005)
antimony – CDr (digitalis industries, 2004)
crown of marches – CD (catsup plate, 2005)
the anchorite - LP (important records, 2006), CD (root strata, 2008)
owl - CD (digitalis industries, 2007)
cities - LP (immune recordings, 2009)
floor of the sky e.p. - LP (burnt toast vinyl, 2011)
old skete - LP (worstward recordings, 2011)
ending/returning - 2xLP (immune recordings, 2013)
a sketchbook of endings -- lp/cd (soft abuse, 2019)
the loss of what we keep e.p. -- dl (worstward recordings, 2019)
in the spires -- lp (cold moon records, 2021)
the growing surface e.p. -- dl (worstward recordings, 2021)
spring -- lp (soft abuse, 2022)
arroyo tree complex -- cs (worstward recordings, 2023)
hala strana
karst e.p. – 3”CDr (jewelled antler, 2003)
hala strana – CD (emperor jones, 2003), LP (desastre, 2017)
fielding – 2xCDr (jewelled antler, 2003), 2xCD (last visible dog, 2004), 2xLP (worstward/desastre 2020)
these villages – CD (soft abuse, 2004)
white sleep - lathe cut 7" (soft abuse, 2006)
heave the gambrel roof - LP/CD (music fellowship, 2007)
compendium - dl (worstward recordings, 2011)
hala strana boxset - 5xcs box set (cabin floor esoterica, 2014)
ulaan janthina
ulaan janthina (part I) -- cs (worstward recordings, 2020)
ulaan janthina (part II) -- cs (worstward recordings, 2020)
ulaan passerine
ulaan passerine - 2xcs (brave mysteries, 2013); cd (worstward recordings, 2014)
byzantium crow - cd (worstward recordings, 2014)
light in dust e.p. - 10" (worstward recordings, 2015)
the great unwinding - 2xcs (worstward recordings, 2016)
moss cathedral - cs (worstward recordings, 2016)
the landscape of memory - lp (worstward recordings, 2017)
new evening -- lp (worstward recordings, 2019)
crow/olive -- 7" (samaritan press, 2020)
fragments -- dl (worstward recordings, 2020
sun spar -- lp (worstward recordings, 2022)
dawn -- lp (worstward recordings, 2023)
ulaan markhor
ulaan markhor - cd/lp (soft abuse, 2012)
spiral horns, black onions et al. - lp (soft abuse, 2014)
detritus: 2010-2016 - dl (worstward recordings, 2016)
helm -- cs (soft abuse, 2018)
ulaan khol
I – CD (soft abuse, 2008)
II – CD (soft abuse, 2008)
III – CD (soft abuse, 2010)
la catacomb - CS (soft abuse, 2011)
los angeles e.p. - dl (worstward recordings, 2012)
ending/returning - 2xlp (immune recordings, 2013)
salt - CS (soft abuse, 2015)
collapsing hymns -- cs (worstward recordings, 2019)
milk thistle -- cs (desastre, 2023)
thuja
the deer lay down their bones – CD (tumult, 2000)
ghost plants – CD (emperor jones, 2002)
museum #1 – 3”CDr (jewelled antler, 2002)
museum #2 – 3”CDr (jewelled antler, 2002)
hills – CDr (last visible dog, 2002), lp (rose hobart, 2019)
suns – CD (emperor jones, 2002)
all strange beasts of the past – CD (emperor jones, 2003)
fable – 3”CD (jewelled antler, 2003)
pine cone temples – 2xCD (strange attractors, 2005)
thuja – LP (Important, 2008)
mirza
mirza – 12”ep (autopia, 1996)
anadromous – CD (darla, 1997)
iron compass flux – 2xLP/CD (darla, 1998)
last clouds – CD (ba da bing!, 2001)
43 odes
43 odes - cs (eiderdown recordings, 2019)
HWN UN AMN - lp (eiderdown recordings, 2023)
References
External links
International National Artists