Chances are if you live in the San Francisco area or are a fan of the WB’s “One Tree Hill” then you’ve heard of this awesome indie band Smith Point. After getting so many request to have them on the site we got a chance to chat up the band (although, Pat was missing in action, lol) about what inspires them to make music, and so much more.
You’ve all done other projects and even been in a few bands before Smith Point. How did you get together?
Nadir: Well Christian, Justin and Pat were all in a band in DC, and they moved out her but didn’t have a drummer. They actually put an ad out in the paper, I answered it .. and the band was born. That’s how it all happened.
Where exactly did the name Smith Point come from?
Justin: When we went to school in DC, there was this place called Smith Point that was right by our house. And we just didn’t really have a name (laughs), so we decided to just go ahead and name it after that place more or less.
When was it that you knew you wanted to be performers?
Christian: Uh, you know … I’ve always wanted to be a performer, ever since I was really little. I always like to run around entertain and dance. But, when I first started to play guitar and trying to connect with people in high school was really when I knew.
Justin: We’ve all been playing instruments since we were kids. I know I’ve been playing the violin since I was .. 1 or 2 1/2. (all laugh) It’s just something we really enjoy doing, that we just have to get up and do.
Nadir: I’ve always loved performing, ever since I was eight years old. I had all these Michael Jackson impersonations I would do. So, it just comes natural to me. (laughs)
Justin: Yea, Nadir still wears the glove sometimes on stage. (all laugh)
Who would you say are some of your musical influences as a group or individually?
Christian: Musically I’m pretty much influenced by other bands .. like 90’s era bands, I love all the grunge bands .. Pearl Jam and Nirvana. I’m really inspired these days by bands like Better Than Ezra, Dashboard Confessional – they’re awesome. There’s just a lot of really great songwriters out there, and I look up to them.
Justin: You know what else is good, is that we’re in San Francisco – which is a really good sea of unsigned bands. We play with some of the best bands I think around, that inspire us to write and perform.
You’ve been compared to such bands as Good Charlotte, Goo Goo Dolls, and Counting Crows. How would you describe your music?
Justin: That’s a tough question .. I mean we write songs that we just like playing or performing live. We don’t try an emulate other bands, but obviously like you said .. we’ve been compared to bands we take inspiration from. Mostly we just play for ourselves, to enjoy it. I guess I would probably describe it as rock though. I’ve actually heard it described as Bon Jovi without the hair. (all laugh)
What is the process and source of inspiration when writing a song?
Christian: I primarily do most of the writing for the band, along with Justin. From an inspiration stand point I can pretty much take it from anything; obviously personal experiences, others in the band, friends and the situations they go through. When I have an idea, melody, or lick I’ll usually run it by Justin and we work through it. Then once we have an idea of where we want to go with it, we’ll usual bring it to a rehearsal and show it to Nadir and Pat.
One of our favorite songs of yours is “Mostly Me”, can you tell us the story behind it?
Christian: Um, ya know .. there really isn’t much of a story behind it. I wrote the song really on sentiment. I think it’s kind of just about wanting to be selfish, and getting what you want.
What message do you hope people take away from your music?
Nadir: I wouldn’t say we really have a specific message we try to put out there. I don’t think we’re one of those bands who are going to stand out on political views or otherwise.
Christian: I think, like Justin said earlier we just play the songs we like and we try interact with the audience.
Justin: We’re not Bob Dylan or Rage Against the Machine, and we don’t try to be. We just go by our mood at the time, and try to take inspiration from wherever we can.
Your song “Escape” has become very popular after being on the WB’s “One Tree Hill”. How do you feel about that? Did you ever imagine it would get the response it has?
Christian: No, I had no idea when I wrote the song that it was going to be heard by anyone outside of my roommates at the time. It’s been a great experience for us .. all the exposure we’ve gotten. We’ve been getting emails for people saying they really connect with the song and such, it feels really good to know that.
Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of fans talking about it. Especially on the WB boards and stuff.
Christian: The interesting thing about the song on the show, is that I felt the way it sounded, was recorded and lyrically it fit in perfect. It was flattering the way it worked out so well, for me at least.
You all seem very involved with your fan base. Do you stay in contact with any of your fans?
Justin: I’m sorry did you say do we have control over our fans?
No, stay in contact. (all laugh)
Christian: Justin’s got pretty good control over a few .. I mean he’s good looking, and .. (laughs) No really we definitely stay in close contact with our fans, through email and just hanging out. When we add new shows we invite them to come down and hang out. We have the street team, which helps us out and we definitely try to encourage that.
Justin: It’s cool we have a tour outside of San Francisco that we’re going to be starting soon, and we have people contacting us from states we didn’t even know existed (laughs)
Christian: Like Ohio..
Justin: Oh, I’ve heard of Ohio! (all laugh) No, but really there are just places we didn’t know we connected with anyone. Then they write us and tell how much they love the songs, that they inspire them. It’s just kind of bizarre to us.
Christian: It’s funny, Smith Point has actually put me back in touch with one of my old friends. He found the website and emailed me, now we’re back to talking. I actually sent him our CD and now he’s playing it in his restaurant back in Boston.
How would you describe each member of the band?
Justin: Oh, I’ll describe Nadir! (all laugh) He’s a great musician, but .. there’s just sometimes when I’m playing and I just get so distracted by his sexiness. (laughs) It just really gets too distracting sometimes and I wish he would tone it down (laughs). Other than that I think he’s a pretty awesome guy.
Nadir: I’ll take that as a cue to describe Justin … he’s a dedicated band member, and works really hard at taking care of all the business. I think he’s a great supportive bass player, ya know he doesn’t try to show off too much .. just hangs around in the back. (laughs)
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Christian: I guess I’ll describe Pat. I think he’s definitely got all the energy in the band, he gets super excited about gigs. He’s a great promoter I think, he’s always the first one out there trying to get people to come to the shows.
Justin: To describe Christian, I’d use one word. Ladykiller. (all laugh)
Nadir: Christian is a confident front man. He’s got a great vibe onstage, really energetic. His hair is like always gelled right in the back .. with just the right amount of product. (laughs)
You’re scheduled to perform at the Little Kids Rock benefit coming up. What can you tell us about the event and how you got involved?
Christian: I actually got a phone call not to long ago from one of the promoters for Little Kids Rock, she told me about the benefit and how they give musical instruments to public schools. We thought it would be a great opportunity, we’ll be playing on a bill with other awesome bands in the area. Plus, it’s a Tongue Grove .. one of our favorite venues.
Justin: It’s a great organization. The only reason not to play was if you hate little kids (laughs), and I’d just like to state for the record Smith Point does not hate little kids. (all laugh) We support little kids and them playing instruments, which is why we’re doing the show.
Christian: We feel all little kids should have that outlet.
Yea, little kids rock.
Nadir: That’s right! Little kids do rock. (all laugh)
You’ve played a lot of shows in the San Francisco area, any idea when you’ll be playing some east coast shows?
Justin: Yea, we’re actually working on getting out to the east coast this summer and playing some shows. I’m from New York, so we’re gonna try and hook up with some of our friends out there and play. Nothing is confirmed right now, but definitely keep looking at the website for dates.
For the last week we’ve had fans send in questions they wanted answered. I have to say a ton of your fans want to know when/if you will be putting out another EP or album?
Christian: We’re actually planning on that very soon. Ya know, we recorded our EP “All in All” after we were only a band for about 3 or 4 months. So, a lot of the development we’ve had is as a result of recording that album. I personally think we’re moving in a really great creative direction, and we’ve got a whole batch of new songs that we’re really excited about. We plan on getting back in the studio and keeping everyone update through the website.
Well, that’s all of my questions. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us.
Justin: No problem, we love your site actually. We’re glad you wanted to include us.
Oh definitely, we’ve become big fans of your music.
ALL: Thank you.
FOR MORE ON SMITH POINT CHECK OUT:
· Official Site
· MySpace
All in All
buy online
