Damon Smith

The great spiritual masters might view Damon Smith from the perspective of eternity. But perceived, as he often is, in passing time, Damon Smith is a human musician living in New York City, where he was born and raised. Some years ago, he graduated from the New England Conservatory. Since then, there has been a flurry of activity. There have been releases with The Jacobins and, more recently, The Brightmares. There have been acclaimed solo records in which Damon’s own voice has cried out in the darkness of our world, as if from nowhere or from everywhere. These can be accessed on various streaming services and played back at various speeds and in various orders - celebrations of time that nonetheless flaunt time, insisting on and yet boldly rejecting all duration. Meanwhile, a slew of shows have unfolded synchronously, in which Damon has accompanied various people you’ve heard of and people you haven’t and people you should’ve or soon will (including Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes, Dirty Projectors, and Andrew WK), at countless venues like 92nd Street Y and Carnegie Hall as well as festivals like Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. The activity continues. Life is irreversible and long. From the standpoint of eternity, this has all already happened and will always be happening, all at once. Thankfully, we have the opportunity to experience these events sequentially in time. Written by William Hazard