SMMD - 4/22 Narrows CFtA, Fall River, MA

[bear]

1: The Real World, Home Away From Home > Summer of My Fall, Roses and Bottles, When a Woman, I'm No Good at All, One Sick Knave*, Fat King of Gods, Sisyphus, Sleepyhead, Emily Green, Poor Boy, Everything Must Go, Red Sky, "magic trick", Unprotected Sex Song, Little Boat

E: Joelle, As the Crow Flies

* p.k.a. "Gonna Have to Move"

[Jenny]

so glad the tables got moved! we had some shukin n jivin ta do! One sit down SMMD show is enough for me! hehe

[kate9487]

just when i think it can't get any better...

[etahn]

* a.k.a. "Gonna Have to Move" (Cleantone, is that title right?)

I heard "One Sick Native"....

[Cleantone]

One Sick Knave.

[harrymcq]

I was hoping that they would pull out a few things that they hadn't played yet, like Rubber Ball, Skull & Bones, 9 to 5 Suicide, How Stupid I Am, Tell Me More, Mardi Gras, Cloudy Skies etc. I can understand how they want to work on the new material though which is really growing on me!

Good news is that they are really starting to fill out their repertoire! I hope this leads to more tours and shows...

[BrentW]

yeah, let's hope it does lead to more shows. I think it was the Iron Horse show or maybe it was a recent interview? where Nathan was talking about making it big with SMMD. No band is going to make it big by playing 2-8 shows per year.

[harrymcq]

As much as I love The Slip and think they could be way more successful than they are (or at least than they were back when they were touring) I do think Mr. Davis has a better chance at greater popularity. They would need to start doing a LOT more shows and put out a real album though. Fact is no one except the faithful knows about the Only In Montreal EP and their debut record (which is the only thing you can get on iTunes) isn't nearly as accessible as much of their subsequent material.

If they were to put out an album of a few of the best of the crop of 'middle' songs including some of the Only in Montreal tracks plus some of the best of the new stuff I think that would be a super start...

[lucasdavidsamuels]

i read some interview with nathan or bradd or both and they basically stated that they don't really think they will be widely recognized and are actually content with that...i mean i'm sure all artists have said this before they become popular, but in terms of the boys i think at this point they've made it as far as they can
they've basically blown all their tv performances by playing well but having terrible vocal performances as much as i hate to say it (i.e. mtv canada showcase, conan) and the bonnaroo show was on the whole, decent at best (except for heartbreaker of course)
the boys and SMMD are not hitting the festi-circuit this summer which means any steam from last summer is blown as well
anyways im truly under the impression that the boys have made it as far as they're gunna, and the only real opportunity they have at this point would be a kick ass Davis album with a big fucking tour...a feature article in Rolling Stone or Relix wouldn't hurt either and in my opinion is seriously deserved
ill still buy all their music and download all their shows of course

[harrymcq]

I don't think these guys are going to ever break really big with a hit single and tons of media coverage. I think the media attention that was being paid to the Slip before they decided to take a break was only helping them but I don't think one or two TV appearances is going to make or break a band these days. A hit single is more luck than anything else and so many bands have been there and actually fallen to worse places after their 15 minutes of fame. (Though of course we all know that Mr. Davis would be back in 15 minutes anyway )

I believe the Nathan and Brad comments you reference were from the excellent State of Mind piece on Nathan a couple months ago and it seems to me that their responses are more a situation of managing expectations than anything else. They have both been in the biz long enough that it must get frustrating sometimes.

What I do think is attainable for Mr. Davis (or The Slip when they recharge their batteries) is a more sustainable level of success with a moderate growth in fanbase. In San Fran for example Davis can fill up the Independent pretty well (~ 500 cap.) or can pack Cafe Du Nord (~300 cap.) but if they could play venues like the Fillmore (~1100) or The Warfield (~2200) I feel like they could make a much more comfortable living and be able to support themselves, their families and a few staff members. I see it happen all the time with jambands and indie rock. Of course it would be great for them if they were selling out the amphitheaters and arenas but it just doesn't seem as likely.

There is a beta-test of a new High Sierra social networking site and what struck me is how many people list Mr. Davis or the Slip as their favorite band. I think part of that has to do with the amount of exposure that High Sierra gets to Mr. Davis in particular. Heck sometimes their only shows of the year are there, but look at how much people like them! Mr. Davis also has not ever toured large parts of the country. It stands to reason that they more they get out there the more they will be loved. If for whatever reasons the musicians don't want that I totally respect their reasons because I totally respect their music but it doesn't mean it can't happen.

[lucasdavidsamuels]

maybe the slip/SMMD just need better representation? who knows
i'd love SMMD to come to Toronto, Michael Cohl is my cousin (head of LiveNation, tour manager for the rolling stones) and i would really love him or a rep of his to catch the guys in action somehow

[ScS]

i wish theyd come to chicago. id help promote the hell out of them as much as possible...plenty of good spaces for them to play too.

[bear]

people still dont really know what Surprise me is. Non of the shows came close to being full. There were literally 20 people in Great Barrington. Nathan told me that after rehearsing for a week he felt like they were ready to drop a bomb on the world but the lack of interest definitely discouraged him. Luckily attendence picked up in NoHo, NY and Fall River and I think they all had a good time. I know I did.
Basically there is just no hype for this band. There are tons of "indie" bands that get big money to promote them and make it big fast. Vampire Weekend and Cold War Kids comes to mind in that regard. No offense to any fans of that band but they basically write songs with 2 chords. Not that inventive....
I think the boys are content with the fact that they'll never make it big and have started to branch out by backing other people (Natalie merchant, Marco, Dan bern etc.) and have done some session work too. Nathan on the other hand needs to make some money, and boy does he deserve it.... his new album sounds soooooooo good BTW

[BrentW]

I think Nathan just needs to get out and play more. When I went to the first VT show a few weeks ago he mentioned he was going to do this more often. Gee I hope so. The shows were magical. I would bet he has a great following in the Staunton area. If he would just get around more often I think his following will grow quickly. Do some festivals, small tours, etc. He's got the talent, the pipes, song writting ability, stage presence, you name it....

[tyler]

Marc lives in Brooklyn right? he should befriend a Pitchfork writer.
it worked for Vampire Weekend.