A singer and trombone player, Smoota writes steamy, sensual, sexy songs about topics rarely heard in music. His groovy, provocative,and arousing style has drawn comparisons to Serge Gainsbourg, BarryWhite, Bryan Ferry, Peaches, andBeck. Renowned for his passionatetrombone playing and tours with TV on the Radio, Sufjan Stevens,and Spoon, Smoota debuted hissoloact in 2010 and quicklydeveloped
a reputation for ararecombination of alluring lyricsand warm, erotic sounds.
Smoota recorded his 2013 debut Fetishes entirely alone, oftenlateat night, less than ten feet from his bed. To createan intimatesound, he limited the instruments to voice,trombone, bass, an oldWurlitzer electric organ, and the Maestro Rhythm King, an early 70sdrum machine used by the likes of Little Beaver, Shuggie Otis, andTimmy Thomas.
Inspired by the soundscape of Sly Stone’s There’s ARiot Going On, thewordplayof George Clinton and
Parliament/Funkadelic, and thehonest,confessional
treatment ofsex and male-femalerelations found inhis favorite movies andbooks, Smootaemerged with an intimateconcept album unabashedlyexploringthe rich landscape anddarkunderbelly of male sexuality. Songs explore sexual fantasy,joyful infidelity, the power of suggestion, bodily functions,violence as aphrodisiac, bedroommishaps, rock n’ roll lust, theerotics of race, and the infinitevariety of personal fetishes.
The first Smoota 45 (“Pink Bra Playing Guitar” b/w “Fallin’ andFoolin’”) will be released in early 2013 on Quieres Chicle,an LA-based label run by KCRW DJ Mathieu Schreyer.
The Fetishes LP will follow.
Smoota grew up near Boston and studied Film and Literature at Harvard University, where he played trombone and made 16mm films under the tutelage of Yugoslavian maverick filmmakerDusan Makavejev. After college, he moved to San Francisco
andplayedbassin psych funk band C’mon Feet whileworking atUbiquityRecords,home of beloved rare groove label Luv n’Haight. Uponmoving toBrooklyn, Smoota picked up thetrombone again and,after rejectinglife as a book editor,began playing musicfull-time.
He currently plays trombone with acclaimed art rock band TV on theRadio and recently toured with Sufjan Stevens on his trombone-heavyAge of Adz tour (2010-11). He has alsoplayed and/or recorded withSpoon, Miike Snow, Elvis Costello, El-P, MNDR, Pharaoh Monche,Gordan Gano of theViolent Femmes, Akron/Family, Bebel Gilberto,AngeliqueKidjo, The Bogmen, Red Baraat, Chin Chin and many others.
Since 2009, Smoota hasoftenplayed trombone and keyboardswithAntibalas in Fela!,theBroadway musical directed bychoreographerBill T. Jonesaboutthe life of NigerianAfrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. OnHalloween2009, he joined Sharon Jones and members of the Dap-Kings tohelp Phish
cover the Rolling Stones album ExileonMain Street, documented in the 2010 film Phish 3D. And in2010,Smootaplayedtrombone and acted in a stage operaversion ofMelvinVanPeebles’ proto-blaxploitation flickSweetSweetback’sBaadasssssSong, directed by Van Peebles
himself and featuringmusic fromBurnt Sugar the Arkestra
Chamber, the cosmic freak soulgroupled by Greg Tate
(co-founder of the Black Rock Coalition with Living
Colour’sVernon Reid). Smoota can usually be found on
Mondaynightsplaying at Union Pool in Williamsburg,
Brooklynwith local dirty gospel R&B institution Rev.
Vince Anderson and the LoveChoir.
Spende erbeten!