Tuesday Night Tunes – Darden Smith
Reverent, quiet and reflective. That was the mood after the first set last Saturday night. Darden Smith is a gifted story teller and musician. He can write a song that will capture a room.
Angel Flight is such a song.
Here is a TED Talk from Austin that Darden shared the story and it gives you a bit of the flavor of a house concert. It’s stories and songs blended together and it reveals some of the soul of the artist.
He started a non-profit called SongwritingWith:Soldiers that reaches returning vets and helps them process back into life at home. That song is the result of some of the first meetings with soldiers when this non-profit was a thought seed.
If you didn’t have time to watch the whole video above, it came out of a conversation where a soldier mentioned an Angel Flight. Darden asked ‘what’s an angel flight?’ and the soldier explained, its the one that carries a soldier home who was killed in action. That was the song title and you can hear the soul in his words. Seeing it live was beyond words so I’ll stop on that one.
Just play it again….
I found an article from the NY Times too if you want to check that out. I will be supporting this wonderful charity and I hope you will consider it too.
Darden talks about working with other great songwriters and how you get more from the collaboration than the sum of the folks working on it. I believe there is a spiritual component that multiples our efforts when we work with others or if we just listen carefully to the muse who comes by and catches us working. She blesses us with insight or inspiration beyond what we can do on our own. I am always amazed by the stories of songs that ‘write themselves’ or authors who create something and look back and either don’t remember the writing of it or don’t recognize it as their work.
He also talked about working with the soldiers and how it might take a couple of songs to get to the lower levels, the dark things they are carrying around every day.
Listen to this…
Attending an house concert is a special event that you have a hard time sharing until the one you are talking to experiences it too. Darden shared that this was the primary way music was played before clubs and other venues for small groups and artists with smaller followings. As I move into the hosting of these concerts I appreciate more every time the work and anticipation of the show and who will come to hear.
Art Bowman and Bowman House Concert Series is the first place I heard about and attended my first concert there. Art has been a friend and mentor to me in all this and I am appreciative in so many ways. He did a great job on the concert with Darden and it makes me want to do more.
If you get a chance to hear more of Darden you can go here and get the mix of his songs on YouTube but please go to his site and buy something. He likes food with his meals and I hear he has two kids to support 🙂
Stay tuned for our next concert at RealtyCaffeine House Concert Series too. Nate Currin is coming to the house soon so watch for that invite.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell