An Interview with Caroline Smith on 8/11/08

By: David Rachac

How Was The Show: When did you start playing music? Was it always something you were drawn to?

Caroline Smith: To be honest, I don’t remember when I started playing music. My dad made it his life’s duty to teach each one of his three kids to be able to play and sing a Dylan song as soon as our hands were big enough to wrap around the neck of a guitar. It was something that we didn’t think too much about in our family. We ate, slept, and played music, we didn’t know much else.

HWTS: While most kids at age 16 are consumed with getting their driver's license, you were busy recording an album -- that had to be pretty heady stuff for someone so young.

CS: I remember anticipating my license so I could finally drive myself to my own shows and to be parent-free in recording sessions in Minneapolis, three hours south of Detroit Lakes, where I went to high school. I’ve always been very independent about the direction of my music, and that's all a drivers license really meant to me. 

HWTS: And then there were the shows you opened for B.B. King -- how did that happen?

CS: Let’s just say it paid off to have a very proud mom who worked the room at all of my shows when I was younger. Somebody mentioned to her early on, "It’s all who you know," so she took the advice and ran, teaching me at 15 years old how important it is to network with the people that are interested in what you are doing. I fell into the right hands of a very nice promoter, who passed me along to the right hands of others. Needless to say, the experience was surreal. Sometimes I wish I could play with him now, at an older age, to really appreciate the legend that was off-stage listening intently to the songs I'd written.

HWTS: You moved to Minneapolis to go to college -- how easy was it to get integrated into the Minneapolis music scene, especially since you weren't old enough to hang around in bars?

CS: It was surprisingly easy. It is not unknown that the Minneapolis music scene is famous for a courteous and positive attitude for newcomers like me. I played a show with Mason Jennings in Fargo when I was 17, and happened to meet a handful of really great people. I can safely say I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren't for them. Mason's tour manager, Chad Weis, actually produced this new album, three years after initially meeting him. Through him, I got acquainted with the 400 Bar, through which I met two out of my three band members.

HWTS: Tom Sullivan, the owner of the 400 Bar, mentions you in the same breath with Mason Jennings and Haley Bonar. What has his support meant to your success?

CS: Tom has been a very supportive person to me and my music ever since I moved to the Twin Cities. I was very lucky to get a weekly residency at the 400 Bar through him and he’s always been there to answer any questions or introduce me to anyone, playing a crucial role in where I am now. He’s a friend I was very lucky to make.

HWTS: How did your band, the Good Night Sleeps, come together?

CS: I noticed my future drummer, Arlen Peiffer, now the new drummer for Cloud Cult, at every one of my first shows in Minneapolis, always front and center and learning the songs. Tom Sullivan approached me about possibly taking my solo songs to Arlen for a beat. We hit it off, and through him, I met Alex Ramsey (The Pines), my prophetical keyboard player/any other instrument we could possibly desire. Word hit the street that we were keeping our eyes out for a bassist, and in sauntered Jesse Schuster from Lucy Michelle and The Velvet Lapels, another amazing band. Too many fart jokes later, we decided to make things official.

HWTS: The new CD is called Backyard Tent Set -- talk about what went into recording it.

CS: A lot of cigarettes, a lot of coffee, and a lot of Mesa Pizza. Recording Backyard Tent Set had a lot of intense recording sessions, but we had way too much fun recording it. We used a lot of vintage equipment with a lot of room mics and group recordings. For a couple songs, we all sat in creaky chairs around one mic and would lay out an entire song. We wanted it to be reminiscent of what our live show is, and on our final day of recording, we were all pretty pleased with what we'd done. The four of us had a baby together and we named it Backyard Tent Set.

HWTS: If you were to pick one song off of Backyard Tent Set that is most representative of what Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps is all about, which one would it be?

CS: This is a hard question to answer because all of the songs on the album we feel fit together as a cohesive piece, aiming to sound as live as possible. But if I had to judge on the energy and beat that best represents our live shows, I think we would all agree on “Closing The Doors.”

HWTS: The CD release party for Backyard Tent Set is Wednesday, August 13th at the Seventh Street Entry. What all are we going to see there?

CS: On board with us, we've got Adam Svec from The Glad Version, A Paper Cup Band, and Ogre! Smash! Death! Boom!, a deceiving name for such endearing music. We'll play the album and a few new ones. Hopefully, I don't embarrass myself as I usually do with my infamously bad jokes when I get a microphone in my hands. I can't make any promises, though.

HWTS: You've got some dates scheduled for the East Coast at the end of August. What are your plans for the rest of the year?

CS: The rest of the year, I'm intending on playing shows around Minneapolis to continue the promotion of Backyard Tent Set and to finish up my junior year at the University of Minnesota. A West Coast tour is in the horizon for next spring, but until then, I have an English major I'm attempting to chase down.

HWTS: Thank you for all of your time. Any final comments?

CS: The album will be available on iTunes and various record shops in Minneapolis, and if you find yourself noticing the unique album art, the artist was Miles Mendenhall. Thanks for everything!

Artist Info: Caroline Smith

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