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Biography

A young playwright whose work has reached audiences across the country, Austinite Kirk Smith now returns to the stage, but this time as a songwriter, armed with nothing more than his acoustic guitar and an endearing urge to take risks.

Embracing his first love – music – Kirk released a full-length record entitled SUDDENLY BRIGHT OUT earlier this spring, and plans to launch a solo acoustic tour this fall.

Although the ultra-competitive music biz is a whole different animal from the theatre, Kirk's determined to make his way. And with praise like this, there's no reason to hesitate: “Singular poetry, songwriting and singing…unforgettable,” hailed The Austin American-Statesman .

A man who's been down the music road once or twice, Kirk is sure things will be different this time around. “I was crazy then. I didn't know anybody, and I couldn't get any gigs.” So after working a month of double shifts, he saved enough money to rent a theatre space and put on his own shows. Kirk was promptly offered a job writing music for the troupe that operated the space, and he began creating his own substantial body of work, which was lauded by New York Theatre as “A spark of genius…remarkable and original” .

But what pulled Kirk into the theatre was what ultimately pulled him back out. His work in theatre was always music-based, but on SUDDENLY BRIGHT OUT , he eliminates the distractions and simply plays from the heart. "Instead of Ionesco and Sam Shepard , listen for Roxy Music and PJ Harvey ,” he says. "It's me doing what I always do, but without as much talking."

Engineering and playing nearly all of the instruments himself, Kirk's first solo record was a real DIY-er . How about mixing? He laughs heartily. “I did as much as I could, but mixing is fucking complex. I had to call for reinforcements.” Help arrived in the form of Austin's “Producer of the Year”, Lars Goransson ( The Cardigans, Fastball, Shane Bartell ). “Lars totally rescued me!” Smith happily reveals.

SUDDENLY BRIGHT OUT is a journey filled with specific, personal discoveries. Kirk's curiosity and dedication bring to mind a less strident Conor Oberst ( Bright Eyes ), and his method recalls the ingenuity of a younger, tougher David Bowie . His literary roots surface in the album's rich, detailed lyrics -- stories populated with images of the night sky, visions of trust and betrayal, and dreams of flying. And his knack for narrative structure is apparent in the album's pacing - Imagine PJ Harvey's post-punk blues yielding naturally to the aching lo-fi folk of Badly Drawn Boy .

The album also features Dave Robinson (The Scabs) on drums and George Reiff (Black Crowes' Chris Robinson ) on bass, but outside players were intentionally kept to a minimum. "I wanted flexibility, you know? And part of that meant making the record alone, as much as possible. Plus I thought it ought to have a solitary feeling -- but I didn't necessarily want it to be spare, instrument wise.” As a result, SUDDENLY BRIGHT OUT enjoys a wide variety of sonic textures, grounded by the simplicity of the instrumentation and the directness of his vocal delivery.

Ranging in scope from the hostile political scorcher "Not on my Side" to the atmospheric closing track, "Aloud", the album offers up a full sampling of Kirk himself - emotionally intense yet relaxed, sophisticated yet naïve, spontaneous yet dependable. But unlike a lot of songwriters, Kirk is far from vulnerable or insecure. "I'm ready for anything," he says with an air of lighthearted confidence accompanied by a sly grin.